Thread by @warikoo

How I spend my day

A thread...

My day is split into 4 distinct sections
1. Morning (until 930am) - dedicated to me
2. First half (until 1230pm) - dedicated to my work
3. Second half (until 530pm) - dedicated to external engagements
4. Evening (until 930pm) - dedicated to family

This has been so for 4+ yrs

Morning

4.30-4.50am

I wake up at 430am
The first thing I do is to get a glass of water, sit on the floor cross legged and sip it like wine.

No phone.
No person.
Just me and and my water.

This is when I mostly think about the day to come, maybe remember a dream. No agenda!

4.50-5.00am
I check my whatsapp and emails

Whatsapp - I reply quickly if I have to
Emails - I either archive, delete or snooze for later (930am)
I do not reply to any email.
I do not want to take any decisions or think about my actions this early in the day

5.00-5.30am
I meditate

I started 4 years back with @Headspace's guided meditation.
@andypuddicombe was my virtual guru for 2 years

Today I use @calm's non-guided meditation.

My smart watch records it as light sleep (b/c of low heart rate) while I know I am awake!
Awesome!

5.30-6.00am
I practice singing

I have always wanted to learn and have started Hindustani Classical training.

Sa Re Ga Ma reminds me every day that we are all nothing but particles vibrating at different frequencies.

6.00-6.30am
I read

I read on the Kindle, highlight extensively, skim a lot and leave those books that do not earn my interest.

Through this I average a book every 10 days or so.

I wrote about my reading technique

https://twitter.com/warikoo/status/1316978207564959744?s=20

6.30-6.45am
The water 2 hours back has come alive and now it is potty time :))

You definitely did not sign up for this level of detail. Sorry

6.45-7.45am
Workout

Before the lockdown it was 3 days gym and 3 days tennis with Saturday as rest day.
Right now it is 6 days tennis.

PS: We lost in the semis today of the colony Double Tournament. So bummed :((
I played horribly. Terrible!

7.45-8.00am
Quick Yoga

Most for my back, which has been fragile almost always.

This article will lead you to the basics of what I do
verywellfit.com/essential-yoga…

8.00-8.15am
Read the newspaper

I LOVE reading the newspaper. It is my way of getting a delayed feed on the shit happening in the world.
For 15+ years it has been Hindustan Time and Economic Times.

And no, I do not read HT City :)

8.15-8.45am
Shower and get ready

I get our daughter ready as well. The highlight of her day is "kapde choose"

https://twitter.com/warikoo/status/1273888999334182913?s=20

8.45-9.30am
Breakfast

My favorite meal of the day. I break my fast after ~15 hours

Usual breakfast will be either of
-- All raw (fruits)
-- Plan parantha
-- Poha/Dosa/Idli

Every 2 weeks, we treat ourselves to Chole Bhature (slurp!)
And Meethi lassi (slurp slurp!)

9.30-1230pm
My work slot

Starts with checking emails.
And comprises
-- Commenting on social media
-- Reading
-- Making notes
-- Thinking

I follow the Pomodoro principle (25mins work; 5 mins break). During the break, I drink water, kiss my wife and kids, eat dry fruits. Wander

12.30-1.00pm
Chill time

Use it to check social media for my own self (as against a content creator)

1.00-2.00pm
Lunch

The family comes together. We are vegetarians so lunch is simple and basic.
Usually ends in 30-40mins, so the rest of the time I check my phone, or lie down or play a quick game of Uno with our son.

2.00-5.00pm
My external work slot

This is reserved for all external engagements
-- Phone calls
-- Zoom calls
-- Video recordings
-- 1:1 team calls
-- Corporate talks (if I get to chose the time)

I try and restrict this slot to no more than 3 meetings. Most meetings are 30-45m

5.00-5.30pm
Chill time

Checking phone
Random chit chat
Checking the fridge!

5.30pm-6.30pm
Dinner

We are all early eaters. And we like it this way.
Dinner is usually Dal/roti/rice
Every 2 weeks we treat ourselves to Domino's Pizza (slurp!)

630-8.00pm
Park time

We all go down to the colony park
Son plays with his friends.
We take our daughter to the swings and then walk around the park. Catching up on the day.

8.00-8.30pm
Family call

We catch up with parents on a Zoom/Whatsapp call

8.30-9.15pm
Wind up

Wind up the house
Brush
Get into "raat ke kapde" which FYI is different from night suits
Lights fade out and Alexa Lullabies take over

9.30pm
Sleep!

By this time, I am so ready to sleep :)

Pro-tip:
The trick to getting up early is not getting up early.
It is to sleep on time.

It is the morning routine that sets me up for the day.
I use that time to feed myself, hear myself, spend time with myself.

Once done, very little can perturb my day.

I denied myself this privilege for most of my life.
I allowed the world to take over, the min I got up!

What I love about this schedule is the split of it.

- 52% of my time is spent on things that are important but NOT urgent (reading, meditating, working out, thinking etc)
- 75% of my time is spent on important things (urgent or not)

It was the exact opposite for me for so long

What all have I learnt from following this schedule

1. If we allow the phone to start our day, we have given the world permission to manipulate us

2. Managing energy = managing times. Spend time on things that give you energy. Weed out things that drain you out of it.

3. Urgent things call for our attention. Attend to them, but do not become slaves to them.

4. Boredom can be a goal. If you genuinely do not know what to do with your time, consider that a privilege. Don't be ashamed of it.

5. Figuring how to spend your day is a journey, not a destination.
It changes, it goes up and down, it works and at times it doesn't.
Enjoy the journey.

Life isn't about being busy.
It is about living it!

Fin.