We are a product of our daily habits.
The small things we do every day usually have a bigger impact on our lives than the grand things we do once in a while.
That’s because habits compound.
A 30-minute run doesn’t transform your health. One healthy breakfast doesn’t change much. Reading a few pages of a book won’t suddenly make you wiser.
But do those things most days for years, and they start to shape who you are.
It’s similar to investing. The individual deposits don’t seem like much. The compounding is where the magic happens.
So when I think about living a productive, healthy, fulfilling life, I try to focus less on the macro and more on the micro.
What can I do today that makes today a little better?
Here are the daily habits that improve my life.
Wake up early
I recognize that some people are naturally early risers and others are night owls. But our modern world tends to reward morning people, especially if you work a job that gets going around 9am.
The earlier I wake up, the more time I have to live on my own terms before the demands of the day begin.
On weekdays, I typically wake up between 5:30 and 6am.
Coffee + stretch
I’m usually the first person awake in my house. One of the first things I do is make a cup of coffee and slowly go through a full-body stretching routine.
I don’t rush it.
I focus on my breathing and let my mind wander wherever it wants to go. Often, without consciously trying, I start thinking about what matters that day.
The combination of coffee and stretching wakes up my mind and body at the same time.
Read and/or journal
After stretching, I usually read a few pages or write in my journal.
If something is bothering me or I’m having trouble making sense of a situation, writing is often the fastest way to untangle my thoughts.
If my mind is calm, I’ll read.
Sometimes that means religious reading that helps ground me in values and how I want to live. Other times it’s simply a book I’m excited about.
A few quiet pages in the morning can influence the tone of the entire day.
Exercise
Once my mind and body are awake, I’m ready to move.
Most mornings that means a 30-minute run outside.
Running is exercise, but for me it’s also therapy. I’m almost always calmer, clearer, and more focused at work after I run.
I don’t push especially hard. The goal is to enjoy being outside, breathe fresh air, let my thoughts move around, and have some time alone.
I also lift weights once or twice a week and usually play tennis a couple of times per week.
The specific activity matters less to me than moving my body every day.
No phone for the first 2–3 hours
You may have noticed that none of my morning habits involve a screen.
That’s intentional.
I try not to check email or social media for the first two or three hours after waking up.
Those early hours are mine.
I can wake up, think, move, read, and decide what matters before I start responding to everyone else’s priorities.
Most days I first check email around 8am, roughly two and a half hours after waking.
Eat a healthy breakfast
After my morning run, I eat a high-fiber breakfast.
My usual bowl is oat bran mixed with psyllium husk, chia seeds, cinnamon, walnuts, and wild blueberries.
It’s not glamorous, but I like it, it fills me up, and it works for me.
That is probably a decent description of many good habits.
No meetings before 10am
I try to avoid meetings before 10am, and ideally before 10:30.
That gives me the first part of the workday to focus on whatever matters most.
I find that my entire day feels better if I make meaningful progress on my highest-priority task before getting pulled into meetings, messages, and other people’s agendas.
I’m happy to spend much of 10–12 in meetings. I just like protecting that first hour or so.
Eat a lunch that keeps my energy steady
For lunch, I usually eat something like a salad with grilled chicken, plenty of vegetables, nuts or seeds, and occasionally quinoa or farro.
I generally avoid a heavy lunch because I know what happens next: my energy crashes.
I’d rather finish lunch feeling satisfied but still alert.
When possible, I eat outside. Even a short break from the office environment helps reset my brain.
Walk after lunch
If my schedule allows, I’ll take a 10–20 minute walk after lunch.
There’s a peaceful path behind my office that makes this especially easy.
The walk helps me digest, gets me back outside, and creates a clean break between the morning and afternoon.
If I can’t walk after lunch, a mid-afternoon walk works too.
Drink water throughout the day
I usually keep a glass or bottle of water nearby.
I’m not obsessively tracking ounces or carrying around a gallon jug.
I just sip water throughout the day.
Simple, boring, effective.
No meetings after 4pm
When possible, I also try to avoid meetings after 4pm.
That gives me the final stretch of the day to finish important work, close loops, and leave the office feeling like the day actually ended.
There’s something underrated about walking out the door with a clear mind instead of five unfinished thoughts bouncing around your head.
Put the phone away at home
I usually get home around 6 or 6:30pm.
I might do one final email check before going inside, but once I’m home, I try to put my phone in what we call the “phone foyer” — a spot in the kitchen where it docks and charges.
The simple act of physically putting my phone away helps me be more present with my family.
Otherwise, it is far too easy for work email or social media to follow me around all night.
No email for the last hour before bed
I avoid email during the final hour before bed.
Very little good comes from discovering a work problem at 9pm.
Whatever feels urgent at night usually feels much more manageable the next morning.
Protecting the final hour of the day helps protect my sleep, too.
Read and/or journal before bed
I usually read for 10–20 minutes in bed.
Reading tends to make me sleepy in a way that scrolling never does.
If my mind is still active, I’ll journal instead.
Once a thought is out of my head and on paper, my brain seems much more willing to let it go.
Go to bed early
On weeknights, I’m usually asleep by 9:30 or 10pm.
I aim for roughly eight hours of sleep, so if I want to wake up at 5:30 or 6, the math is pretty straightforward.
That means starting to wind down around 8:30.
Not exactly a wild nightlife.
But it works for me.
I’m looser with all of this on weekends, and of course life regularly gets in the way.
That’s fine.
The point isn’t to execute a perfect routine.
It’s to have a collection of small behaviors you can return to again and again because you know they make your life better.
None of these habits are especially dramatic.
That’s actually what I like about them.
A good life probably isn’t built through a handful of extraordinary days.
It’s built through thousands of pretty ordinary ones.