Cover image by AcombesFR, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Being at home for 15 months forced me to figure out the morning routine that actually helped me, as I tried to enter a mental state where work felt easy.

I did everything from 'roll out of bed and immediately open my laptop' to 'two hours of self care before I even touch my phone' and have settled into something that works okay. For me the essentials are:

• shower
• light exercise
• make a cup of coffee (I froth the milk with a cheap device that, 9 months later, is my favorite pandemic purchase)
• drink coffee sitting in the back yard while the dogs run around
• space out looking at TikTok for half an hour
• sit down at my desk
• realize an hour later that I didn't eat anything

And that's how it goes! What's your morning routine?