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Morning routine for a 7am shift

A 7am start leaves very little room in the morning, so most of the work happens the night before. Here's a sample timeline you can adjust to your own commute and get-ready time.

Sample timeline

This example assumes 40 minutes to get ready, a 25-minute commute and arriving 15 minutes early. Change any of those and every time above "Arrive" moves by the same amount. The shift routine builder does that maths for you.

The night before

• Bag packed: badge, keys, charger, pens, water bottle
• Lunch and snacks made and in the fridge at the front
• Clothes and shoes out, in one place
• Coffee or tea set up so it's one button in the morning
• Alarm and a backup alarm set
• Phone on charge away from the bed
• Quick look at tomorrow: parking, weather, anything unusual

Notes for a 7am start

• Hospital day shifts often start at 7am with handoff at the start, so arriving 10 to 15 minutes early gives you time to put your things away and find your assignment.
• If you work 7am to 7pm, set up the night before as soon as you're home from the previous shift, while you still remember what ran out.
• Keep a spare breakfast at work (a bar, oats, fruit) for mornings that run late.

If you have kids or pets

Write the handover down once: who does drop-off, who feeds the dog, where the spare key is. A note on the fridge saves a phone call at 6:15 am.

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