A morning routine helps us set the tone for the day, better allowing us to control our schedules rather than our schedule controlling us. Now that the routine of working in the office has disappeared for many people, it can be nice to create a new morning ritual. Get inspired by the morning routines of 5 community members.
Do you have a morning routine? Let us know in this poll.
Alessandro Fusaro, SkyTeam
"At the start of the lockdown, I promised myself that I would make good use of the extra time I’d normally spend commuting to work, so I kept setting my alarm to the same time as before. That way, I would have all the time in the world to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, a walk in the park or even some morning yoga.
I really wonder what happened to that extra hour and a half a day, because time just seems to fly by every morning – 15 minutes before my first meeting I’m usually still on the sofa, in my pyjamas, watching the news and scrolling through Instagram. Luckily, I can get my dignity back most days by taking a quick shower and putting on my office clothes – ready to get to work!"
Duwien Otten, Schiphol Group
Everyone in our team has been working from home since mid-March, just like a lot of other people in the Netherlands. As a result, the hustle and bustle of our work environment at Schiphol seems like a distant memory sometimes. Our work is intensive, and everything we’re responsible for takes place inside the terminal. So it took some time for the team to get used to working remotely – we do have monthly face-to-face meetings at the terminal, which help.
But to make sure everyone stays connected – with each other and everything that goes on at Schiphol – we introduced ‘the wake-up call’ at the start of the pandemic: every morning, between 9.00 and 9.30, we have an all-team Skype call over a cup of coffee or tea. Everyone has their camera on, and we tell each other what we’ll be doing that day and whatever else is on our minds. It has become a real ritual for us, and something we all value and even look forward to. What’s even better is that we’ve grown closer than ever as a team, and that we’re much more aware of what everyone else is doing, and how they’re doing. The wake-up call makes our day!
Sebastiaan Wesselings, KLM
Whereas a lot of my friends set their alarm early to ‘maintain a rhythm’ and even manage to squeeze in a 5k run – with extra exercises along the way – I really do prefer staying under the covers a little while longer. Now, my alarm goes off at 7:45. We let our little balls of fluff doze in bed with us for a bit (which they absolutely love!) so my partner and I can take our time waking up. It definitely beats the morning rush.
I’m more energetic and cheerful, and now that we start every morning with cuddles and purrs from our little teddy bears, we get to escape reality for a bit every day before work.
The flipside of that became apparent to me recently, when I had to put on my uniform for the first time in 179 days: the fit was a little more snug than it was back in March. However, I’m still glad I don’t have to wake up at 6.00 every day anymore.
Nina Aerts, Schiphol Group
I’m not much of a morning person, so I try to stick to a structured morning routine to get into the flow of things. Every morning when I wake up, around 7.30, I listen to the news on the radio. Then I make myself a nice oat milk coffee, combining it with a healthy smoothie, an açaí bowl or Greek yogurt with granola and fruit. I don’t have a partner or kids to take care of, and I live by myself – which gives me lots of freedom and flexibility in planning and scheduling my days. This has made my working days more productive, but I do miss seeing my colleagues a lot.
Most days I start working somewhere between 8.00 and 9.00. My mornings are spent answering emails and making schedules, and I’ll usually have a call with my manager, as well as a team meeting to discuss current business. At the end of the morning, before lunch, I try to pop outside for a walk in the park to get some fresh air and make some calls – and it also helps me get to 10,000 steps a day, which is not always easy!
Sanne Postma, Microsoft
Working from home allows you to be much more flexible. You can go for a walk outside during your lunch break, have packages delivered during the day or go for an early-morning run – without having to cut down on your shower time or grabbing breakfast to go. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to finally become a #fitgirl. Sounds great, right?
Well, this is what my current morning routine actually looks like: as soon as my alarm goes off, I hit the snooze button. I hear my boyfriend make his way to the bathroom, and as I try to ignore his music I realise the day really has started. Since I hit snooze, I don’t really have time for a morning run anymore before my first call. Lying in bed, I scroll through the news and my Instagram feed. I lose track of time, and before I know it I get a reminder from Outlook that my first call is about to start. I rush to the bathroom to brush my hair and put on a shirt. I manage to start my call just in time and try to look somewhat dressed up and put together. The best thing about working from home? You can wear your pyjama bottoms all day. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s loving this.
Do you have a morning routine? Let us know in this poll.
