“While working from home, I’ve swapped my morning commute for 15 minutes of guided meditation. This practice gives me permission to slow down, connect to my breath, and visualize the kind of person I want to show up as (at work and in my personal life, too!). Dedicating a few short moments of stillness and silence to myself has been the gift that keeps on giving. It sets the tone for my day and prepares me for whatever may come my way.”

“I am obsessed with business podcasts and productivity hacks from successful entrepreneurs, so during quarantine, I decided to test some of the hacks I’ve heard about. First, I take a three-minute cold shower while doing one of Wim Hof’s breathing exercises, which wakes up my body and helps control my cortisol levels. My skin looks better, I have more energy, and I honestly crave it every morning. 

After the shower, I spend five minutes on skincare. Wear SPF every day! That’s one of the things I try to push on everyone I know, even if they think they aren’t seeing the sun. Getting a sunscreen that smells nice and is made from good ingredients makes you feel clean and refreshed for the day. 

Next, I do a passage from The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday, which has been life-changing. I used to feel very stressed in the morning—unable to get out of bed easily, and not feeling like myself until I had two coffees in me. Now, I spend a few minutes reading, and then I write about how a passage makes me feel, which helps me start my workday with a positive mindset.”

“I have made an extra effort to go outside at least once a day, whether for a walk in Riverside Park or, more recently, an empty beach run at 6:30am. I’ve realized how refreshing it is to have some time alone with just my thoughts—no work email, no kids, no cooking, no cleaning. When we return to the office, I hope I will keep finding outdoor solo space for my thoughts for at least a few minutes every day.”

“It’s easy to spend too much of the day sitting down when you’re not commuting. So during quarantine, I’ve started almost every morning by taking a walk to Dog Beach in Brooklyn’s  Prospect Park and setting reminders for myself to stretch every few hours. I plan to keep up this practice once I go back to the office, because I think it will help me be more mindful and intentional about taking breaks—especially when it feels like NYC is getting the best of me.”

“During quarantine, I’ve shifted my morning routine to focus on skincare rather than makeup. Some of the minutes I used to allocate to applying makeup (like concealer or bronzer), I now use for a more thorough skincare routine. Once I’m back to work, I plan to stick with a longer skincare routine and more trimmed-down makeup, especially since I’ll be wearing a mask to work.”

I gave birth to my first child on March 5th, so I was on maternity leave for the first three months of the shutdown. Now that I’m back to work, we are trying to establish a morning routine that allows both me and my husband to have time for ourselves while also spending time with the baby. We’ve figured out a system where he plays with her and then they take a nap together while I get ready in the morning—it gives me about an hour and a half to take a long shower, drink coffee, and put on makeup so I can look somewhat human on Zoom calls. Regardless of when we go back into the office, I plan on making sure this schedule sticks until our daughter goes to college.

“Despite living in the same apartment for over three years, I rarely used my balcony prior to quarantine. When I started working from home, I was constantly looking at my balcony, which reminded me to make use of the things I have around me. Now, I like to start every morning (even rainy ones) by spending some time out there. Sometimes it’s 20 minutes reading a book, sometimes it’s only 5 minutes drinking my morning tea. Either way, the fresh morning air helps ground me for the day, and it’s definitely something I’m looking forward to continuing when I start going into my office again.”

“I used to exercise at a studio in the mornings before work, but since the shutdown, I’ve shifted my workout schedule to the early evening, using virtual classes. This helps me clear my mind and creates a natural end to the work day so I don’t answer emails all night. I use the extra time in the morning to sleep later and relax while drinking my morning cup of tea before starting the day.”

“Now that my commute from ‘home’ to ‘office’ is 20 steps, my morning routine has drastically changed. I now forgo Starbucks, brew coffee (yup, I purchased my first coffee maker), and enjoy my first cup while watching the morning news and then a second on my morning calls. I’m not a morning person, so AM gym classes were previously impossible. I now work out at home around 8am and can be on a Zoom by 9:30. These are habits I plan to continue once I return to the office. I may have to shift the home workout a little earlier and brew my second cup at the office, but I’m more comfortable doing it on my own, in my home.”