Every Month, as part of an ongoing Morning Routines feature, I talk to a different industry expert, adventurer, pioneer or influencer about how their morning sets them up for the day ahead. For our second instalment, I spoke to John Peabody from one of my favourite blogs, The Hand & Eye.
John is a journalist and photographer with a talent for documenting the different ways creative people work. His work has appeared in Newsweek, Quartz, Boston Magazine, Reuters, Inc, and many other places. He also works with brands and startups to help develop and execute content and media strategies. I first came across John's blog while I was searching for inspiration to start The All Night Listening Post and I've been hooked ever since. It was obvious to me that we had a lot of shared interests so I reached out to him on social media and we've been trading links for a while now. I love the way the Hand & Eye tells the stories of hard working folk who make good honest things and it's inspired me to think outside the box with some of my upcoming pieces.
Anyway, here's how John starts his day:
"I usually wake before the alarm around 7 a.m. If I’m feeling particularly vigorous, I’ll actually rise out of bed. Most likely though, I’ll slumber through a few more warm minutes and wait for the sounds of our local public radio station (WNYC) to wake me properly.
I’d like to tell you that at this point I go for a run, or a swim, or a soul cycle or something, but the truth is I’m averaging one pre-work workout a week. I’m trying to be better, but my body just does not like morning exertion as much as it likes a hot shower and coffee. So out into the living room I head.
We get great light in our apartment and it’s best in the morning. In the winter here in Brooklyn, the leaves are gone from the trees and the light just pours in our windows. It’s incredibly relaxing. I take this very calm moment to find my phone and quickly begin filling my brain with all the noise and clutter we crave so badly, starting with Instagram and email.
I’m not real proud of this, but it’s true. I have adopted a no-phone-in-the-bedroom habit though, so at least I have to leave my bed before I start juicing my brain. Anyway! After a quick phone fix I’m off to the shower for the usual ablutions. These days I have a beard, so there’s no shaving.
I get dressed quickly and fire up some coffee in the Moka. I’ve been using these percolators for 15 years and I have no plans on ever changing. They make the perfect coffee in my opinion. I also recently seemed to have stumbled across the best beans too. They come from La Colombe by way of my local coffee shop.
I usually eat a simple breakfast of yogurt and granola, or oatmeal and a banana, and suck down at least once cup of coffee, but two if I have time. At this point I may actually post something to Instagram if I have something good to share. A lot of times I write posts for the blog at night, then in the morning I go in and either clean them up or press publish. I also scan a few sites and apps, like the NYT Now app and Twitter, as well just to take the pulse of the day.
Then it’s off to work. Before I get on the subway I go and take a few pictures of this one building in my neighborhood for a long term project I’m working on. It’s going to be a months-long time lapse. I don’t want to reveal too much detail, but my neighborhood is changing really fast and I want to try and catch some of this insane growth.
I take the Q-train two stops, then walk ten minutes and I’m at my office, ready for it."
I’d like to tell you that at this point I go for a run, or a swim, or a soul cycle or something, but the truth is I’m averaging one pre-work workout a week. I’m trying to be better, but my body just does not like morning exertion as much as it likes a hot shower and coffee. So out into the living room I head.
We get great light in our apartment and it’s best in the morning. In the winter here in Brooklyn, the leaves are gone from the trees and the light just pours in our windows. It’s incredibly relaxing. I take this very calm moment to find my phone and quickly begin filling my brain with all the noise and clutter we crave so badly, starting with Instagram and email.
I’m not real proud of this, but it’s true. I have adopted a no-phone-in-the-bedroom habit though, so at least I have to leave my bed before I start juicing my brain. Anyway! After a quick phone fix I’m off to the shower for the usual ablutions. These days I have a beard, so there’s no shaving.
I get dressed quickly and fire up some coffee in the Moka. I’ve been using these percolators for 15 years and I have no plans on ever changing. They make the perfect coffee in my opinion. I also recently seemed to have stumbled across the best beans too. They come from La Colombe by way of my local coffee shop.
I usually eat a simple breakfast of yogurt and granola, or oatmeal and a banana, and suck down at least once cup of coffee, but two if I have time. At this point I may actually post something to Instagram if I have something good to share. A lot of times I write posts for the blog at night, then in the morning I go in and either clean them up or press publish. I also scan a few sites and apps, like the NYT Now app and Twitter, as well just to take the pulse of the day.
Then it’s off to work. Before I get on the subway I go and take a few pictures of this one building in my neighborhood for a long term project I’m working on. It’s going to be a months-long time lapse. I don’t want to reveal too much detail, but my neighborhood is changing really fast and I want to try and catch some of this insane growth.
I take the Q-train two stops, then walk ten minutes and I’m at my office, ready for it."
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