Why Productivity Gurus Are Wrong About Morning Routines

You know the drill:

1. Wake up at 4 am
2. Take a plunge into an ice bath
3. Run a 5K
4. Make Breakfast
5. Meditate
6. Journal
7. Practice Gratefulness
8. Read 1 hour
9. Then, “start” your day

We all heard this kind of morning routine. But this doesn’t apply to parents with small kids.

Here’s the scoop: kids need lots of attention, especially the tiny ones. They wake up whenever and sometimes decide that the middle of the night is the perfect time for a chat. So, parents, our routines twist and turn to fit around them, not vice versa. We might choose to catch some extra sleep instead of sticking to a rigid morning checklist.

I’ve posted about this on LinkedIn, and it blew up. Over 12’000 people reached and plenty of comments.
Why? I guess people are tired of these polished success stories every day. /

I also recorded a short 5 Min. podcast episode about this, giving away three actionable tips for every parent out there:

👉 Listen here on Spotify
👉 Listen here in Apple

So - please, PLEASE don’t get influenced by these productivity gurus. Honestly, I often don’t believe that they’re honest anyway. I mean, check this one out here (I love the reaction of Will Hitchins on this):

michellepenelopeking

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WHAT I CURRENTLY LISTEN TO

Speaking of podcasts, I’m currently listening to Steven Bartlett’s The Diary Of A CEO. I like his pace and the spectrum of guests he interviews: sports legends, scientists, CEOs, and actors. Fantastic!
This is the latest episode I’m listening to, with the Spotify Founder Daniel Ek, who once described Spotify as a stupid idea. 😂

WHAT I CURRENTLY READ

Well, funny enough! I currently (try) to read two books right now:

1. The 33 Laws of Business and Life by Steven Bartlett
   It is a concisely written book and the essence Steven got from thousands of interviews in his podcast.
   It gives practical tips and explanations to help readers apply these lessons in their lives and work.
   📚 Here on Amazon
   📚 Here on Orell Füssli
   

2. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
   Somebody said to me that I would think like a Stoic. Since I didn’t know what that meant, I bought some books about it. This is the first one, and I like it so far.
   For those who don’t know Marcus. The bro was a Roman Emperor and a Stoic philosopher in the 2nd century. He's known for his wise and philosophical writings, collected in a book called "Meditations." In his writings, he talks about how to live a good life, deal with problems, and manage power responsibly. The funny part is that he wrote those things for himself and never intended to release them publicly.
   He is remembered as one of the good and wise rulers in history.
   📚 Here on Amazon
   📚 Here in Orell Füssli

I try to read/listen to one book a month this year, and it’s not going well so far 😄. If I finish one, I’ll write you a short review.

Full disclosure: Some of the links here are affiliate links, meaning if you click on them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost. I recommend products because I find them useful and want to share them with you.

WHAT ELSE?

Personal Fitness
Staying somehow fit is not easy for me - juggling parenting and my business at the same time and wanting to spend time with my partner is a little challenging.
So, I bought a walking pad for under my standing desk. I just set it up, so be patient for a review.

Business
The busiest three months are ahead of right now (October, November, December).
There are also some new things (products and announcements) coming soon from Senler Media, so stay tuned!

Thanks a lot for reading! I wish you a wonderful rest of the week, and see you next Wednesday!

Metin