“THERE’S LITTLE IN LIFE THAT’S MORE SATISFYING THAN SMELLING THAT COFFEE SCENT FIRST THING WHEN YOU WAKE UP.”

If there’s one thing we could all use a little more of, it’s time. Summer came and went, bringing multiple projects, a lot of traveling, and very little screen time. After all, what’s in sitting in front of a computer and its radiating blue light when you could be soaking up the warm sun rays? While I put certain parts of my life on hiatus this summer—a.k.a this blog—when Labor Day came around, I made a conscious decision to dedicate my time more wisely—less procrastinating, more doing, more living (and yes, hopefully, a little more blogging).

As the cliché goes, we could all use a few more hours in a day. I can count on two hands the waking hours I spend in my apartment every week. Between work, travel, events, friends—I get very little home time. I’m okay with that: I love a fast-paced life. But the one moment when I take the time to slow down a little is in the morning (full disclaimer: I’m never the first one in the office). Because I’m rarely home in the evenings—I’m either at work, catching up with friends or at industry events—mornings are the only time I have to get organized and get some life admin done. On good days, I start by going for a quick run, followed by a speedy shower. I put on a podcast, get a little cleaning done, do some laundry. I catch up on emails, go over my to-do list for the day, and I love taking my time to get ready.

For the longest time, one thing was missing from this morning routine: coffee. I cannot function without caffeine, but I’m also a bit of a coffee snob. You’ll never find me whipping up a cup of instant coffee. Instead, you’ll likely find me chatting away with my local barista—with who I’m on a first name basis with—about recent news or new documentaries to watch. But waiting to get to my local coffee shop in the morning to get that first hit of caffeine meant I was never actually fully awake during my (almost perfect) morning routine. That’s until I finally jumped on the train my parents have been preaching to me for years and got myself a Nespresso Breville Vertuo Plus Coffee & Espresso Maker—it’s the perfect fit for my tiny kitchen counter and, best of all, it’s currently on major sale during Macy’s Fall Home Sale where kitchen electrics are 30%-50% off (with an extra 15% with the code FALL).

There’s little in life that’s more satisfying than smelling that coffee scent first thing when you wake up—something that’s not hard to do here in this 300 sq. ft. studio apartment. It’s changed my morning routine for the better. Sure, I might drink more coffee now (I still cannot give up my daily iced latte on my way to work), but I’m also more awake in the mornings, get more done, and find myself even cooking breakfast on weekday mornings—something which never used to happen. It’s improved my morning routine by 100%