You Don't Need a 5 AM Morning Routine to Get Things Done

You don’t need the perfect morning routine or flawless meal prep to be productive! In this video, I bust the myths about rigid productivity hacks and share how I get things done without stress and strict habits.

Level up your productivity and life with new essays, videos, event invites, and other resources every Tuesday. Join 125k subscribers exploring the frontier of modern work, experimenting with new ways of doing more with less, and discovering what it means to fulfil our human potential.

CHAPTERS:
00:00 - 01:00 Intro
01:00 - 01:49 My approach to exercise
01:49 - 02:20 My approach to family
02:20 - 03:22 My approach to food
03:22 - 04:24 My approach to work
04:24 - 05:17 Takeaway 1: Keep organized in key places and let go of the rest
05:17 - 05:44 Takeaway 2: Listen to yourself
05:44 - 06:09 Takeaway 3: Live your life in seasons
06:09 - 06:19 Conclusion
06:16 - 06:28 Bloopers

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[writingwhiledistracted]

Thank goodness—a realistic take on how family effects productivity and routine

[davekang]

finally! nice to see someone advise some flexibility instead of military like discipline, which I find impossible to do, and frankly I question if the people advocating such things even really do it themselves. Thanks for more realistic strategies!

[NicoVeenkamp]

This is the way to go. Don’t beat yourself up when something doesn’t go your way. Just start again. You can always start anew and hopefully a bit better. Strive for consistency in progress.

[alejandrasedano]

I am really glad for this video... I have been struggling in the last month with my habit tracker, I feel so guilty, but as you shows us the productivity... Makes me think that being productive does not need be such stressful. Thanks a bunch

[annemariefrank]

The idea of variability, listening to the body and flexibility of schedules for exercise actually makes total sense from the scientific evidence perspective, the biopsychosocial model and our understanding of evolution of human movement. (Physio here). Spot on!

[jonihoadley]

It's nice to see an alternative viewpoint that's much more realistic for parents!

[sabinak]

I love the humanity in this menu habit style.
like we arent robots, and we dont have control over 100% of our days - even without children. Thats why I dont like these rigid structures that so many creators advertise. If it works for you, thats good, but it wont work for everybody. And it created a lot of pressure around following these routines - at least for me.
Ive also recently adopted this kind of menu style of habits. I give myself options and I actively choose what to do any given day, depending on my energy levels and priorities. It helps to focus my attention and it helps me with feelings of shame. Because when I actively choose what to do that day, I know that the decision was based on the circumstances of that day.
The only thing I still struggle with is choosing the difficult things instead of the easy ones, even though I know the difficult option is the better one in the long run. But one step at a time, right? :)

[ronhori]

I love your humor and your practical tips on how to deal with life as it happens,

[pranavsuri]

The approach to food (with multiple acceptable options) is a game-changer.

[AstralWanderer]

Wow, this opened my eyes. I've never seen it from that perspective. I really do sometimes beat myself up over not doing what I was planning to do on a certain day or that I forgot to do something yesterday, like yoga. I still have to deal with my procrastination issues, but at least making small mistakes won't bother me anymore. Thank you!

[billytam]

I really enjoyed this alternative approach to productivity. It resonates more with me compared to the regimented discipline of other habit systems. I like the menu concept, it shows me making healthier choices does not have to be a binary healthy/not healthy option.

[optiacoustix]

I like how this is more realistic than what other influencers peddle!

[brettrcohen]

Like the idea of plan A-F for dinner, otherwise we just eat out 😂

[Jérôme-mo]

Nice video. We have exactly the same mind. It would be nice to do a video about "paper". Reducing screens, switching a part of work to paper (freelances etc.).

[deborahwilson]

Most routines definitely do not take real life into consideration. After all, somebody has to do the dishes and other everyday mundane tasks. There will always be interruptions. Not everyday flows smoothly.

[kylesmeltzer]

So I get that you do deep work when you are working in the morning for 2 to 3 hours every day. How exactly do you make this happen with kids on the weekend? I feel like having 4 hours of deep work time on the weekend would be life changing.

[jamestheredd]

I'm proud to say that I walk 5k... steps every day. :)

[JW-mgsk]

This is the way I’ve been doing it - less rigidity, more flexibility

[suvansh]

Ironically the Sarcastic “Overdone Youtube Grind” Opening is now becoming overdone itself.