They say the best way to learn is to “dive right in.” Well, not if you don’t know how to swim. A daily routine is about learning to swim.
A daily routine isn’t about being rigid and having no flexibility causing you to sink on your first attempt. It’s about having a structure that allows you to glide through the day, the weeks, the months, and the years in a balanced, healthy way.
Pre-Hudson, both my wife and I did pretty much what we wanted when we wanted. Emily always was better about structuring her day – working out in the morning, dedicating a work shut-off point, etc. I was always much more fluid and jumped at every ask – work or otherwise – without much consideration toward anyone or anything.
Quite frankly all that jumping became exhausting! In theory, I was being successful – I was working all the time and doing “stuff.” However, I felt run-down, had hit a pretty low point in my relationship with Emily, and had no balance of being a dad with being an executive.
I could feel the toll it was taking on me, not to mention the very obvious lack of support I was giving my family. I also began to notice how aware Emily was and how much was getting done in an effective way. Her headspace was healthy and her daily routine had me green with envy. She was taking care of herself physically and mentally. I got a little jealous because she had seemingly figured it out.
Turns out, it was her daily routine, which was on point and mine was non-existent.
If you’re a Dad and a Husband, I’m thinking this is resonating with you, am I right?
While I still didn’t know how to swim, per se, I figured I had to at least try to doggy-paddle and make some changes to get a daily routine going.
Right away, I implemented these three things:
- Exercise regularly. By exercise regularly I don’t mean working out intensely every day for an hour running and lifting weights. I mean, create a manageable workout routine to keep my “dad bod” in reasonable shape and get my blood flowing.
- Prioritize personal development and my mental health. I decided to go for a walk every day and listen to a podcast. Not an ESPN podcast about the latest scores, but a podcast that would feed my brain and make me think and feel. Rob Dial and his Mindset Mentor podcast is my go-to.
- Make healthier food choices. Turns out I have majorly high cholesterol (I’m basically a solid) and my body could really use some healthier options instead of Zaxby’s and cold-cut sandwiches. I started drinking a smoothie every morning and incorporated Super Greens.
Once I started to nail these three things I was able to focus on building a daily routine around these habits. This allowed me to add the structure to my day and identify the things I need to always create space for – personal hygiene (showering is a must) but more specifically my family, myself, and work.
Now, more than 12 months into my daily routine, the differences in my day-to-day and relationships are significant. The payoff for me and my structure is one thing, but my ability to be a better husband (trying to be the best) and a great dad (also trying to be the best) is even bigger.
My Daily Routine
Here are the nitty-gritty details of my daily routine morning until night.
- 4:00 am Start the Day: My alarm goes off and I start the day with a long shower, shaving my head, and generally waking up.
- 4:50 am Workout and Hydrate: I head downstairs to make a pre-workout drink and mix up my Super Greens.
- 5:30 am Journal and Reflect: Every morning I complete a journal entry in my High-Performance Journal. This helps me get my mind right and reflect on myself as a person.
- 6:00 am Work: I spend time catching up with my emails, and my team. I prep for the day by reviewing my calendar, processing high-priority tasks, etc.
- 6:30 am Family Time: Hudson is not into sleeping in, so by 6:30 am he has usually been up for a while. From 6:30 am until he leaves for school with Emily is a family time where we play, ease into the day with a movie or show, have some breakfast, etc. I dedicate this time to the three of us.
- 7:15 am School Time: Hudson and Emily head to school around 7:15 am every morning. I get his school bag ready and settle him into the car.
- 7:30 am Me Time: I head out for my 45 min walk around the neighborhood where I listen to (at the moment) my favorite podcast, The Mindset Mentor, and enjoy some music. This walk, for me, is as much of a mental need as it is physical. Whether it is cold, raining, snowing, or 110 degrees, it doesn’t matter – this walk helps to set my mental path for how I enter the working day, and it honestly has become one of my favorite things to do for and with myself.
- 8:30 am Breakfast: I blend up my smoothie which is a combination of Collagen Peptides protein powder, chia seeds, some greens, and fruit combined with plant-based milk. This is my body fuel.
- 8:45 am Work: I spend this time until 4:00 pm, getting in my workload. Between Noon and 1 pm, I’ll stop to eat lunch and have a cold shower to wake me up for the rest of the day.
- 4:00 pm Family Time: I pick Hudson up every day at 4 pm from school. I look forward to seeing his big smile! Once Hudson and I get home, Emily is typically getting things ready for dinner so either Hudson and I will play in the living room or Hudson will request to cook with momma. We then typically eat dinner between 4:30 pm and 5 pm (a toddler-friendly time).
- 6:15 pm Bathtime and Hudson’s Bedtime: We head upstairs for bathtime which consists of toys and a lot of splashing. We get Hudson ready for bed together and Emily reads stories and sings songs before he falls asleep.
- 6:45 pm Work Wrap-up and Me Time: I use this time to wrap up my workday and organize myself for the next day. I also use this time to do an evening journal entry and reflect on the day.
- 8:00 pm Mom & Dad Time: By now, I finally get 1:1 time with my wife and it’s the best. We enjoy a cocktail together and a TV show or two, usually something on HGTV or Netflix.
- 9:00 pm Adult Bedtime: Time for bed to rest and wake up for another good day.
It hasn’t always been easy to get it going and I’ve had some bumps in the road sticking to it, but I would also be lost without it.
Copy mine, make yours, whatever – but dive in. You’ll learn to swim along the way and be better for it.
Cheers to our daily routine, Dads!
