Every morning, Clara Johansen likes to begin her day by playing the New York Times word games, like Wordle or Connections. It gets her in the right mindset to tackle what’s ahead.
“I play the New York Times games the second I wake up,” Johansen, a senior, said. “If I don’t do them right when I wake up my brain will shut back down and I’ll go back to sleep.”
Johansen does these usually while in bed, often still half asleep and in a very specific order.
“It’s literally just doing the Wordle, Connections, Strands and the mini crossword, all in a row, in that order, in the morning,” said Johansen.
Johansen’s methodological start to her morning is just one of the many morning routines of Linfield students.
Unlike some, Johansen’s morning routine doesn’t involve a caffeinated beverage in the morning, except on a rare occasion.
“Most days it’s water,” Johansen said. “I normally wake up and I feel significantly dehydrated. But if I am going to the class that I TA (Teacher’s Assistant) for in the morning I will sometimes treat myself to a Starbucks.”
Johansen’s routine all starts bright and early.
“I have an alarm set for 7 am every day including weekends, but, on the weekends, usually, I roll over, turn it off, and go back to sleep.” Johansen said.
Jacob Malgaradi, a freshman, also has a structured routine, although it starts a bit later in the day.
“I go to sleep around 1 or 1:30 a.m., and to wake up for my 9 a.m. I roll out of bed around 8:35,” Malgaradi said. “Get my hair wet, brush my teeth, throw on clothes, sometimes I’ll grab a bite before I go to class, but I normally leave about five to seven minutes for my walk, which gets me there right on time or a hair early.”
Malgaradi does the same for days he doesn’t have class until later in the day, waking up about half an hour before the class starts.
He also fuels his morning with a Red Bull.
“I love Red Bulls,” Malgaradi said. “I normally try to buy a couple Red Bulls a week. Rainbow sugar is my go-to.”
Malgaradi says he gets six to seven hours of sleep per night, but during finals week that goes down to four to five.
Mornings are an integral part to how we begin our day, and there are various routines that we can employ to best set ourselves up for success. Whether it’s a quick turnaround from waking up to class, or a quick game of Wordle before we get out of bed, our morning routines are a crucial part of our lives. What’s your morning routine?
