On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your morning routine to fit in with a different environment?

When I’m not home, I probably don’t think too much about my mornings.

Since I’m on the road a lot, I try to plan my trips surgically to minimize my time away from home. Because of that, my morning routine often looks totally different.

I usually get in on a late flight, go to sleep well after midnight, and sleep in until the last possible minute. I tend to push snooze one or two times, then freak out that I don’t have enough time to shower, and do my best to look presentable anyway. Thank goodness my hair goes into a messy bun easily and there is no debating what to wear because I only have the single outfit in my suitcase! I then grab two cups of green tea as I run through the hotel lobby and double fist them on my way to my first meeting. I always miss being at home and having my hubby make me coffee.

To be honest, my routine isn’t as good when I’m not at home. I don’t always remember to travel with salt, I don’t always have lemon, sometimes the water is tap water, and I typically don’t have a pool. But I make do, and get as close to the routine as possible.

Generally, no. I try to live by the standard, “Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved,” by Thomas Monson. If I’m away from home, I’m there for the people. Whether those people are my family, mentors, or peers, those people are more important than my routine.

That said, I will still generally start my day by journaling and exercising, but sometimes these get shifted to other parts of the day.

Typically, no. When I’m visiting family, it’s easier to maintain my routine. When staying in a hotel, I like to mix it up and do something I wouldn’t normally do. But when I am away from home it’s only for short periods of time.

My husband and I spend a lot of time in the Catskills on weekends. It’s so important to us to get out of the city. Weekends upstate require a welcome change in routine. In the summer we spend a lot of time hiking around the Mohonk Preserve in the New Paltz area. And we have a couple of favorite spots for breakfast, including Sweet Sue’s in Phoenicia. Weekend mornings are generally more relaxed and stretched out. It’s a great way to recharge after an intense week in the city.

I travel frequently for work, and my routine varies depending on the circumstances. I miss the peace of having coffee and listening to music in my living room. Sometimes as an alternative, especially when I’m in a pretty place, I go for a walk.

I know that the routine will be harder when I’m in a new location and environment. I strive for the core pillars of good sleep, exercise, and water first thing. I don’t try to achieve the same full routine I have at home, the consistency of which has been built up over time.

I still try to read a bit before I go to sleep, and I still try to get up around the same time. I don’t always find ways to work out, depending on where I stay, so I don’t do as much of my routine when I’m traveling. It also depends on what time the first event of the day is at.

I love traveling as a hobby because I love being in new places, but when I travel for work I don’t sleep quite as well. Everything’s a bit different, but I try to maintain a regular workday.

I travel a lot. When I’m in a hotel room my routine is different because I’m preparing for a presentation. I usually have to get up and get dressed right away. I also don’t have a garden or my husband with me :(

Yes, I’ve found myself conducting morning prayers at airports, on planes, and who knows where else. But this routine is my core—it’s my stability in an uncertain world. It provides the “why” every day.

As a professional speaker and leadership/management consultant, I travel every week during key months of the year.

On travel days, I usually wake up at 4:30am or 5:00am, get picked up thirty minutes later, and answer emails and prioritize my to-do list on the way to the airport (when I haven’t done that the night before). Once the plane is in the air, the laptop comes out and I dive into work for the duration of the flight. That could include anything from working on my new book, TakingPoint (when I was writing it), to answering emails and fielding new speaking opportunities, to writing for my weekly Forbes and Inc. columns, to preparing for the week’s events.

Yes! I travel a lot for my job, so I’m definitely able to adapt to fit whatever else I have going on those mornings.

I wake up even earlier. I think it’s because I am more focused. I don’t watch TV when I’m not at home, nor do I have the distraction of my husband or children. I just fall asleep when I am ready and then get up earlier. Jet lag tends to help, too.

When I’m alone or with my wife, yes, I can stick to the routine. When we’re traveling with friends, generally no, the routine changes.

I generally try not to carry out my routine when I travel. I’ve always viewed travel, whether for business or fun, as an opportunity to read, daydream, and open up my mind to other thoughts. Some of my best creative moments have come when I’m on the road, away from the confines of my routine.

This is one of the key challenges for me. As a branded content consultant and speaker, I spend a good portion of the year on the road, taking multiple trips a month to give keynotes and corporate workshops. I haven’t tallied up 2017 yet, but I spent about three months of 2016 on the road, total, and visited seven countries in the process. That’s a lot of hotels, red-eye overnights in less-than-comfy plane seats, and time zone disruptions. It’s not easy to maintain a routine on the road, especially when those trips are back-to-back and I don’t have time to reset in-between.

What I try to do is create as much calm as I can in those situations. For example, I never fly in to my destination on a speaking day, always the day before. This way, I can guarantee I get a good night’s sleep, in a real bed, the day before a keynote, and wake up feeling rested. I generally order a small room service breakfast and coffee, so I can eat on a similar schedule to home: right after waking up. And if time zones allow, I almost always talk to my fiancé in the morning (even if it’s just via text) to maintain that sense of normalcy.

Traveling is a challenge. When we drive somewhere and I think I might be able to ride, I put my bike on the car. When we go somewhere I can bring Bear, then we walk, but it’s not our same park experience.

I travel a lot, so I’ve definitely learned to adapt my routine to wherever I am. While hiking is not always an option, I do fit in my morning exercise, whether it’s walking, running, or just hitting the hotel gym.

My schedule is dynamic, so I have to be prepared to adapt. I keep a suitcase packed with thin gym shoes and socks and workout stuff so I can weave that into my schedule when I travel. I’m pretty disciplined about sticking to it.

My non-routine doesn’t change much whether I’m home or away.

Strangely, I wake up much earlier whenever I’m in a different environment. When I’m traveling for work, I’m usually hyper focused on a project. I think the pressure that comes along with that is more than enough to get me up in the morning. I always feel inspired after a productive trip and think that I’m going to be a “new me” when I get home and wake up every day at the crack of dawn, but I inevitably go back to my old ways within a week.

Sometimes. Routines are funny things. Following them causes a certain level of stress. Not following them causes a different level of stress. Either way, I’m never totally comfortable.

My routine is relatively simple and I’m a it, so it’s usually not an issue.

In my experience, when my environment changes my routine changes. I try to accept this and not put pressure on myself to be as consistent or disciplined. Usually, this only happens on holidays or when visitors come to stay.

This is something I’m still working on. I’d love to be one of those people who can adapt to any situation, but I’m not a great traveler and my routine usually falls by the wayside. (I love reading your other interviews for tips on how to hack this!)

For the most part, yes. Using apps definitely makes this easier.

One of my main reasons I rely so much on bodyweight exercises is so I can do my routine anywhere, no excuses. When I’m away from home I substitute bodyweight exercises for the parts using weights or the rowing machine. Not having access to oats or fruit can be a (rare) challenge, but I’ve always figured it out.

It’s tough, but I do my best to get up to pray. I may go back to bed, especially when I’m in a hotel. That’s usually when I’m on vacation, which means I’m taking it easy and relaxing anyway.

Luckily, my morning routine is fairly easygoing, so it’s not hard to adapt it to a new environment. The only thing that really changes is when I eat breakfast—I’m much less likely to procrastinate on it when I know the day will be busy and I won’t have time to eat again until later.

In many ways, no, but I typically enjoy it. I like changes of scenery and don’t feel an urge to clean everything, which is what most of my morning routine consists of (ha!). Still, I try to do what I can to feel mentally and emotionally prepared for the day.

My routine is pretty straightforward and can be done anywhere. However, I am flexible to a certain extent and can adapt to situations when necessary. I believe that change is a good thing.

When I travel for work, which is usually to Los Angeles, I try to keep a similar routine because I stay on New York time. I wake up at 4:00am or 5:00am and do what I do at home, minus walking my daughter to school. I’ve been staying at the same hotel for over a decade, so it’s easy to keep a similar routine when everything is the same. I have my juice place and my gym. Let’s just say I’m a creature of habit.

