Before Work?

[michaelskis]

This past weekend, when I was looking at where I was in life, and where I wanted to be, I realized that I need more hours in the day. So this morning, I got up at 5:30am, went to the gym (15 miles my apt) worked out, got breakfast, drove to work (18miles from the gym, and right past my apt.) and got here at 7:30. Work does not start till 8.

Do you do anything before work? If so, what do you do? (other than get ready to go to work…)

 

[kms]

I work from home, so I do the things that need to get done around here - kids to school, housework, walk the dog....

 

[H]

Not a morning person. I save all my activities for after work.

 

[Floridays]

I am NOT a morning person; however, today at 4 a.m. I found myself awake and unable to go back to sleep. So I decided to take the time and pay my bills. Fun, eh? :-b

 

[Zoning Goddess]

I am very much not a morning person, but I wake up at 6, flip on the news, and spend 15-20 minutes convincing myself that I really do have to get up and get ready for work.

I have to drive my son to school, and it's in the opposite direction from work, but usually I can drop him off and be at work in under 25 min.

 

[Dan]

I'm not a morning person, and I try to make the AM routine as short as possible.

1) 6:30: dogs wake me up. Spend about ten minutes petting them, letting them out, and refilling their water bowls.
2) 6:40 - 7:00: shower, shave, get dressed
3) 7:00 - 7:20: make sure Cyburbia didn't crash during the night
4) 7:20 - 7:25: clear snow off car
5) 7:25: leave for work.

 

[PlannerByDay]

I don't intentionally get up to early during the week, however if my cats wake me up 90% of the time I can't fall back asleep and I get up and do things. If my cats get me up I will do laundary, make a nice breakfast, maybe do some sit ups or push ups, or go into the office early.

If I'm up early I keep busy or go into the office but I try to get as much sleep a possible.

 

[Gedunker]

I'm not much of a morning person but two things have forced me to be more organized: 1) my 7 year old has to be to school by 8:00 and 4 year old has to be to pre-school/daycare and 2) Mrs. Gedunker is even less of a morning person than me.

I'm up at 6:00 am to have a few minutes with the newspaper and coffee, then get the kids breakfast going, get them up and washed/dressed/fed/teethbrushed, make sure Mrs. G is up and going, feed/water the cats and, if it's Wednesday, take the trash/recycling to the curb. Problem is now that I'm accustomed to getting up at 6:00 on weekdays, I do it on weekends, too. Of course, Mrs. G sleeps to 9:30 or 10:00am whenever she has the chance.

 

[mendelman]

because of my 30 mile, approx. 1 hour commute, I get up at 5:20ish am and sit and let myself ease into wakefulness.

In the late spring and summer I will be riding my bike at 5am till 5:30am to get some excerzie in my weekdays.

If I have time, I'll empty the dishwasher in the morning if it is full. Cleaning the kitchen is generally my job at home because my wife does the dusting, and I absolutely hate dusting.

 

[Budgie]

It really depends on what I did the night before.

 

[NHPlanner]

Definitely not a morning person, but I'm getting better, due to someone having to be up for work earlier than I am.

 

[Seabishop]

I have woken up early to exercise exactly 2 times in my life. Treadmill / situps weren't so bad, but I just can't lift weights in the morning. This morning I had to skip the shower to get here.

Is there any way for someone to become a morning person?

 

[Repo Man]

I usually get up at 6:30, check e-mail and read the news online, shower and go to work. Not much activity but i find that getting up and reading the news helps make the morning better.

 

[Queen B]

The only thing that gets me up really early in the morning is Hot Air Ballooning, that is about 4:30.
Although my hubby has set the alarm earlier and earlier since we have gotten together, I still don't budge from the bed until about 7:00am. Work by 8.
I am doing good to get up, no chance I am going to spring from the bed to excercise.

 

[Richmond Jake]

I'm a morning person and have been since college days, But this morning was horrible. Woke up at 2:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. Got to work by 6:00.

 

[michaelskis]

Is there any way for someone to become a morning person?

Get less sleep... it takes a bit but it works. (go to bed at a normal time, and force your self to get up early, then the next night when you go to bed, you will fall asleep quicker, and get better sleep) Also, put your alarm clock in the back room turned up as high as it will go, (with the shower curtain open for the echo) It will go off, and there is no way to shut it off unless you get out of bed and walk into the bathroom. Since you are there, jump in the shower. (OH and drink a ton of water right before you go to bed... trust me, when you have to go, you will get up and into the bathroom)

Also, if you are going to the gym before work, pack your gym bag the night before, put your clothing on a single hanger, and make sure you can get up and go right away.

I have been getting up at 5:30 or 6am for about a year or so now, it seems to worked for me when I started it, now I get up before the alarm goes off.

 

[Rumpy Tunanator]

I usually get up around 6 with the internal clock. Tell yourself when you want to get up and your mind will do the rest. I haven't used an alarm in a long time.

Usually get up and get a dose of vitamin N before heading to the bathroom, then do some push-ups before the shower, then get ready, then decide which bus to take to avoid the stupid school kids, then get here at 7, 8 , or 9 depending on how much I slacked once I woke up.

 

[Wannaplan?]

Must do the Number Two before hitting the shower at 7:00 am. Always.

 

[SlaveToTheGrind]

6:00 alarm goes off, one or two snoozes
6:30 youngest is usually up so i change his diaper and get a bottle while the wife gets ready and I eat breakfast
7:00 time for me to get ready
7:30-45 bring my other son downstairs and leave for work
8:00-15 get to work (no problem if I am late)
work
work
work
work
work
work
work
5:30-6:00 get home and eat dinner
6:00 - 7:30 play with the boys and get them ready for bed
8:30 put last one down for bed
crash

fun, huh?

 

[Richmond Jake]

dose of vitamin N

Nookie? ;-)

 

[Rumpy Tunanator]

Nookie? ;-)

I wish, it use to be that way. Now its one player lacrosse. I was talking about the vitamin nicotine.

 

[Richmond Jake]

Must do the Number Two before hitting the shower at 7:00 am. Always.

Same here but I must wait for the newspaper to be delivered and after 2 cups of coffee.

 

[BKM]

Well, I am not a morning person, but I have indoor dogs that HAVE to be walked. So, the stumble out of bed into the shower and into the car routine won't work. My "trick" I use is to set the clock time forward 15 minutes from real time. I cannot explain why this works for me, but barring a major freeway crash, I always make it to work by 7:30.

I usually walk the dogs about 15 minutes to my coffee place (they are closing Saturday , so I'll have to try the other place with lousy coffee) At least the frou-frou coffee drinks have milk protein in them. A half hour walk before work is better than nothing. I am not a fast/efficient gym person, so working out would be difficult for me, even though my gym is a five minute walk away.

 

[DecaturHawk]

I'm not much of a morning person but two things have forced me to be more organized: 1) my 7 year old has to be to school by 8:00 and 4 year old has to be to pre-school/daycare and 2) Mrs. Gedunker is even less of a morning person than me.

Except for the fact that I have a 6 year old instead of a 7 year old, and except for the name of the Mrs., you could be talking about me. I am blessed by the fact that my boys' school is virtually across the street from my office. Recently however, I have taken to getting up about 5:15 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and attending a spinning class at the Y, from 5:45 to 6:30. This leaves time to shower and shave, get the boys dressed, and eat breakfast. I have to get Mrs. DecaturHawk up (much against her will) to help with the chaos and make the older boy's lunch. Then it's off we go. I actually feel less tired on the days I exercise, even if I didn't get to bed before 11:00 the night before.

 

[ebeech121]

Hee haw!

I am a morning person. I usually wake up at 5: 57* or 5: 58* (my alarm is conveniently set for 6am and as I hate the sound of my alarm, I have accustomed myself to waking up just before it goes off) and take my pill. Then I get a shower--check email--dry my hair, put on my "face." Then I get to stand around for 40 minutes waiting on my mom to get ready (we ride together). Sometime I will watch the Today Show (unless they're talking about the war in Iraq or the prices of gasoline...or Princess Diana's exclusive video tapes--I've heard all I want to hear about these things).

Once we get to my mom's work 30 minutes later, I hop on the MARTA bus and sleep for 45 minutes until the bus arrives at the MARTA train station. Then I run (and hope I don't fall) down the stairs to the train, ride that for annother 20. Then I walk from a station to my school (10 minutes). If I drove myself downtown, I would get there in about 30 minutes. Alas, I am without vehicle, so I have no choice.

Let's see...I wake up a 6am only to arrive at school....3 hours later! Benefit of being an over-achiever = I don't add to Atlanta's horrid and putrid pollution. (Seriously, you can see the film of pollutions surrounding the city from a distance.)

*My Mac kept turning the ": 5" into :5

 

[Super Amputee Cat]

6:40 A.M. Hit snooze button
6:45 A.M. Hit snooze button
6:50 A.M. Hit snooze button
6:55 A.M. Hit snooze button
7:00 A.M. Hit snooze button
7:05 A.M. Hit snooze button
7:10 A.M. Hit snooze button (roll out of bed if I have to shave)
7:15 A.M. Finally roll out of bed
7:16 A.M. Take shower
7:25 A.M. Frantically look around for tie, wallet, shoes etc.
7:31 A.M. Leave for work

 

[BKM]

Oh, CAT! I am so disappointed in you that you wear a tie!!!!

 

[michaelskis]

6:40 A.M. Hit snooze button
6:45 A.M. Hit snooze button
6:50 A.M. Hit snooze button
6:55 A.M. Hit snooze button
7:00 A.M. Hit snooze button
7:05 A.M. Hit snooze button
7:10 A.M. Hit snooze button

Wait, my snooze shuts the alarm off for 9 minutes.

 

[sisterceleste]

I am a morning person...I am one of those obnoxious morning people that non-morning people hate. My husband is NOT a morning person and I so nicely have fresh coffee ready for him when he wakes us and leave him alone in his misery until after 3 cups of coffee and 3 cigs. I use to sing "Wake up you sleepy head" from the delightful morning song called when the "Red Red Robin comes bob bob bobing along"...or I would say "Open Your Peepers" to my girls. Their response was always very negative. No one else in my family is a morning person...so this is the only time of the day that I have time to myself.

 

[nerudite]

I use to sing "Wake up you sleepy head" from the delightful morning song called when the "Red Red Robin comes bob bob bobing along"...or I would say "Open Your Peepers" to my girls. Their response was always very negative.

You *are* one of those sicko morning people! My mom used to sing a god-awful song every morning to wake me up: "good morning to you, good morning to you... we're all in our places with bright shiny faces." That lasted until I was about 10. Evil, pure evil.

 

[Seabishop]

... I use to sing "Wake up you sleepy head" from the delightful morning song called when the "Red Red Robin comes bob bob bobing along"...or I would say "Open Your Peepers" to my girls. Their response was always very negative. No one else in my family is a morning person...so this is the only time of the day that I have time to myself.

Yes! That's what I want to become! I want to jump out of bed at 4:45 singing "Walking on Sunshine." I want to jog a mile outdoors, have breakfast ready for my family, paint the sunrise on my roof, and show up to work a half hour early. I guess I could do it if I went to bed at 8:00 every night.

 

[Mud Princess]

Just because I'm a morning person doesn't mean I'm cheery about it! I still have to have my breakfast, two cups of coffee, and a hot shower before I can face the day. That leaves little time for exercise. I like to save my energy for work. |-)

 

[Super Amputee Cat]

Oh, CAT! I am so disappointed in you that you wear a tie!!!!

Well, I work in affordable housing if that helps. Not like I'm putting a tie on for The Man.

 

[JNL]

Also, if you are going to the gym before work, pack your gym bag the night before, put your clothing on a single hanger, and make sure you can get up and go right away.

I get up at 6:00 to swim before work twice a week... and packing stuff the night before really helps! Otherwise I get up at 6:30. Sometimes I don't feel like a morning person, but I do like to be up and about and getting stuff done in the mornings. I rarely sleep in for long on the weekend.

Wanigas - TMI !!!!!

 

[otterpop]

I usually get up about 6:30. Shower. If my son gets up about then I spend a little while with him watching Winnie the Pooh and making him breakfast. If he doesn't get up, then I watch the news and have my own breakfast. Get dressed about 7:30 then off to work for 8.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

I am a morning person...I am one of those obnoxious morning people that non-morning people hate. My husband is NOT a morning person and I so nicely have fresh coffee ready for him when he wakes us and leave him alone in his misery until after 3 cups of coffee and 3 cigs. I use to sing "Wake up you sleepy head" from the delightful morning song called when the "Red Red Robin comes bob bob bobing along"...or I would say "Open Your Peepers" to my girls. Their response was always very negative. No one else in my family is a morning person...so this is the only time of the day that I have time to myself.

I am NOT a morning person, and it is SO genetic, which is why I have to throw a couple ice cubes into my 10 year old's bed to launch his a$$ out of bed in the morning. Not that I don't admire you for your convictions, of course...

 

[DA Monkey]

I wonder if being a morning person (or not) is related to your work and travel pattern?

I have recently changed jobs from a hectic consultancy over an hours travel from home (using public transport) to a local government role that is only 7 mins from home (by car).

I'd get to the consultants office, ragged and on edge, ready to face a day of reports, impossible timeframes, d*&khead clients, and sh*^tty bosses, thinking all the time about how long the day looked from the morning side of the stick.

I can remember getting up at the last possible moment, doing the morning thing in a rush, and just making the 6:05 bus to work.

Now, its daylight when I get up, I go for a swim, have breakfast with the lads (Mrs Monkey is still in her primal state at that hour) and toddle off to work around 8:30.

Im definitely a morning person now - its one of my favourite times of the day. :-D

 

[Budgie]

I wish, it use to be that way. Now its one player lacrosse.

Uh, I forgot how to play lacrosse, what are the rules?

