New Day, New Routine – Writing First Thing in the Morning
(A Part of The Continuous Improvement Series)
Today I started my new routine of writing first thing in the morning.
Since September, I’ve been getting up at 3:30 AM to go on a run and have run every morning for over 120 nearly-consecutive days of running with only three missed mornings due to injury during the week of Thanksgiving following a poorly timed 20-mile run. The early-AM run set the tone for the day, it was my foundation. Most importantly, it set in motion a mindset of taking action that has led me to where I am now – building my dream company and developing my ideal lifestyle.
But as a full-time, stay-at-home dad, the time I had available during the day was severely lacking. Once the kids were up, it was nonstop from 7 AM to around 12:30-1:00 PM when they are put down for a nap. Then I had approximately two hours to clean up from the morning, prep for the afternoon, lift weights, and write. Because I was trying to do two time-consuming acts, lifting and writing, during the same tight window of time, they both ended up suffering in both quality and quality. Which damaged my mindset leading into the remainder of the day, a time of day that demanded my optimal energy for making dinner, watching the kids, preparing for Christina’s return from work, and after dinner, cleaning up from the day and putting the kids down. A truly exhausting final four-hour push before the day’s end.
I needed to be primed for the final window. Knowing that I had already accomplished my Main Thing, working on my company and brand, and my 8 Daily Cardinal Habits of running, lifting, recovery, reflecting, writing, reading, speaking, and listening for the day by 3 PM, I could be free to give everything else I had left in my tank for my family. And when the kids are finally down and it’s just me and my wife at the end of the day, I can truly enjoy her company and ease into the evening with her and ensure I have a quality night of sleep.
So, by analyzing my day, seeing what I could move around to ensure I accomplished my Main Thing each day, what I could do with the kids awake, and what I couldn’t do, I discovered that the one thing I COULDN’T do with the kids awake was my writing, but the one thing I COULD do with them awake was my running. Even though I love starting the day with my run, I needed to sacrifice to ensure I’m accomplishing what was most important: my writing. Thus, we invested in a double running stroller to take the kids with me on my runs later in the morning and as of this morning, starting with this blog, I’m spending my early morning hours from 3-7 AM on my Main Thing, my writing – working on my personal brand and Family Forward Wellness.
Even though I get up at 3-3:30 AM to write and work on my projects, I still get dressed and ready for the day.
— Greg Cello (@gregorycello) January 13, 2023
Why?#lookgoodfeelgooddogood pic.twitter.com/ZQv7lUBghs
