My zero waste morning routine is not totally zero waste. As I explained in last week’s post, I am not without certain limitations. Remember, my first rule of zero waste living is to always use what you already have… and I have many products from my previous life…

It can take a long time to find and replace high waste sustainable products with low waste products, but trust me is not impossible! It can be done over time — even with a small budget. My tip for this would be to first make a physical or mental list of all the products you absolutely need. Going forward, try to only repurchase sustainable, low waste products that are on that list. Do you really NEED those sheet masks? What about that growing collection of bath bombs under your sink? I am all about treating yourself, but going back to basics will help you establish a baseline and get in the habit of only buying what you actually need. I have a post on local shops and brands you can check out here.

Without further words, here’s a look into what my morning routine looks like as a graphic designer, zero waste blogger, and sustainability activist.

Opening my eyes

My mornings are chill. I want it that way. I am working my way to a slow life. I do not want to be busy. The first thing I am doing when I wake up is to take a moment and appreciate the new day. I look out the window at my beautiful apple tree as the sun sneaks through the branches. I look at Mark as I kiss him good morning and appreciate his beautiful face.

After a few minutes of being grateful for people in my community and appreciating life, I start making a to-do list in my head for the day. I also assess how good of asleep I had so I know what to put on my plate that day and maybe make some time for a nap, if absolutely necessary. I avoid checking my phone, especially after having a rough sleep because it can influence my mood enormously for the rest of the day. (anybody else?!)

I am usually the first one waking up and I love letting Mark and the dogs sleep in. After a few minutes, I get up and start with basic personal care. I do not want to say what I am doing by the hour because there is no fixed time I wake up. I wake up when there is light outside and that means around 9 am in the winter and around 6 am in the summer.

Now, let me go over my routine from an activity perspective.

Brushing teeth with… an electric toothbrush

Disappointed? I am not. I have had this electric toothbrush for a while and have continued with changing the heads. I am planning to swap it to a bamboo toothbrush (which I already purchased from my store) but my electric toothbrush still works great. I am using what I already have, and benefiting my oral health! It’s important to remember the larger impact of our small daily actions.

Pro tip: Do not throw away toothbrushes. Use the heck out of them for CLEANING. I have at least 10 toothbrushes around the house that are great for cleaning the sink, tile grout, or the bidet. If you have baby hairs around your hairline, a clean toothbrush sprayed with a bit of hairspray works wonders to tame them down as well.

I am kind of happy that I finished my old toothpaste and I now use bulk toothpaste that I found at Monsieur VRAC. I am interested in trying the toothpaste tablets. I couldn’t find any in my area but I will not give up… or maybe I will find a distributor for my store.

Putting on Sunscreen and Deodorant.

I don’t go a single day without using any sunscreen. I am currently using the Sunscreen from Salt and Stone and the deodorant from Attitude (comes in compostable packaging)

Making Coffee or Tea

Both Mark and I love coffee but we decided to alternate tea and coffee in the morning to reduce the amount of coffee we are consuming. I honestly hope I can give up some time in the future but it has been a struggle. Maybe when I get pregnant I will have the opportunity to give it up for good.

Lately, I am buying coffee mostly from our local farmer’s market. We have too much tea in the house and are currently trying to use it all before buying any more. When we are finishing it all, we will buy bulk tea from a local vendor we like. ( any suggestions? Leave them in the comments! )

Taking care of the dogs

Rosco and Maya like to sleep in their crates. These dogs are spoiled, they even have their own room. I also make a pot of food for them every 10 days from leftover foods and veggies. I have yet to find a kibble that comes in recyclable packaging but I am doing my research and I will make a list here when I find some great options.

After I feed these puppies, I take them out to do their business in the backyard. If the weather is nice, I spend a few minutes stretching.

Coffee time

By the time we come back in the house, Mark is up. We enjoy our coffee with milk and no sugar. Some mornings we have some really interesting conversations and some mornings we listen to the news. Depends on how we feel that day.

After we finish our coffee we both go to work. We are incredibly lucky to have separate offices in our own home and we have been working from home for a long time.

Dressing up for the day

I recently thrifted some really comfy sweaters that I love, made of cotton. I put on a pair of dark pants (I only have dark pants). A great perk of working from home is comfy clothes. Most of my wardrobe is made of thrift finds from my local thrift shops. I’d love to hear if readers would be interested in a list of local shops as well? Let me know!

Starting work

I love a good to-do list. I start my workday with an assessment of what needs to be done, what is a priority and what it can wait till the next day.

My workday involves all kinds of design work but lately, I have been creating sales collateral pieces and infographics for a few clients in the United States.

I also check Trello (lifesaver) and email. By the time I am finished with all of this, bam, it is noon.

What is your morning routine like?

Do you have any AM rituals that help fuel you for the rest of the day? Share them with me in the comments I would love to read about them.

— Claudia