Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey walks 75 minutes and 5.3 miles to work every morning.

Taking time out of his morning to commute by foot is the most worthwhile investment he's ever made, Dorsey told author Tim Ferriss for his book "Tools of Titans." During the five-mile trek, the self-made billionaire unplugs. He doesn't email or text. He uses the time to listen to music and audiobooks, or simply to think and draw inspiration from the streets of San Francisco.

I decided to spend a week replicating Dorsey's morning routine, which includes waking up at 5 a.m. to meditate and work out, in addition to the 5.3 mile walk.

I learned after the experiment that he prepares for the early alarm by getting nine hours of sleep. He tweeted, in response to my challenge: "Most important thing in these routines is to constantly experiment to see what's right for you. Oh, and sleep! I try to get 9 hours."

dorsey tweet

My apartment in Manhattan is 4.7 miles from my office, which is pretty comparable to Dorsey's distance, but I tacked on an extra 10 blocks (about 0.5 miles) to make my morning walk as similar as possible to his. The biggest difference between our commutes is our location: He's in the Bay Area, while I'm in New York City. If he has the advantage of a more mild climate, I have the advantage of terrain: There are no hills to climb in NYC.

Most mornings, I was up at 5 a.m. to exercise or meditate, out the door by 7:15 a.m. and in the office by 8:45 a.m.

Five days of rising and commuting like Dorsey was plenty for me. Here's why I won't be adopting his full morning routine anytime soon.