My Mornings Are Not Optimized.
They Are Oriented.
As I’m healing from getting hit by a car, my energy and enthusiasm have started kicking in. I’ve been working non-stop. Productivity is rising.
But with that comes the risk of wasting time. You can go on tangents.
I found this guy, Rajiv, online, who had a useful checklist about executive routines. He writes: “Every quarter I review my daily routine and make changes based on what I have learned and to better accommodate the current circumstances of my personal life and my job.”
That stuck with me.
The truth is, if I didn’t know I’d be seeing and driving my kids early in the morning, I would never be this motivated. But here we are.
And I need to know if I’m making the most of it all.
My mornings are not optimized. They are oriented.
I wake up. Stretch and walk. I have coffee. Check emails and some market action. I learn philosophy. I study spiritual ideas. I pray. I have a small snack. I drive my kids for about an hour.
During that drive, I usually listen to a historical talk. Not to be productive. To have perspective.
By the time I get to work, I’m not chasing the day. I’m already in game mode.
Then comes the practical layer.
Emails get written. Chats get answered. Loose ideas get turned into bullet points. Payments go out. Money comes in. Accounts stay clean.
This part isn’t glamorous. But it keeps the engine running. Ignore it and I get a nagging itch.
At the end of the day, I summarize everything. What moved. What stalled. What needs attention tomorrow? I close loops.
Then, and only then, I work on ongoing projects. Two or three hours. When everything is quiet and no distractions.
Then I sleep.
Then I wake up and do it again.
The irony is that structure has taught me about the constraints I have and how to make the most of them.
The real risk right now isn’t laziness. It’s overreach.
When energy returns after injury or burnout, the temptation is to sprint. To make up for lost time. To follow every interesting thought to its conclusion.
That’s how you waste the gift.
The answer isn’t doing less. It’s choosing when curiosity is allowed to roam and when it needs a fence.
Morning is for orientation. Daytime is for keeping reality honest. Evening is for closure and creation.
When you do this, you will elevate yourself, level up your social skills, and inspire those around you.
What’s one thing in your routine that isn’t productive but keeps you oriented?
Have a powerful Saturday
Eric
