Track Your Morning Rituals To Streamline Your Routine
If your mornings seems to get away from you, it’s time to take stock in where the time is going and make sure the routine you have is a realistic one. Photo by wanfauzan.
Over at the organisation blog Unclutterer, they highlight the plight of a friend who is never on time. We all have that friend and sometimes even are that friend. I know I have a good friend who despite getting up nearly three hours before she needs to be at work is perpetually late because she underestimates how long it will take her to do things. The first step in streamlining your morning routine is just keeping track of where the time is currently going:
Keep a log of how you spend your time from the point you wake up until you arrive at work. Keep this log for two or three weeks so that you get an accurate view of your typical morning. How long does it take to shower? Choose your clothes? Hunt for items you need to drop at the dry cleaners, post office, or child’s school? What throws you off track?
Once you have an accurate picture of where the time goes you might be surprised. Maybe you tell yourself the commute only takes 30 minutes, but 30 minutes is the all green lights and no traffic optimum time, not the realistic time. Maybe your 10 minute shower is really 25 minutes of trying to wake up in the steamy bathroom.
When you have a solid idea of where the time is going you can begin to assess the situation and decide what things need tweaking, how much earlier you need to leave for work, and so on. For ideas on how to get from charting your time to spending it wisely, check out the rest of the article at the link below. If you’ve taken notes on your own routines let’s hear about the results in the comments below.
Streamlining your morning routine [Unclutterer]
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
So people here are complaining and making fun of some free advice that they may not need, but others might? Grow up.
My 40 minute routine includes a proper hot breakfast and a wet shave. Best time-savers are to lay-out your clothes the night before, brush your teeth in the shower and keep a thermos flask handy to take coffee with you rather than finish drinking it at home.
I tried having breakfast at work but I'm just too grumpy before I've eaten; not good for teamwork!
I think I read this article somewhere else:
[specialkindofstupid.com]
shadowplay
I'm good once I finally get out of bed and stop hitting the snooze button.
utkhexon
@tylerf:
Just do step 8 with paying customers.
Anonymous816435
If Seinfeld has taught us anything it's that you absolutely should not observe strangers in locker room showers in order to collect data to help you streamline your morning routine.
I think that's called California time, or some such thing. I think for some people the problem is a bit more than not knowing how long things take. But I suppose you don't necessarily need to understand the cause to solve it. I think for a lot of people this is a control issue. By being late you subconsciously raise a middle finger to "authority" (in the broad sense of that term). The tyranny of time is pissing you off, as it were.
I also totally agree. Not enough action and too much preping. Forethought on action is always good but in this society we're told to graph it out, mind-map it, run the numbers, put it in some software and generate some reports. And then when we're done we found out we dont even know where to start so nothing ever gets done.
rejester
I don't have a problem with streamlining my morning routine. Once I'm up, I'm ready to go in 15 minutes.
It's getting up that's difficult.
lhed
@lhed: Ahh, to find a way to skip step 4, but still get food for step 6...
tylerf
@tylerf: There is but it makes step 6 a lot more difficult.
lhed
@BishopBlaize: I'm tracking now!
tylerf
@32ndnote: I often get all the clothes I need for the next day, out on a chair the night before, so I don't even need to look for them, I just grab them up and the dressing up part in the morning is easy, quickly brush my hair, from wake up I can get out of my room and down to get breakfast in like 15seconds.
If I actually had a job and needed to get somewhere, I could then get coffee done while doing something else, like preparing papers/laptop or whatever, and then drink coffee on the way to work. Cutting out even more time.
But if people need more time in the mornings, earlier night, and earlier wake up time, logging what you do isn't really going to help.
tylerf
@DiscoZombie: If only there was a way to get rid of step 4...
tylerf
@dabbly: You're not alone. I feel the same way. I write down, track, and plan things like budgeting, long term business plans and stuff like that, but for normal functioning action or just getting through the day, just do it. Adjust if necessary.
DiscoZombie
maybe its just me but i find this completely ridiculous. keeping a log of how you spend your time in the morning for 2 to 3 weeks before actually changing what your doing? If you have a problem, recognize it, change it, and move on to the next one. sometimes i worry that people (lifehacker included) focus to much on planning, systems, and analyzing and not enough on pure action. what happened to the days when people just used to live life and do things without coming up with a system in writing? its great to have a plan of action but how often do you (or your life) stick to the plan. then again how can you write about acting? you just do it, not to much to explain. sorry for the ramble but i felt compelled to share my thoughts.
dabbly
@DJRRJr.: LOL
hmmm.... could put the coffee on a slow iv drip and eliminate step 2 also. ;-)
DiscoZombie
@DiscoZombie: Put a coffee pot and a laptop next to your bed, and cut out steps 1 and 3.
You're welcome. ;-)
Mine is simple:
Get out of bed.
Pour coffee.
Sit down.
Work.
Get up.
Eat dinner.
Take a shower.
Go to bed.
7 days a week. No need to write it down.
DiscoZombie
There are a lot of people in this world who are just waiting for the transporter beam to be invented. :)
Some people have an inner tracking system that remembers how long it takes to do things or go places. Others either have no clue or wing it with some kind of estimate that might or might not be based in reality.
Let those two types marry each other and then sit back and watch the fur fly. At least after almost 37 years he's finally gained some awareness he's going to be late and he needs to call someone and let them know. :)
I did this a long time ago.
I have things down to the minute mark.
TimothyH
I just stopped shaving in the morning, have all of the work-decent clothes in one section of the closet, and stopped brushing my teeth at home in the morning(I just do it at work after I've had my morning coffee.) Works wonders and I can almost leave whenever I feel like it.
I guess if you have three kids, two wives and a dog (or whatever) then maybe its worthwhile. To be honest tho, even as lifehacker goes, writing a complete log of your morning activities is pretty anal.
Bring back the japanese guy getting ready in 5 minutes.
BishopBlaize
Oh. That explains a lot.
bloknayrb
karlawithak