Creating a Daily Routine

Now that I am rising early I can take advantage of the time to actually plan out my day. Having a well defined routine lets you focus on your goals without the worry of what is next. Going through the day not really knowing what you want to do next can eat away at your mood very quickly.

I started this year out with a pretty simple routine.

Starting Simple

6:00a : wake

6:00a - 6:30a : breakfast

6:30a - 7:30a : do something productive

7:30a - 9:00a : gym

10:00a : get back to being productive

That simple routine worked well, but it didn’t take long to realize it wasn’t as specific as I thought it should be. I wanted to define blocks of productivity periods and also set aside an hour for reading.

The Current Routine

6:00a - 6:10a : wake, tea or warm water + vitamins

6:10a - 6:20a : bagel or yogurt and coffee

6:20a - 7:20a : catch up on news and outline task blocks

7:20a - 8:30a : gym

8:30a - 9:00a : drive home & eat breakfast

9:00a - 12:00p : important task block 1

12:00p - 1:00p : lunch

1:00p - 5:00p : important task block 2

5:00p - 6:30p : dinner

6:30p - 9:00p : important task block 3

9:00p - 10:00p : reading

10:00p - 6:00a : sleep

Define Important Task Block

An important task block in this schedule isn’t necessarily one task. It’s actually one of three options:

A small task block is a set of simple items on my list. Maybe one meeting, two easy bug fixes and one medium fix.

is a set of simple items on my list. Maybe one meeting, two easy bug fixes and one medium fix. A medium task block is two or three more time cosuming tasks.

is two or three more time cosuming tasks. A large task block is used when I just want to focus on one task.

Depending on how I want to work on a particular day I may have a day of just small task blocks. If an item is larger than my largest block (four hours), that is a clear signal that the task needs to be broken into smaller chunks.

If you’re married and/or have kids you might use one of these blocks to spend time with your family. The important part is that you’ve already established what will be done with your time.

Where I’m At Today

I’ve adapted to the schedule and am still fine tuning things as I go along.

Right now I currently wake at 5:45a and am aiming for 5:30a. While the day I use as my off day is still pretty random, I’m beginning to try using Sunday as a day to detach myself from current project work.

Not everyone is born a morning person. But if you’re interested I strongly recommend experimenting and beginning your day on a different foot. Start simple. My wife, who was nowhere near being a morning person, is actually becoming an early riser.

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to write in or find me on Twitter.