Yes, I actually love keeping my routine when I travel. I find a hotel or coffee shop to post up in and replicate my morning. A few weeks ago I was on a backpacking trip, and I kept my super early wake-up hours while on the trail. It’s absolutely stunning to sit under the stars before sunrise and journal while enjoying a cup of coffee.

I’m able to adapt to different environments because my routine is never static - it changes with the day and what is on the agenda. Being in a different bed doesn’t make a difference, I still wake at 6:00am to music, drink water, and take a walk as often as possible. When I’m in my home in Canada, I tend to sleep a little longer in the morning and have a more relaxed start to the day because the pace is a little less frenetic there. When I’m on vacation, I wake up early because I can’t wait to explore and have a day to myself (or ourselves). I try to get to the Canadian Rockies once a year for a ski vacation and the time difference works to my advantage - getting up early guarantees first tracks almost every day. Another favorite place to visit is Newfoundland, and getting up early there means you’re treated to the prettiest sunrises.

When I’m staying away from home I remove all distracting devices such as my laptop, phone, and any flashing lights from alarm clocks from the room. Electronics have a direct correlation with us having lighter and more interrupted sleep.

I usually keep to my routine when I’m traveling, with the exception of vacation. The point of a vacation is to rest your mind as much as your body, so I try to do both completely.

When I’m not at home, the biggest change to my routine is my breakfast. I love breakfast (it’s my favorite meal of the day), and I always opt for the breakfast package at hotels. Inevitably, it’s some sort of continental buffet thing, and I eat way too much and have trouble getting started with the day after that. But I do it every time.

I sometimes travel for work and, depending on the time zones, I try to stick to a similar routine. I usually don’t sleep as well because I don’t have my incredible bed with me.

Given that my morning routine is pretty simple, I don’t find it difficult to do basically anywhere. Of course, when I’m not home, I’m not walking my daughter to school, but the rest all works well anywhere.

I’m quite adaptable and will stick to my routine in whatever city I happen to be in. The more I started to travel, the more comfortable and disciplined I was able to become in remaining consistent with my routine every day.

Absolutely. I’ve never understood my colleagues who say it’s hard to be on the road. I wake up. I order a room service caffeine delivery, usually with pastry and fruit. I go for a run. (As an aside, one of my absolute favorite things to do is explore an unfamiliar city by foot, taking random rights and lefts as traffic lights direct me, while the city slowly wakes. There is something magical in that experience that never fades.) I have a big breakfast while chewing through email and planning the day.

Having a simple routine that is easily portable and designed to be somewhat flexible helps, of course. I can’t imagine, for example, if I absolutely had to start my day at a specific spin class with my favorite instructor. That would be disastrous, particularly as I travel a lot.

Pretty much. All I need is a phone, computer, iPad, and Wi-Fi.

No, I travel a lot and this is a big challenge. I bought an Amazon Tap so that I can still wake up to Alexa, but it’s really hard to do the rest of my routine when my hours change drastically. I’m still working on this part.

Yep. It’s the same anywhere, unless I’m facilitating a group or a client - that changes things. But I don’t usually schedule them until after 10:00am.

If I’m in a different city, I always continue my routine. I’ll find out from the hotel at night the best walking path for the morning. It’s awesome and it’s a great way to explore a city, too.

It is definitely trickier, especially when I’m on the road several times a month for speaking engagements, but I make a point to keep up with as many of my morning routines as possible. These morning practices are what fuel me, so keeping up with them is not about willpower—I genuinely look forward to it, and it keeps me grounded while traveling. It doesn’t feel like I have to stick to any set list of activities, it is more about starting my day in a way that is most energizing, which comes from stacking up things that I want to do.

I spend a lot of time on the road and in hotels, but I’m generally able to keep more or less the same disciplines. The bad news is that I typically don’t get much sleep the night before an early morning departure. Almost invariably, I sleep just three hours or so and am wide awake by 4:00am. I know that’s not good for me, but I haven’t figured out how to break that pattern.

I’m on the road the majority of the year, so absolutely! I have my road routines as well. They aren’t too different from the home routines, but they usually involve an alarm clock, since my days are more structured.

So far, I’ve been able to stick with my morning routine when I travel to new places or visit friends and family in different cities.

Sticking with my morning routine helps me feel grounded and centered when I travel. For me, this is essential because sticking to a routine makes me feel healthier and more productive.

I repeat a lot of my nighttime rituals (setting out workout clothes and my outfit, getting a giant bottle of water, planning my workout) and always meditate and journal (using the Five Minute Journal app when traveling).

I try to plan a workout in a new studio or go for a run when I’m traveling as a way to explore. I wrote my book, How to Pack, specifically to address the process of packing more meaningful items when traveling to help you feel settled, organized, and comfortable in a new environment. Living temporarily out of a carry-on doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice a routine.

When I am not in my home, I am away for work, so the routine changes a bit. But I still have my coffee. I never skip that.

Yes, it’s not an issue. My breakfast might change, switching to a protein bar instead of a smoothie, but the overall routine will stay the same!

When traveling, my morning routine is essentially identical. I’m up at 5:00am. I think it’s important to stick to your routine regardless of where you might be traveling, especially if you are someone like me who won’t be able to switch off if you don’t.

Even getting just the email management out of the way helps free the mind for the rest of the day, and helps me relax better. When I’m away in a hotel, I don’t stay in the room upon waking. I get up, get out, and go to a breakfast spot for a coffee and to work on my laptop.

Actually, yes. I’ve found that I crush it even harder when I’m in a great hotel in an inspiring city. I especially love my morning routines in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

I’m in California a lot for meetings, and if I can swing it, I leave a dinner meeting and take a red-eye flight home to NYC so I’m in my house by 7:00am. Then I’m able to keep my same morning routine. Insane, I know.

It is much harder. When I travel to the West Coast I try to wake up at 5:00am so I can avoid jet lag. But it is always hard to wake up at 6:00-6:30am once I am back in NYC. Jet lag is not only about the time you go to bed but is highly connected to sun exposure, so it’s hard to avoid it entirely.

On the days that we’re traveling with toddler in tow, there is no such thing as a routine. We wing it. And if jetlag is in the mix, God help us.

For the most part, yes. Obviously, I can’t jump into a pool if there isn’t one. Or sometimes if we are at a hotel with all six of us crammed into a tiny room, it’s a little hard to get in an hour of silent prayer/journaling. But those are rare instances. If I’m traveling, I just replace CrossFit with running.

This is the hardest thing for a creature of habit, but I have learned to do my thing on the road, regardless. I pack accordingly and prepare things beforehand. Mimicking your environment as much as possible is so helpful, but adaptation is also crucial. Learning to adapt makes a better (and humbler) person and athlete!

Absolutely. I’ve kept things simple enough that I can use this routine wherever I am—and I do travel quite a bit.

I usually take it as an opportunity to develop a new routine and take advantage of the new space I’m in. I think it’s important to change things and be fluid.

Mornings when I’m traveling feel luxurious, so I try to really enjoy them by doing things like getting room service for breakfast or taking an early morning walk.

If I’m not too busy I’ll do a shorter meditation. Sometimes that goes out the window, though, especially if I’m tired from jet lag or the travel itself. I also tend to fall behind on work when I travel, so my mornings and evenings are used for checking email and having phone calls.

Although I’m based in Los Angeles, I come and go as I please like a traveling, nomadic freelancer (a.k.a. digital nomad), spending many of my days elsewhere, like Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, or London. I make it a point to set up a new “home base” wherever I am by establishing norms like a morning routine, and I work from there.

As the environment differs, the nuts and bolts of my routine often get thrown out the window. I have to fight hard to re-establish those vital elements of my routine, such as eating breakfast and getting coffee.

It sounds simple, but the actual preparation and system behind getting breakfast and coffee looks very different and requires a whole new series of steps from place to place. Whenever I go someplace new, I have to spend a week figuring out the how part of my routine and establish that feeling of familiarity.

