My dad is the most ritualistic person I’ve ever known. Every day since I can remember he’s followed the same early morning routine: workout, shower, shave, pour self a giant glass of orange juice, read paper. Other than seemingly insignificant tweaks over the years, his routine has remained largely untouched. I’ve always envied this. Routine for some people can seem like a rut, but to me routine is just a way that people live their lives on their terms. This is what I do, this is when I do it. Why? ‘Cause I want to, that’s why.
This got me thinking about my routine. What do I tend to do/use on a daily basis that I’m not even really aware of? In my self-analysis I realized I depend on several icons of product/graphic design to get my day started.
In no particular order, my top 10 list of design icons that I use ritualistically everyday:
01: Bic pen. Every morning I write out my daily to-do list using a simple, beautiful, classic black Bic pen. Nothing fancy, nothing techy, just a pen that has stood the test of time.
02: Moleskin journal. Yes, technology is great. But when it comes to to-do and laundry list making there’s still nothing better than pen and paper. The Moleskin journal slips easily into my back pocket, and the more beaten up it gets the better it looks.
03: Sharpie marker. A designer isn’t a designer without a Sharpie.
04: Mac products. iMac, iBook, iPhone, iPod, iTunes… iUse them all every day, all day long. (Okay that was a bit cheesy. Sorry.)
05: Levi’s Slim Straight 514 jeans. Hands down the best looking, best fitting jeans out there… and without the absurd price tag.
06: American Apparel v-neck t-shirt. Even though America Apparel has only been around since 1997, they’ve already reached iconic status in my mind. These are the perfect t-shirts. Soft, comfortable, and fit like a t-shirt should.
07: Tom’s or Vans. ‘Cause I’m too damn busy/lazy to tie my shoes. (If you don’t already own a pair of Tom’s, buy some right now. You’ll wear them every single day, and you’ll feel really good about it.)
08: Coffee. Whether I’m buying Starbucks™ and drinking from the perfect paper cup/Solo lid/cardboard coffee sleeve combo, or making coffee with my EvaSolo™, Jasper Morrison Rowenta coffee maker or Francis! Francis! espresso machine, my morning coffee is a critical part of my daily routine. And I do it in style.
09: Twitter. Only 3 years old and already a part of my daily life. I learn about music, design, Chicago happenings, breaking news and the like all via my twitter feeds. (Contrary to popular opinion it’s not all mundane postings about what people are eating for breakfast. You just need to ‘follow’ cautiously and intelligently.)
10: Blogs. I read a lot of them before I get my workday started. It’s a great way to not only get a sense of what else is going on in the world, but to get the creative juices flowing. (blog.iso50.com, lovelypackage.com, underconsideration.com/brandnew, cultofmac.com and ilovetypography.com just to name a few.)
So there you have it. My daily routine top 10. All of the above make waking up much easier. Especially #08.
I have that Francis Francis espresso machine, in orange, and I love it.
Thanks for mentioning ILT.