How do you start your day? We’re showcasing different Mad Fish team member’s morning routines to help understand how we all like to start our day. Learn more about how the team gets started, drinks their coffee, and manages their time in the AM.
What is your morning routine?
I wake up between 7:00 – 7:30 am, get more or less together and head downstairs. I turn on the coffee maker and while it warms up, I make breakfast and prepare lunches for the three of us. We have our fireplace and lights on a timer so they are calmly glowing by the time I’m sitting and enjoying my first cup of coffee.
I usually give my inbox, Slack, Instagram and Facebook all a quick scan. This lasts usually 5-10 minutes before my son comes downstairs. He curls up on my lap (the absolutely best part of my day) and we chit chat for a few before starting the process of getting ourselves out of the house by 8:45 am. I walk my son to school (the 2nd best part of my day) and am usually back at the house, grabbing my stuff and heading to the office by 9:10 am.
How long have you had this routine?
I don’t have the luxury of keeping a routine for any long stretch of time. My routine is at the whim of the school calendar, weather and my child’s health. So, this routine has been generally the same since the start of September.
Do you do anything before bed to make your morning easier?
I like to tidy up the living room and kitchen counters before I go to bed. There’s something about seeing clutter first thing in the morning that unnerves me. I also try to pull together all the things I will need the next day and set them by the front door so I’m less likely to forget them in the whirl of morning activities. That means putting my laptop back in my bag, collecting shopping bags, random paperwork, dry cleaning, etc.
Do you use an alarm to wake up? What kind/what’s the sound it makes?
I use my old iPhone 5 as an alarm. It hardly works for anything but ringing each morning. If I don’t naturally wake up, I am awoken by the artificial island sounds of the Marimba ringtone at 7:30am. I never hit snooze. I absolutely hate the snooze button. Once it rings, I’m awake.
How soon do you check your phone in the morning?
I check my phone each morning over a cup of coffee before everyone else wakes up. It is a habit I would love to break. As a business owner, I think it’s hard to rewrite the routine of checking in so you can anticipate your day all the time.
I do make it a point to be done with my phone before my son wakes up so I can give him my attention in the morning. I don’t check it again until I get to the office.
Do you have breakfast? If so, what?
I am not a breakfast eater. I will drink 1-2 cups of coffee at home and then 1-2 more at the office. Usually, by the time I’m hungry it’s nearly 11:00 am so I just wait until lunch. If I do get hungry earlier, I’ll eat something in the Mad Fish kitchen – peanut butter on rice cakes or oatmeal.
How do you take your coffee?
My daily coffee is always black. No sugar, no cream. Once in a while, I’ll add coconut creamer if I want to smooth it out a bit but usually only in my last cup for the day. I realize that may imply a higher likelihood of being a psychopath (thanks, Giselle) but it also means I like to keep things simple and efficient. 😊
How has your morning routine changed over the years?
I am not, by nature, a morning person. Past job positions and a child have forced me to become one. Previously, I worked much later in the evening but those days are gone. I actually enjoy being the first one up in the morning and getting those few moments of tranquility to center myself each day.
When do you go to sleep?
I don’t set a time for myself. I head to bed anytime between 10 pm and 11:30 pm. Reading before bed is another routine I enjoy. Not my phone or laptop but an actual, physical book. It calms my mind.
