My best friend comes from Italy, so he has invited me to visit his hometown in Italy. Because I’m an online writer, I can travel internationally while doing my work on my laptop. After living in Italy for a while, I’ve realized that the hustle culture in western countries is bad for us, whereas the Italian lifestyle is healthier in general. 😉
-
The best morning routine is always unrushed.
Many years ago, I used to live near my workplace. At that time, I was able to wake up at 9:10am and arrive at the workplace at 9:30am (my day job was from 9:30am to 6pm). Basically, all I did in the morning was to wash my face! I didn’t even wear makeup because I was wearing glasses when I was much younger. (Frankly, when I was significantly younger, I didn’t really need to wear makeup anyway because I looked better when younger!)
Now I don’t have an office job anymore as I’ve decided to be a freelance writer – I can work anywhere in the world these days. Currently, I’m living in Italy where people don’t have a hustle culture at all. Italians are very relaxed, open-minded and passionate about life. Their morning routine is usually unrushed.
My best friend Tony is a local Italian guy who has lived in Italy for many years. His morning routine consists of the following activities:
- Wake up without an alarm clock in order to get enough sleep.
- Read a chapter of a self-help book so as to stimulate the brain.
- Go out for a walk in nature.
- Eat breakfast in a local café while reading the newspaper.
-
Not having a morning routine can be a good idea, too.
Obviously, living a structured life is beneficial because it gives us clarity. However, sometimes not having a morning routine is pretty good as well. Please let me explain. 😊
If you have young children, chances are you can’t really have a morning routine. Even if you have a morning routine, probably you can’t stick to it anyway because your kids have their specific needs that only you can meet!
That’s why not everyone should have a fixed morning routine.
Marie Forleo once said, “I never check my email first thing in the morning. I only focus on my own work in the morning.” That’s fair enough because her morning routine works for her. Nevertheless, I do check my email first thing in the morning at times because I simply want to get those emails out of the way quickly!
American fashion stylist Rachel Zoe does her email in the morning while having breakfast. She also responds to her emails at night in bed while watching Friends on TV. There is nothing wrong with that. As long as your morning routine/night routine works for you, it’s all good!
“Living in Italy has made me realize that the hustle culture in the West isn’t quite right. We need a relaxing lifestyle in order to maintain our physical, mental and emotional health.”