When I’m not at home, it’s usually because I don’t need to be anywhere in the morning. If this is the case I tend to let the routine slip away. It’s nice to have a routine, but sometimes, it’s nice to not have one either.

I do my best to model the same routine wherever I travel. That may mean going to Starbucks first before sitting down for my GSD time, but for the most part I do my best to keep to my exact home routine.

When I travel, my morning routine varies. I’m typically speaking at an event, so I do whatever I need to do to ensure that the event is successful. That often means allowing my body some extra time to recover or taking a walk to get my blood pumping. It nearly always looks different depending on where I travel and what I’m doing there.

Yes, I do my stretches and drink my water wherever I go. I like that my routine is simple enough that I don’t have to pack anything extra or need anything but a little floor space.

My routine is less chaotic when I’m traveling for work, since I don’t have as many distractions. I usually bring some kind of sweet-smelling spray or oil for my pillow to help me sleep better and feel more at home. In the morning, I might actually go for a walk or take some time to meditate before moving on with the rest of my day.

I miss my dog when I travel! I do my best to have some quiet time in the morning, but my routine is usually not the same.

You’d be surprised by how easily you can keep up this practice on the road! I bring my tongue scraper and a little container of coconut oil with me wherever I go. I’ve done yoga anywhere you can believe imaginable; outside gas stations, airport terminals, back of cars, at historic landmarks. An open body is an open mind!

Generally, yes. I love getting out early in a different place to explore and experience how that place “wakes up.” I find this revealing and exciting.

Absolutely. I travel frequently. I generally wake up once during the first night away from home and wonder where I am for a moment, but otherwise my routine remains intact.

You know, when I’m traveling, I have a very anything-goes attitude. I like the fresh perspective a new space offers, so I’m much more able to adapt to the routine of that environment rather than forcing my own.

Yes. I can make (or buy) coffee and breakfast anywhere. Beyond that, the rest of my day is never the same.

No, that’s pretty difficult. The meditation portion is about the only thing I can do anywhere. If I’m traveling, sometimes I work out in my room or in the gym, if I’m at a hotel. It’s hard to carry my protein shakes with me everywhere, though.

Yes, absolutely. I can literally write from almost anywhere. I travel a lot, and I always re-adapt. I actually love these in-between workplaces - airports and hotels. I often get my best work done in these spots because it never feels like work.

Ehh, I’m flexible then. I like to be taken away by a place, so when I go somewhere new, I just let the new experience happen to me. If I’m traveling for work, then I stick with my morning routine. I need to feel grounded and be in a clear mental space to operate with clarity and purpose.

I travel a lot and admittedly, it’s harder to keep to this sort of schedule. I feel as if I am not living my normal life. Plus I wonder if there’s a good breakfast buffet.

It really depends. As I write this I’m on a three-week book tour across the United States, which means I’m on a plane (or two) every two days or so. I’m still exercising as often as possible, but the rest of my time is spent teaching workshops and doing book signings.

In general, travel is disruptive but totally worth it! I’ve been trying to travel as much as I can while we’re in Spain. I get my regular Paris fix and have been exploring as many places as possible.

When I’m traveling, it’s either for work or for a specific climbing or jumping trip, so I don’t have this routine at all. One reason I love being at home is that I really like having some routine in my life.

I travel with my journal and books so I can adhere to my ritual as closely as possible. Unfortunately, my body is very sensitive to changes in daylight, travel, etc. I tend to really feel the time difference in terms of getting to sleep, waking up at a certain time, etc. I try to just be patient and kind to my body and schedule my travel and anything else I can control to account for my rest requirements.

I’ve been pretty bad at this. I was doing the digital nomad thing for a while and my routine was mostly a mess. It takes a while for me to settle into a routine in a new apartment/city, and moving every few weeks was pretty disruptive.

Yes, my routine is pretty simple, and with a toddler you have to be adaptable! I travel a lot, and I’ve recently started bringing my NutriBullet along so it’s easy to make green smoothies for breakfast wherever I am!

I make it work. Since I travel quite a bit, I work it in the best I can.

For the nightly Five Minute Journal ritual, we just take pictures and send them via WhatsApp.

I was just in Europe for two weeks and didn’t miss a beat. I woke up early, worked out, sustained my normal diet, and continued to keep up with my work on the days that I’d planned to be connected and working.

I actually love working away from home because I have far fewer distractions and I feel like I can focus even more. Traveling means I have no responsibilities around my apartment, and I have a limited wardrobe so I’m not changing my outfit a bunch of times.

Even when I’m on vacation, I still try to get up early and work out. Everything else is a toss up, especially if I’m traveling with others instead of traveling solo.

Yes, I have to adapt my routine a lot because I travel so often. I always start my morning with drinking warm water, scraping my tongue, splashing my face with cold water, and doing at least a little spinal movement (cat/cow [poses] are great).

I find that keeping it simple and focusing on the little things I can do to feel grounded will usually do the trick, and if I try to do too much I lose the inspired feeling of traveling.

I still try to keep some of the basic routine - get up, read, think - but it’s not quite the same. If I’m on the road it’s likely that I have obligations, meetings, etc. Those are instances where other priorities dictate my routine.

I’m usually at home in the school season. In the summer it’s harder to stick to my routine, but I feel that I strongly need it, so I try to adapt it.

The baby’s internal clock and needs are the same when we are travelling. Away from my studio, I spend his naptime planning new works and writing.

I try to stick to my routine. That might mean heading to the hotel gym or a local park, but I try to stick to my routine as best as I can even when I’m on the road.

My morning routine can be adapted just about anywhere. Even if I’m sharing a hotel room with my entire family, I can set up my reading and my laptop in a corner somewhere and sip my tea while I read and work. I always travel with an electric tea kettle just in case the hotel room doesn’t have anywhere I can boil water (which is quite rare these days).

If I’m staying in someone’s home, I let them know ahead of time about my morning routine, and they are usually great about helping me find a good spot for the morning. Because my morning routine starts so early, I don’t really have to worry about anyone else being awake and interrupting it.

Yes, but there will inevitably be some inherent aspect about where I am that shakes things up, such as if or when I will work out. I use this as an excuse to try new routines when I live in places for extended periods.

I’m absolutely terrible at adapting this routine to the road. My weekdays on the road are as variable as my weekend days.

I love to feel steady and grounded, but with music there is a lot of unpredictability and travel. I think that’s why I create a schedule for myself when I’m at home. It gives me a sense of rhythm.

When I’m on tour for the next couple months, I’ll be moving between thirty-four cities and I want to feel steady somehow. I will definitely write and meditate each morning; besides these two things, though, I’ll leave the rest unscheduled. The shows are already so scheduled, so I want to use whatever time is leftover to explore the cities I’m in and write new songs.

I frequently travel to San Francisco and Paris, where we also have Mogul offices, or other cities worldwide. Wherever I may be, I maintain the same routine.

I travel often for work, ​and whether I’m traveling to speak at a conference, to meet with clients, or to fulfill my philanthropic passions, I find it’s very hard to stick to the connection part of my routine.

T​hat is where I find I slip up the most. I start checking emails right away and sporadically meditating or working out. I don’t love that; but I love what I do, so it balances out.

If I’m traveling, I try to use the hotel gym, except on the days when I have a very early start.

The key here is to set up the space for the next morning. Keeping a cushion on the floor for meditation, setting up my toothbrush/floss in the bathroom, placing my clothes by the shower, and putting my Five Minute Journal and other books by my bedside are all critical parts of the puzzle.

Once the prep work is done, the next morning moves like clockwork because it’s difficult to move around without seeing all the things you set up the previous night to move the day forward.

When I travel for business, I try to make the most of it in the shortest amount of time. That usually means back-to-back meetings for ten hours straight each day, and it ends up disrupting my routine.

When I’m traveling for leisure, I usually adjust my routine to the schedule of the person I’m visiting, as I’m there to spend time with them, after all.

When I travel, I have a very different or simplified version. If I can spend 10-15 minutes in prayer and find a Starbucks for coffee sometime in the morning, I’m happy. Anything more is a bonus.

