Start Your Day with High Intensity Work

Arlo Letter

Lessons about building a one-person business, writing, and self-improvement

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I’ve tried almost every popular morning routine out there:

• 20/20/20 from the 5am club

• Stoicism morning routine

• basketball practice at 6:30 am

I’ve tried taking them slow.

I’ve tried rushing to school.

While these routines were helpful, I’ve ended up changing them to suit my needs.

With diverse priorities which were studies, business, fitness, basketball, family, friendships, and reading…

I found it hard to decide what I should prioritize first.

This gave me a headache.

When I started the day with meditation, breakfast, exercise and showering, I’d be too tired when I get started working.

It would already be 10 am and I haven’t started studying or working on this business.

So I tried the opposite.

I focused on studying for 60-90 minutes.

But then I’d get lethargic and bored.

I craved exercise and being healthy.

I needed to find a morning routine that perfectly suits my needs and preferences.

Luckily, I’ve found one.

But before I share it, I need to help you understand ‘why’ you need a morning routine.

It’s simply because my morning routine might not be the one for you.

It’s perfect for me because I know my purpose and my preferences.

We are not the same.

So before you hop onto mine, try it, fail to see progress and then curse me for not delivering…

Let’s dig deeper to your inner psyche.

Because if you know your ‘why’ we can craft the perfect routine for you.

The Purpose

There are 3 main reasons to build a morning routine:

1. To Save Time

2. To Focus on Priorities

3. To Build Predictability

1) To Save Time

Routines are done so you don’t have to think.

When a routine is repeated enough times it becomes a habit.

Therefore, you don’t have to think about what you need to do next.

You’ve already structured it.

Doing so, you save time which could be spent focusing on what’s important to you.

Think back to soldiers in the military.

They had strict morning and evening routines.

Why? So they could save time.

In case there’s an emergency attack or invasion, they can save time and focus on the mission.

A routine would help them be more efficient.

They wouldn’t need to think:

“Uhh where’s my uniform? Where do we go? What time do we leave?”

Bro, there are people dying.

That’s more important.

So try to see yourself as a soldier.

Your goal is to save time so you can ‘save lives’ which in this case is whatever’s important to you right now.

2) To Focus on Priorities

Your purpose won’t come to you.

You need to carve out time for it.

“As of now, spend a minimum of one hour a day doing whatever you are waiting to do until your finances are more secure” - David Deida (Way of the Superior Man)

But if you’re like me and you have a lot of responsibilities to do, you know it’s hard to find time for what you want to do.

This is why waking up with a purpose - to fulfill that one hour with excitement and intention - is best done through a morning routine.

Don’t overcomplicate this.

You don’t need to stay up late, quit your job or leave a relationships.

Simply wake up with purpose.

Have a plan for your morning. Do what you’re meant to do. And carry on the rest of your day knowing you accomplished what’s important to you.

For me, my most important thing is building my personal brand.

And the most important task is writing this newsletter.

It’s 8:37 am in the morning right now and I’m writing.

This gives me purpose and fulfillment.

I know this will help me achieve my goals.

There is meaning.

And since it’s important to me, I went to bed last night excited to wake up in the morning.

Trust me - it’s the best feeling ever.

The reason why you fail to get out of bed every morning is because you lack a strong purpose to.

What is it you really want to do?

What goal do you want to accomplish?

What purpose do you want to fulfill every day of your life?

Journal your answers to these questions, think about it, then continue reading.

Next, you’ll realize that not everything can fit in your routine.

Be ruthless.

Use the Pareto Principle (or the 80/20 rule)

Find the 20% of priorities that will give you 80% of results and fulfillment.

Cut out the rest.

I had to get rid of: school organizations, YouTube video creation, DM outreach, writing on Medium

So I could have more time on: writing my newsletter, networking on Twitter.

I chose my newsletter because I can repurpose my tweets, my Medium articles and my threads from it.

I use most of my brain on writing my newsletter (the 20% that gives me 80%).

That’s how I was able to get more engagement on Twitter - my quality newsletter.

3) To Build Predictability

“I like mixing things up”

The point isn’t to be boring and bland.

The point of predictability is knowing what you can get done.

It’s knowing that “oh I can hang out with my friend at 10am because I know I’ll be done with my most important task by then”

Predictability is being able to control your life in your own hands.

It’s knowing you can indulge in other priorities in your life (if you accomplish your morning routine well).

I use Google Calendar for this.

Find What Works for You

Mark Manson (author of Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck) has a weird morning routine:

It goes against conventional advice.

He waits for the impulse to start writing (Twitter gurus would be mad)

But when you read his books, they’re amazing!

He gets results.

But how Arlo? Does this mean I should do this routine as well?

Not necessarily.

Mark is an impulsive and unpredictable person.

His mind works in sparks. He loves learning about random topics and connecting them together. That’s probably why he reads first thing in the morning.

The thing is… he knows that.

And so he uses that to his advantage.

