First off, thank you to all who reached out and commented on my voting post. I’m so happy so many of you found it informative. While the election didn’t necessarily have the results I particularly desired, one amazing result is definitely worth noting:
Women absolutely killed it this year.
As I’m sure you know by now, we elected a record high number of women this year. Female representatives and governors abound – many of whom are minorities. As these women represent both sides of the aisle, this is a bipartisan accomplishment. And, as somebody who considers herself a feminist and desires to see more women in the workplace and in positions of power, I think it is all totally awesome.
Oh and PS I know you’re all dying to see the new hair, but you’re gonna have to wait till later today/tomorrow. Or you can just pop over to my Instagram and check it out there. Up to you, boo.
Which brings me to the topic for this post: my workday morning routine. As somebody who is so not a morning person, creating this routine – the bulk of which occurs before 8AM – has been really challenging for me. There are still days during which I struggle to wake up in time, skip my workout, or forget to eat breakfast… But I’m getting more consistent each and every week at my workday morning routine.
Plus, Starbucks helps.
What I’m Wearing:
Dress: Gal Meets Glam | Shoes: Seychelles | Bag: old (similar, similar)
Earrings: Halogen | Rings: J.Crew, J.Crew
One thing to note: this workday morning routine isn’t set in stone. I’m constantly tweaking it. And all of the times listed below are more approximations than exact times (think of them like my guidelines instead of my rulebook).
My Workday Morning Routine
No matter what time I wake up, I always start my workday morning routine by reading The Skimm and checking my email. The former so I can know what happened yesterday / while I was sleeping… And the latter so I can act quickly if there’s an emergency at work or on the blog. Assuming no such emergencies have occurred, I then attempt to drag myself to the gym.
5:30AM Wakeup to Workout
Whenever possible, I try to workout first thing in the morning… mostly because I know myself, and otherwise it won’t get done.
When I wake up at 5:30AM, I do the absolute bare minimum. I wash my face, brush my teeth, use the bathroom, and throw my hair in a ponytail (sometimes without brushing it first) before I dash off to the gym.
6:00AM – 7:00AM Workout
I’m a member at Equinox and I try to get there as many mornings each week as possible. At the very least, I go to my personal trainer twice a week… but I also try to go for barre class or a cardio session at least two or three days each week as well.
Try being the operative word.
If I’m not working out at Equinox and I am awake, I can sometimes be found in Highland Park or at Royal Blue Grocery in Highland Park Village. At least a few mornings each month, I like to start my day with a walk to get my favorite almond milk chai tea latte in Dallas. My house is about a 20 minute walk from Highland Park Village, so it’s the perfect way to start my day.
7:15AM – 7:30AM Shower
I live pretty close to Equinox, so I’m typically back home and showered by 7:30AM. I’ve lately been loving the Olaplex Shampoo and Olaplex Conditioner – I’ve seen really positive changes to my hair. I typically use the Olaplex line every other wash.
If I’m not washing my hair that day, I use this dry shampoo – I’ve sworn by it for years!
7:30AM – 7:45AM Breakfast Time
In my opinion, this is the most important step in my workday morning routine. I’m one of those people who needs food in the morning. I know myself and I know that I turn into a hangry, mean gargoyle if I’m not fed within 2-3 hours of waking up.
Weirdly enough, I don’t need coffee in the mornings. Often, I’ll just drink water, tea, or hot water with lemon and cayenne pepper and I’m totally fine. Typically, either I’ll have hot water with lemon and cayenne pepper or I’ll use my Keurig to make coffee (I love Trader Joe’s vanilla creamer).
For food, it’s always eggs. I love to eat avocado toast with a poached egg, but sometimes I’ll instead make toast with a scrambled egg if I’m running behind.
While I’m making breakfast, I listen to The Daily by the New York Times on my Amazon Echo Spot. Since I don’t subscribe to the New York Times (or have time to read the newspaper in the morning), I like to use my Alexa to get my news audibly. After I listen to The Daily, I listen to the flash briefings for Reuters TV and CNN, often having to pause as I move about the house while getting ready for my day.
7:45AM – 8:10AM Makeup & Hair / Making Myself Presentable
I don’t wear a lot of makeup and I don’t have a ton of hair, so, thankfully, I can get ready fairly quickly. While I’m making breakfast each morning, I have my hair in a towel… so, by the time 7:45AM roles around, my hair is already nearly dry.
I start my getting ready process by brushing my teeth (yes, again – I haaate coffee breath!) and by applying my favorite Drunk Elephant moisturizing products: this serum, this moisturizer, this cream, and this eye cream. As those products are soaking into my skin, I dry and style my hair (on low heat so I don’t damage it). I then curl my eyelashes, apply mascara and concealer, throw on some bronzer and blush, and call it a day.
8:10AM – 8:15AM Throw on Clothes
If blogging has given me one superpower, it’s the ability to change clothes 2374972374 times in under 5 minutes.
No but really: a morning isn’t complete until I’ve changed clothes at least twice and then tried on three different shoes with my chosen outfit. I always end up having to spend a few minutes cleaning up the tornado I’ve left in my wake before work.
8:15AM Leave for Work
I have a pretty long commute, so I have to leave fairly early in order to arrive by 8:45AM/9:00AM.
To entertain myself on the drive, I’ve lately started listening to a few podcasts. My favorites are The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, My Dad Wrote a Porno, and Girls Gotta Eat. All three are seriously hilarious and put me in the best mood as I start my day – the perfect way to finish out my workday morning routine!
Now For an Announcement!
If you’ve been following along on my Instagram Stories for the past week or so, you were probably expecting to see my Holiday Guide in today’s post. It’s aaaaalmost ready… but not quite there yet. I didn’t want to leave y’all hanging eternally, and I thought some content would be better than no content, hence this post.
BUT keep an eye out very very very soon for a Holiday Guide coming your way. I promise it’s worth the wait – it’s even bigger and better than last year’s guide (which you can still see here). I’m really excited to share it with you and I highlyyyyy recommend checking the blog tonight (in the navigation bar) if you just can’t wait for it to officially launch in tomorrow’s blog post!
Till then, let’s just keep the suspense building. I’m so excited to share it with y’all and to hear what you think!!!