I try to, as best as I can. However, I’m usually thrown off in some way by time. I still exercise and eat breakfast when I travel, for the most part.

Yes, easily. When I’m traveling on my own, I don’t have the distraction of the kids’ morning routine, so it’s actually easier to just jump right into coffee/email/work.

Generally yes. The difference is when I’m on the road, there’s usually a reason for it - which can often include earlier morning meetings. When this is the case I tend to forgo the writing and go to the gym instead, because in those circumstances I know I won’t go if I wait until later.

Yes, but it depends on the time zone. I was recently doing a swimming workout at 4:30am on the West Coast as I am used to East Coast time. I try not to get out of my time zone, even when traveling within the United States.

I try. I’ll even pick out hotels based on the quality of their gym, but the last few trips I’ve been on (with and without my husband and son) I totally ignored my routine and just focused on getting as much sleep as possible and spending time with the people I was there to see.

This is something that I’m still working on! Normally when I travel, I’m going out a lot more than when I’m at home, so I am usually waking up later and shortening the routine to just checking my notifications.

The biggest change for me is if we are traveling. Being in a different place changes our schedule and timing. The gym gets replaced with a morning adventure: a walk through the city, a hike in the woods, a stroll on the beach. We always try to get out the door to enjoy where we are first thing.

It’s quite challenging to maintain the same routine when traveling. But I find occasionally breaking my routine to be a good and rewarding thing.

Routines are like any set of rules. They can be helpful in giving us a sense of constancy. But at times, breaking them can be extremely liberating. Being a slave to a single routine can prevent spontaneity and unexpected discoveries.

I travel a lot: at least once or twice a week during the spring and fall conference season. Even on the road, I keep the same basic routine.

And because most airport and airline food is terrible, I travel with a home-packed snack bag containing healthy foods, like raw almonds, apricots, figs, and granola bars. And I drink a LOT of water.

I also try to schedule flights so that my morning routine isn’t disrupted, because that can blow my whole day.

I spend over one hundred days away from home (Toronto) every year, speaking at events, coaching at Mastermind groups, and working in our Denver office. But it’s easy to adapt a routine when traveling. All you have to do is plan ahead. There are no excuses.

I’ve stuck to this schedule on trips to dozens of countries, including while on holiday in Tuscany, Russia, Nicaragua, and even New York and Las Vegas. You wouldn’t believe some of the elevator rides I’ve had in Vegas when I was going to the gym at 5:00am and others were just going back to their rooms. Ha!

Omg, I love when I’m away for work. I keep the same routine but don’t have to rush to get the kids ready. Just taking care of myself feels so easy and calm. It makes me greedy for more time alone!

If I’m not home, then it’s usually for a reason. I’m relaxing, at the most I’m responding to emails. Other than that I’m completely segregated from the work world. I have to give my significant other credit for this one as she taught me a lot with regards to creating a balance between work and life. Sometimes in subtle ways and sometimes not so subtle :) but it’s been a huge help. I’ve found ideas flow a bit faster when I’ve carved out time for them to grow. Usually during this period off when I’m not at home.

It’s much harder to get into my routine when I’m not at home. I’ll often skip writing or miss a workout and the whole day feels like I’m off. When I’m traveling for work, and have a set schedule with a normal wake-up time, I’ll be pretty good about writing and doing some kind of hotel (in-room or at their gym) workout.

On vacation, I’ll purposefully not do any of it so that I feel the separation. But knowing how much it sets up the rest of the day, I prioritize my morning routine as much as possible.

These days are tough, as traveling - especially to different time zones - can really throw a wrench in my morning routine… so I plan for it. I try to do more writing ahead of my trip, or spend most of my time creating new content, so when I’m not at my creative best on the road, I can still edit old content and keep us on schedule.

I do my best to follow a similar routine when on the road, working out of hotel rooms or coffee shops in the mornings and using my afternoons to explore or do what needs to be done, but I know I’m just not as efficient on the road so I don’t beat myself up over it.

I’m often not settled in my home. Every week we drive four hours each way for my son’s weekly cello lessons. In total I’m in the car about forty hours a week.

I used to spend these drives totally frustrated that I could not respond to emails and watch the road at the same time. I eventually hired a driver so I would have more time to do work in the car. I do most of my career coaching in the car. The coaching makes the drive better for me, and an unplanned offshoot is that the kids are learning about how to focus on issues surrounding a career.

I’m such a home body for this reason. When I’m not at home, my routine is unpredictable and it’s tough to stay on track.

I’ve lived in four cities in the past five years (San Francisco, Kansas City, New York City, and Los Angeles) so it usually takes me a little bit of time to get settled. I’m feeling pretty settled right now so hopefully my routine sticks.

Yes. It took a lot of training to get this morning routine down, but now it’s just become a habit!

If I’m on vacation, I always squeeze in a run. I believe I run more when I am on vacation as opposed to at home. When I went to the Philippines, I woke up every morning at 5:00am just to get a good five miles done before the sun came up (it gets so hot and humid there). I ran everywhere during that trip. I ran to get food, ran to the beach, ran to sight see. If I’m somewhere visiting in the States, I try to look for a local run club or yoga studio to get an awesome workout in.

Sometimes. It really depends. I try to be kind to myself when I don’t do it. Self-kindness is a very underrated skill.

I am constantly traveling and moving around, so I have no real routine. I can adapt to any changing environment, including an airplane.

Mostly, though it can be challenging with time changes, meetings, demands of conferences (for example, I recently keynoted an event in Dallas at 8:00am Central Time, 6:00am Seattle (Pacific) Time: waking up for that wasn’t fun), etc.

My routine changes when I travel, but even a modified version helps me stay focused and sane throughout the day. For instance, if I am visiting family or on vacation, I might not have three hours, but I know I can make time for ten minutes of writing and five minutes of meditation. Even that makes a big difference in how I feel.

I do my best and it comes down to preparing: eating well, drinking water, and not watching television. I even have a roll-up piano that I bring with me on trips so that I can get my time on the keys.

​Definitely. I’ve had to be really committed to making myself at home wherever I am, since my location changes so much with the job. Sometimes you’re on tour, and home is a hotel room shared with another singer; sometimes you’re lucky, and get a condo to yourself. Sometimes it’s someone’s couch.

Your routine needs to be flexible enough to ​be portable. It’s why I gravitate toward running and yoga for exercise - even though I love to cycle - I can take my running shoes everywhere, and you can do yoga almost anywhere, in any clothing. Coffee is universal at this point. I travel with a small blender and kettle if I know I’m staying in hotel rooms, and sometimes a single-cup stove top espresso maker. It’s the little things!

I actually do pretty well in keeping my routine when I travel alone or need to work while I’m traveling. Pilates is so easy to do anywhere, my laptop comes with me, and I still have the desk work, morning reading, planner set up, and devotion rhythm in place.

If I’m vacationing with other people, though, those are special days and the routine goes completely out the window. More and more all I really want to do when I’m traveling is unplug, so I just let the demands of the day sort themselves out without a lot of structure. I do try to exercise in the morning, but instead of writing a schedule or to-do list I work on a travel journal in the Midori.

I actually deliberately left my computer at home last time I went to Japan and my phone only worked at the house I rented, so it forced me to connect with people to find out the awesome places to go instead of relying on internet reviews. It turned out to be a great strategy since Japan is such a welcoming and warm country. People told me about amazing restaurants, museums, neighborhoods, coffee shops, and places to go I never would have found otherwise.

I haven’t lived in the United States since 2008 and have made wherever I am my home, or at least home base, ever since.

I’m currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but have also made random hotel rooms work as my home base as I always try to travel for at least three weeks at a time to really allow myself to settle in, get back on schedule, and enjoy what it’s like living like a local instead of just seeing the traditional tourist hotspots.

This is a challenge I deal with a lot due to the nature of my work.

