pink and grey bedsheets

Real-Life Morning Routine

Almost every time I look at my Bloglovin’ feed lately, there’s another post about someone’s ‘morning routine’.

I love reading these posts… but I also hate them a little bit, because, those posts, with their photos of perfectly made beds, and people waking up at dawn to go for a ten-mile run before breakfast (tastefully presented and nutritionally awesome, obviously), make it all too clear that I am totally failing at adulting. I mean, I work from home, for God’s sake! If anyone should have a morning routine down pat, it should be me, right? I don’t, though – or not one like all of those other bloggers. Here, for instance, is my real-life morning routine, and how it contrasts with the ones I’ve been reading about on the internet. (And which are totally true, obviously, because no one would pretend to be perfect on the internet… would they?)

The Others:

Woken up by the rising sun. Leap out of bed, excited to begin a new day.

Me:

Woken up by the sound of Rubin barking. Place pillow over head and hope Terry gets up first.

(No matter how early we get up, Rubin always manages to wake up and start barking ten minutes before us. If we try to trick him by setting an alarm to wake up before him, we’ll get maybe two days of silence, before he learns the new wake-up time, and starts barking ten minutes before THAT. One time we wound up getting up before we’d even gone to bed, in a bid to out-wit him: true story.*)

(*Not actually a true story.)

The Others:

Drink one litre of water, probably infused with lemon, or cucumber, or some other Instagram-friendly item.

Me:

GIVE ME COFFEE OR I WILL CUT YOU. No, seriously…

The Others:

Do some quick sun salutations, to get “centred”.

Me:

Grab phone from bedside table, and spend next 20 minutes pretending to be doing important #GIRLBOSS related tasks, while actually scrolling through my Bloglovin’ feed and comparing myself to all of those Other Bloggers whose ‘morning routine’ involves getting up with the dawn, hitting the gym (clad in their Ivy Park workout gear, natch), and then coming home to prepare a perfect breakfast. And all before 8am! Meanwhile, I’m still in bed. Also, I now want to slap myself for using the word #GIRLBOSS, even in my own head. Seriously, who even AM I?

Rubinman

“But I’m so cute! Also: FEED ME.”

The Others:

Pull on pristine workout gear, and head out for a 10-mile run.

Me:

Pull on worn-out workout gear. “Run” from bed to desk. And by “run” I mean “walk”.

The Others:

Return home, and prepare a nutritious breakfast, complete with hand-made smoothie, featuring all-organic ingredients.

Me:

MOAR COFFEE. And OK, maybe a Tesco’s Finest Breakfast Bar, if I feel like pushing the boat out. (Seriously, though: who can be bothered cooking first thing in the morning? Or, you know, EATING? Why am I never hungry when I wake up? Oh, wait: it’s because I skip the whole ‘ten mile run’ thing, isn’t it?) Thought so.

The Others:

Shower and dress for the day.

Me:

COFFEE FOR THE DAY. Also, still at my desk in my workout gear.

The Others:

Sit down to consult planner and ‘To Do’ list, before making a start on the day’s tasks.

Me:

Sit down to consult ASOS and Net-a-Porter.

rose-gold iPhone 6s

My phone figures largely in my morning routine

The Others:

Methodically work through the To Do list, stopping only for appropriately-scheduled breaks, and never once procrastinating.

Me:

Methodically refresh the ASOS website to see if that dress I want is back in stock yet. Take breaks to look at Instagram, Pinterest, and maybe even Facebook, depending on my mood, and how determined I am to avoid doing anything productive.

The Others:

Break for lunch (nutritional, Pinterest-worthy…), while congratulating self on another productive morning.

Me:

Realise it’s lunchtime, and I still haven’t showered, dressed, or done any work. If I’m lucky, though, I WILL have bought that dress, and that’s the main thing, right? Right?

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books by Amber Eve
COMMENTS
  • This is too funny, Amber! My moring routine acutally is the same as yours. Sometimes I even don’t get up until 11 am, oops…

    Many hugs
    Sandra <3

    October 3, 2016
  • The Other Emma

    REPLY

    Ha, if you move this situation to an office and and in avoiding phone calls from work collegaues asking stupid questions then I’m with you!!

    October 3, 2016
  • Manola

    REPLY

    Finally someone who’s completely honest on a morning routine (especially the coffee parte)!

    October 3, 2016
  • Myra

    REPLY

    Haha this sounds like my morning.

    October 3, 2016
  • Hana

    REPLY

    Totally on point! I’m right there with you in thinking that those Pinterest-perfect morning routine posts just are suspicious… Like, are you all robots?

    October 3, 2016
  • Switch the Coffee to Green Tea and this is pretty much my morning down to a… uh… tea?

    October 3, 2016
  • Hi Amber, I do get up early due to the facts that my husband like to set the alarm at 7am every single day and would kick me out of bed! But I usually go and sit on my computer or sofa till my brain decide to wake up. I also tend to have a milkshake for breakfast (so craving for one right now!) and only go to the gym in the morning if I can ares to go.

    October 3, 2016
  • My morning routine on the days I work from home basically consists of *shower, dress and drag self to desk* and that is literally as exciting and varied as it gets. Who wants to exercise first thing in the morning, the maniacs!!

    October 3, 2016
  • Sophie

    REPLY

    My morning routine: Wake-up, snooze alarm and go back to sleep, alarm goes off, browse Facebook, get up. Brush teeth, throw on moisturiser, get dressed and leave. All within 30 minutes.

    I decided long ago to stop trying to ‘Get Up Early’ like ‘Normal People’ and just face the fact that I need to maximise on sleep, and just allow one snooze and a high speed whirlwind of grooming in the shortest possible amount of time.

    October 3, 2016
  • Yes! My morning routine is never as put together as other people’s look on Bloglovin or YouTube and I work from home, too. Love this realistic take on a morning routine!

    October 3, 2016
  • I am so happy to learn that I’m not alone. I’m retired since last year… I so enjoy my freedom that I have to drag myself out of bed every now and then and I have a routine that I try to follow every day otherwise I would have nothing done at all. Did I say “I try”…..

    Thanks to telling us the truth. I’m fed up hearing or reading about “perfect” people.

    Have a great day.

    October 3, 2016
  • LOL! So true! I would only change “Rubin” for “Kids” – how do they make it to be awoken 10 minutes before me and my husband (who places pillow over his head and hope I get up first)?!
    https://www.adinajustina.blogspot.ch/

    October 3, 2016
  • Hahaha I love it! I don’t even HAVE a morning routine… I’m not awake before 4PM (yes, I’m serious).
    http://www.charmainenyw.com

    October 3, 2016
  • Love this, it’s about time people start posting more real stuff, aint nobody got time for being tricked into a false illusion of how we should be living!

    Kathleen @ Made In The 1990s

    October 3, 2016
  • Ok super glad to see my morning routine very similar to yours except that I need to get to work by 830am. Which I never do. Only difference is I check Zara and Topshop instead of ASOS and Net. Hehe.

    October 7, 2016
  • Ha ha I’m guessing these others don’t have children! I’m a morning person but even I don’t always have time for breakfast / don’t get a drink until I get to my desk at 8:30am / dash around in the mornings getting everyones bags together it I forgot (read: was too lazy) to do so the night before. I honestly come to the office for a rest, my favourite part being the hour I bury myself in my kindle at lunch 😉

    October 10, 2016
  • Haha yes! I can relate – I got up an hour ago, have had cereal and am currently still in pjs scrolling through phone . . someone take this thing off of me!

    November 3, 2016
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