Anti-Routine Morning

6 snips

Dec 26, 2025

Mornings used to be a nightmare for Scott, especially as a morning DJ. He contrasts his struggles with Joy's relentless 5:30 a.m. routine that keeps their household buzzing. Scott highlights the power of consistency in achieving success, gleaned from working with thousands of successful individuals. He introduces a transformative question to prioritize tasks each morning, whether it’s hitting the gym or writing. Ultimately, he champions a flexible approach to mornings, advocating for tackling the most important tasks first to streamline the day.

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ANECDOTE

Wife's 5:30 AM Ritual Changed Everything

Scott met his wife Joy who wakes at 5:30am and activates the whole house with ritualistic persistence.
Her consistent morning behavior contrasted with Scott's creative spontaneity and forced him to find his own approach.

INSIGHT

Consistency Is The Soil Of Success

Consistency and simple routines are where long-term success is born.
The early morning window offers choice and leverage if you decide how to use it.

ADVICE

Start With One Defining Question

Ask: "What's the most important thing I can do first thing that makes everything else possible?".
Use that answer to decide your morning action and focus without following others' rules.

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I used to hate mornings.

I was a morning DJ starting at 18. Up at 4 am every day. Hated it so much I quit.

Then I met Joy. She gets up at 5:30 am every single morning like it's programmed in her DNA. Lights on, radio on, house awake. Didn't matter if I was sleeping.

Her mindless persistence drove me bonkers. But I couldn't change her. So I had to find my own way.

Turns out there's one question that makes mornings work: What's the most important thing I can do today that will make everything else possible?

Some mornings it's the gym. Some mornings it's writing. Some mornings it's getting out of my wife's way.

Featured Story

Eighteen years ago I met Joy.

It didn't take long to notice something. She got up at 5:30am every single morning. When she got out of bed, the house was going to be awake.

Lights on. Radio on. Everything happening. I'm still sleeping? Didn't matter.

I wasn't fond of it. Not at all.

As a wildly creative, spontaneous, go-for-it kind of guy, Joy's mindless persistence drives me bonkers. She just does what works for her. Forever. Never thinks about it again.

I had no choice but to find my way. And after working with tens of thousands of successful people, I can't deny that simple consistency and a simple morning routine is where success is born.

So I figured out my own version.

Important Points

The early bird does get the worm, but instead of following someone else's morning routine rules, ask yourself one question that cuts through all the noise.

What's the most important thing you can do first thing in the morning that will make everything else possible? The answer hits you like a brick to the forehead.

When you take care of what's most important to you first thing, there isn't much else left to worry about for the rest of your day.

Memorable Quotes

"What's the most important thing I can do today that will make everything else possible?"

"Unlike most folks in the world who are caught up in the drama of life, she operates on figure out what works, keep doing it forever, never think about it again mindset."

"Here's my number one value. I boiled down all my values and everything in a very simple thing. I tried to do the right thing. And if I mess up, I'll say I'm sorry. And I'll try again until I get it right."

Scott's Three-Step Approach

Stop trying to follow everyone else's morning routine rules and instead ask yourself what's the most important thing you need to do first that changes everything else.

Accept that the answer might be different tomorrow, and that's okay, because flexibility beats rigid routines when you're a creative, spontaneous person.

Make the decision the night before when you can, but don't beat yourself up if you figure it out when your feet hit the floor in the morning.

Chapter Notes

1:13 - Why Scott hated mornings as a DJ

1:35 - Meeting Joy and her 5:30am DNA programming

3:42 - The mindless persistence that drove him crazy

5:09 - The one question that changes everything

6:05 - Anti-routine revealed: it depends on the day

7:45 - What if you did the most important thing first?

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