My First Article
After Four Months of Building a Routine
Hello. I just want to start my first article with gratitude. My name is Josh and I’m glad you could be here with me today. Truly, I am grateful. I am 33 years old and often will tell people that it has been a long 33 years. To be in this very moment of writing this article is something I just can’t take for granted and want to cherish this feeling. I am literally going to pause for a moment and just soak this all in.
(Just a moment).
Let’s get into this article! It is inspired by another person’s post on Medium where they had written on building a routine. I was picking at parts of this other article to see what we had in common and what could be neat to try in my own routines. While doing this it occurred to me to just write my own routine out. Personally, it would be great to have more content like this. The author of the previous article encouraged me to write this and I want to do the same for others. In fact, link me to your routines in the comments or wherever. I’d love to read it. Lastly, for me, the challenges of building this routine were endless. Maybe, my second article will dive into those things. Because I do not want you guys to think that I am David Goggins or Jocko. This routine sucks but it has also been monumental to a very challenging year for me.
The Night Before
- 8 pm: Make sure all dishes are clean, minimize/dim the number of lights that are on in my apartment, refill water bottles, and prep tomorrow’s clothes and workout gear
- 8:30 pm: Read articles, listen to a podcast, or work on a data-related project
- 9 pm: Go to bed and read a book while listening to calming music for about a half-hour
The Next Morning
- 4:30 am: Wake up to my alarm, climb out of bed within 2 mins, and begin turning on every light of every room that I will use (this wandering moment helps get me to where I know what is even happening). Throw on gym gear, make my hydration water, brush teeth and use the bathroom
- 4:45–5ish am: Turn on music or a podcast and head to my gym by bike
- 5:30ish-7:15 am: Workout
- 7:30 am: Get home. Prep my personal laptop to check emails and set my article readings up. But jump in the shower before I begin reading these. I take a warm shower for 3–5 mins and turn it to cold for an additional 3 before jumping out
- 7:45 am: Make an espresso shot (this espresso shot is so glorious) and cook breakfast (2 eggs, a Johnsonville Smoked Brat, and a pancake). I also step outside for a brief moment with my espresso and while breakfast is cooking to soak in a little bit of sunlight
- 8:00 am: Eat breakfast, read over articles and check emails
- 8:30 am: Set up my work laptop and make sure projects are good to go for the day. Also, usually will go through a little bit of my self-learning Maths course on YouTube and leave 5 mins before 9 am to step outside again
- 9:00 am: Jump into work and get the projects rolling
- 10:45ish am: Start prepping lunch and pop open an energy drink (Jocko’s GO! I call it Jocko Juice)
- 11 am: Eat lunch and work on the lighter tasks
- Noon: Bike to my park with a book and read while listening to music for about 20mins
- 12:45 pm: Jump back into work
- 2:30 pm: Watch a bit more of my self-learning Maths course
- 3:00 pm: Jump back into work
- 4:00 pm: Step outside with a snack. Also, prep dinner and after-work learning materials
- 4:15 pm: Finish up my workday as dinner prepares
- 5:00–5:30ish pm: Set work stuff aside, eat dinner and start working on a personal data project (sometimes jump into a data webinar)
- 7:00 pm: Clean, touch base with family and/or friends and review my day
Conclusion
This is a typical Monday through Friday for me! There are little details that I could elaborate on for those interested that are also building their own routines. Such as; hydration packs, self-learning, workouts, “cold exposure” and daily water intake. Hope others can grab something from this article or at least it can be a light-hearted read for your day.
