Tell us about your morning routine.
View all responses
When people ask about a morning routine, they usually expect a speech about productivity, 5 AM alarms, and commuting. If I leave out the details, it sounds like I’m just living a life of leisure—which isn’t quite the reality.
Thanks to a past stroke and a few persistent neurological complications, standard work isn’t on the cards for me. My days involve a team of carers calling in four times a day to keep the gears turning. So, my “routine” isn’t built around a 9-to-5 hustle; it’s built around managing energy, pacing myself, and structuring my day into four-hour chunks between medication calls.
Here is what a realistic morning actually looks like:
- The Wake-Up: I wake up at 7:00 AM every day. It takes me a while to get going and make my way to the kitchen.
- The Drink Run: I get the coffee machine going, and while that’s brewing, I make a cup of tea. Because I use a walking stick in one hand, I take them through to the lounge one at a time.
- The Morning Chat: By the time the drinks are through, the birds have noticed I’m awake, so we have a quick chat before I officially open up the lounge for business.
- The Four-Hour Timer: I move to the sofa and fire up a background stream (usually someone trying not to die in Project Zomboid). Shortly after, the first carer arrives for morning medication—and as soon as they leave, my four-hour timer starts until the next call.
It’s a bit nyeh but it works.