Sometimes I feel it’s silly that it’s even a challenge, because it doesn’t seem that hard, but time zones, hectic travel, and work schedules do often lead to my morning routine being interrupted for a day or two. I’m still looking for ways to make it better, or maybe I just need to relax about it a bit. If anyone has any ideas, please do let me know!

Alex and I travel a lot, which can sometimes make it a bit difficult to stick to our morning routine.

With that said, there are three things that we do upon waking up no matter where we are in the world: We start our day with our Five Minute Journals (yes, we usually travel with it, or if it’s a short trip we use a the Five Minute Journal app), then we do a ten minute meditation followed by a ten minute workout that consists of push-ups, sit ups, and squats.

These are our most important morning activities; we do them pretty much religiously.

When we travel, I bring a lightweight mug, a portable immersion heater, and instant coffee (funny how the body adapts — instant tastes pretty good when there’s no good early-morning coffee alternative). When traveling internationally, away from my at-home routine, I tend to sleep in until about 6:00am.

Absolutely! I will take lemons and cayenne with me when I travel, I have a Nike Training Club app I love when I am away from SoulCycle, and I’m even known to bring my blender with me on vacation ;)

I travel constantly, and I try to leave the city every weekend if I can. I’ve gone up to Vancouver a few times, down to Portland even more. I’ll drive to the mountains or I’ll go camping. As long as I have tea and breakfast, something to read, and my dog by my side, I’m good.

I’ve brought lemons and limes onto international flights in the past so I can have that first thing in the morning. I know you’re not supposed to do that, so shhhh. No, I don’t do it anymore.

When I’m in a home away from my actual home, I’m naturally up very early so I can plan my day accordingly.

Breakfast is the hardest thing to adapt to in a new place, as I am typically hangry in the morning and need something. Morning vegetables is a pretty California thing, and if I start off with a carbfest I’m liable to feel tired all day.

I do, I will still wake up early. Instead of typing I’ll just write in a notebook. I always need my morning coffee.

On the days I’m not at home I tend to get up very early and spend some time meditating and setting an intention for the day. I might skip the exercise routine, depending on the environment I am in.

Since I’m traveling about 50% of the time, it’s actually even more important that I stick to this routine. If I’m staying somewhere new, I often scout the area for coffee places before I get there so that I get a walk in the morning (my form of a commute) and then back to work. It ensures I leave my hotel/location at least once that day! :)

Also, I prefer not to fly before 9:00am when possible (especially when flying transatlantic) because if I have to get up before 5:00am I usually won’t sleep well the night before, thus ruining that night’s sleep, too. It’s never a good idea to plan on sleeping on the plane - I’ve been on enough rough or noisy flights to know it’s not a sure thing, and you can end up being destroyed after.

If the kids are with me, the routine looks pretty similar. If they’re not, then I relish being able to set an alarm and sleep until it goes off. Or not set an alarm! While I was away at a conference recently, I went to bed at 10:00pm and slept until 8:00am. It was amazing, really.

Not really. Though, I try not to be “not settled in at home” much. I’ve been turning down trips to talk and conferences because I just want to keep enjoying that routine with my wife and Addison. It just means too much to skip.

And when we do travel, we just adapt to the new place. It’s usually for vacation anyways, so I’ll do the usual routine of checking Slack and Highrise for notifications, but then I’m just relaxing with the new things vacation brings: new food, new paths, new things to see and explore.

If I’m on vacation or traveling for a photo shoot almost all routine goes out the window. The only constant is that I require food and coffee within an hour of waking in order for all systems to be operational.

I’m pretty bad at this, actually. I’m a creature of habit, so even one difference in the routine (not having the Frappuccino, for example) throws the whole thing off. In some ways this is a good thing though as it makes me adapt and occasionally will make me realize I should switch up my routine in some way.

It can be more challenging for sure. I try not to travel too much because of this.

For whatever reason when I’m in the comfort of my typical environment things are a little easier to get done. When I’m traveling things like food, Wi-Fi, transportation, etc are all different. Those subtle changes throw me off.

I find it difficult to follow a routine when I’m traveling. If I’m on vacation, I let myself be more spontaneous. If I’m working, I try to stick to my morning routine.

I love my routine, but I admit that one of my big annoyances is that I really am not good at all at keeping any semblance of this when I’m on the road.

I’ve tried and tried to tweak a “road version” of it, but so far it just hasn’t worked. It’s an in-progress point that hopefully I can make headway on in 2015. One of the biggest issues I find is that often when traveling I get way less alone time, whereas at home we have a nanny and a routine in place where I get time in my office to do my morning routine (and do my work).

It is completely different.

If I am traveling for work and without my children, I’ll go to the gym, have a leisurely breakfast in my hotel room (I make it a point to stay at Trump Hotel Collection properties whenever possible!), and read the newspapers cover to cover without distraction. It is a totally different rhythm — and obviously much less chaotic.

I try not to spend nights away from my kids, but when I do, I enjoy the quiet mornings!

Absolutely not. It’s a miracle if I remember to bring my own toothbrush.

A key to successful habit formation is bulletproofing your routines against the craziness of daily life. Any time I embark on changing an aspect of my morning ritual, I consider scenarios that might derail it (like being away from home) and prepare accordingly. If I’m traveling I’ll map out a workout before leaving or scope out dining options. A little preparation goes a long way!

I try. We have a house in Mexico where we spend a lot of time. There the routine is a bit more relaxed since the girls don’t have school.

When we’re in Mexico I usually start the day by making the kids breakfast and then grabbing a handful of nuts, some water, and taking a five mile walk on the cliffs by the ocean. There’s much more family time while we’re there, but I do always manage to paint. My art studio consists of a thatched straw mat on saltillo tile outside next to a white plaster wall and the ocean breeze. It’s hard not to feel inspired.

Travel is harder, but there are things I try to stick to. For instance, I haven’t been able to carve out much time for meditation while traveling, but I always try to find a gym to get in a workout in the morning, even if it’s just for twenty minutes. I’ve found that creates a similar clearing of the head.

I never skip coffee or breakfast, it’s just not always in the same order as when I’m home. For example, I may need to shower before I can leave the hotel to get food. My husband and I always try to find the best coffee shops whenever we’re in a new city.

This is the toughest thing for me.

The short answer is no. When other people are around in the morning (friends or lovers), it can be hard to separate myself for an hour to do all that stuff like meditate, stretch, and write.

In this case, I’ll usually just write and meditate if I have the time. Or I’ll set an alarm to make sure I do them at some point during the day.

No, that’s my main challenge.

As I usually organize dinners or drinks when I’m traveling, I tend to wake up more tired and it becomes difficult to adhere to my routine. To stay on track, I sometimes travel with my cereal and teas, otherwise I’ll favor fresh fruit and whatever green tea I can find.

So long as I have my IKEA kitchen timer with me, I am able to maintain my morning routine in different environments.

Right now, for example, I’m sitting in seat 10C on a cross-country flight with my laptop answering these questions and my timer set up on the tray table. There is something powerful about this timer that holds me accountable and keeps me focused; it puts actionable lines around what would otherwise be infinite expanses of time.

The only difference when I travel is that I try (but usually don’t succeed) to sleep in a bit. Without the pets I can usually sleep until eight or so, but usually my internal clock has me up around 7:00am no matter what.

When I’m on the go, I aim to follow this formula: move, express, nourish. So long as I move my body, express through writing, and nourish my body with delicious food, I’m good to go.

When I travel, I step even more deeply into the open, spontaneous, and flexible version of myself - where I’m attuned to the sacred treasures and wisdom abound. I sometimes miss the smoothies, though I LOVE food and enjoy immersing myself in local cultures.

The getting-up-early trick works pretty well on the road—wherever I am, I can usually squeeze in an hour or two of good work first thing. The only problem is that a lot of hotels don’t put out coffee until 7:00 or 8:00am, so I may end up working without any caffeine, which is a bad feeling.

Yeah, my routine is really flexible. I used to have such rigid routines that travel would throw my whole day off, but when you have little kids you just have to make everything more flexible or you will go crazy. So now travel feels like a refreshing change.