We aren’t 100% like Mark, which is why this routine probably won’t work for me.

But it works for him.

Let’s try another example.

This time, someone the complete opposite - Dan Koe:

His routine is very structured. Highly focused on priorities. Simple.

And yet his writing is just as high-quality as Mark’s.

So find what works for you by understanding who you are.

Through self-consciousness be aware of your thoughts, emotions and desires throughout the day.

Here are some things I’ve noticed myself thinking:

• “I’m more focused in the morning” - so I choose to do it first thing in the morning

• “I like going about the day feeling proud of myself and free to do what I find fun” - therefore I should do difficult and important tasks as early as possible

• “I have less willpower at nights” - so I use evenings to relax and mornings to work hard

“I believe productivity is a deeply personal thing. We all have different brains and, therefore, different preferences, perspectives, and situations where we feel most effective.” - Mark Manson

I’m sharing my morning routine because it works for me. It might not work for you, but it’s worth testing it out.

Test.
Measure.
Experiment.
Refine.

Once you’ve experimented, it’s time to find out who you are.

One way is through personality tests like the MBTI, the Big 5.

The Most ‘Annoying’ Task

Start your day eating a frog.

It’s the most annoying task but it has to be done anyway.

You know that the sooner you get it done, the less you need to worry about it.

Imagine spending 20 hours in your day worrying about eating a frog.

Now compare it to only spend 10 minutes worrying about eating it.

Which would you rather do?

The first one of course.

So what counts as an ‘annoying task’?

Something that should be done as soon as possible due to its high importance and/or urgency.

My annoying task is writing. My newsletter is the backbone of my content. It affects the tweets, threads and Medium articles that I publish. So if I get to write for 30 minutes a day, then I can go on with the rest of the day feeling a sense of relief - knowing I did something that would get me closer to my goals.

Our bodies are designed to be focused

Think of the caveman days. When they woke up, it was either due to being attacked by predators, enemy tribes or they were hungry and had to hunt.

Our bodies aren’t so different.

We are designed to get moving when we wake up.

My 4 Step Morning Routine

Step 1) Find a time you can wake up everyday consistently

For me it’s 7am.

I know I can wake up at that time consistently.

I’ve also tested this several times to see which time I prefer.

Since I sleep at around 10pm, I get 9 hours of sleep.

This is crucial.

If I have anything less than 8, I notice I’m less focused, more moody and tired all the time.

So what I did was I counted how many hours of sleep I’d need (9 hours) and counted back to find out what time I’d need to sleep (10 pm).

In the book “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker, he lists the 12 rules of quality sleep.

He said, “If there’s only 1 rule you should follow, make sure to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday. Your body needs consistency to align its hormone regulation, which will affect your productivity and health.”

(Something like that - I’m just paraphrasing)

Step 2) Set a cue (important for step 3)

What I do is I have a Spotify playlist called 7am grind (link to playlist)

They’re high energy and intensity.

When I wake up, immediately tell Siri to play the music so I don’t need to look at my phone first thing the morning. I find that when I do, I end up procrastinating.

From checking the alarm, I’d go on Twitter, Messenger, Facebook and ultimately waste my morning.

Step 3) Do the collapsed morning routine

A collapsed routine uses the 80/20 rule to focus on the bare essentials.

Every action is done to help you get started eating the frog as soon as possible.

However, it also makes sure you’re focused and wide awake.

Here’s my routine:

1. Drink water

2. Make bed

3. Shower

4. Sit down and work until 8am

5. Eat that frog

Since I’m listening to the music, I’m much more hyped and in a hurry to finish showering so that I have enough time to work.

“Work expands to the time allotted to it” is Parkinson’s law.

Step 4) 8am Breakfast and meditation

Now that I’ve already done 30-40 minutes of work, I get to eat breakfast and rest my brain.

2 birds in one stone.

But Arlo! Breakfast is bad! It causes brain fog.

I’ve already tried fasting multiple times.

I find it hard to focus when I’m hungry.

I’m a basketball player.

I have a fast metabolism and a big apetite.

I need food.

Additionally, this breakfast schedule aligns with university.

I get to prepare before I leave for my classes.

So do you have to eat breakfast at 8am? Not really.

But if you have a similar lifestyle and schedule as mine, then it’s worth the try.

The Benefits of This Routine

I’ve gained momentum. I didn’t procrastinate in the morning.

And I still get to slip in meditation without letting it put off my routine.

I’ve been doing this routine for the past 2 weeks and I’m enjoying it so far.

I suggest trying it out for 1 week.

See how it goes.

Record the effects.

Ask yourself if the routine is effective.

Remember: this routine won’t be the perfect one for you.

But it could be.

You just have to test it to find out.

Let me know how it goes by DM’ing me on Twitter.

I can’t wait to hear from you.

Until next week!

- Arlo

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P.S. If you want to grow your personal brand I can help you get out of beginner’s hell - we can also talk about morning routines.