3194: My Morning Routine isn’t Guru Approved - And That’s What Makes it Perfect for Me by Ramit Sethi of IWT

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Living Daily, episode 3194

[00:00:03] My Morning Routine Isn't Guru Approved and That's What Makes It Perfect For Me by Ramit Sethi of IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com

[00:00:11] And I'm Justin Malik, your host and narrator back today with an article from popular author Ramit Sethi

[00:00:17] And we're gonna jump right into it as we optimize your life

[00:00:21] My Morning Routine Isn't Guru Approved and That's What Makes It Perfect For Me by Ramit Sethi of IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com

[00:00:34] Can we please stop with guilting people over the morning pages, the journaling, the meditation,

[00:00:39] the drinking 18 gallons of mint infused water, and the yoga? If you want to do those, great.

[00:00:46] But you don't have to.

[00:00:48] My rules for the perfect morning? No, you don't need to meditate to be successful. No, you don't need to journal or do yoga.

[00:00:55] It's okay to check Instagram first thing in the morning. I do. If it's not on your calendar, it doesn't exist.

[00:01:02] And you decide your rich life, including your morning routine.

[00:01:06] Why we take bad advice about morning routines.

[00:01:10] There's a new cottage industry of people telling you all the things you should do every morning.

[00:01:16] But as it gets more absurdly specific, it gets even more performative.

[00:01:21] Drink a glass of water? No, make sure you infuse it with turmeric and mint. If you like mint, great.

[00:01:27] But just adding mint doesn't do anything.

[00:01:30] The real win here is to be intentional about what you want to do and how you want to do it.

[00:01:35] This is a lot harder than making an esoteric recommendation like drinking six ounces of yak tea.

[00:01:41] People love those recommendations because all of us want a magic bullet or secrets that will magically change everything for us.

[00:01:49] Deep down, we know it's all bullsh**.

[00:01:52] How to create the right morning routine for you.

[00:01:56] Real happiness and productivity comes from making much deeper changes.

[00:02:01] If you love waking up without an alarm clock, how can you go to sleep at a time where you can make that a reality?

[00:02:07] If you want to make breakfast for your kids every morning,

[00:02:10] how can you set things up the night before? If you like to have a leisurely morning where you take two hours to watch TV,

[00:02:16] what does it take to make that happen?

[00:02:19] This is a lot harder than taking some magic pill. It means fundamentally

[00:02:24] restructuring your lifestyle, including how you work, maybe even where you work, how you relax,

[00:02:30] what time you go to sleep, and even what you think of yourself. I'm not a morning person is an identity you can rewrite.

[00:02:38] Real morning routines are decided the week before, month before, and year before.

[00:02:44] I love the idea of crafting a meaningful morning for your personal rich life.

[00:02:48] I do not love the cargo cult fanaticism about random tactics.

[00:02:53] The best morning routine is decided the day before, the week before, and the year before by mastering the fundamentals.

[00:03:02] What I mean by this? When I wake up and have a leisurely morning then wander over to start working,

[00:03:07] I open my calendar. What I see has been decided weeks and months before.

[00:03:12] I know what I'm working on because every Monday looks the same, every Tuesday looks the same, etc.

[00:03:18] I've customized my work to what works for me. For example, I'm more creative in the morning,

[00:03:24] so I have writing time scheduled then. I do most calls in the afternoon.

[00:03:28] And I honor my own commitments. If it's on the calendar, it's getting done. If it's not on the calendar, it's not.

[00:03:36] You know how we don't try to brush our teeth every morning?

[00:03:39] We just do it. Same thing for a schedule. Once it's scheduled, I'm going to honor it.

[00:03:44] That's become a habit and you can build the same habit.

[00:03:48] It's far better to consciously decide what your morning looks like. If you want to roll over and check Instagram as I do,

[00:03:55] that's great. The first thing I get to read is some 17 year old telling me I'm wrong about investing.

[00:04:00] Thanks for your contributions to the investing literature.

[00:04:03] Be realistic about your time and energy.

[00:04:06] Look at your calendar for tomorrow. Have you thought about how your energy fluctuates throughout the day?

[00:04:12] Does your calendar include the three most important things that need to get done? Is it realistic?

[00:04:18] Does it include time to use the bathroom and eat and just zone out?

[00:04:22] These are much more important than decisions like how many ounces of water you're going to drink. They're also harder, which is why we avoid them.

[00:04:29] I believe in tackling the big wins in life, not chasing tiny decisions that are ultimately meaningless.

[00:04:36] Three questions to ask yourself when designing your morning routine.

[00:04:40] Number one, what would your perfect morning look like?

[00:04:44] Think expansively.

[00:04:46] They can involve walking your dog in the park, making the perfect cup of coffee or watching an hour of TV. You decide.

[00:04:54] Number two, what are all the reasons this will never work? Get them out on paper.

[00:04:59] I know, I know you're not a morning person. Your boss won't let you start working at 930 a.m.

[00:05:05] Your kitchen is too cluttered. You don't have the right equipment to make an espresso.

[00:05:09] Write all of the reasons down.

[00:05:11] And number three, what are all the reasons you could make this work?

[00:05:16] Now reverse it. If you absolutely had to, what could you do to make your perfect morning happen?

[00:05:22] Perhaps you could come to an agreement with your boss about your start time. You could buy an espresso machine.

[00:05:27] You can even move closer to a park.

[00:05:30] Think big and don't limit yourself.

[00:05:33] As you tackle these questions, you may realize that your perfect morning is a lot closer than you thought.

[00:05:39] You just listened to the post titled,

[00:05:45] My Morning Routine Isn't Guru Approved and That's What Makes It Perfect For Me by Ramit Sethi of IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com

[00:05:52] And I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:05:55] Thank you, Ramit. A different take than we'll typically hear on this show and there's a lot I agree with.

[00:06:02] Tactics are easy and often what we want. The just tell me what I need to do sort of stuff.

[00:06:08] But making big changes that can lead to a more happy and productive life,

[00:06:12] well, that requires more than tactics. More like an investigation of what we truly want and what it would take to get there.

[00:06:20] Because if we can figure that stuff out, the tactics will likely end up happening as a consequence anyway.

[00:06:26] For example, going back to his three questions when designing your morning routine.

[00:06:30] Maybe you wish you were healthier or even something smaller like the tactic of drinking a glass of water.

[00:06:36] Well, your perfect morning when asking yourself that question could look like having a workout and then drinking water since you probably will be thirsty after.

[00:06:45] So what are the reasons this will never work? And then what are all the reasons you could make this work?

[00:06:51] If those were genuinely answered and your environment was set up to make this a reality, the tactics should fit right in.

[00:06:58] So do think about those questions today. Have a great rest of your day, and I'll catch you tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.