Morning Routines

Starting the day with a routine can set the tone for the rest of the day and provide a sense of structure, according to senior Aditya Mishra. Mishra’s morning routine centers around preparing for workouts.

“I created this routine to optimize [my time],” Mishra said. “Because school is a lot of time and effort, there’s just not a lot of room [to exercise], especially if you have other sports to do as well.”

Each day that he exercises, Mishra wakes up at 5 a.m. and heads to the kitchen, where his preparations begin. He drinks a protein shake that he makes using protein powder and occasionally takes supplements like creatine and pre-workout.

“Pre-workout is actually what I use in the morning because [you] immediately wake up and you’re able to do those big lifts,” Mishra said. “[I use it] because in my workout routine I have these big lifts first, so I need that caffeine in the beginning.”

Mishra believes that exercising followed by showering in the morning is an effective way to wake the body up, re-energizing the mind and boosting physical attentiveness. While his routine isn’t for everyone, he believes the key to a good routine depends on one’s goals. Like Mishra, junior Katherine Li wakes up early, but instead does homework, gets ready and takes time to relax with her more “loose” routine.

“My routine is really dependent on how I feel at the moment,” Li said. “If I shower in the night or the morning, I don’t really care, it’s more like a timing thing.”

Li believes that creating a good routine should also depend on her mood and having flexible routines, rather than sticking to a certain schedule every day.

“I know there’s a bunch [of] scheduling I see on social media where it’s like by this time I have to do this and by this time I have to do this,” Li said. “However, I find that a looser schedule works for me and gives me less stress because I don’t have to add more deadlines for myself.”

Nighttime Routines

Just as a morning routine helps set the tone for the day, a nighttime routine helps sophomore Ethan Chu wind down and prepare for a good night’s sleep. Before bed, Chu takes a shower and applies moisturizer, then changes into clothes for the next day.

“I created this routine for efficiency,” Chu said. “When I change to go to school, [I] pretty much [stay] in the clothes I went to bed [with] and I put clothes on top of that before I leave.”

Chu thinks that the benefits of a nighttime routine extend beyond his personal preferences: he says a well-established routine can help create a sense of order in one’s life.

“If you shower in the morning, at least [for me], then you’re in a rush to get to school, and it’s very obvious that you shower in the morning,” Chu said. 

Furthermore, Chu also has a strong cultural influence that helped to shape his routine.

“I live in an Asian household,” Chu said. “Everything has to be clean when you go inside; outside the house is the ‘outside’ and the inside is seen as clean.”

By taking the time to care for himself in the evening, Chu feels ready and prepared for the day ahead, both physically and mentally. According to Li, A good routine can mean something different to everyone; from waking up and exercising to staying up to do work, Li believes that one should explore what works best for themselves.

“My routine is really dependent on how I feel at the moment,” Li said. “I think if other people [want a] good routine, they should modify it in ways to fit their mood and their needs.”