I’ve been trying out this thing for a while where I copy the morning routines of famous entrepreneurs (read: billionaires) in a bid to replicate at least some part of their success.
Admittedly, I still haven’t made my first billion (or million), though at least I’ve actually learnt a lot about productivity through the lens of these entrepreneurs.
But, to break through the monotony of all these caffeinated, highly motivated routines, I decided—why not try living life like someone who is no less established and, might I say, successful in her own right?
Well, you already read the title, so you know who exactly I’m talking about. That’s right, I attempted to live life like Queen Elizabeth II, may she rest in peace.
What’s the point, you ask? Well, might I remind you, she lived a long and arguably fulfilling 96-year life. I would say there’s plenty to learn from the monarch.
7:30AM: Time to arise
The Queen woke up at a respectable 7:30AM. A relatable Queen, she would stay in bed for a few minutes, listening to BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme, which I swapped for something more accessible to me, like a few minutes of a podcast.
Then, her personal assistant would draw her a bath (precisely seven inches deep), but I, for various reasons including the fact that I have neither a tub nor a personal assistant, shan’t begin to even attempt to make that happen.
Rather, I took a nice, warm shower in the morning—something that I don’t usually do and don’t really like (night showerer all the way).
Queen Lizzie is also a breakfast eater. She loves her earl grey tea with cold milk, something I can totally get behind.
Next, she gets dressed and some attendants will brush her hair into her “trademark” look. My signature look involves combing out my hair and leaving it as is.
While getting ready, her maids will also bring in earl grey tea and some cold milk. It was a little different compared to my usual coffee, but I really enjoyed it.
8:30AM Breakfast with a side of bagpipes
For breakfast, the Queen reportedly ate light with a continental theme.
After eating, Queen Elizabeth II would listen to live bagpipe music.
Sadly, I do not have access to any bagpipe musicians (bagpipists?), so I resorted to just listening to a track of bagpipe music. I decided to eat while also listening to bagpipe music to really get into the mood.
I’m not going to lie, it was actually a great addition to my morning routine. It forced me to just sit and eat my food while listening to the music (because I can’t imagine the Queen would have been scrolling on Instagram while eating her scones). It was a lovely little practice of mindfulness.
9:30AM: Ruling the day
What does the Queen even do for work, you wonder. Well, she actually (supposedly) puts in two hours of paperwork in the morning, so there you have it. I usually start my work day at 9:30AM as well, so no changes here—we’re basically work twinsies.
The Queen would also get briefed on global events. I imagine her brief is a lot different than mine, which is obtained from an easy Google search.
After the paperwork, Her Majesty would meet with various important people. As for myself, I continued to do my work until it was time for lunch.
1:30PM: Break for lunch
The Queen has quite a late lunch, which was a little challenging for me, partly due to work-related schedules, and partly because I would get hungry around 12:30.
It’s believed that she enjoyed meals with impeccable presentation, but most food looks like good food to me.
4:30PM: Fancy another cup of tea?
As expected of the Queen, tea time is a must in her schedule. As amazing as this sounded at first, I actually grew to find it annoying as it interrupted my workflow.
Sure, it was nice to get a small break, but unlike the Queen, I had to make my own tea and wash my own cup, so…
Despite drinking caffeinated tea, the hot nature of the beverage also made me quite sleepy. Sad to say, tea time is definitely not something I would implement.
10:30PM: Reading
It’s said that the Queen does a bit of reading before going to bed. As someone who’s trying to cultivate my reading habit this year, this was a fantastic part of the routine for me.
The toughest part about this was having enough discipline to set aside my phone, as I typically would doom-scroll on social media up until the point where my eyes are too tired. Reading instead was a good change of pace.
11PM: Sleep
I usually sleep closer to midnight, so having to sleep an hour early didn’t sound so bad at first. But it actually threw off my schedule a little bit. I had to shower and clean up earlier to make sure I could crawl into bed by 11PM.
After a few days, though, I found myself getting accustomed to the earlier sleep schedule.
But, to be honest, I don’t think it impacted my productivity and energy levels that much in the morning.
Conclusion
Compared to some other routines I’ve tried, Queen Elizabeth II’s has certainly been a lot less intense.
Understandably, it isn’t one that necessarily prioritises work and entrepreneurship. (Maybe in her younger days her workload would’ve been more intense?)
Despite that, I don’t think it detracted much from my productivity at all. I was still able to get my work done as usual, while swapping meetings with high-end officials of nations for ones with my colleagues instead.
Overall, the Queen’s laidback routine simply emphasises the importance of having a routine—any routine.
I recently watched a video that talked about how if you don’t have a routine, one will be “assigned” to you anyway, so having that conscious involvement in planning out your day is what really sets the tone of your day.
That said, I am hoping for a new challenge to embark on, so the next morning routine I try is probably going to be a lot more fast-paced than Queen Elizabeth II’s.
- Read other reviews we’ve written of notable individuals’ morning routines here.
Featured Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons