feat: update essay

2026-02-03 12:05:28 +00:00 · 2025-02-10 16:39:07 +01:00
parent 93a468142e
commit 31d7d955e9
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--- a/src/content/journal/2018/morning-routine.mdx
+++ b/src/content/journal/2018/morning-routine.mdx
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 title: Morning Routine
 slug: morning-routine
 date: 2018-09-08
 updated: 2025-02-10
 author: Stefan Imhoff
 description: On the advantages of building yourself a morning routine and the details of my morning routine.
 tags: ["self-improvement", "book"]
@@ -21,17 +22,19 @@ After reading many articles, and watching plenty of talks about morning routines
 ## My Morning Routine
- **Wake up** at 7:00 AM
+- **Wake up** at around 7:00 AM
- **Read** in bed for an hour
+- **Get up**, make my bed
- **Get up**, make my bed, move, and do stretches
+- Open the windows everywhere to get **fresh air** in (Stosslüften)
 - Open the windows everywhere to get **fresh air** in
 - Record weight
- **Drink** something
+- I use a **nasal douche** with hot salt water to clean my nose
- **Learn** languages for 15 minutes
+- **Drink** half a liter of water with a bit of juice
- **Workout** with Calisthenics for 30-45 minutes
+- **Take vitamins** D3/K2 and zinc
 - **Stretch** for 10 minutes
 - Read **RSS feeds** for a few minues
 - **Learn** Japanese and Spanish in Anki and Duolingo for around an hour
 - **Workout** with Calisthenics for 30-45 minutes (3 times a week)
 - Bathroom & Clothes
- **Meditate** for 15-20 minutes
+- Prepare and eat **breakfast**
 - Prepare and eat **breakfast** while reading RSS Feeds
 - **Prepare for the day**, by checking the **calendar** and selecting **To-Do** items for the day
 - Get Ready
@@ -43,24 +46,7 @@ I do this routine every day, the only difference is, that I do not use an alarm
 ### Wake up
-I wake up at 7:00 AM, after 7 hours of sleep. I don’t have any electrical devices in my bedroom (no phones, tablets, cables, and TV), except two-bed [Slamp](https://www.slamp.com/en/products/table/bach-table/) lights, which turn on automatically (during winter) at 7:00 AM (with [Philips Hue](https://www2.meethue.com/) light bulbs) and my [Sonos](https://www.sonos.com) box, which plays a wake-up [Spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/kogakure/playlist/4w4fnIgjcpUHJibrxJxMtO) for 5 minutes, which consists of a mix of classical, chill out, soundtrack, and electronica music. Likewise, I can’t hit a snooze button because there is none. And my box is standing unreachable, I need to get up to mute it. I get woken up by my Fitbit armband, which records my sleep.
+I wake up at around 7:00 AM, after 7-8 hours of sleep. My bedroom is cold (open window) and pitch dark due to opaque blinds. I don’t have mobile devices in my bedroom, except for two bed [Slamp](https://www.slamp.com/en/products/table/bach-table/) lights and my Apple Watch to track sleep. Additionally, I track my sleep with a Withings Sleep Analyzer.
 I like waking up that early because it is silent outside and I have more time for reading. Likewise, I would love to join the **5 AM Club**, but currently, this is too early for me.
 ### Read
 Reading is _honestly_ the most satisfying thing I do in the morning. I have never done it before and read on the commuting or in the evening. But reading in the morning is different. My mind is much clearer, and I’m able to read much harder books.
 I have a [Traveler’s Notebook Passport Size](https://www.travelers-company.com/products/trnote/starter-kit-passport) with a ball pen and my [Kindle Paperwhite](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QJDO0QC?tag=raycastai-20) (or paper books) on my nightstand. The first thing I do after waking up is to turn on my belly and read in this position for an hour. It’s a good exercise for the back and stretches the opposite of the C-bend shape people sit in during the day.
 I start by reading the daily chapter of the fantastic book <cite><ProductLink asin="1781257655" text="The Daily Stoic" /></cite>. The Stoic practice is the best start to a day you can have. Thereafter, I read 1-2 books, not novels, but harder topics (philosophy, science, or psychology). If I want to remember a quote or part of a book, I mark it and extract it later into my Commonplace book or write it down in my pocket-size notebook.
 <Bookshelf>
  <AmazonBook
    asin="1781257655"
    alt="The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living: Featuring new translations of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius"
  />
 </Bookshelf>
 ### Get Up
@@ -68,31 +54,41 @@ Then I stand up and get up, and make my bed. [Because if you want to change the
 > If you wanna change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you’ll have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day, that one task completed, will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact, that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right.
 It gives me movement, and I add stretches and occasionally Burpees.
 ### Fresh Air
 I open the windows to all the other rooms to let in the fresh air. My bedroom always has fresh air during the night.
 ### Record Weight
-I step on my [Nokia Body Cardio](https://www.withings.com/de/de/body-cardio) scale to measure weight, fat, muscle, bone, and water. It’s important to always do this every day at the same time. It’s the only way to see health trends early.
+I step on my [Nokia Body Cardio](https://www.withings.com/eu/en/body-cardio) scale to measure weight, fat, muscle, bone, and water. It’s important to always do this every day at the same time. It’s the only way to see health trends early.
 ### Nasal Douche
 I have a dust mite allergy, and I use a nasal douche with hot salt water to clean my nose. This helps me to breathe better and reduces the risk of getting sick.
 ### Drink
-Next, I drink a glass of juice (no added sugar), this will refill lost water of the night and add quick energy for the workout.
+Next, I drink a half a liter of water (with some juice mixed in), this will refill lost water of the night and add quick energy for the workout.
 ### Take Vitamins
 I take vitamins D3/K2 and zinc every morning. In winter, 5,000 IU of D3/K2; in summer, 3,000-4,000 IU. And 25 mg of zinc for the immune system.
 ### Stretch
 Next, I stretch for 10 minutes the whole body while listening to a podcast with the news.
 ### RSS Feeds
 I read my RSS feeds for a few minutes. I use [Feedbin](https://feedbin.com/) as an RSS aggregator. I follow blogs, news sites, Reddit, Hacker News and YouTube channels. I use the [Reeder](https://reederapp.com/) app on my iPad to read the feeds. Interesting articles I save to [Raindrop.io](https://raindrop.io/) for later reading.
 ### Learn
-Then I learn languages for 15 minutes. I pick up three tasks and practice them. These 10-15 minutes add to 5-7 hours at the end of the month.
+Then I learn languages for 45 to 60 minutes. I start with learning vocabulary with [Anki](https://apps.ankiweb.net/) and then learn Spanish and Japanese with [Duolingo](https://www.duolingo.com/profile/kogakure).
 I learn a few minutes [Japanese](https://en.duolingo.com/course/ja/en/Learn-Japanese) or [Spanish](https://en.duolingo.com/course/es/en/Learn-Spanish) with Duolingo.
 ### Workout
-I do [Calisthenics](/calisthenics/) three times a week. I start with a warm-up, followed by a full-body workout, including pulling, pushing, core, and leg bodyweight exercises. In the end, I do skill work like working with rings or practicing handstands. The workout lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. Twice a week, I run instead for 15-30 minutes.
+I do [Calisthenics](/calisthenics/) three times. I start with a warm-up, followed by a full-body workout, including pulling, pushing, core, and leg bodyweight exercises. In the end, I do skill work like working with rings or practicing handstands. The workout lasts between 20 and 45 minutes. Once or twice a week, I run instead for 30-45 minutes.
 After the workout, I do headstands and stretching.
 ### Bathroom & Clothes
@@ -100,13 +96,9 @@ Then I take a shower. The benefits of cold showers are well-known, but I take a
 I put on my clothes, which is easy since I changed my style to a [minimalistic](/minimalism/) one: black jeans, a black, gray, white, or colored shirt, and a belt. Furthermore, I took inspiration for my wardrobe from filmmaker Matt D’Avella, who [showed his wardrobe in this video](https://youtu.be/DSHsIOIhjJY).
 ### Meditate
 Subsequently, I sit down on a <ProductLink asin="B002JJ6UA4" text="meditation mattress" /> and on a <ProductLink asin="B01MRX5V3J" text="meditation pillow" />. I use the [Headspace](https://www.headspace.com/) app to meditate for 20 minutes. In cold seasons, I wrap myself in a big blanket to stay warm.
 ### Breakfast
-My breakfast consists of 5 different types of cereal (oats, spelt, barley, rye, rice), corn flakes, poppy, sesame, linseed, almonds, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts, amaranth, and dark chocolate flakes. I add cinnamon and honey and mix everything. I drink coconut water and a glass of juice while reading my RSS Feeds.
+My breakfast varies throughout the week. I usually have bread with hard-boiled eggs, air-dried sausage, or honey. Twice a week, I enjoy scrambled eggs, fried sausages, and bacon with bread. On weekends, I treat myself to bread rolls and a croissant with butter and chocolate sprinkles, accompanied by a hard-boiled egg. I drink juice made from apple, orange, maracuja, acerola, and kaki.
 ### Prepare For the Day