If you don't have small kids in the house, or a job you have to rush to in the morning, how do you spend the first couple of hours of the day?

I read the paper while drinking coffee, and then have a nice breakfast.

I fix my breakfast, and while the coffee is brewing and the sausage and eggs cooking in the microwave, I fill the dish washer and turn it on, then I fire up my ancient laptop computer, which takes about 20 minutes, while I eat.

“Morning” means when my day starts, and my day doesn’t start until I get up. So by definition I’m not sleeping during those first hours. Morning typically comes between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. these days.

It takes me about an hour and a half to drink two cups of coffee and wake up, which I normally do slowly, in front of the computer, leisurely reading and answering e-mail, checking in with fluther, etc. If I have some sort of appointment, I usually have to jump and run, so there’s nothing leisurely about it. But when I am free, I’ll be ready for breakfast sometime between 3 and 4 p.m.

Then I can think about doing other things.

If this sounds shockingly indolent to anyone, that doesn’t bother me. I paid for it by working for 44 years, and I am now fulfilling a lifetime goal of being able to get up when I want to. That simple criterion expresses a lot of freedom.

I also go to bed when I want to, which is usually pretty late. Ahh, blessed retirement.

As for the news, I don’t ever watch the news, at least not on TV. I do look at the newspaper during that afternoon breakfast period, but it might not be today’s. Once a week or so, I check the news online, and I hear NPR whenever I drive.

Bathroom call and tooth brushing. Then I fire up the computer. While it’s booting, I start the coffee maker brewing a couple of cups of coffee. With some cereal and a fresh-brewed cup f coffee in hand, I head back to the computer. I read Google’s news aggregation and my local ABC affiliate’s news site to see what’s happened nationally and locally while I slept. Then I hit the email and the work day begins.

I’m a web developer and work from a home office, so no commuting required.

On my days off, I like to have a nice breakfast after showering, then read the paper. After that, I walk the dog, do my hobbies, then go on the computer. That ‘s what I do the first few hours in the morning before lunch. The children are usually out with their mother, or doing something with her, so it’s a nice, slow, peaceful time of day. Ahhhhhhhhhhh.

I get up and make my bed if the cats haven’t taken up residence yet, that day. I do a cat count so I know where all the animals are. Then I usually
eat cereal, oatmeal or yogurt with some kind of fruit. Lately I’ve been going out and piddling around my garden deciding what I need to do.

I’m alone. I read some forums then talk a bit with whoever is online.

Watching the news can ruin your day if you hear to many things that concern you.

I don’t have to rush for a job, but I have to rush for class.

I get up a little later than most day job workers, but it varies day to day. On later days, my classes start at high noon, which means I can sleep in or wake up early to do whatever for a bit. Usually I boot up the computer, eat breakfast, shower, and then get going.

Coffee and cleaning. I have three boys in the house half the time, so I’m always cleaning up and catching up on laundry (mostly because I don’t have a dryer). Some days I take time online to look for materials and new ideas and today, I’m giving myself the day off (because I had 10 people in the house, including two invalid parents and 5 kids, last week and had to sleep on the floor myself and I’m sore and exhausted.) I’ll start the cleaning up after the madhouse tomorrow.

I do NOT watch the news. Not unless there is a breaking story I want to know more about. I think it is a bad habit, mentally and doing it regularly makes my depression much MUCH worse and I’m trying desperately to cope with it alone and without drugs this time, so news watching is a no-no.

I work 3 or 4 days a week so they don’t count, on the other 3 or 4 I still like to get up very early, usually 5 am or so. I watch the early news on the telly then the young dog and I go out for a run. I am learning to love running early in the morning. It is the coolest time of the day, not too much traffic so we run out on the road then back by the river. When I get home, I shower have breakfast and read the paper. Then the day begins. Every now and then, if I am feeling especially decadent and usually on a Sunday, I will stay in bed until 6:30 or 7. But then it honestly feels as if I have wasted half the day!

When I was laid off last year, I did have a routine. I got up at 7 a.m., went to the gym, came back home and walked the dog, then had breakfast and read the paper, then spent a few hours searching for a job on the internet. I wanted to have a routine and had to get dressed every single day. I never stayed in my pajama’s.

I drive my husband to the Metro station, and then I Fluther and otherwise play on the internet for a while.

I like to read right when I wake up because my mind is all clear.

Well seeing as I don’t qualify on either count, I spend my mornings at work wishing I had free time.

These days I have the luxury of starting my days out very slowly.

Sleep in till 9:30 or so, get up and eat breakfast while catching up on Fluther and some of the other websites I check every day.

after the shower, I’m sitting here. Get a life Judi! On my way to yoga in a bit. I promise! unless someone on fluther has a crisis and needs me.~

I don’t usually need to be at work before noon, but lately I’ve been leaving the house around 7:15 anyway. I wake up around 6:30 whether I set an alarm or not, and I’d rather get to work and get some work before everyone else gets in.

It changes though. Sometimes I go through phases when I go to work late, in which case I stay in bed for a while reading the internet and chatting, and make breakfast. Or go to the gym.

I do have two kiddos, but I don’t really count my morning as “started” until they get on the bus. I usually spend the first couple of hours sipping coffee and doing some cleaning. I’ll get any leftover dishes put away, tidy up the living room, do a load of laundry and vacuum… then I sit outside for a while and read a good book.

Coffee
Take the dog potty several times.
Iron some clothes.
Check my email.

Put on Today Show, make lunch bags for kids
Feed the dog; have breakfast
Let the dog out in the backyard while socializing and feeding the birds, feed the fishes in the pond.
Check emails
Shower, get dressed and off to work

I deliberately get up an hour earlier than I need to, just so I can have a long leisurely shower and spend half an hour on the internet before I go to work. I don;t read the news in the morning (I save that for later, when I’ve finished my work and still have a half hour to waste before clocking off).

On weekends I can sleep until 9 or 10. Sometimes I get up around 8. I try to sleep as long as possible because of the sleep deficit from the rest of the week. In any case, when I do wake up on weekends, I have to do a lot of stuff that is grooming and sleeping related and then I have to go to the market. Sometimes I’ll stop at the coffee shop and get myself a beverage and a croissant and then go sit in the part, watching people or talking to friends.

That’s Saturday. Sunday is somewhat similar, except I might make french toast or something, before getting on with the chores and projects.

On weekdays I gotta rush and I hate it.

But yeah, on weekends, it’s coffee time, talking with roomie for a bit, then going on the computer to check my shit out. That’s where I catch most of my news too, which doesn’t really affect my day much. That can always depend though…
I don’t eat breakfast, but I usually have a little something two hours later, after my shower.

My off-day routine has me getting up and moving to to the computer. I’ll sit there for the next 3–4 hours checking news and mail and Fluther, catching up on webcomics, inspecting the latest releases of anime and manga. Breakfast comes when I’m hungry, usually around 12 or so.
When the opportunity presents itself, I like to read a newspaper (particularly the funnies, but also other light-hearted stuff) over an eggs-and-bacon-and-pancakes sort of breakfast.