25 Mar Seven Weekend Morning Routine Ideas for Geeks

I didn’t always have a weekend morning routine. For me, my past weekends have gone one of two ways. (1) I fling myself out of bed as early as possible and throw coffee down my throat in an effort to swallow as much borrowed energy as possible to meet some deadline I imposed on myself earlier that week. In this case, I work all day, my mood is not great, and by Sunday afternoon I’m super depressed because the weekend is almost over.

(2) The other side of the coin is more like waking up and taking my coffee mug to the couch to play my favorite game of the week until hubs wakes up. I usually have every intention of getting some chores done around the house after we eat. However, the way this usually plays out is that I find myself still on the couch hours later playing my game while dust mites and the week’s laundry stare at me from various corners of my home like I missed a playdate. Guilt settles in and I end up feeling like a lazy loser by the end of the weekend.

I mean, damn, is there no middle ground?

In the past few years, however, I have made a much bigger effort to find balance in my weekend morning routine so that there’s a good mix of adulting, relaxing, and spending time with hubs. It took a minute to find my flow, but an amazing weekend for me definitely begins with a calm and cozy morning routine.

Why you need a cozy geek-inspired weekend morning routine

Okay, but does a weekend routine really need to be specific to geeks? Well, it depends, and we will get to that. In my case, I am extremely task-driven with self-imposed deadlines that often stress me out until I find myself planted on the couch in front of my favorite planting and world-building game (#stressrelief). That level of self-inflicted ridiculousness is reserved for the week; so by the time the weekend comes, I need a morning routine that allows me to relax my mind and geek out a bit.

The work-from-home culture has become more popular (at least for now), and that allows the already thin work-life balance to often blend into one long work-week. The fact that many of us run our own businesses can also put us in work mode 24/7. If we’re not constantly creating, producing, and posting then we feel like we’re not doing enough, and then imposing imposter feelings set in, and we spiral down into a cloud of negative self-talk, poor self-esteem, self-pity, and self-sabotage.

Wow self, that got dark real quick.

Being productive doesn’t mean always working.

I was raised to believe that you always had to be doing something productive or you were being lazy. Even on the weekends. I’m not even joking when I say that my parents woke us up bright and early on weekend mornings to pull weeds. Now, you may be thinking we lived on a farm. Nope. We lived in a subdivision and those weeds weren’t going anywhere. But as I’ve gotten older (and more tired), I’ve learned that keeping my mental health stable and trying to do even small things that make me happy is much more important than waking up at the butt-crack of dawn to be as productive as possible.

I mean, unless you have to get up for work on the weekends, we should remember that productivity should sometimes take a backseat to rest and relaxation. The work will be there when we’re ready. The work is always there. Our health, however, may not be. 

Look, I’m just trying to help us all manifest mindfulness the best way I know how. After all, we are not machines. We’re not meant to run all the time,  and we’re especially not meant to run on empty. Trust me, It’s for our own good. 

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

How can a weekend morning routine be specifically for geeks

So that was all a very long preface to why I believe you should create a weekend morning routine that fits your geek life. But what specifically makes your morning routine a weekend morning for “geeks”? I think that all depends on what you do with it. Of course, you may be asking, ‘Are we just going to label everything on this blog ‘geek’ because it’s a blog for geeks?’

Yes! That’s the whole point of this geek lifestyle blog!

But let’s be clear – if you’re reading this blog, you already think of yourself as a geek, or you want to. So why not lean into this geek life a bit? 

And speaking of words (we weren’t), let’s begin by putting some definitions to some terms:

What is a routine?

A routine is a sequence of actions generally followed in the same manner, like a pattern, for no special purpose except that it becomes part of your day. Brushing your teeth, for example, is a routine you follow first thing after you get up (I hope!), and that thing you do right before bed.

What is morning?

Ah, well, it’s that gods-awful time when you open your eyes from a long sleep and realize life just continues on from the day before. Everything is too loud, too bright, and excessively annoying. Until coffee, of course. Or tea if you prefer.

What is the weekend?

It’s literally a sliver of hope – a very slight, very brief breath of fresh air that passes between the weekdays so quickly that you could miss it if you blink. Mornings during the weekends for most of us aren’t actually as bad as described above. In fact, most of you are probably more sane and less ridiculous about your weekends than I have been. 

What is a geek?

