The Creator of a Viral Instagram Account Shares Her Morning Routine

What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed in the morning? A well-rounded morning routine sets the tone for the day and gets you prepped—both mentally and physically—before diving into a packed schedule filled with emails, chores, happy hours, workouts, and more. Our series Morning Person profiles those who have mastered the art of the morning routine. Tune in every Monday morning here and on our Instagram to learn exactly how the pros get it all done before the sun comes up, from their go-to breakfasts to their a.m. workouts.

For a lot of people out there (myself included), the first thing we do when we wake up in the morning is reach for our phones. We might look at the news, we might check our emails, and if I had to guess, the majority of us who are morning-phone-checkers immediately open Instagram. A lot of us do it for entertainment purposes, something fun to do to start the day—but what if it was basically your job to look at what was happening on Instagram, who was liking whose posts, and exactly what people were saying in the comments?

Well, for Emma Diamond, it really is her job. She's the founder of Comments by Celebs, a viral Instagram account (with 1.4 million followers), that features exactly what its name suggests: celebrity comments on Instagram. She and her co-founder Julie Kramer keep us up to date on when celebrities comment on each others' Instagram posts, memes, and respond to fans (and haters). The account has blossomed into a full-fledged media company, with similar Instagram accounts, @commentsbyathletes, @commentsbybravo, and @commentsbybachelor, and a weekly podcast.

Diamond shared with us what some mornings look like for her. "Let me be honest in saying that no two mornings are exactly the same," she told us. "Because of the nature of my job, and the different work environments I'm in throughout the week, my morning routine is definitely dependent on the day. The one I'll share with you is a typical Monday morning, as that is one of our podcast recording days." Take a look below.

5:30 a.m.

"Perhaps my worst quality is the sheer number of alarms I set before actually waking up. The alerts typically start around 5:30 a.m., although I have little to no intention of stepping foot out of bed for at least the next hour. The following 60 minutes start out with a quick check of Instagram, to make sure no news-making comments have happened overnight, and then a bunch of 15-minute mini-sleeps, promptly interrupted by the aforementioned alarms."

6:45 a.m.

"It's safe to say that when 6:45 a.m. rolls around, I'm usually up for good. Again, 'up for good' doesn't mean physically vertical, but there's no more dozing off. It's now that I spend a solid 45 minutes on my phone, reading the news, checking Instagram, comment hunting, familiarizing myself with the memes of the day, and seeing what comments Julie formatted while I was asleep (she goes to bed much later than I do). I'm notorious for sending early-morning emails, as I think I get my best work done before the rest of the world is up and out."

7:30 a.m.

My Keurig is among my most prized possessions. I will talk about this machine to anyone who will listen. It's around this time that I make my first cup of coffee for the day (black, no sugar). Sometimes I add Vital Proteins collagen creamer if I'm feeling particularly adventurous. The stuff is incredible. I try to get down a full bottle of water before the first cup of coffee, and also take my supplements. I can't tell you if it does anything, but it definitely makes me feel healthier.

7:35 a.m.

"My favorite time of the morning. This is when I sit on the couch, in my robe, with coffee in one hand and my phone in the other. Scrolling, calling my dad to tell him I love him, and mentally prepping for the day. The mindset I’m in at this time also determines the probability of my attending a Flywheel class or another cardio endeavor that morning. Assuming it's a motivated one, I'll get in the shower around 8 a.m."

8 a.m.

Get out of the shower, change into workout clothes, give myself a pep talk in the mirror about why braving the cold is worth it, and proceed to cardio. If I'm feeling especially lethargic, there's a small yet functional gym in my building that I'll sometimes go to.

9 a.m.

"I'm that girl in the memes that likes her showers boiling to the point of almost painful. It's now that I'll typically put the best of James Taylor on my Sonos and belt it while in the shower. After, I do a pretty extensive skincare routine, moisturize the literal fuck out of my body, and get dressed. Depending on how I'm doing on time, this is often when the second coffee of the day (iced) comes into play."

9:45 a.m.

"Call the Uber and I'm off to the podcast studio. I usually post a roundup on the way there, then meet Julie and start recording. And that's a wrap."

Next up: Here's How to Stay Energized in the A.M. Without Drinking a Single Cup of Coffee