My Austin Morning Routine (Summer 2025)

I’m always experimenting with different ways to start my day.

Here’s my current hour-long routine of how my mornings start when I’m home in Austin, Texas.

Morning Overview

What works well for me now:

• Wake up (no alarm)
• Waterpik then brush teeth
• Make large glass of diluted coffee + salt
• Drink that outside for sun exposure while I scroll on my phone
• Easy 1-mile jog
• Dunk face in ice bowl
• Protein smoothie
• Quick cold shower
• Make matcha

This process takes about 60 minutes total. I feel pretty good afterwards.

Detailed Morning Routine

Wake Up (6:30-7:00 AM)

I wake up naturally after 6-7 hours of sleep without an alarm.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve used an alarm to regularly wake up. This is true freedom. The key for me is going to bed earlier, like asleep by 11PM. Still working on that part.

Brush Teeth (5 minutes)

I use a waterpik to rinse my mouth out. Then brush my teeth. I do this because my mouth has been closed for 8 hours straight and I think it’s a good idea to rinse it out. If I don’t do this part immediately, I tend to forget.

I sleep with an eye mask, ear plugs, and mouth tape, btw!

Hair Drops

I put a dropper-full of minoxidil topical drops on my scalp to help me regrow hair. But I have to be careful: if I tilt my head down immediately after putting these drops on, they drip drop down my forehead.

Diluted Coffee (5 minutes)

This is a little strange, but I like to drink a huge glass of diluted cold brew coffee that I warm up with hot water. I also add salt for electrolytes.

• 60 mL cold brew concentrate
• 1 tbsp collagen peptides
• 1/2 packet LMNT chocolate salt or pinch of table salt
• Hot water to taste

This works out to a tall 16 oz glass of liquid. I usually drink two of these. The 2x servings of 60 mL cold brew works out to around 80 mg of caffeine.

I use cold brew cans that I buy at Costco. I find cold brew to be less acidic and easier on my stomach than regular coffee.

Sun Exposure (15 minutes)

I drink that diluted coffee water outside to get sunlight on my face and in my eyes. This is the first time that I scroll through my phone, usually reading X and the Wall Street Journal.

I’ve heard that getting this sunlight outside is probably the most important part for regulating circadian rhythm.

Light Jog (10-15 minutes)

1 mile at an easy pace. I play music through my phone speaker, no headphones, for safety and vibes.

My mile time is a paltry 9 minutes. But I’m amazed I’ve been able to keep this up as part of my routine. It just feels great to get my heart rate up and a little sweaty.

Once a week I’ll run 2.5 miles to grab breakfast tacos from Taco Deli. On my last run home with tacos, the paper bag ripped from my sweaty hands and the tacos spilled all over the street. But don’t worry: they were relatively intact and I still ate them all later.

Ice Bowl Face Dip (2-3 minutes)

I fill a bowl with ice water and dunk my face for a few seconds. In and out a few times.

I learned to do this from my friend @msg. I like how it makes my skin feel.

Might be placebo, might be real benefits, but the cold exposure feels good. And maybe it makes my skin nicer.

Protein Smoothie (5 minutes)

I throw all of this into a little blender:

• 1/2 banana
• 2 raw eggs (yes, raw)
• 1 tbsp peanut butter powder (easier to scoop, less fat)
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp ground flax (for heart health/cholesterol)
• 1/2 cup whole or soy milk and water for base

This gets me about 30g of protein and healthy fats to start the day.

Face Wash (3 minutes)

After the ice dip, I wash my face with water and a light cleanser. I also apply vitamin C serum – I use La Roche-Posay – and put on a little moisturizer afterwards.

Cold Shower (2-3 minutes)

Quick rinse because it’s hot in Texas and I’m sweaty from the run. I often skip this if I’m working alone and don’t mind being a little smelly… I should stop skipping this. Also the “cold” water here isn’t actually that cold due to Texas.

Matcha Latte (5-10 minutes)

Then I make a matcha latte with 5g of culinary matcha powder. I froth some whole milk, add ice, and sometimes also add 1 or 2 tsp of honey. This feels like an indulgence.

Community Q&A

Here are the best questions I got when I shared this routine on X:

How do you do this all in an hour?

“How do you do this all in an hour is what I need to know” – @StroutMotivateU

Most steps are quick and some overlap. I drink coffee during sun exposure, the jog is only 15 minutes max, and everything else is under 5 minutes.

Should you eat before coffee?

“Best to get food in before coffee – helps calm the effect on your adrenals so you don’t have an energy dip later.” – @niko_bush

Great advice. I will experiment with moving the smoothie before the first coffee. Or reduce my cold brew intake to under 80 mL.

Raw eggs??

“Personally I would not make a daily habit of raw eggs. I would go for cooked or use an egg protein powder.” – @ATX_JS

Fair point on food safety. But I’ve been adding raw eggs to my smoothies for years without issues. So I dunno.

Face washing technique?

“Small thing but when you use cleanser, use warm water for the wash and finish with cold” – @mvarghoose

OK! I will have to try that. Maybe I can do another ice dunk after I rinse with the cleanser.

What about caffeine dependency?

“I’d throw in my unpopular pitch for reconsidering caffeine. Someone in your position can enjoy the luxury of a calm mind that can think clearly.” – @KeithNewtonMD

Sigh. I might need to experiment with caffeine-free days to see how I actually feel without it. But for now it’s a crutch that I don’t mind.

What about the soy and flax?

“Flax and soy are estrogenic, so it’s worth considering a potential ingredient swap.” – @HeyHelloFriends

The flax I’m keeping for heart health. For soy milk, I just haven’t found other nut milks at Costco that I like. But I can try to use more whole milk and less soy. Currently doing that now.

What’s Next

I’m still tweaking based on the feedback and how I feel. But for now, I feel pretty good! This makes me feel energized and focused, I think, and a little healthy.

What does your morning routine look like? Leave a comment below – I’m always curious how other people start their day.

Previously I wrote about my morning routines here:

• My Morning Routine in Dallas (November 2020)
• Morning Diary (May 2020)

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