It’s much more difficult when I’m away from home, although I do try and make sure I carve out some time for coffee and journaling at some point during the day.

If I’m travelling alone it’s easy to keep it up, but if I’m with other people then I enjoy the variety of doing something different for a few days. I’m pretty flexible.

I do whatever feels right - those are my cheat days. I’m usually in a hotel, but when I’m traveling I may be jet lagged, hungover, you name it.

In January I was working remotely from Brazil for three weeks, so my morning routine was a little off.

Instead of yoga, I would go for a swim and save the gym for later in the afternoon. I also had to include a grocery run into my morning to get fresh food from the market near my apartment. But yeah, I’m able to adjust parts of my routine, for sure.

In theory yes, there isn’t really any part of my routine that I couldn’t do at a friend’s house or a hotel. But in practice, no. I often end up feeling fragmented and off balance when travelling, and so really I must try harder to stick to my morning routine no matter what.

I definitely try to stick to the same bio rhythm by getting up at the same hour and, if possible, sleeping the same number of hours. I also try to do the exercises.

Every day for me is a new home, so I’m in a continuous state of adaptation.

What I’ve found to be the most helpful is to know myself and know what I need in the morning. I need at least a few minutes of solitude, I need a healthy breakfast, and I need to feel like I’m prepared for the day. Everything else is negotiable.

I get adjusted to different environments easily, but I always take the chance to switch my mind and take a break from traditional routines when I travel. I try to benefit from it.

I live very far from the United States, but I travel there many times a year for business. I often get jet-lagged but I still try to turn it into a benefit. With this extra time, it feels like I can have two working days instead of one. I like this, but it’s difficult to continue this routine for more than a week.

I like to make jet lag my life hack: I can walk around the awakening city at 4:00am when it’s silent and deserted. It’s a great piece of luck, I must say. Worth trying.

I don’t really have a home in the four walls, so I make sure to have a morning routine that can be done from anywhere as long as I have a bed, my iPhone, my toothbrush, and some fresh water.

No, which is the number one reason I hate traveling.

This was something that was very stressful for me up until recently. I used to freak out if I couldn’t be in my normal routine with my normal food and everything that goes with it.

I have since learned to adapt to changes in my routine, which has helped me to enjoy my days away a lot more. Sometimes I’ll still need to bring my own food to feel better, but other times I’ll make the best of what I have. I’ve realized that it won’t really affect me unless I let it.

As long as I have my laptop, I can adapt to most environments.

When I go home to Chicago, I’m surrounded by laughing, running, dancing, crying babies (two nephews and a niece), and I still manage to stay productive. Cute babies are the ultimate distraction, so I think that shows how flexible I am!

Yes. I’ll always go for a morning run regardless of where I am. It’s a great way to get the blood flowing, empty my head, and be alone with my thoughts. It’s also a perfect way to explore the surroundings of wherever I happen to be.

When I’m not at home, I still try to follow this routine as much as possible.

One time I wasn’t able to follow my routine at all. I had to wake up way too early so I couldn’t have my oats or meditate. In a nutshell, I couldn’t do the things I usually do. So I tried to compensate the macros I would get from my oats with other types of breakfast foods.

My work has me on the road on occasion, and I do try very hard to ensure my schedule is such that I can have my morning time, especially if I’m on stage or giving an important presentation that day.

I find hotels to be a great place for quiet, mindful morning moments, as there is no temptation to clean out the refrigerator or reorganize my desk. Before trips, I try to get ahead on my tasklists so there isn’t so much pressure while I’m away.

Almost all of it, except the walking downstairs to my office.

I travel a lot so I’ve built my routine to be as resilient as possible and as location independent as possible. In some ways, I’m more productive on the road—excepting the writing.

I struggle with any routine when I’m not home. This may be from a bad night’s sleep, being in vacation-mode, or just the psychological effect of not being able to relax in my own environment.

When working remotely from my parents’ home in Central California I just spend the day in pyjamas, lagging and desperately crying for a cup of Ritual Coffee. On those days, I tend to focus on completing the major tasks at hand; typically putting together new property websites, finalizing drafts of what needs to go to print, and ensuring all information on my company’s website and social media reflects all current market data.

I’m not a high-volume travel kind of guy either so I am in my own home approximately 355 days of the years.

The other ten are when we visit Alex’s family in Texas, and then everything goes to hell. I have to shower like a normal person rather than an eccentric writer. It’s awful.

Yes. No matter where I am I can follow the same routine within reason, the only thing that differs is where I get my breakfast from.

Routine is a slow death, so disruption can be refreshing. I’m boring when I’ve settled into a routine anyhow.

I traveled a lot in the last few years, but that’s not happening so much anymore. When I do, I tend to wake early and have breakfast, especially when in different timezones.

Unfortunately not. I drop the exercises when I’m at another place, because I often don’t have the space or time. But I’m working from my place 99% of the time, so that rarely happens.

When I’m away, I still do my morning meditation and try to eat a similarly high-protein breakfast.

This depends on where I am.

I’ve been renting different Airbnb places for the last three months in order to travel around Europe. This hasn’t posed a problem for my morning routine at all. However, if I’m visiting family and they have kids they usually won’t allow me to sleep in until 10:00am, but I don’t mind.

I am, but I have to prepare in advance. If I can’t fully do my habits, I’ll ensure I do *something *(for example, if I can’t exercise, I’ll stretch instead). Meditating in a twelve bed hostel dorm when travelling isn’t easy!

I usually make sure that wherever I’m staying has a gym and a coffee maker so I can get some exercise in!

It’s challenging not being home, but the work still gets done.

Having a “favorite” breakfast meal can’t help this routine when we travel. It’s always a struggle for some reason. So far I’ve pulled it off, but I’ve had my share of issues using other people’s equipment, working off slow Wi-Fi, and having random laptop or iPad problems.

In the end, there really is nothing like home when it comes to a morning routine. I need the schedule. I like 5:00am. And so far I’m batting a thousand following the advice of a literary giant.

When I am traveling it’s usually personal or for vacation. That said, it’s easy for me to change my routine to adapt to various environments. If I am visiting a friend or family member, I typically let them dictate my morning routine – brunch plans, yoga class, etc. I try to go with the flow if I am not in my bubble.

Not exactly, but I try to keep it as consistent as possible. Working on a laptop is something I actually don’t enjoy as much as most. I prefer a large screen, a keyboard, a (magic) mouse, and a nice desk to work from. I make do though :)

I am very adaptable.

I don’t care if I do things the same way, as long as I can wash my face, pull my hair back, brush my teeth, and change my clothes somewhere I’m good.

I go to sleep a lot earlier when I’m away on my own. That’s for two reasons – to try and claw back some of my ongoing sleep debt, but also because the stimulation of being in a new environment means my brain needs to work harder, even when ‘resting’. That means it needs to process connections while I’m asleep. So I sleep more.

I usually don’t worry about this. I try to limit travel to about six weeks per year.

My take is that if I master my morning routine (and others: lifting routine, writing routine, etc.) during the 46 weeks that I’m home, then those other six weeks aren’t a big deal. I don’t stress about doing something different or not having a morning routine on the road.

My routine is fairly simple, so I’m able to adapt most of the actual actions. However, I find being somewhere else and doing my routine just isn’t quite the same! I like the stability of being in my home and knowing where everything is.

My morning routine is about forty minutes faster when travelling since my dog isn’t with me. But I enjoy starting my morning with her.

Nearly all of it adapts. I bring a notebook for my morning pages and everything else is or can be done on my iPhone so I have everything I need.

Well, I don’t feed the cat on those days, but I can handle that although I’m sure she misses me.

I can normally run or at least get outside, but the rest depends. Dawn can be an unforgiving hour to be clattering around in someone else’s home. I’ll just do what I can without waking people or riling anyone’s cat. Thankfully, meditation is universally portable.

Coffee: I’ll drink it if I’m alone with my work, but I can’t drink it around other people. It turns me into a raging monster of Kerouac that absolutely must get to the essence of everything right then and there. It can be socially awkward.

