Wednesday, December 23, 2009 by Matt

Routine is good for the soul. I thought I'd share some of my current routines that make my days more interesting.

This post will cover my weekday routine - which, for all intents and purposes, is to be considered as Monday through Thursday.

Weekdays are disciplined work days. I try to stay away from coffee and caffeine from Monday through Thursday. Fridays I let myself slide a little, and have some pop with lunch (we eat out as a group at work on Fridays).

Weekday mornings

I get up anywhere from 5:50 to 6:10 AM.

I have sugary cereal for breakfast with 3/4 of a banana chopped and eaten with the cereal. I usually have 1 and 1/2 bowls. It's important to feel somewhat "full" after breakfast - it really gives you strength (aka mental processing power) throughout the morning.

I arrive downtown anywhere from 8:05 to 8:35 AM (depending on what train I take). My walk to the office is a long one, but I enjoy the early morning exercise. I am always the first one in the office, and I enjoy the quiet time.

I work hard through the morning, as my energy levels are at their highest then. Before I know it, it's noon, and time to take a break to call Michelle, and prepare my lunch.

I talk to Michelle every day at lunch as I look out the window at Soldier Field, and Millenium Park. From the 12th floor of my building, most days I can see all the way to Michigan City, Indiana, but lately I haven't been able to (it's always snowy and cloudy out).

Weekday lunches

For lunch, which I always try to pack and bring with, I include an apple, pear, or some other fruit to go along with the my main lunch portion, which is usually a ham sandwich, or leftovers from the evening prior. I also have a side of chips, and a small dessert, like cookies.

During lunch (which I eat at my desk, except on Fridays) I always open up Google Reader to catch up on my RSS feeds. I look forward to this, and try not to open Google Reader during other times. The more I save it up for lunch, the more I anticipate that little break in my day with fresh content to read. (It's like the morning newspaper that you pick up from the driveway, bring in, and open up. Nothing but fresh headlines and content.)

My first stop on Google Reader is usually Daring Fireball, which contains a nice mixture of posts about web services, Macs, programming, the iPhone, and much more - with a nice cynical edge from the author John Gruber, who will stop at nothing to ensure companies and services are not misleading customers, or in any way acting greedy or unaccountable.

Contiuning through my feeds is usually a stop at Mashable, which is a site about social media and web stuff.

I also peruse various blogs from family members, friends, and co-workers.

I read feeds for about 20-30 minutes, then realize I've spent too much time getting caught up in all of the latest news and gossip, and that I need to get back to work.

Weekday afternoons

Getting back into "work mode" is easier said than done. Once my lunch has settled in me, I start to feel lethargic and drained. My thought process is not as sharp as it was in the morning.

Throughout the afternoon I push ahead to stay productive. It's a little like trying to run through water in the afternoon, whereas the morning feels much less inhibited.

At around 3 PM, I take a break to stretch. Sitting all day at the computer takes a toll on your body - specifically your muscles and blood flow, which becomes settled and sedated. To help the blood flow a little bit, I spend about 10 minutes doing some full stretches to my arms, legs, and lower back. This really helps relieve some tension, and increase blood flow.

Returning to my desk after a good stretch is a great feeling. Suddenly I can think clearly again.

Weekday evenings

I leave work around 5:20 PM. To catch the 5:46 PM train heading outbound, that leaves me just enough time to walk the 12 blocks to Union Station from Michigan Avenue.

On the train I pop open my laptop and prepare for some uninterrupted, fun work time. Since I have finally left the office, I am free to work on whatever I choose. Usually there's a bunch of programming tasks I need to do for the various sites I run and maintain, as well as blog posts that I can start writing.

Thanks to my Verizon broadband card, I can access the internet freely, no matter where I am.

It's amazing how fast my stop arrives - suddenly I hear on the train's loudspeaker, "Next stop, Schaumburg." The 45 minute ride flies by.

Upon arriving home, Michelle is usually cooking some dinner that smells great as I walk in the door. I put my bags down, stretch a little bit more, then grab the iPhone and head to the couch. It's already 7 PM by the time I get home, so considering my day starts around 6 AM, I allow myself some forced time away from the computer (I could keep working, but I try not to).

Eating dinner, cleaning up the dishes, and watching a little TV with Michelle pretty much wraps up my day. I'm in bed pretty early, but most nights I fall asleep pretty quick.

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