10 habits that’ll bulletproof your morning routine and help you improve 1% each day:

1) Plan The Night Before

Just getting up with no plan is asking for failure.

Instead, start the evening before:

• Go to bed on time
• Lay out your clothes
• Schedule your workout
• Know what the plan for the day is

Then all you need to do is show up & execute.

2) Avoid Checking Your Phone

Everyone grabs their phone when they wake up.

But now the apps on your phone determine how you spend your morning.

You owe it to yourself, put the phone away.

3) Start With a Glass of Water

Why?

• Improves hydration
• Flushes toxins out of your body
• Helps you wake up and feel refreshed
• Reduces cravings for the rest of the day

4) Get Outside

Morning sunlight helps regulate your circadian rhythm, which will help you sleep better at night.

But even if it’s still dark, go outside and get some fresh air to help you wake up.

Navy SEALs are the world's most elite warriors.

What's their secret weapon?

Breath control.

Here's how they train it (and how you can master it too):

You take 22,000 breaths each day.

Most people are unaware of their breathing.

But different breathing patterns can result in more energy, a calmer mind and a clearer head.

Here's what the Navy Seals taught us during a 52-hour non-stop training:

First, the instructors threw us a "Welcome Party"

100s of pushups, burpees and squats.

We were simply gasping for air and running out of energy fast.

Then at the bottom of a squat, we were told to just breathe. Deep inhales, filling the lungs, slow exhales.

Why?

Because, like most people do all day, we were only taking in “shallow” breaths. This leads to:

• increased blood pressure & heart rate
• increased stress response
• reduced oxygen intake
• impaired thinking
• slower recovery

Counter this by filling your lungs fully.

Next, we were taken to the ice bath by the side of the old tennis court.

The cold water feels like a giant fist around you squeezing out all the air.

The only way through was by focusing on each breath and slowing it down to control your fight-or-flight response.

Creating work-life balance is a daily struggle.

Here's the system I use to manage my time and energy between
• family (wife & 6 kids)
• work (CEO of a non-profit)
• personal time (hybrid athlete)

In the hope that this is useful to you too:

But before we dive into it, none of this would be possible without my wife. She is the hero of our family and the best mother a child could wish for.

Successful work-life balance means both of us having the time and energy to pursue our goals.

1) Info Capture & To-Dos

You’re being bombarded with information:

• To-Dos
• Meeting notes
• Study assignments
• Gift idea for your spouse
• Online articles you want to read later

Without solid info capture, you’ll get overwhelmed.

During my PhD studies, I used Evernote and Things and now I use Notion.

The most important parts of your info capture are:

• it is readily available
• quick to enter info
• searchable

Choose one that fits these criteria and don’t waste time finding the ‘perfect’ tool.

2) Time Blocking

Having a to-do list is a start. But you need to block out time in your calendar, to do them.

It seems restrictive at first, but the more you assign blocks of time to specific items, the more freedom you create.

Here’s mine: