One of the best ways I've found to set myself up for success is to bookend my day. I block out an hour or two at the start and end of each day. Whatever chaos happens in between those two bookends, as long as I hit these two blocks, it centres me. I tick off what matters, but I still have flexibility in the middle.
If I try to rigidly schedule my entire day, things inevitably shift and I feel thrown off. But early morning and late evening? Those are yours. Nobody's interrupting. Nothing's changing. You control them completely.
Morning
For me, mornings aren't about journaling or deep reading — they're about movement. Get up, go to the gym, have a coffee, eat a proper breakfast. That's it. Once I've done that, I feel ready to work. Simple, but it makes a huge difference.
Evening
This is actually the more important one. Everyone obsesses over morning routines, but I think a solid evening routine matters more. Here's what mine looks like:
- Clean my space — I don't want to wake up somewhere messy
- Plan tomorrow's tasks — doing this at night means your subconscious starts working on problems while you sleep
- Read — wind down properly
- Lay out clothes — gym kit ready, work clothes ready, zero friction in the morning
The evening routine takes under an hour. The morning takes about an hour. Two hours total, and they're non-negotiable.
When I nail both bookends, I'm far more likely to get my work done, I feel significantly better, and I'm not locked into some rigid schedule that falls apart the moment something unexpected happens.