How has technology changed your morning routine?

Wake up, take care of a normal morning routine…who has the time. Instead I head to the Internet, often before I am even out of bed.

I found an interesting, albeit slightly ironic article in the New York Times this morning, it was talking about how technology has changed the morning routines and rituals for many people.

“Technology has shaken up plenty of life’s routines, but for many people it has completely altered the once predictable rituals at the start of the day.”

Now, touching on the irony for a second, I said that it was ironic because I found and read that NYT article on my iPhone while I was enjoying a bagel and coffee sitting at the kitchen table. Of course, that was just the beginning because my oldest daughter (currently age 7) was also at that same table enjoying a pop-tart and a glass of water all while she was playing games on her netbook.

Given that, I think it is safe to say that technology has affected my morning routines, of course that should almost go without saying as I am a gadget blogger. However on the other hand, I see it happening more and more to people that have never felt the need to be as connected in the past.

I have both friends and family members that regularly check their email and social networking sites as part of a daily morning ritual, almost in the same way that they used to read the morning paper. Only with this, it seems a little more invasive because the technology is simply there, no longer needed is the trip outside to pick up the morning paper from the front porch, at least that required you to get dressed beforehand.

Instead, many people (and I include myself here) are simply waking up and checking to see what they missed out on while they slept. Take me for example, I let technology interfere so much that I have stopped using a regular alarm clock in favor of my iPhone and in turn I am generally checking my email and Twitter messages before I even roll out of bed. That alone would not be so bad, but I then usually move on to Facebook and Google Reader as I head for that first cup of coffee.

I guess in my case, this may not really be as bad as it seems as I get up about 3 or 4 hours earlier than the rest of my family because those early morning hours are a great time for me to write.

Still, it is interesting to see how technology has affected, or possibly infected peoples lives to such a degree. I guess in part, we can blame that on the fact that both home Internet access as well as mobile Internet access has become faster and more reliable, that and the fact that laptops are seemingly more common than desktop computers and that smartphones such as an iPhone or BlackBerry are now very capable.

Additionally, while this NY Times article focuses on morning rituals, I would also believe that it affects the pre-bed ritual just as much. Again, taking my family as an example, both my wife and I generally sit in bed (after the kids are safely tucked in) with laptops and surf the net while watching ignoring the television.

Now that I have shared some of the details in regards to my morning habits, what about you — How has the Internet and the ease of access changed your morning routine?

Filed Under: Hardware & Gadgets > My Online Life
Tags: breakfast, Email, internet, morning, ritual, routine, wake up