“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

This post is a record of what my average day looks like. I am preserving this moment in time such that as time passes, I see the changes. Also, I’m curious if in the future, my kids will wonder what I did all day.

As I have grown older, I have awakened to the power of daily habits. Mentors I have never met, such as Tim Ferris, Pete Adney, and Peter Attia all swear by building solid daily habits that over time will structure your life for success. I have adopted many of their suggestions along with experimenting with some of my own ideas.

I try to incorporate at least four elements into each day:
1) Quality rest including a comprehensive daily hygiene routine.
2) At least an hour, preferably two of physical activity.
3) Have at least one meaningful conversation with a friend or loved one
4) A small moment, of reflection and gratitude.

In that vein, here’s what an average day looks like for me in January 2026:

6:00 am – Wake up – within 15 minutes I typically get dressed, let the dogs out, feed them, make coffee, and start the fireplace in our living room. Coffee is a pour over dark roast served black.
6:15 – 7:00 – Ensure my kids are up for school. Read the WSJ and NYT. Take a moment to think thru my day and set some base line objectives for completion by end of day.
7:15 – 7:45 – Take W to school, same route most days though once in a blue moon I try a new route. Sometimes if I’m needing a break from the house, I stop for coffee at a local shop while on the way back home.
7:45 – 8:15 – Usually I walk the dogs a half mile while listening to podcasts on current events. Sometimes I take calls for work. All depends on the day.
8:15 – 10:00 – Depends on the day but I usually start work but if there’s not a pressing meeting or deliverable, I’ll opt to do my workout routine. In the past I ran eight miles daily, but lately I have cut the running down to 2-3 days per week with indoor cycling and lifting replacing that activity. I don’t know if it is aging or something else, but I miss the days when I was able to run my daily eight without feeling sore and beat up.
10:00 -1:00 PM – More work, usually in front of a computer writing, researching, reading, or zoom calls. Often I’ll workout during this period if I didn’t earlier in the day. Lunch is typically leftovers from the prior dinner. If not, I sometimes skip or just have a protein bar. On rare occasion, I meet a friend or colleague for lunch. Lately this has been my most productive part of the day.
1:00 – 6:00 – Reserved for meetings, networking, and/or low creative projects. This is a good time for busy work, not a good time for writing or deep thinking. Often I am on the phone or following up on emails and other messages. Sometimes if I’m training for an endurance event, I’ll take a late lunch and go for a 10 mile run.
6:00 – 8:30 – Usually reserved for family time. I tend to cook all of our meals which means I’m on my feet non-stop unless I have to run one of the kids to swim practice.
8:30 – 9:15 – Last run to the pool to pick up my youngest then back home to fix him dinner.
9:15-10:30 – Wind down. Clean the kitchen, watch TV, write in my journal, read, or hang out with my boys. On rare occasion, I’ll go back to work to line up my day for tomorrow. Afterwards I brush my teeth, put on PJs, lock the doors and go to bed.

Weekends are mostly the same with the exception that I try to workout longer and sleep in if possible. We travel 1-2 weekends a month, which means hotels and take out. I try to keep up the workout routine going. I love running in new places and have many memorable experiences from exploring places by foot.

Next month I’ll give some thought to things I’d like more of in my life and things I’d like less.