Morning Routine

5 more minutes. I used to be really bad about hitting snooze. And then, one day, I just wasn't. I moved my alarm clock a little farther away, so that I had to get all the way up to turn it off, and that broke my bad habit of going back to sleep. Now I tend to wake up 5 minutes before it goes off. Or even half an hour before it goes off.

I'm always curious to hear other people's morning routines. Do they hit the snooze, or get right up? What do they eat for breakfast? Do they make coffee every day? Do they lay out all of their clothes the night before? How long is their commute? Do they turn on the tv or music while they are getting ready?

My husband sleeps until 7:30, so I never see him in the morning. I also have to keep the house mostly dark and quiet since he is still sleeping. Like a thief in the night, I slip out in the darkness each day---well before sunrise.

It is a little lonely going to work so early, eating breakfast at my desk---but if I eat at home, I'm starving again by 9:30, so its better if I can eat it a little later in the day. It is also nice to have a little coffee pot at work, so if I am running behind, I can make a quick cup while I set up my classroom for the day.

I try to have a general idea of what I am going to wear hanging on a hook in my closet the night before---sometimes I wish I had a dozen of the same thing so I wouldn't have to think or coordinate or pick out jewelery, or shoes.  Being a girl is a lot of work.

If I could design a 'dream schedule' for myself it would look something like this:

6-7 workout
7-8 get ready and drive to school
8-9 work in my classroom before students arrive
9-4 school day

If I had just a little more time at the beginning of the day, to exercise (and have unstructured time to work in my classroom)--I would be much more productive. I am more energetic and creative in the mornings.

As it is now, I try to get to school between 6:45-7 so there is really no way I can exercise before school---and it is hard to get much done before students start trickling into my room (at 7:15) to work on projects and for WIN time--at the bright an early time of 7:55. I cherish that little bit of time I do have in my classroom alone each day. It is the only time I have to eat my first meal of the day and mentally prepare myself.

Do other professions need mental prep time? As an art teacher, I have to reserve a little time to set up, think through a demonstration, sharpen pencils---the tasks never end, and no matter how early I get there, I always wish I had 5 more minutes.