Morning Read

I like reading first thing in the morning, especially when I haven’t done any screen time right after I wake up. I usually do it on the rooftop a few minutes before sunrise with a cup of coffee ready in my hand. I have a study chair that often you find in classrooms in college that has a table built-in into it. I have it on my rooftop, and I often use it specifically for these occasions.

After being in a pandemic situation for more than a year, I even forgot when the last time I read a book in a coffee shop. But I am grateful that I have a rooftop to recreate the experience of reading a book in the nature (even if it’s just a fraction of it). Listening to birds singing, the sound of vehicles echoing from the surroundings of my house, the feeling of the fresh air on my face, and the wind blowing through my hair..

I also often end the day with this, one hour reading on the rooftop after my son is asleep. But doing it in the morning gives me some unique feelings that I find useful to get me ready to conquer the rest of my day.

When you do something first thing in the morning, do it with calm without any hard feelings, and think about something else (like deadlines), it’s almost always guaranteed to be a success. Your energy and willpower are still at the highest level. There is no distraction, and the best environment and triggers your body to feels good. You can do the hardest thing of the day in the morning and get a better result faster.

Reading for 45 minutes is also seems a great option for me because it’s easy (I don’t have to rely on motivation to start reading a good book in the morning), it’s useful, and it triggers my brain to start working. I always get many ideas for my works (even when it’s not related to the book) while I am reading. That’s why I also have a paper and a pen ready. I feel good every time I finish this routine, and it’s only 7 am.

That leads to another great side effect of reading a book in the morning: it acts as a momentum for me to do other productive activities for the rest of the morning. Sometimes it’s going for a run, or do 90 minutes of deep work, or writing this blog post.