Owning My Day

6:00 AM

Without the use of an alarm clock, I get up within 10 minutes of 6 am each morning, take a pill to combat my hypothyroidism, and drink 20 oz. of a morning cocktail consisting of filtered water, fresh squeezed lemon juice from 1/6-1/4 of a lemon (depending on size), and a dash of pink Himalayan rock salt. This morning cocktail was suggested to me by Aubrey Marcus in his book, Own the Day, Own Your Life (ODOYL). Indeed, many parts of my day are attributed to ideas that came from this book.

After downing my 20 oz. of water, I hop in the shower for a rinse or a cleaning depending on whether I showered after a workout the night before or not. I do not use hot water. I mentally prepare for the cold blast, and then take my 3-4 minute shower under an ice cold spray. While also suggested in ODOYL, this practice is part of the Wim Hof Method that I am trying out for at least 6 months.

I then get dressed for the day.

6:30 AM

When I arrive downstairs, I sit comfortably in my wing-back chair, and begin my 15-20 minutes of breathing and meditation. Again, this is part of the Wim Hof Method. It entails 3-5 rounds of controlled hyperventilation. Each round consists of taking 30-40 breaths where you inhale quick and deep and exhale with a quick release. After the last quick release, you hold that negative breath for as long as you can.

My record time so far is 3 minutes and 5 seconds. It is during this time you meditate on remaining calm, relaxing, slowing your heart rate, and envisioning all the oxygen you’ve just inhaled moving through your bloodstream.

This is followed by a deep inhale that you then hold until you are mildly uncomfortable. You then exhale as much air out of your lungs as possible. This ends the round.

The daily affirmation is next. I write this three times into a journal dedicated to such. This focuses my mind on my big goals.

I then pick up my copy of The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and read the entry for the current date.

7:00 AM

It is coffee and breakfast time. I’ve let an hour go by since waking up with water, to let my body produce the natural cortisol levels in needs. Having coffee too early inhibits this production. Read more about that in Daniel Pink’s book, When, and in my blog post, An Experiment With Caffeine. I brew two cups of coffee (that Erin and I roast ourselves) using a Chemex. I follow the Stumptown directions almost to a T.

Coffee is best consumed with good fats, and so I will have my amazing omelet or will intermittent fast with some Bulletproof coffee.

7:30 AM

Time for my daily journal while enjoying the rest of my coffee. A sample entry from January 22, 2019 is here. I try and be as specific as I can in what I am grateful for during the previous day.

I then pack my lunch and things into my backpack, put in my earbuds and listen to an audio book as I walk to work. Currently, I’m listening to Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport.

As I walk to work, I try and be fully aware of my surroundings and in the moment. I enjoy the sun, trees, wind, and I smile every time I pass by Huck, a black lab pup that likes to give me kisses from the other side of his fence.

8-Noon

At work, I now begin to really own my day. My mind is sharp and ready to tackle whatever is on my plate. If the calendar is set, I stick to it as best I can.

Lunch Break

My lunch is usually in my office. I make sure to free my mind from work, and force myself to actually take a mental break while eating lunch. Once finished, I’ll make a cup of Four Sigmatic Mushroom Matcha (with Lion’s Mane & Ginger), and enjoy that while reclining back on my zero gravity chair (my office allows me this privacy). Sometimes, I may fall asleep for 10-20 minutes. When that happens, I totally own the rest of the day.

1-5 PM

This tends to be the least productive time of the work day, but my power nap and waking up to the effects of the Mushroom Matcha keep me focused and driven almost to the level of the 8-Noon shift.

5 PM

Time to walk home. Once again, I’m listening to an audio book and am taking in my surroundings. Huck is usually there on my way home to put another smile (and licks) on my face.

House Chores

Usually, house chores happen right when I get home. This, and the next several sections may fluctuate in order throughout the week. House chores may include a combination of feeding cats, cleaning dishes, laundry, trash, mowing, roasting coffee, etc.

Workout

At least twice a week, I head over to Criqui Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy to train for a few hours. Once a week, I’ll join some of the Kaw Valley Bicycle Club members on a 20 mile road ride. Sometimes, an evening run happens. A few days, workouts are skipped for rest days.

Erin Time

My wife, Erin, and I are pretty active. My Erin time could be as little as a quick conversation over dinner, or as long as a full on date night to one of our favorite local restaurants. It may also include an episode of something on Netflix or Amazon Prime, or just sitting in the living room reading together.

Bedtime Wind Down

Winding down for the evening has become somewhat of a ritual. I’ll start with some guitar practice. I try and make it deliberate as possible. For example, yesterday I spent about 15 minutes transitioning between power chords and transitions involving the F chord.

I take all my pills with 8-10 ounces of water mixed with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. I mix the 20 oz water cocktail that I’ll have the next morning. I then head upstairs to the bedroom.

Once the teeth are brushed and the pajamas are on, I spend 2-3 minutes on my inversion table. Both the apple cider vinegar intake and the inversion table were recommended in Tools for Titans by Tim Ferriss to prepare the body for some good sleep.

In bed, I’ll do 3 quick lessons on Duolingo, rotating between Norwegian, Spanish, German, and French. Finally, I will read my bedside book (usually fiction, and currently is Gene Wolfe’s The Shadow of the Torturer) until my eyes are heavy and sleep is imminent. Somewhere between 10 and 10:30, I usually pass out and have an amazing night’s rest.

Next Week

My post next week will be my take on Digital Minimalism, and how I’m going to apply this. This will include not posting on Facebook for a while. I do plan to continue posting every Tuesday, however. You can get an email when I post by signing up below.