When you work from home, you are in charge of creating your own schedule, which can be both a blessing and a curse. Oftentimes, we look for new and innovative ways to maximize and life hack our time to increase efficiency so we are not only more productive at work, but so that we can spend more time doing the things we love. One area that has been given a particular amount of attention is the morning routine. “Optimization is all about getting ahead, and getting ahead is about not falling behind. In this climate, converting other people’s experience into a template or a cautionary tale seems only prudent. The lives of others can be converted into cheat sheets: a way to grade our own performances and see how we measure up.” Multiple books have been published about the daily routines of various successful people, often those in the artistic sector, and it is no surprise that the rest of us could have an interest in emulating their habits, and therefore their success.

            The danger, however, comes in when we look too rigidly at others’ routines. Everyone has different needs and resources at their disposal in order to create a routine that works for them. Last year, actor Orlando Bloom was interviewed for The Times about his morning routine and it did not take long for the internet to latch onto some of the less relatable elements of his day. The father of two describes starting his day with singing and eye-gazing with his baby daughter, but there was no mention of the diaper changes or feedings or anything else that parents without help have to take care of. Does that mean he does not do those? Not necessarily, but Bloom certainly has the resources to hire in-home childcare to take care of his kid while he goes off for a hike to “earn” his breakfast. But this is not intended to be an indictment of whether or not Bloom’s morning routine is a good or bad one—clearly, it works for him. However, for the average parent who has to get up, care for their kids, prep school lunches, and help with other pre-school preparations without help, this is not a morning routine that would work for them. Could you do a variation of Bloom’s daily hiking routine and go for a walk around the block in the morning? Sure—as long as you have a partner who can stay with younger kids while you leave the house and assuming that the baby slept through the night and that you were able to go to bed on time because something did not go awry the previous evening.

Of course, there is a value to setting a routine for yourself—you can be sure you take care of important tasks, which is doubly important when you work remotely and you are in charge of your own productivity. By setting up a routine, you can prioritize what is most important to you. “The elevation of our habits to sacred acts aims to reappraise what counts as time meaningfully spent. But valuing every part of your life as part of a ‘process’ is a holistic act only if you can actually decouple it from how you measure and value the result — whether that’s a hand-knit sweater, an essay, or a line of code.”[1] In short, it can be easy to get caught up in rigidly following someone else’s morning routine that you end up losing sight of what matters most to you and what will add the most value to your day, and subsequently your life.

So what should you do to maximize your morning routine and life hack your day to get the most out of your remote work situation? We cannot say for sure, but the best course of action could be trial and error. There is nothing wrong with taking a peek at someone else’s routine, but it is best to remember that what works for them might not work for you. It is also important to remember that habit formation is not a competition; it is instead about finding the best course of action for you and your needs.

[1] Showler, Suzannah. “Why Are We Obsessed with Other People's Daily Habits?” BuzzFeed News, BuzzFeed News, 15 Sept. 2021, https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/suzannahshowler/daily-rituals-mason-currey-not-always-working-marlee-grace.