My mornings are my control room. The rest of the day, I’m juggling calls, proposals, manuscript edits, and client workshops. But the morning? That’s when I set the tone. Without it, I’d be reacting to my inbox. With it, I’m running the day before it runs me.
Here’s what that looks like—unfiltered, unromantic, and entirely built for someone who wears three hats.
Wake Without the World
I wake at 5:45 a.m. without an alarm blaring at me. My phone stays in the kitchen overnight, so the first thing I see isn’t a barrage of notifications.
The first ten minutes are quiet—no news, no messages. I want certainty before I engage with the chaos. That means knowing the day will begin on my terms, not someone else’s urgency.
This is where I check in with myself: How’s my energy? Any mental clutter? I don’t fix anything yet—I just notice. It’s the diagnostic before the day’s repairs.
Move Before I Think
I’ve learned not to negotiate with myself about exercise. I roll straight into a 20-minute mobility and light strength session—bodyweight squats, push-ups, resistance band work.
This isn’t about “getting ripped.” It’s about autonomy over my energy curve. Movement early means I choose how alert I feel, instead of letting caffeine decide.
By 6:15, I’m awake not just in body but in brain. And because I’ve already done something hard, I’m less likely to let small obstacles knock me off track later.
Coffee and Capture
Coffee is my one ritual I’ll never outsource. Grinding the beans, pouring the water, inhaling the first hit of aroma—it’s my way of telling my brain, We’re shifting into gear now.
While I sip, I open my notebook. I capture three things:
- Loose ideas for my books or articles.
- Client project thoughts that surfaced overnight.
- Any personal to-dos nagging at me.
This relatedness—connecting with my own thoughts before anyone else’s—means the first ideas of the day are mine, not borrowed from social media or Slack threads.
The 3-3-1 Plan
I don’t write endless to-do lists anymore. I use my 3-3-1 framework:
- 3 Business Outcomes (one for each role—founder, author, consultant)
- 3 Maintenance Tasks (admin, email, quick calls)
- 1 Personal Priority (health, relationships, rest)
By locking this in early, I have certainty about what matters most. If I finish these, the day is a win—no matter how many unexpected fires appear.
Read for Leverage
Between 6:45 and 7:15, I read. Not news feeds. Not clickbait. I go deep into something that stretches my thinking—industry reports, long-form essays, dense non-fiction.
This isn’t leisure; it’s status building. I want to walk into client calls and writing sessions with insights nobody else has because they were too busy scrolling headlines.
That half-hour compounds over time. It shows up in sharper strategy decks, richer book chapters, and smarter questions in boardrooms.
Writing Before Work
From 7:15 to 8:00, I write. No meetings, no interruptions. It could be a book draft, a thought-leadership article, or a framework for a keynote.
Writing first means my creative output isn’t at the mercy of how the rest of the day goes. It’s autonomy over my intellectual work—the part of my business nobody else can do for me.
By the time most people are clearing their inbox, I’ve already shipped something that moves a major project forward.
Breakfast and Briefing
Breakfast is when I connect with my family. I’m not skimming my phone between bites. We talk about the day ahead. This relatedness anchors me—it’s a reminder that my roles outside of work matter just as much.
Once I’m at my desk, I skim my daily brief: calendar blocks, meeting agendas, and prep notes for any pitches or client sessions. This isn’t deep planning—it’s just loading the mental map.
The 9 a.m. Start Line
By 9 a.m., I’m fully in work mode. My team knows I’ve already handled my thinking work, which makes our stand-up calls more decisive. They get my full attention because I’ve handled my own priorities first.
This creates fairness for them—they’re not competing with my personal tasks for focus. And for me, it’s the assurance that the rest of the day is about execution, not catch-up.
Why This Routine Works for All Three Roles
As a founder, I need strategic bandwidth. As an author, I need uninterrupted creative time. As a consultant, I need energy and presence in high-stakes conversations.
This routine gives me all three. It’s status in the sense that it reinforces who I am in each role, without one stealing from the others.
I don’t have to “find time” for writing or exercise or strategy—they’re already baked into the first few hours.
Win the Morning, Protect the Day
People often ask if this routine is rigid. It’s not. Travel days, early client calls, or book deadlines force adjustments. But the principles stay the same:
- Start with clarity, not noise.
- Move your body before moving your mind into work.
- Protect your best hours for the work only you can do.
- Connect with people who matter before the world’s demands take over.
By 9 a.m., I’ve already invested in my health, my mind, my relationships, and my core business priorities. Everything else is bonus.
Because as someone balancing three careers, I’ve learned this: If you don’t control your morning, you don’t control your business, your book, or your life.