My Gran introduced me to coffee when I was a kid. When I used to stay at her thatched cottage I’d run into her room at the crack of dawn. She had a kettle on her nightstand, and I was allowed to fill it up, scoop out the beans and make her coffee each morning. Then, after my dad left home unexpectedly when I was ten, she came to stay with us for a while. I used my pocket money to buy a kettle and set up a little coffee station next to the sofa bed she was sleeping on in our living room. Through good times and bad we’d sit together in the mornings, enjoying the quiet and chatting, all the while with the scent of coffee filling the room. They are some of my absolute happiest memories, and those moments together were a time of solace during tough times, too.
I love our NYC apt. kitchen 
Starbucks Sunrise Blend
Throughout my entire life, the smell of coffee has always reminded me of those times we shared together and has continued to be a source of comfort. It’s why I’m so grateful for my morning coffee routine at home. My heartmate and I are currently drinking Starbucks Sunrise Blend, and we spend time together chatting about what’s happening, how we feel and what the day looks like. It’s become the anchor to our day and I’m so grateful for it.
I’m sure many of you are spending more time at home than you’re used to, likely even working from home and trying to figure out a morning routine. With that in mind, I thought it might be helpful to share the three ways I jumpstart my morning routine.
1. Regular Sleep Routine
Since 2017 I’ve woken up at the same time every day — even immediately following daylight savings, late nights or time zone changes after travel — as a regular sleep/wake routine is proven to aid the quality of sleep and energy levels. It definitely works for me. Almost immediately after I started doing this, I noticed a positive shift in how I felt not only in my bedroom when I woke up in the morning and throughout the day, but an improvement in the quality of my sleep, too.
Tracking my sleep schedule 
I love this perspective of the kitchen
2. Make a Routine — and Stick to It!
Routine brings structure, which in turn brings me comfort. If you’re looking for more structure, then follow your new sleep/wake times with a coffee routine. My heartmate and I enjoy waking up gently and recently we’ve been drinking Starbucks coffee at home. Their new Sunrise Blend has a smooth, chocolatey taste and it makes our apartment smell so good! I touched on this at the start of the post, but I can’t stress how much I cherish our time together each morning while we drink our coffee – it’s become the anchor to our day.
Starbucks coffee at home 
Writing in my gratitude journal
3. Write Down Your Intentions
Spending five to ten minutes writing my intentions for the day while I drink my morning coffee helps to give me focus. Honestly, I used to hear people say they did this and I’d be kind of dubious and skeptical about its benefit — I was wrong! It really does help to give me focus and clarity for the day ahead, especially right now when we’re adapting to a new way of life and working. What are your favorite ways to kick start the morning?
Find out more about Starbucks new coffee-at-home products.
Photography: Will Taylor | Posted in partnership with Starbucks; all views my own.
3 Comments
I am not a morning person nor am I a night owl (I’m some kind of mid day bird I guess). Now that we’ve been home for 7 weeks and we are both working from home, my personal biological clock has been reset to it’s natural timeline because I don’t feel the need to go to bed before 11 pm and I always wake up naturally around 8. Our routines have been drastically different though and I’d like to change that. He’s got an ultra essential job and sometimes has to be on telecoms at 6 am (like the last 2 days) and he works very hard all day. My main job has been deemed non-essential for the last few weeks so I’ve been sitting on the back burner, working on little annoying things I never have to time to get to (stats, folder cleanup, writing procedures, etc). We do sorta have a morning routine. I wake up at 8 and come down for coffee, he’s usually had 2 already and comes down for his 3rd (usually decaf at this point). He tells me about how his morning has been so far (usually chaos) and I make him a smoothie for breakfast. He goes back to the office while I set up in the living room with my laptop, check my emails and start my day. Throughout the days he comes down for a break, tells me about the chaos to vent and he goes back up. But I’d like to be more intentional for sure. Get up slightly earlier (I used to get up at 6 to go to work), do our bed, maybe do more than just wash my face and come down in my PJs. Not to say I miss my regular work routine but I do miss the structure I guess.
Your shirt and coffee mugs are too cute! We could all use some cheery yellow right now 🙂
@JM – For sure!