Morning Routines and How They Vary

There are people who work at night and sleep during the day, mostly because of the jobs they have, but the majority of people wake up some time in the morning, carry out their appointed tasks during the day, and relax at night before going to sleep at night. The specifics of our days may vary, but for the most part we move around during the daylight hours and sleep when it is dark

I wake up early in the morning, at about 5:00. I never snooze. Then I go out and volunteer, walking some dogs at a local animal shelter. I have breakfast at around 7:00. I wash my face and shave from around 7:30. It takes me 15 minutes to do that.

I leave for work at 8:15 and arrive at 8:45. My work day varies from day to day, but I usually have time to eat lunch at about 2:30. My work is finished at 5:00 on average.

I get home at around 6:00. If I walk home it takes a little longer. I eat dinner with my family from 7:00. I help my children with their studies or we watch TV. I bathe and get ready for bed by 10:00.

All of this is cultural. Some people get up earlier or later and tend to have different ideas about what is normal. The IKEA company published some research in 2014 on how people in some big cities organize their mornings.

The research found that in Berlin, Germany, most people rise after 6:30 on weekdays. 42% of the people asked said that they were "evening people," meaning that they preferred to be active in the evening rather than in the morning. 52% said that they push the snooze button one time, and 36% said they push it more than one time.

57% of Berliners say that they bathe or shower in the morning. They take about 14 minutes for that. When they are finished with their grooming, only 1/10 feel anxious about their looks. (Compared to 20% in Moscow.)

1/4 of the people take time for reflection in the morning. That takes several shapes. Some people reflect during their grooming time, or listen to quiet music in the morning. Finally, 57% of people in Berlin say they eat breakfast.

Let's compare Berlin to London, another big, European city. Londoners wake up at 7:00 on average, about 30 minutes later than people in Berlin. That might be why London is such a creative city. It has been found that waking later in the morning is correlated to more creativity. London has been raked #7 in the world for being a creative city. 50% of the people claim to be "evening people." Most people spend 5 minutes choosing the clothes that they will wear that day, and 14 minutes in grooming. Yet 12% say that they are "anxious" about their appearance. 68% of the people say that they take some time for reflection during the morning.

Londoners show more interest in "the most important meal of the day," or breakfast. 8/10 of people want to eat breakfast prepared at home, with 60% actually having it. The other 2/10 eat breakfast out.

People in other countries have quite different morning routines. According to IKEA's data, people everywhere who live with children say that they want to play with their children. 7 in 10 people who live in Moscow say that play in the morning is important. The truth is that only 1 in 10 people actually do play with their children. 88% of Muscovites say that it is important to have conversation with their children in the morning, but only half of them do have discussions then.

People's work days in Mumbai start much later than most places. The survey showed that most people start their work day there at 11:00. They get a stress-free start to their work day. 90% of Mumbaikars say that breakfast is an important part of their days, more than all of the other cities surveyed. They don't spend much time eating it, but they usually do it with others who live with them. Parents who live with children under 12 years old say that they play with them on 1/3 of mornings.

New York City has always had a reputation for being a fashionable town. The Global Language Monitor says that New York is the most fashionable city in the world. How do New Yorkers carry this off? First, they spend more time at it than in other places. On average they spend 16 minutes on their grooming, two minutes more than other countries. Women take 19 minutes. Women also shave more often than in other countries.

As a result of this preparation, only about 16% of them say that their looks are a stressful part of the morning. Stress levels vary based on their confidence and grooming times. Another result is that 13% claim that mornings is when they look their best during the whole day.

Mornings are an interesting time of the day to observe, because, depending on the place, people approach that time of the day differently. We didn't even discuss mornings in relation to our previous topic, likes and dislikes. I like mornings. To me it's the best part of the day. To me, "Good morning," really is good.