Morning Prep

I got up today mistakenly thinking I had a morning shift, but instead I'm not in until noon. I feel like a dope getting up so early, but it's my chance to talk about what really works for me to keep my morning routine efficient and quick. I'm currently using the Girl's cellphone as an alarm clock. In the past I used some different applications on my laptop as alarm clocks, but as I'm between computers it's not really an option. I could of course use my watch's alarm clock, but it's not quite loud enough to rouse me from a truly deep (or simply exhausted) slumber. Through these blog posts I hope to form a good idea of what kind of system I'd like to create for myself, so that will be my excuse to off on tangents once in a while. So the alarm is set for 7:00, and my shift begins at 7:45. It leaves things a little tight, but I'm the type of boy to get an extra 10 minutes of sleep and rush through the next 10, rather than a relaxed 20 minutes from the start. I stretch out and hop in the shower, more for a rinse than a proper scrub, and it helps get my hair respectable for the workday. I throw my briefs, trousers, socks and shirt on. The briefs are currently American Apparel boxer briefs, and although I'm not a fan of the brand, they're a good size and come in many bright colours. It's a good start to my day, and as a man who wears mostly whites, blacks, and greys, it's nice to step out in fuchsia pants, even if I'm the only one who knows they're there. The trousers are slim black denim, work appropriate and a good balance between hipster-skinny and trashy-loose. Wigwam merino wool hiking socks and a plain white t-shirt go on next, and a brown leather belt keeps it all on. In the coming pages I will no doubt extol the virtues of good brown leather, I love the stuff. The socks, I should note, are the best I've ever had, outlasted the rest of the outfit, and are still as warm and comfortable as can be. They never stink after a long day on the floor either, which makes them great for traveling. I fill my pockets from the bedside table, and strap on my said watch. My every-day carry is pretty boring; ID, debt card, house key, and a Leatherman Wave multitool that I find it hard to live without and that probably deserves a whole 'nother post. Once I'm dressed, I'll slip into my slippers and hit up the kitchen. The first thing I do is put on a pot of water In winter this water pulls double-duty as oatmeal and tea water, but now that we're into the warmer months I find myself eating more cold cereal in the mornings, but my vacuum flask of tea is still a necessity. I make my lunch as the water boils. A sandwich, piece of fruit, granola bar, and if I'm on the ball, carrot sticks ensure I won't go hungry through the workday. Today the sandwich is smoked meat, pickled peppers, salad mix and Dijon on whole wheat, but it's an on-the-fly affair and varies from day to day. I of course keep peanut-butter and jam on hand as a backup or for the days when I happen to be in a rush. The tea is a fairly new addition to my daily routine, but a very comforting one. It takes so little effort for the payoff of a warm invigorating beverage later in the day. I did at one point drink black teabags of some variety with sugar, premixed in the flask, but I've since moved to green teabags as I prefer my caffeine in smaller doses during the workday, and I'm concerned the black tea will yellow my teeth. My lunch fits nicely into my small daypack, along with anything else I might be ferrying around such as a jacket or notebook. I'll need to do a post for this daypack too, as it's a real favourite of mine. Once I'm packed up I'll spend as much time as I have scarfing down my cereal and brushing my teeth. At this point I'm almost always running a little late, so I lace up my boots (brown leather again) and wheel the bike out the front door and make the 5 minute commute to work. It's certainly not the best way to run my morning, but hopefully laying it all out in text like this will help me streamline my process and perhaps build a bit of a time buffer against the rush.

So that's my morning, more for my benefit than yours, but my intention is to take a close look at the basic things I do in a day and learn to do them better.