Tomas Laurinavicius
Tomas Laurinavicius is an adventurous designer and entrepreneur from Vilnius, Lithuania, who recently co-founded the mobile photo marketplace Refe.
What is your morning routine?
My morning routine usually starts with an alarm on my iPhone at 6:51am (used to be 7:00am but now I’m trying to cut down some sleeping time; my body adapts quickly so small changes won’t be that miserable).
After that I quickly skim through email, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram on my iPhone. If there are any problems or actions needed I take them with me and go for a run to the gym. I intentionally signed up for a gym 2.5 km away so I’m forced to run every morning.
Once at the gym I do some stretching, choosing to work out different muscle groups on different days. After a quick 30-40 minute workout I run back home and take a shower before preparing lunch for the day.
After the shower I usually feel quite rested and ready for breakfast; I love eating breakfast. Some days it consists of oatmeal with Greek yogurt and some berries or fruits, other days I have six eggs with vegetables and toasted bread.
After breakfast I head to the office where I grab a cup of coffee and quickly start making a prioritized list of tasks for the day. If there were any problems during my very early email check there’s a good chance that now it doesn’t seem so complicated as my brain has probably been processing something while I was busy in the gym. Unfortunately I am still failing to get straight into work, usually opting to spend 5-10 minutes scrolling Twitter, Dribble, or Facebook, only then get started on the things that have to be done.
How long have you stuck with this routine so far?
It has changed slightly but I’ve stuck to it for around two years.
How has your morning routine changed over recent years?
It has changed mainly with the time I get up, as I used to live in Denmark, another time zone, and just six months ago I moved my daily workout routine to the mornings instead of the evenings.
Another thing that’s changed is I’ve started drinking coffee. After moving to London in January 2013, I found myself sleepy quite often so I wanted to sharpen my focus throughout the day.
What time do you go to sleep?
I go to bed at the exact same time every day, except on weekends where my social life ruins all of my plans (most of the time). Usually I’m in bed right before midnight.
Do you use an alarm to wake you up in the morning, and if so do you ever hit the snooze button?
Yes, I use the alarm clock on my iPhone, but my body clock gets used to waking up at a certain time and I tend to wake up before the alarm (even by making my alarm nine minutes earlier, my body learns very quickly).
I never hit the snooze button. No matter how hard it is to do, I simply take my iPhone and stare at the light of the screen until I can see sharply and state that I am, in fact, awake.
Do you have a morning meditation routine?
I’ve been digging into meditation recently but haven’t tried anything yet. I truly believe that meditation would help me to declutter my mind and prepare myself for the day.
How soon do you check your phone in the morning, either for calls/messages or social media and news?
I am addicted. I check my phone last thing in the evening and first thing in the morning.
What are your most important tasks in the morning?
I need to get some exercise, with running or working out (or both) working very well as I have to push myself to physical pain and experience discomfort which makes the rest of the day a piece of cake.
“Eat That Frog” is an old saying: “If the first thing you do each morning is eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long!” My frog is physical activity.
On days you’re not settled in your home, are you able to adapt your routine to fit in with a different environment?
Most of the time it is totally different, with me allowing myself to sleep a little bit longer, have a flexible workout regime, or none at all. I like to take some time off of the routine as sometimes it gets boring.
What do you do if you fail to follow your routine, and how does this influence the rest of your day?
If I don’t exercise, which may happen due to illness or traveling, I tend to be moody and tired. I wouldn’t say that coffee is a must-must during the day, but I love drinking it. I also drink a lot of green tea.
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