Rebuilding a Routine: Part 1 – The Breakfast Room

Every few months, sometimes even more frequently we arrange something in our apartment. my desk was in a corner of the living room then it was in one side of the bedroom then another side, and then back on the other side in a different spot. The couch has moved to a few different spots as has our dinner table. Today I even found out that Sage swapped our dinner table with one of her fabric cutting tables and I didn’t even notice.

The thing about this is that after each and every time we rearrange we all feel like “This is the best one yet!”

I think for me routines are the same for me. I get bored with them and it’s time for a new or reinvented one.

Unlike rearranging the apartment, my routines are not changed overnight. Instead, sometimes they stop when they become difficult or impossible – like how long outdoor bike rides slow down as the days get shorter and colder. Other times, I get sloppy. The morning meditation routine reduces in duration on a day when I’m in a rush then is skipped entirely.

And then one day I notice the strong routine I had six months before now no longer exists and I feel at loose ends because, as much as I might say “I love spontaneity”, that spontaneity needs to be built on top of a strong foundation of routine for it to feel good.

It’s as if instead of rearranging the apartment, I turn the table upside down one day and start eating as I walk around the house. The couch is moved out for a bit and I just grab a pillow off the bed when I want to sit somewhere. At first it feels free. Look, I can eat anywhere I stand and relax in any corner or even on the floor in front of the washing machine! Look how grate this lack of structure is! But it isn’t long before I notice my back hurts a bit from sitting on the floor and weeks of eating standing up has made my digestion poor not to mention I’m not even enjoying my food anymore.

So that’s where I am again today with my routine. I still have the components but it’s completely disarranged. So it’s time to build some structure – just in time for the weather to warm up and build in some longer outdoor rides.

For accountability and maybe to encourage a few of you to join in with me I’m going to document the rebuilding of a good routine. Most of the “furniture” is still around some in better use than others but all in really good shape if I just put it in a proper arrangement and get up off the floor. Let’s take some inventory:

The Breakfast Room:

In the breakfast room you can find my morning routine. Anchoring the room is a 5:15 AM alarm clock. It has remained constant for several years now with few exceptions. There’s another pretty strong anchor here at the other end: Between 7-7:15 I leave for work. But other than that, pieces are strewn throughout the room. There’s a 20 minute meditation habit that was washed so many times it shrank down to 5 minutes and then was put in the corner behind the coffee pot. There is also a shower that happened immediately after meditation. Well, that’s not going to happen with nothing to anchor it to. So now it happens after breakfast and morning card games with Sage. But those are not rigid so that explains the variation in departure time. Some days I get in the shower later than others. I also have been trying on a routine of cycling to work unless there’s a downpour (or a puncture!) So far it works well but needs further tweaks.

If you’re a fan of shows like Sort Your Life Out, you know the value of emptying the room, laying everything out, tossing what doesn’t work and putting everything back into a clean space in a well organized manner. So let’s give that a shot and reorganize this breakfast room in a way that works:

Breakfast Room Redux:

5:00 AM Wakeup: 5:15 was working well but I felt time pressure to get meditation done and tossed it aside. So the answer is to make time for it. I could fit in a 5 min meditation some days when I woke at 5:15. If I wake at 5, I can fit in a full 20 min with no impact. Another challenge has been the lack of a space to do it uninterrupted. If I do it in the bedroom then when Sage wakes up I’m interrupted. If I leave then often my absence makes her decide to wake up and again I’m interrupted. It would be easy to say “Well, because of other people I can’t do the thing.” but this attitude is the most slippery of slopes. There’s always a good reason to not do something that you can pin on others. Better to take ownership of the task and make a change on our side. We have a laundry room. It’s not the most pleasant (at least right now – maybe phase 2 will give that a bit more of rework). Nobody will ever interrupt me in there. Done.

Immediate Shower: Yes, often my brain is craving coffee which now always waits for food first which led me to go from the bedroom to the kitchen. I’d make breakfast then have coffee. If Sage was awake we’d play games, if she wasn’t, coffee drinking is a time sink. It can be a 5 min project or a leisurely hour depending on how procrastination prone I feel. Showering can be leisurely but doesn’t have nearly that variability.

NOW Breakfast and coffee: Breakfast is usually eggs and toast. While those cook, I can make coffee, pack work snacks and my work bag. By the time I sit down to breakfast the only thing that remains is to put on my cycling shoes and dash out the door. I schedule that for 7 and it’s simple from here.

But what about ensuring I ride my bike to work which I always love more than taking the bus but seems overwhelming. This one’s all about carrots and sticks.

Each day I take the bus costs $6.60 in fares. I’m aiming for four days/week which would allow for one day for inclement weather or a choice to just take the bus. To reward myself for taking the bike I add 50% of 4 days’ fare or $13.20/week to my “discretionary spending” budget. (Sage and I each have one for things like dining out, coffees, books, or things that are not considered necessities.). However, any days I take the bus on I have to pay for at full price. Two days a week of riding the bus gets me no extra money. $13.20 might not sound like much but it really adds up!

The other, more motivating thing is when I cycle I get one more espresso at work. Less cycling = less caffeine and more grumpiness.

Weekend – Brunch Room:

What do I do on the weekends? Consistency, I find, is key. As much as it feels decadent to stay up late and “Party” (read: watch an extra Taskmaster episode) going to sleep at a reasonable hour and waking at 5 means that my days can start the same way every day. This also sets me up nicely for the long bike rides that will be happening starting Sunday with my first >100km ride of 2025.

The routine will go the same way whether it’s a weekend or weekday. If I have a bike ride, I won’t shower (only to get sweaty 10 min later) but I will still leave soon after breakfast. If I’m not going out I get a little extra time for games for household chores.

Locking in my mornings is not a very daunting task. I’m almost there already and during and just after the pandemic it was my strongest routine by far. For that reason I’m starting here.

What’s your morning routine like? How is it working for you? What of your routine would you suggest for others?

Stay tuned for the next update on this where we talk about my office routine and the tools I’ve been using since January to make me feel more on top of more things than I’ve ever felt before.