Daria Pizzuto
Daria Pizzuto is a middle school language teacher, translator, PhD student, wife, and bikram yoga junkie who was born in Russia, grew up in Valencia, Spain, and now resides in New Jersey.
What is your morning routine?
My alarm goes off at 4:00am, and I usually get up within five minutes. My coffeepot is set the night before, so it starts making coffee in time with my alarm, and by 4:05am I can enjoy my first cup.
Afterwards I make my way into the living room to allow my husband to continue sleeping. I check my email, read a bit of my current book, check my WordPress, and write a short blog entry or leave comments.
Next I’ll make a post-it note with things to do. On that post-it, I not only write “do the laundry” but also things that I tremendously enjoy, such as “read for an hour”, or “call Joanna”. At about 4:45am, my husband awakes and we head off to the gym for about half an hour.
After the gym I shower and get ready for work. My outfits were pre-made on Sunday so I just go ahead and pick one for that day. After showering I make a small breakfast – a concoction consisting of oatmeal, honey, wheat germ, and an apple.
By now, it’s about 5:50am, so I have about ten minutes to spare. If I’m dressed and my work bag is ready to go, I’ll usually putter around the condo and straighten up a bit – who wants to come home to a messy house?
At 6:00am, both my husband and I are out the door.
How long have you stuck with this routine so far?
I started being a super early riser back in July (2013) when I was off from school.
How has your morning routine changed over recent years?
Over recent years I’ve gone from hating every minute of waking up early to absolutely loving it, and actually looking forward to it every evening.
Before I started my insanely early wake ups I was constantly rushed and always late. I also had a tendency to break things in the wee hours. I now feel more in control and enjoy my mornings tremendously.
What time do you go to sleep?
No later than 9:00pm.
Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?
Snooze button – guilty as charged. I’m considering putting the alarm clock farther away from my bed.
How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?
I typically have breakfast within an hour of waking. My signature power breakfast is an oatmeal, made with milk, dried cherries, wheat germ, honey, fresh apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Warm, hearty, and healthy.
Do you have a morning workout routine?
Yes. The first thing I do is go to the gym so my brain doesn’t have time to debate it with me. Usually I stay for about half an hour; always trying to mix it up: one day I do legs, one day-arms, etc.
How about morning meditation?
I meditate in the evening.
How soon do you check your phone in the morning, either for calls/messages or social media and news?
I usually check my phone for messages a short while after waking, while I have coffee. Email usually has to wait a little longer.
What are your most important tasks in the morning?
Working out, reading for pleasure, blogging, writing my goals for the day, thinking creatively, and reflecting.
What and when is your first drink in the morning?
Coffee – right after waking.
On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?
Usually I am able to adapt at least a part of it. If I don’t have a gym, I will work out in the hotel room/friend’s living room. I usually allot some time to write in the morning, so I’ll have my tablet with me.
What do you do if you fail to follow your routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?
Sometimes I oversleep. Things happen so I don’t beat myself up. I understand that sometimes my body and mind gets tired. I just give myself some rest and pick myself back up the next day.
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