When I’m traveling it’s usually work related or personal to visit family, in which case I really switch up a lot of what I do. When I visit my family not much work gets done; I don’t see them often, so I try to limit the amount I’m working.

This routine is quite portable.

When traveling I’ll throw the entire notebook in my travel bag and use whatever space is available for the exercises and meditation. Often the biggest accommodation that needs to be made when traveling is finding a good high-protein breakfast and good coffee.

I adapt really easily. If some part of my routine can’t get done, I don’t usually freak out. The only thing that does bother me is having to wait to do anything, because I’m used to my routine having no barriers at all.

When I visited my boyfriend in LA I kept to my routine as best I could. I modified it to suit my surroundings.

I need to get better at it though – I am relocating to LA and will tailor my routine depending on access to walks/beach, though the beauty of yoga, morning pages, and meditation is that you can do it anywhere!

Then my routine changes completely. I read some books on my iPad, cook nice eggs benedict, and read my emails and messages from social media services in peace without rushing.

My routine fluctuates when I’m traveling, which is pretty regularly. Once I get my morning pages done and have something decent to eat, I’m happy. I don’t put myself under pressure to do it perfectly when I’m on the road.

One of my favorite things about travelling is the spontaneity of it. I love waking up, not knowing where the day will take me. Being overly locked into a routine means that I lose some of that adventurous spirit.

I haven’t had any success maintaining any of my routine when I’m away, but it’s something I’m interested in trying to figure out one day.

Yes, absolutely!

I think that keeping parts of a routine is a great way to feel more at home wherever you go. Typically, I can still have a glass of water, a cup of coffee, a healthy breakfast, and some time for prayer regardless of where I am! Although I also enjoy adding in bits and pieces of local culture as well.

I’m on the road a lot, playing gigs. In these situations it’s important that I’m in top shape more-so then than when I’m home, really!

The only real change I have to make is finding coffee and breakfast out, which necessitates a nice morning walk. I guess it means I do the things out of order, too, since I simply must shower before leaving, but that’s not an issue. Usually things on the road happen early, so I tend to stick with my abridged schedule and get to work. I have been known to bring an entire box of coffee-brewing equipment along just in case…

That’s my Achilles heel. It’s not so much a matter of being unable as being somehow embarrassed by it – funny, since I am sharing it with all of you. But somehow I have trouble insisting on carving out my own time and space for this when traveling.

Sometimes it’s just because I tend to stay out later when traveling, but that’s a justification of the reality that I just don’t seem to do it. That’s ok; I’m a work in progress, and when I do make it, it doesn’t take much room – just enough to spread out the yoga mat, really.

No. When I stay with my boyfriend, for example, my whole routine is off, although I am trying to implement it there too.

Most of the time it is totally different, with me allowing myself to sleep a little bit longer, have a flexible workout regime, or none at all. I like to take some time off of the routine as sometimes it gets boring.

No.

I’m the only person I know of in my age group who gets up early even when they don’t need to. As a result, whenever I’m at someone else’s house I’ll wake early – around my usual time of 7:30am – and lie there browsing on my phone until my friend wakes up, which can be considerably later.

Once I’m out of bed, getting up will take a lot longer than usual and I typically feel less awake. Because of this I often find myself inviting people to stay at mine rather than visiting someone else, as this gives me the best possible chance of following my usual routine.

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.

I travel for weeks at a time for my job, and I’ve done so for six years now, so I carry on with this routine regardless of where I am in the world. It’s not difficult for me to adjust to a new location; it’s like brushing your teeth when you’re staying in a hotel – you still just do it.

Yeah, it’s actually great.

Since I work in the morning, I can finish early and hang out with my friends or enjoy my travel location. Sometimes I’ll even wake up an hour earlier, so I have more time in the day.

The coffee is always there. Getting the kids ready is always there. The gym usually isn’t. Making breakfast usually isn’t. If I’m not at home, I’m probably on vacation, so the morning routine will usually go out the window.

I keep my prayers, affirmations, drinks, and bathroom meditation in my bag even when I travel.

We travel as much as we can so we’re very used to changing routines regularly.

Waking up to an alarm, hitting snooze, and getting up and having breakfast is something we always manage to keep going no matter where we are! If we’re in a new place we’ll either go off a recommendation or spend time finding a place that has a good breakfast.

I travel a great deal for work and fun. Since my environment changes so often, I need to be really adaptable. I’ve found that keeping my morning routine pretty predictable makes being on the road feel much less jarring.

Not much changes except for swapping in push-ups and sit-ups for the gym.

I love staying at friends, and don’t mind travelling; but I find it hard settling into someone else’s routine. I hate staying in a spare room with no television or internet connection. I need information, even if it is the poor excuse for journalism, which is BBC Breakfast. If I do stay over at yours, tell me how to use the television before we go to bed!

Another thing I cannot cope with is having to ‘creep’ and ‘tiptoe’ around someone else’s house before they wake up. I don’t want to be a rude guest, but I just can’t sleep past 9:00am any more.

We travel a lot, so this is where my morning routine becomes a hassle.

I always wake hours before my wife Fanfan, and as budget travellers we rarely have two room accommodation. If there’s a pool I go to the pool but generally I am forced to sit quietly in a corner or lock myself in the bathroom. For hours. You will often find me in hotel corridors boiling kettles.

Only my morning coffee and morning dose of happiness. When I’m traveling alone, I can keep most of my routine, but if I’m traveling with someone else, most of the time I just have to compromise.

On days away, I can easily adapt the routine to suit myself. When staying with friends though, it can be slightly harder. I tend to stay with my closest friend, Eleanor the most though, and we practically have the same routine.

In this situation my routine goes wacko.

I normally don’t do fatty coffee while traveling, but I do try to wake up early and have coffee with the blogs.

When I’m on vacation, I stay up late and sleep in late, filling the days with relaxation. I’ll read and write when I want some quiet. I never skip my self care routine though, it’s an important step to feeling confident during the day.

Yes, I am. During holidays, I just let my body rest for as long as it wants, usually leaving out my morning routine. If I am staying at my friend’s house, I will get up early before their family are awake to help them out, maybe by making a nice breakfast for them, for example.

Some parts. I’m quite flexible, and I love to travel, two things that come in handy when playing music.

I try to pack quick and easy breakfast foods and snacks to tide me over in mornings if I’m staying someplace where I’m unsure of the breakfast routine/accessibility. I had an incident where a good friend in Ireland generously offered to put me up for the night, only for me to discover the next morning that she’d left for work and had no food in the house as she doesn’t eat breakfast. I started carrying emergency food not long after.

When I’m away my routine is actually more efficient because it helps me to stay present and grounded regardless of my external circumstances and environment.

If I know I’ll be staying some place for more than a week then I’ll usually try install some kind of routine so I can keep things tipping along pretty steady. Otherwise I just try to let go and see what happens.

I definitely like having a routine but I think it’s important to shake things up regularly as well.

Definitely.

If you are trained in CrossFit techniques you will know how to adapt when you are in different environment and have limited access to tools and resources. And meditations can be done anywhere, any time. I find prostrations to be more suited to an appropriate environment.

The key is to stick to your routine daily, no matter where you are. Find out what works for you. If you have a good routine you will likely be able to tackle any challenges that come your way!

I don’t have a home (I’m nomadic, on average I reach twenty countries a year).

I’m always staying with friends or people we work with. Sometimes we have our own room, sometimes we don’t. My routine can happen anywhere! And it naturally adapts to the people around me; I always pick up new temporary habits. For example, for the last two days I’ve been squeezing fresh orange juice in the morning.

I try to embrace those days. If something is the same every day, I become bored with it!

On days where I am away from home, I remind myself that this is not a reoccurring event. I can make do with what I have, and it usually does suffice. The only thing that bothers my routine, is if there is no food I am able to eat. If given enough of a warning ahead of time though, I will be prepared!

The morning feels sacred in a way to me, and it’s just something I feel needs to be done right. That being said though, on days that are out of my control, I find it is best to just go with the flow. Sometimes you need to accept that things aren’t always the way you like them to be, and that’s okay.

I have to, yes. Hotels are easier to adapt, staying with friends is much more complicated and I normally just abide by their own routine.

As I said before, I am now in a different environment and although sometimes it’s difficult and hard to work at night instead of during the day, I can adapt my routine easily because I don’t have a strict routine. It all flows.

My bed time is quite chaotic these days. I am living in Australia at the moment which means that I am a minimum of ten hours ahead my students, often more. So, I usually start working in the afternoons and continue during the nights, finishing work at 6:00am or coming in and out of bed in between classes. So much for a sleeping pattern huh?

I am pretty good at adapting my routine when I am away from home. With that said there are two things that are “must haves” and usually in this order: shower and coffee. If I get them, my day can begin.

I should just add that this routine has had to adapted because of me working away. I am staying away from home for a few evenings per week, but if anything this had made things a bit easier in terms of having the first couple of hours all to myself and not having to organise the children.

The main deviation I suppose is that I’m working between 5-6:00am, working out in the hotel gym (a light, cardiac workout), meditating and then driving to where I’m working where I tend to have a cup of tea or fresh coffee. I’m making do with a piece of toast because they don’t do cereal with Maple syrup. I did start having honey but I understand from a vegan standpoint that it isn’t vegan friendly.

I normally start work at 8:30am, so I suppose overall I’ve got a bit more time but the input/output is still focused on achieving the same things.

When I’m traveling, especially on vacation, I abandon my morning routine. I sleep in, wake whenever my body wants (hardly ever early) and then savor the day. That said, I always weave the activities from my morning routine into my day during a vacation – writing in the afternoon or taking a run along the beach or surfing.

To me, my morning routine is a tool that I use to do the things that are most important to me first, and so in this way it’s less about the mornings and more about prioritizing the things in my life that make it worth living. On vacation or even when I’m traveling for business, those priorities shift as traveling is also one of the most important things to me. And so, my routine shifts with it.

I like being flexible and adaptable. I travelled Monday through Thursday for work when I was a consultant, and enjoyed figuring out new routines to fit all the different travel schedules (like 6:00am flights on Monday mornings, 6:30am train rides to the suburbs, or heading into the office).

I am open to changes and don’t panic if my regular routine is broken due to travelling, work, or whatever.

I love to roll around the bed and sleep in. Life goes on, and cuddling with the covers is one of life’s ultimate joys. However, if I’m on the road, and the option is there to wake up earlier and find a local CrossFit affiliate on the road in whatever city I’m visiting, I try to keep myself honest and go drop-in with their permission. I love and live for the sunrises of the cities and locations I travel to.

Not if I can avoid it :-)

Ideally I will still get up, work out, eat breakfast, shower, and then go about my day no matter where I am. Sometimes I adapt it to my family’s plans when I’m visiting them in Germany to make sure I get the quality time I want with them.

Definitely.

Sometimes it’s hard because I’m trying to do work from an iPad that should be done from a desktop, but hey, life goes on. I left my job because I wanted to get out and be amongst the world. The world is happening all the time. I don’t want to be sitting around complaining I can’t work if there are great things to experience.

Last week I was in Manhattan for a bunch of meetings, all of which except one got cancelled so I had four hours to kill. Instead of rushing home to squeeze in a little bit of work and then rushing back in for my last meeting, I went to the movies. It was great. It distracted me, allowed me to relax, and I found a way to make up that time later on.

Many people struggle when things don’t go their way, and I do too. I love feeling comfortable in a situation, but I’d rather be the guy trying to make the best out of it (unsuccessfully) than the one bitching about it (successfully).

It is VERY difficult.

Most times when I am in these situations it is either for civic duty or a weekend trip. In those events I have a schedule to adhere to which makes a bit easier to adjust.

While I can usually do a better job of sleeping in while on vacation, I stick pretty true to my morning routine regardless of where I am.

I do my best to stick to a routine; running shoes, and goggles are easy to pack. I’ll hike/bike/walk to adjust if I can.

This took a lot of years to figure out. I usually try to view this time for exploration, almost like a challenge/change so that my routine has some breaks for growth.

The one thing I always stick with is my morning qigong, and if I can’t get a run in I will at least go for a walk.

As long as I get a coffee within the first hour, everything else for my morning routine is entirely flexible.

If I’m traveling for work, I’ll keep the routine relatively consistent, but if I’m on vacation, I try to really unplug as much as possible – no work, no email, etc. The running is consistent though; that goes everywhere with me!

Not really. Not without being the weird travel guy.

I am more than willing to toss anything I usually do in order to enjoy my surroundings and the people in it. That’s why I try not to stress about having habits — if I did, it would be like trying to force wherever I happened to be into some kind of box that suited my needs. That’s not how I like to do things.

There’s only one constant to my morning routine; Reiki, which is awesome because it goes everywhere with you. Apart from that, the routine crumbles into dust.

When I’m away from home I try to fit in with other people, which means getting less sleep, which really knocks me back. I don’t wake-up feeling fresh in the morning, and I generally feel less happy, balanced and productive. This does, however, make me appreciate my normal routine all the more when I get back to it.

This happens a lot, usually because of travel, auditions, or filming. Fortunately, all of those activities also foster inspiration and creativity in their own right so I’m willing to sacrifice the interruption to the routine.

But no, I’m not good at sticking to a routine when those things are happening. It’s really an “either/or” scenario for me.

Rarely. But I’m okay with that.

I don’t necessarily have to eat my English muffin or check the internet right away. As long as there’s some kind of breakfast and at the very least my Kindle I’m good to go. It’s going to be a lot tougher if this is for more than a couple of days though.

We travel pretty constantly, although we do have bases from time to time — we’re headed to Harbin right now to find a flat there — and so we do adapt.

We eat pretty much everything — so I’ll have noodle soup for breakfast in parts of Asia, or curry in other parts of Asia, or cereal in the UK, and Zac eats everything from pancakes to curry to fry-ups for breakfast. The only constant is coffee. Even in tea-drinking cultures I MUST HAZ COFFEE.

Yes, absolutely. If not everything, I make sure I get some reading and light writing done in the morning from my iPhone.

Yes, I write on my iPhone. I wrote decent sized blog posts for Fishing Buddha from my iPhone for twelve months because I was experimenting (unintentionally) living without a computer for a year.

I haven’t been settled into a “home” for more than three months in a very long time. Because of that you can see the devastating effects that trying to conform to any routine has had on me.

I thought I’d of got used to that by now, but I’m still very much challenged by unforeseen circumstances of frequently rotating location. Settling in Bangkok should hopefully help get me a little more settled. I might just hire some ladyboys to deliver a wake up call in their own intimate ways.

Yeah, since I don’t have a huge routine, it’s not a big issue to follow it even in different environments.

It completely throws me out of sync when I’m away, I’ll have a completely different routine. The only thing I insist upon is showering. I can’t focus on the day until I’ve showered.

I try to keep a similar routine, but some environments, such as when I am visiting family, require a little more flexibility. Instead of seeing this as a challenge, I enjoy it. I relax into it. Change is the nature of life, of the universe.

For the most part yes, save checking on the cats.

Yes, but not nearly as effectively.

When this happens, I mostly just read (I always have my Kindle with me, or at the very least, the Kindle app on my phone), and don’t expect to get any writing done. For this reason, if I’m deep into a particular stage of a project (e.g. writing the first draft, editing and close to finishing the final draft) I intentionally make sure that I don’t put myself in a position where I’ll have to adapt or ignore my routine. I basically hunker down during these periods and devote entire days almost exclusively to writing, editing, and reading.

When I’m not at home or staying at a friend’s place, I phone ahead to check that the avocados and spinach are in ample supply! Heading out early for a walk and a bit of a stretch isn’t too hard to travel with. I try to be back at home base to start every Monday morning.