Heidi Sistare
Heidi Sistare is a writer and community builder whose work has been published in The Rumpus and Edible Vineyard, to name but a few. Heidi currently lives on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
What is your morning routine?
I usually wake up between 6:30 and 8:30am each morning, before instantly making my bed and putting water on to boil in preparation for my morning coffee.
While I’m making coffee I like to write a magnetic poem on the refrigerator. When my coffee’s ready I take it to my desk where I’ll write absolutely anything, very quickly, in a certain notebook. I try to write three pages, but sometimes (actually, most of the time) I write less.
Afterwards I’ll check my email and calendar, and write down what I want to do during the day. At 9:00am I’ll either go to yoga or head on over to the gym.
How long have you stuck with this routine so far?
Pieces of this routine change (the magnetic poetry is new, sleeping a little later is new) but other parts, like coffee, are cemented in my mornings.
What time do you go to sleep?
Between 10:00pm and midnight.
Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?
I love alarms. I love waking up really early and getting more done while I feel like the world is still asleep.
These days I’m trying to see what happens when I wake up naturally. I usually wake up when my boyfriend does; at 5:30am, but I always go back to sleep. I find in the winter I can easily sleep until 9:00am, so I’m using my alarm a lot more right now. And yes, I use the snooze button, over and over again.
How soon after waking up do you have breakfast, and what do you typically have?
I’ll usually have breakfast around 11:00am. I make a piece of toast and a fried egg, try to drink a glass of water, and take some vitamins.
What and when is your first drink in the morning?
Coffee with cream, made within the first half hour of being awake.
Do you have a morning workout routine?
Depending on the day I either go to yoga or head out to the gym.
Do you see to email first thing in the morning or leave it until later in the day?
I check it almost first thing in the morning.
I know that everyone says it’s better to leave your email for later in the day, but it calls to me until I open it up! It’s like an addiction.
How soon do you check your phone in the morning, either for calls/messages or social media and news?
I’m not that great with the phone. I usually put my phone on airplane mode when I sleep because I think it protects me from the… whatever it is that a phone might be emitting that’s bad for us. I’ll often forget to take it off airplane mode until I leave the house in the morning.
What are your most important tasks in the morning?
Making coffee and making the bed.
When the bed is made I feel like my world is clean and orderly and I can focus all my attention on my work. My morning cup of coffee is the most beautiful thing; after I drink it I feel powerful and prepared.
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