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Good morning everyone and welcome to another Coffee Break chat with me here at the Breakroom Breakdown. We have a great deal to be excited about, most importantly because you will see we officially have a logo courtesy of Amy Ugstad with OneUP Creative. She was a dream to work with and truly was able to help put this together quickly, and beautifully, so I hope you will consider them for your design needs and visit them at https://oneupcreative.net/.
Goodness number two, we are officially sponsors for the 2024 Teeb Con! This convention here in Duluth, MN seeks to bring together all things nerdy and fun including tabletop games, trading card games, anime, sci-fi, fantasy, and more! This will be August 24th and 25th at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. Go to https://mnswca.org/teeb-con-2024 for more information, including getting your tickets. Interested in possibly getting free or discounted access? I have heard they are looking for all sorts of volunteers, so look this up through the website if you would like to offer your time to help support this event, and then get to enjoy the fun!
There is some more upcoming news, but I will wait for to reveal that, for now let us get into the topic at hand, which I am calling ‘Ode to a Morning.’
We all sleep and inevitably wake up each day, unfortunately not all of us are what you might call morning people. I am one of these people, I really am not motivated in the morning. I am usually okay if I do not have to speak to anyone until around 9am, but this is not always the case. So how are we supposed to mentally and physically prepare each morning? Well I have some hot tips right here, most I have done or currently do (to varying success).
- Go to bed at a reasonable time and try to wake up early enough to have the morning to yourself. Easier said then done, there are times that I am able to get to bed at a good time but I really have to force myself to do so, and getting up in the morning is equally as difficult. My average routine is bed between 11pm and midnight, roll out bed perhaps 15+ minutes before I start work. But I am trying to do better. The key is really setting that routine and reprogramming your body to be used to it. One step that I do is I don’t sleep in on Saturdays; instead I wake up with husband (who does work Saturday morning) and then I go out and run my errands. It keeps me from sleeping in, plus I can get to the stores before too many people are awake
- Morning fuel up. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When I am really motivated, I do love to have some egg bites meal prepped but I am not always that fortunate. I might default to some oatmeal or even whip up some scrambled eggs, but the truth is that first thing the morning my stomach is not quite ready for that kind of food. My secret fuel is a protein smoothie. I love my Ninja blender because it has the special blender mugs that you can drink right from, must like this one and it is much easier to drink a breakfast than eat one right away. My go to smooth includes: ice cubes, peanut butter, a banana, coconut water, sometimes a bit of yoghurt, and then a scoop of the BSN SYNTHA-6 Protein Powder (Chocolate Milkshake) which helps fill me up and get me going. I love that it has all that protein but tastes like a dessert and certainly can be convenient.
- Workout. Morning workouts; we all see people on Instagram or other socials who rave about how amazing they feel when they workout in the morning. I’m usually just sore, winded, and sweaty. But it is hard to argue with the fact that a light workout really get help perk you up. I have done it, although not in a good while (being honest for you all) although I really would love to be able to do it even once a week. I like the idea of a morning run (or more likely, walk) because you can use it as a chance to swing by your favorite coffee place as a morning reward. For some motivation, listen to either an upbeat playlist or favorite podcast with some Bluetooth headphones like these. You really do not need some overpriced pair that runs more than $100, there are plenty of simple ones for $15 or less so seriously do not get me started on that topic.
- Sip and social. No I do not mean social as in socialize, I mean grab your morning beverage (mine is coffee) and just sit for a moment in silence while you catch up online. I love some hilarious videos about being a dog daddy to corgis, ridiculous videos as a DnD player, or some ones with tasty looking cakes being featured. It shouldn’t be about talking to people or getting worked up with whatever is happening in politics, but some general feelgood topics. Maybe catching up on your favorite blog that talks about scenarios in the workplace, whatever makes you happy.
- Get dolled up. This was an interesting concept I had heard about for remote workers like myself. Since our morning process is less hectic, it can be beneficial to still take the time to shower and put yourself together in the morning like we would if going into the office. This is meant to stimulate us a bit, trick our brains into thinking we have to get productive right away. And those morning showers really can help perk you up. Doesn’t mean you can’t still be in your sweats, but maybe you take the time to slip on your favorite jewelry like a Hammerhead Shark Bracelet which I just got for myself last week and am a little in love with it. Will anyone see it? No, but I will and it makes me happy. It is also Shark Week so this is the perfect time to get shark-themed decor.
- Remember those vitamins. Gone are the days where my mom hands me my Flinstones Vitamins, now I have to remember to take them myself! I’ve tried many, but the one we have been using for several years now are through Olly. These are for adults (though they have released some for kids) but what is fun is they are gummies. You take enough of them in the morning (or at night) and it is basically a snack so I absolutely will put my name to them. Some of our regulars each day include Happy Worms, Men’s Multivitamin, Metabolism Rings, Undeniable Beauty, Daily Energy, and then Sleep which is one you take at night. Vitamins are not for everyone, but if they are then why not make them like a candy?!
- Screentime. Finally, sometimes we just need a little screentime in the morning. I know when I first played Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I was highly motivated to wake up early in the morning to do some daily stuff before I needed to start work. For me, a simple game that I can turn on and play for 10 to 15 minutes was ideal, especially because it encouraged me to wake up even earlier so I could get more time in. Everyone has their own personal rules on how much screentime they put in, but I think it can be a great motivator in the morning. And Animal Crossing was slightly lifechanging so I will also swear by that game (and the endless amount of merchandise I have accumulated because of it).
So these are all tips I have used or try to use in my own life to encourage myself to be more of a morning person. Any of these work for you? Do you have your own recommendations that I didn’t mention? Please comment and let us know! Until later this week, I’ll see you around the Breakroom!