 

[Doitnow]

After years of being a late riser I could start getting up early last year.
It was great to get up in the morn at 6 or so and go for brisk walk/jog/trot come back and refresh and read the many newspapers with the morning tea.
But since a few months I have again gone back to getting up late ( still continue the news reading habit) and am missing the early morning fresh breath of air.
I think this thread will inspire me to get back to the routine.
I start work at 9.00 so this way I could get at leasta couple of hours easily in the morning to do anything I like.
I'm a kind of free-lancer so sometimes I finish my work as early as 3.30 in the afternoon. This way my evenings can be pretty free too at times.

late nights directly result in late risings thus spoiling such days.But cant avoid them.

 

[JNA]

6 am - no alarm clock
Usual morning routine stuff already mentioned.
at work before 8 am
wait until I get there to have coffee.

 

[Trail Nazi]

You *are* one of those sicko morning people!

She isn't kidding about being a morning person, she is very ALERT in the morning.

I have never been a morning person, but lately my internal body clock wakes up around 5 to get my day going. Somehow my baby is a morning person so I have to be awake and ready to go. I have been a roll for the past three weeks making it to work by 7:30. I would love to go work out in the morning, but the nursery is not open and my husband doesn't become human until at least 9 or 10. When I was in college, I was actually at rowing practice by 5. I don't know how I did it.

 

[Tranplanner]

I am becoming more and more of a morning person. It's rather scary actually.

 

[tsc]

I commute 45 minutes.... so there is little time in the morn, as I start at 7:30am

 

[sisterceleste]

I am NOT a morning person, and it is SO genetic, which is why I have to throw a couple ice cubes into my 10 year old's bed to launch his a$$ out of bed in the morning. Not that I don't admire you for your convictions, of course...

I can not believe you throw ice cubes on your sleeping kid. Try playing Rachmaninoff at full blast. That should do it. Throwing ice cubes is worse than me paying my kids to go to bed.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

I can not believe you throw ice cubes on your sleeping kid. Try playing Rachmaninoff at full blast. That should do it. Throwing ice cubes is worse than me paying my kids to go to bed.

I know how you can be so creative about getting your kids up, you are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by 4:30 a.m. because that is when you are answering my emails. After I drag my butt out of bed at 6 or 6:30, ice cubes is all I can think of.

 

[JNL]

A friend of mine HAD to use ice cubes to wake up a room-mate - nothing else worked, not yelling, shaking her, slapping her face gently, alarm clocks, nothing! So they used ice cubes to get her up each morning!

 

[Michele Zone]

I start work the minute I get up, sometimes before getting out of bed. My laptop is on a breakfast tray and it sometimes comes to bed with me. Which means that some days, I boot up while calling my kids to bring me breakfast in bed because I don't feel like physically getting up yet -- but that is no reason to not accomplish something.

I check e-mail and such over breakfast. I am usually up for a couple of hours (or more) before I get showered. It is "impossible" to separate what is "work" from what is not 'work'. Quite a few business contacts are (or were) homeschooling moms that I met on homeschooling lists and got to know discussing our kids and homeschooling. It's all related, for me.

I have an incredibly difficult time getting myself together some times. But that doesn't mean I can't accomplish something.

Naturally, I voted "other".

 

[chrisinmd]

7:00 - Alarm goes off--I go to kitchen and start the coffee- go get the paper
7:05 - Bagels into the toaster
7:07 Bagel & coffee done -
7:07-7:15 have breakfst, read the sport page, kiss girlfriend
7:15- upstairs, shave and get dressed ( I shower in the evening so I can sleep later)
7:30 - Off to work -- kiss girlfriend goodbye
7;30-8:30-- Drive to work listen to news station. traffic report, weather.
8:30-5:00 - Work or read Cybubia forums answering planning polls, writing response on forums, read my email, answer the phone, read Cyburbia....
5:00-6:00 Drive home, listen to traffic report, put CD in player and cruise home,
6:00 -- Arrive in one piece at home....kiss girlfriend

 

[GeogPlanner]

i don't function prior to 9am...case in point this weekend i was working my second job...shift was 6am to 6pm...i came in and filled my time sheet out for 6pm, took a left off a highway ramp that was clearly marked "no left turn," went to the wrong street for an EMS call...and so it continues...all before 9am...

as for the regular job...i need a cup of coffee before i can do anything...which is usually go through spam and voice mail...then its onto the second cup and work...

 

[boiker]

lately, my mornings and days have sucked in terms of no rest and too much stuff going on.

5:30am - alarm---snooze
5:39am - snooze
5:48am - more snooze
5.57am - get up shower, shave, dress
6:35-40am - hit the road
8:00am - work
5:00pm - leave work
6:20pm - arrive home
6:30pm - eat
6.50-9:30pm - play with kids, put them to bed.
9:40pm - 12:00am - talk with wife, get organized for move and house purchase, taxes..ech.
12:05am - 5:30am sleep.