A geek is a person who expresses energetic enthusiasm for a particular hobby or passion. The most common passions involve fandoms of tv and movies, comic books and manga, books and collectibles, and other similar subjects of fascination. And video games – let’s not forget gaming. Identifying as a geek is not about any specific interest, topic, or activity; and it is not a title earned based on how much you know about a particular topic. Being a geek is unique to each individual and is all about embracing the part of yourself that loves what you love.

Oh, this is quite a topic for a longer post. But let’s just say that being a geek is a bit less mainstream than what is generally considered ‘normal’ (if anything can be considered normal anymore). We geeks are enthusiastic about our hobbies, fandoms and franchises, and tech. Because tech is so damn cool and fandoms are everything.

Okay, now that we’re on the same page, let’s get into the meat of this thing. And if you’re curious, I’ll share my personal geek-inspired morning routine at the end. But right now, here are nine ways that you can create your own geek-inspired weekend morning routine.

A short disclaimer:

I am not a mindfulness expert – I’m just a fellow geek here to help add some geekiness to your weekend mornings. This is YOUR routine, your way to relax and geek out. I am in no way here to tell you what’s best for you. But I hope to give you some ideas and inspire you to think about how to have your perfect weekend morning with a touch of geek and, as a result, a mindful pause to stop and enjoy the time before the week starts again. Your morning routine may not work for me, and mine may not work for you. There is no one-size-fits-all, so you can always try different things until you discover what makes you feel the best about your weekend.

So let’s-a-go: 

Seven Weekend Morning Routine Ideas for Geeks

1. Meditate like a Jedi
2. Level up your geek mug game
3. Pair your hot beverage with a cozy game or good book
4. Journal
5. Try the Conqueror’s Challenge
6. Choose your own geek music Spotify playlist adventure
7. Clean

A Short Digression

I set an alarm most weekends. I know you’re probably asking, ‘wait, why the hell would you set an alarm on the weekend?’ Hear me out:

If you’re not working on the weekends, you do not even want to think about an alarm. I get that. I mean, we do have to hear that annoying alarm all week long. My eyes usually pull themselves apart when too much light invades the room; and by too much light, I mean anything that isn’t vampire-darkness. So technically I don’t really need an alarm to wake up. 

So why do I set one? Because of my husband’s morning-person sickness (more on that below); I absolutely need to be awake at least an hour or two before him so we can maintain this healthy relationship we’ve had for the last ten years with no accidental deaths caused by too much perkiness in the mornings. I need my space and I need time to fully wake up before talking to actual humans, and this includes my very human husband. So I set an alarm to get up so I have that precious time to myself; so by the time he wakes up I’m not all Attack on Titan up in here.

As you can probably guess, I have a geek-inspired alarm sound. It makes it so that it’s not so annoying to wake up to. I use Zedge for Android to find notification and alarm sounds to fit my geek-mood. (I am not an affiliate of or sponsored by Zedge – just a fan.) You can also set Spotify to play a song for your alarm through your clock’s alarm settings. At least on Android.

For a nice calm waking experience, I set my alarm tone to Horizon Zero Dawn. If I have some things to do and I need a hype song to get me going, I use Imagine Dragons’ Enemy from Arcane as my ringtone. Having a ringtone to fit my geek mood or tasks for the day sets me up for the perfect morning right away.

In your case, you may not need to wake up earlier than anyone, or you may live alone. You may have things to check off your to-do list, in which case you may not want to sleep until noon. Or you may have a relaxing day of Crunchyroll indulgence planned. That’s okay – wake up naturally and get the rest you don’t get during the week. Don’t be like me. #exhausted

Another quick tip to starting every morning – brush off the morning breath and wash away the man-eating titan.

(You would think I actually enjoyed the Attack on Titan anime with the number of references I’ve made. I want to be clear – I did not enjoy it. Not even a little.)

I have never understood people who wake up and don’t take care of their breath and teeth first thing. All the bacteria that your mouth collected overnight should be brushed away and rinsed out before swallowing it with coffee or breakfast. Because eeeew! 

Also, skincare is not really ‘geeky’ per se, but clear skin like an anime character certainly is. Skincare should also be an important part of your daily routine so don’t skip it. Cleanse, tone, moisturize – that’s the very basic skincare routine that you should consider both morning and evening. Believe me, your skin (and teeth) will thank you.

If you want to really geekify your wash time, grab a face mask. I recommend something green like Grogu (Baby Yoda), or something black like Vader’s soul. Find your inner Depp with a pirate-inspired eye patch while laying back and meditating to a soundtrack. I have found some really cool face mask packets on Amazon, and some Asian paper masks at my local H-Mart.

Meditate like a Jedi

I love meditation, but I will admit that I don’t take the time to meditate as often as I should. Meditation has many benefits and can be practiced by anyone. It helps to clear my busy mind and calm my nerves. One of my favorite characters, Raven of the original Teen Titans animation, meditates often to center herself. Meditating in the morning can help to improve your focus on what you want to accomplish that day, and when done anytime of the day, can lower your stress levels. There are many other benefits to meditation that you can find using a Google search.

“Meditation is about more than just forging a deeper connection to the Force… It is about gaining a deeper understanding of ourselves. It is a means of obtaining greater control over our thoughts and emotions. Peace. Serenity. Harmony. We must master ourselves before we can hope to master the Force.” (Cere Junda, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order)

Of course, if you’re going through your Villain Era, you may meditate more like a Sith – concentrate your villainous intent, your rage, your fear, and your vengeance into a pure point of ruthless power within yourself. Works for me…

Or don’t. :: shrugs ::

Level up your geek-inspired mug game.

Grab your favorite geek mug for your morning coffee. Or tea. Or matcha. You know, whatever floats your mornings. Honestly, if you’re sipping your hot beverage from a regular old coffee mug on any day, what are you even doing? Take my word for it – you will be in a much better mood waking up to a mug with your favorite character or quote. 

If you need some ideas, I have an Amazon list full of cool geek mugs. Personally, I love a weird and cheesy mug, but I also love matching “grown & geeky” sets, so I’ve included a bit of both for all my geek peeps! Click here to find your own. Yes, this is an affiliate link – you don’t have to purchase through this link, but it won’t cost you any more if you do and I’ll get a small stipend for helping you discover your new morning addiction. 😉 See my full affiliate disclosure for more information.

Pair your hot beverage with a cozy game or good book

The cozy game phenomenon has taken social media by storm…

…is what I would say if I knew that, for sure. But from what I’m seeing, cozy games and the cozy gamers behind the hashtag have really brought gaming for the feels as a way to destress and stabilize that mental tension to the forefront of what gaming used to mean. 

For me, a cozy chaotic gaming session while I drink my coffee is the perfect way to find my geek on a weekend morning. Sometimes I feel like running around, building towns, and growing things while I sip. In real life I actually love gardening, so Grow: Song of the Evertree was an amazing find that I couldn’t stop playing. Until recently. Now I’m running around Kilima Valley and Bahari Bay making it my own personal Palia Paradise.

Have I done a Palia review, yet? Are you interested in one?

For those mornings when I just want to freestyle build without characters, quests, and dialog, SIMS 4 is my go-to. Build Mode is my only mode, and I love the creativity it allows while I think of all kinds of rooms and houses to create. I also use it as a place for my geek home decor ideas. You can find some of my creations in the SIMS gallery under ‘geekSIMgirl’. I think this can be classified as a cozy game, especially when I’m building cozy Sims homes. 

I really can’t do any hack-and-slash in the morning because it doesn’t help me relax. But if I was feeling particularly chaotic, I’d go for Final Fantasy XIV or Horizon Zero Dawn. Those provide the perfect amount of chaos for my gaming sessions. 

Do you like gaming in the morning? What’s your favorite cozy game? Or do you prefer a good round of fighting first thing?

If gaming has not yet caught your fancy, why not take this time to catch up on that manga, comic, or fantasy novel you’ve been trying to finish?

Journal

If you have trouble relaxing your busy mind, try waking up and journaling in the quiet space of your morning. I will say that journaling my thoughts and feelings has been an excellent way for me to release some of the voices in my head feeding me lies about myself and my life. Take what’s in your head and put it on paper, and I believe you’ll find that this helps to clear your headspace and think more positively. It doesn’t have to be artsy or creative – it can be pen to paper or keyboard to Google Docs. If you want something personal, look for your favorite characters on stickers or stamps – there are some cool Etsy sticker shops that you can look through. But trust me, journaling works.

Try the Conqueror’s Challenge

The Conqueror’s Challenge is a virtual fitness challenge that you can complete by walking, running, or cycling at your own pace and time. I signed up for the Lord of the Rings Challenge with every intention of walking every day to reach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring and receive cool medals along the way. I still have to work on the getting up to walk part, but I will get to Mordor. Eventually.

You don’t have to sign up for any program to get out there and move in the morning. But why not use your geek to get inspired to exercise? How else will you get some of us from in front of our favorite video game to a virtual walking game?

Choose your own geek music Spotify playlist adventure.

Maybe you want to listen to something while you meditate or take your morning walking challenge. You may even have a geek-inspired playlist just for journaling or drawing. Or you could just want to get lost in your favorite video game soundtrack while you finish your tea. I have found that there is a song for everything, and you can create your own playlists on Spotify (premium) to play for whatever mood inspires you at the moment.

If you don’t have a playlist, yet, check out some of the playlists I’ve created for you all on my Spotify account. I am neither sponsored nor am I an affiliate – but I am a huge fan of Spotify and it’s what I use to keep my huge music collection organized.

Clean

What I mean is that you could channel your inner Sebastian (from Black Butler).

Look, I’m not here to judge – maybe cleaning or cooking relaxes you? If that’s the case, you can prepare a nice slow breakfast, or get your meal prep for the week started. You could also embrace your inner Sebastian and, if cleaning is the thing that gets you going, start a load of laundry or fold clothes. Or polish that silverware to prepare for potential home invasions. 

I’m just saying.

How to make cleaning more geeky? I suggest listening to one of those geek-inspired music playlists while you work, or watching an anime while you fold clothes. Subbed, of course, so you don’t miss anything.

Find your own geek weekend morning routine

There are so many people telling us what we should do in the morning, but it really is all about personal preference, isn’t it? You don’t have to work out to have a productive day. You don’t have to journal to unjumble your thoughts. And you may not be hungry when you first wake up, so you don’t have to eat. Or even wash dishes. Maybe you prefer a smoothie and a comic book to coffee and a video game. Or maybe you prefer to sit by the window and get lost in your inner geek thoughts.

Whatever you like to do, and however you choose to start your geek-inspired weekend morning, find something that will ensure you begin with a positive outlook. After all, it really is just about being in the right mindset for a great day!

My geek weekend morning routine.

Some well-meaning but clueless people have described me as a ‘morning person’ and I have quickly corrected them. I would not consider myself a typical morning person. I’ve never been a fan of mornings – mostly because of morning people. You know the type. You may even be the type — the ones who can spring out of their beds like Sonic the Hedgehog and immediately dive into work or conversation.

In the words of Elias Ainsworth (The Ancient Magus’ Bride): “Die.”

See, it’s you lot who make mornings so exhausting. There was never a time when I could jump out of bed just ready to talk. Or for anything, really. I’m not a wind-up toy. Not even this morning as I’m typing this post with one hand while gripping my Evil Queen coffee mug for dear life in the other hand, yawning profusely and deleting incorrect spellings and word placements because the fog in my morning brain is still thick. 

Bloggers, am I right?

But I do have a healthy respect for mornings and the things I can accomplish in the hour or two of glorious peace before our official family morning mascot (yes, I am referring to hubs) wakes up springs out of bed like a wind-up toy. 

And there it is. Full circle.

So I could be considered a morning person because I wake up earlier than most. I am just not a morning-people-person; so I wake up early to avoid interactions at all costs. With people. I can interact with NPCs (non-playable-characters in video games) all morning long. That hubs of mine? HE’S Sonic. He doesn’t even require a warm beverage of any kind before he’s rip-roaring and ready to go when he wakes up. 

Freak of nature that one is. #truelove

I did ask hubs what his geek-inspired weekend morning routine consisted of, and here was his response:

“I wake up, and go back to bed, the end.” 

There you have it, folks. The kind of blog post you were really hoping for. Short, sweet, and informative.

:: rolls eyes profusely ::

My routine isn’t complicated, but it is more detailed than that. I open my eyes once a sliver of light pries my lids open and quietly curse the sun for daring to show its face. Once I’ve shown the sun what-for, I crawl into the bathroom where I brush my teeth and wash my face. I find a cozy sweater and my slippers, and drag myself downstairs where I desperately turn on the electric kettle and wait for the water to boil.

Then I wait for the coffee to slowly drip and brew as I find my favorite geek mug. Some mornings I prefer my Vader mug. Other mornings, I’m okay with Yoda. And sometimes I want my purple Disney Villain mug. Finally, I can take that first glorious sip of creamer-infused coffee. I take my mug and go back upstairs to turn on my PC and prepare for some Palia gameplay. Or SIMS 4 building. It really depends on my mood. And I typically get lost in one of my games until hubs wakes up to pull me from my happy-place.

I worded that wrong. I meant to pull me from my game. heehee

Either way, it’s your turn! Share with us below what kinds of geek-inspired things you do to make your weekend mornings more relaxing.. And enjoy your weekend, you geeks!