There’s a belief in the culture that there are those who are “morning people” and those who are not. But this is another false binary: We are all morning people, in that we all (if we’re lucky!) experience the phenomenon of waking up to a new day and having to decide what to make of its first few hours. The divisiveness of the morning arises from the details—what time we wake up and how; whether we leap out of bed into an 8-mile run or stumble resentfully toward the espresso machine; if we groggily reach for our phones, our snuggle buddies, or the snooze button. These are all personal decisions, and yet many people carry around superiority or inferiority about their morning rituals, a sense that there are right and wrong ways to wake up. At the very least, the popular notion that “successful people do certain things before breakfast” proves we share a fascination with the potential contained in the initial hours after rising.
Awake—a pop-up blog in the mold of the Drift, Slate’s earlier look at sleep—will direct a bright, easterly sunbeam on those hours. Our writers will address a range of morning topics, from the poetic (sex and dreams) to the practical (grooming and caffeine). The goal? To marvel together at that dewy, whole-day-ahead potential. What you choose to make of it—including a few more minutes of shut-eye—is up to you.
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Night Sex Is a Scam—Mating Is Best in the Morning!
Christina Cauterucci
Morning Showers Are—and Should Remain—Our Last Media-Free Zone
Torie Bosch
In Praise of Prousting—the Practice of Working in Bed
Leah Vonderheide
Want to Become a Morning Person? Partner With a Night Owl.
David Canfield
The First Thing You Should Do When You Wake Up? Share Your Dreams.
Susan Matthews
Don’t Let the Snooze Button Make Your Morning Harder
Molly Olmstead
Should You Brush Your Teeth Before or After Breakfast?
June Thomas
The Smartphone Is the Seductive, Destructive New Ruler of Morning
Amanda Katz
A Guide to Surviving the Morning With Wet Hair
Heather Schwedel
Want to Win Breakfast? Cook a Week’s Worth at a Time.
Faith Smith
Don’t Read News During Your Morning Rush Out the Door. Listen to It.
Seth Maxon
Morning Means Something Different in Space—16 Sunrises, for Starters
Chau Tu
