Mornings. There was a time when I wake up at five in the morning, all ready to go before six. I'd then catch up on sleep for an hour and a half while in commute on the way to work. Before eight, I'd already be on my office desk, drinking my coffee with buttered toast maybe still in hand. I'd sit there, working, until there's a meeting or a client I needed to go to.

This month's portrait challenge made me realize that my mornings remain the same—thoroughly and voluntarily... unsexy. In fact when I reflected more on it, I realized that I, being predictable and a lover of routines, operate in the same concept no matter what day it is—work first, then play.

I wake up, thank the Lord for waking me up, I glance at my reflection in the mirror, put on my earrings, go do things in the bathroom, then on to the kitchen, counting and locating regular house people and pets as I cross areas, prepare my buttered toasts (sugared, cos why not?), and while those are heating up, perfecting my iced coffee, go back to my room, turn on my personal and work computers and... work. For the rest of the morning.

I'm a morning person so I do all the heavy work while my mind is fresh and eat it all up. Data, numbers, decisions, emails, news, planning, calls, duties needing my full attention—every thing I need to do, I do in the morning.

All other things? I treat them as rewards. I'm a fan of delayed gratification so these things—exercise, reading, social media, tv bingeing, writing—are rewards to complete the day.

This concept, separating my day in chunks, allows me to be present, doing things with my full attention. The routinely day inspires surprises of creativity and new ideas too, at least for me. It's all a balancing act, and I think the act of trying itself is one of simple things that make me enjoy my life and feel content about it.

True though, with this, my mornings are, still, thoroughly unsexy. But thank God for the moving clock, yeah? ;)