My Morning Routine, How I start my day? - COVID Edition

Before I tell you how, I should probably tell you when. The answer, usually around 4-4:30am. That's when the Rocky Anthem queues up on my iPhone, alerting me that it is time to tackle the day. For late or normal risers, please do not throw anything at me through your computer screen or mobile device. The reality is how people start their day varies drastically based on their work and family situation as well as personal preference. A first responder or shift worker has a much different routine than myself in corporate America. Research also suggests that there is a classic division from left brain and right brain types that suggest whether one is more akin to be an early riser vs. night owl (Credit: BBC). Many CEOs have proclaimed that they wake up early to enhance their personal productivity. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO has proclaimed a 3:45am wake up call. Disney CEO, Bob Iger, told the New York Times he wakes up at 4:30am. Mark Wahlberg, wakes up at 2:30am to exercise, golf, and chill out- literally - in the cryochamber. Leadership podcast host Jocko Willick, posts his watch on social media at 4:30am every morning.

Classic late risers are less likely to proclaim their time in the sack and accompanying wake up time. Regardless of wake up time, research unequivocally signals that 7-8 hours of sleep is optimal whether you are up late or rise early. Buyer beware, there is not a linear relationship that says more sleep is better for health. It is the classic goldilocks story where just the right amount of sleep is optimal according to the world’s largest sleep study.

I find the benefits of keeping a morning routine to derive the same benefit of many habits: reduces choice, becomes hardwired, ensures consistency, delivers health and productivity benefits, and provides appropriate structure for our myself and our family. In our household, my wife and I used to wake up together, walk the dog, drink coffee, and go to a 5am CrossFit class. Fast forward to moving to the Boston suburbs and having a 2 year old boy that schedule no longer works for our family. We still have a strong passion to start our day with fitness and have shifted our schedule to accommodate that. With our current work from home regimen, we have not strayed too far from that routine; however, we may throw in a lunch time Yoga or Stretching class to give us break from the hours and hours of Zoom video calls. Why do we stick to a routine? It allows our brain to work less and focus more. In Charle Duhigg book, “The Power of Habit” he states, "In fact, the brain starts working less and less," says Duhigg. "The brain can almost completely shut down. ... And this is a real advantage, because it means you have all of this mental activity you can devote to something else." That is the academic thoughtful answer. The other side of the equation is that it allows us to prioritize what we value without allowing for distractions.

For me, there are many benefits to starting the day with fitness. I feel energized the rest of the day. I also let go of the anxiety of not being able to find time to exercise. This became even more true when daycare facilities were closed and we became stay at home parents and employees simultaneously. Unfortunately, this meant for many that their fitness routines were put on hold especially in a time where the mental break and benefits of exercise would have helped. Studies have also suggested a robust effect on mental health through exercise. There is also a vanity element to fitness. I want to look and perform at my best and find that exercise is highly correlated.

Here’s a typical day for me.

4:20am Wake Up: Brush Teeth, Drink Water, Stretch

4:30am Make Coffee and Empty Dishwasher

4:40am Walk Dog

4:50am Work Out - Power Zone, HIIT or Interval Peloton Classes. Strength/Stretching

5:50am Meditate

6:00am Plan out Day and prioritize tasks

6:30am Shower and Change into “Work Attire"

7:00am Spend time with my son: Breakfast and reading are commonplace for this hour

8:00am Drop my son off at Daycare

(Note: my wife actually wakes up at 4am and hits our home gym while I am making coffee, emptying the dishwasher, and walking the dog)

From Monday through Friday, it is rare for us to deviate off this schedule. I will say we are mindful of when we need more rest. Most night we are preparing for bed by 8:30 and asleep by 9pm. This allows for 7-8 hours of restful sleep that keeps us refreshed for this routine. If we go to bed later, then we will deviate from this schedule. One day this week we happened to both sleep in until 6am only to awake to our son’s plea to come get him out of his crib. We both looked at each other and said “we needed that.” 

So back to habits and how to initiate this new habit. Your environment and affirmation through action helps aid habit formation. James Clear author of Atomic Habits states “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.” For us, part of the routine is our identity as individuals and a family. We want to be that hyper productive, organized family…no apologies about that. 

My advice is to define what your natural biological clock tells you to do. If you are more productive at night, you work in a creative or flexible environment where working at night is acceptable, and you are more productive, then shifting to a routine similar to mine may not suit you. If you are a a classic type “A” butt kicker, then the morning routine and early rising may come naturally to you. The key to any change in routine is to measure how you look, feel and perform as you augment your schedule. This can be purely qualitative or you can actually track your mood, energy, fitness, and labs. I have done a bit of both.

Are you ready to make a change to become an "early riser? Here's how I recommend you make the transition:

1. Get Started. Commit to going to bed 15 minutes early and wake 15 minutes earlier until you reach your desired wake up time
2. Plan your morning routine. Don't wandering around in the morning like a Zombie. You saw my morning routine, now develop your own.
3. Ritual is everything. Establish a bedtime routine (read, meditate, stretch, drink tea, brush teeth, floss, moisturize, etc.) that helps you establish the transition to sleep
4. Create a cave. Ensure that you have a blacked out sleeping area minimizing electronics and light to create a dark environment
5. Put the devices down. I know you want to keep watching Cobra Kai on Netflix...Stop using your devices and do not eat 1-2 hours prior to the bedtime
6. Use an alarm clock initially. I used the bedtime setting on my Apple phone that also reminds me of my bedtime based on desired sleep length and wake up time. (NOTE: I noted not having electronics in your room. I usually leave it on a wireless charger in my closet to minimize evening distractions)
7. Eliminate stress throughout the process. What happens if you still wake up at 6am and have difficulty making the transition? Nothing. It is the same routine you had before and may take some more time to adjust to the new schedule
8. Align with your partner about the transition. Without them on board, they will just get annoyed when your alarm goes off at 4am and they wake up to turn it off because you are still dead to the world (I may or may not be speaking from previous experience).
9. Develop Why. My why has shifted over the years. Initially, it was to be able to work out and commute to work. Now my why is to spend more time with my son while staying fit!!
10. Create stakes. If this transition is important to you, then declare to the world that you are going to make it a reality and create a loss/consequence for not following(NOTE: I will wake up at 4am 5 out of 7 days weekly or I will volunteer to weed the yard, detail the car, etc.)

Bottomline: The old adage that the early bird get the worm is just that an adage. It works for us and finding what works for you is important to optimizing your work, life and performance.