Things you can’t control when you’re traveling – delays, rude neighbors, broken entertainment systems, and crazy drivers.
And then there are the things you can control – packing healthy snacks, preparing your in-flight entertainment, and staying focused even when your schedule is nuts.
That’s where the morning routine comes in. I’m a stickler to mine when I’m home, but found it hard to maintain when I’m traveling.
Enter – the mini morning routine.
I stick to a handful of rituals, and do as many of them on my phone as much as possible. It takes me all of 20 minutes, and it does wonders for keeping me focused and calm.
Which comes in handy, especially when I’m faced with traffic and forgetting to eat lunch. Yes, it happens.
Here’s how I stick to my morning routine while traveling…
Drink water & take vitamins (1 minute)
at home – TumTum tumbler + Honest Women’s Multivitamin + Natural Iron (in this case)
traveling – S’well bottle + vitamin case (not cute, but I can get through 3-5 trips before refilling)
After I turn off my alarm, I climb back into bed. I just can’t stop.
The first thing I do is chug water and take my vitamins – if I don’t do it right away, I’ll never get around to it. That’s why I do it first.
Five Minute Journal (3-5 minutes)
at home – physical journal
traveling – Five Minute Journal app
The Five Minute Journal truly got me to love journaling, and it’s the best start and end to my day. I keep the physical journal on my nightstand when I’m home, but I use their excellent app when I’m traveling. It’s easy to use, and I love that you can upload pictures and videos to further document your days.
Meditate (5-10 minutes)
at home – Amazon Echo
traveling – Samsara app
Alexa is my girl, and I use her for everything from playing music to setting snooze timers in the mornings at home. I also use her to set my meditation timer every morning, so I can spend an extra few minutes in bed. When I’m away from home, I opt for the Samsara timer (the one Bobby Axelrod uses on Billions) on my phone.
Read the news (10 minutes)
at home – The Economist Espresso + Washington Post (physical paper) + these newsletters
traveling – The Economist Espresso + Axios + The Broadsheet
Granted, this isn’t going to start my day on the most positive note. But this is my non-airplane mode phone time (along with a quick triage of my e-mails, and the necessary Instagram check) while I’m still in bed. I do put my phone back on airplane mode after reading the news. The only difference is that I’ll read the physical paper with coffee (and Rho running around like a maniac) when I’m home.
Quick yoga sequence (5-20 minutes)
at home – 10 sun salutations + 1 minute plank
traveling – Aaptiv yoga workouts (Release Tight Hips & Hamstrings and Wake Your Asana Up are my favorites)
Yoga has been the best addition to my morning routine. I’ve been waking up stiff and sore, and going through a quick sequence has been a game changer. I keep a yoga mat (and this Rumble Roller, which I use at night) in my room at home. When I’m out, I throw a towel on the floor and fire up one of these yoga workouts on Aaptiv. More often than not, this is my workout for the day. I’m not mad about it.
I maintain other rituals – putting away dirty clothes, setting out my workout clothes and the next day’s outfit the night before, keeping vitamins and water on my nightstand – when I’m traveling as well. Not only does it save me time in the morning, it also keeps those good habits instilled so I keep doing them at home.
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Trust me – there are some mornings (and evenings), at home at on the road, when all I want to do is lie in bed and scroll through Instagram or watch YouTube.
And I do – after I make myself stick to the routines.
Because 25 minutes is all you really need to start your day on the best foot possible.
The viral videos can wait. I promise.
