Part of the joy of living independently is creating the lifestyle you want. As time goes on I see there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything I would like to, but I’m trying to refine and adjust things as I go along to make the most of it. Below is a sample of an average day.
8am – wake up, make bed, coffee, email
I’m focusing on several big projects for the coming month so I’m breaking from my normal routine of letting my body wake up naturally and using an alarm. Otherwise I would usually wake up sometime between 7:30-9am. Waking up at this hour still gives me about 9 hours of sleep which is ideal.
8:30-9am – shave, shower, pack my gym bag
I shave every other day, otherwise my skin gets irritated. I shower every morning, even before going to the gym. I want to look and feel good everytime I go out, in case I see a girl to approach and just to be at my best. Showering also warms me up for my workout.
9:30am-11am – at the gym doing my Body of a Spartan, 4 days per week routine
I’m trying to cut down on my rest in between sets and really plow through my workout within an hour. Sometimes it runs a bit longer. I try to get to the gym before 10am when its less busy.
11:30am – lunch, my first meal of the day, something like chicken with tomato sauce and broccoli or steak with sweet potatoe and onion puree
I eat two meals per day on average (late breakfast and lunch or lunch and early dinner). I may have a drink or two later, but I won’t eat another meal for about 16 hours after my second meal of the day.
12-2pm – PhD dissertation writing (or attending seminars with top historians and fellow doctoral students 1-2 times per week)
This month I’m really focused on PhD writing and research, so I’m aiming for one page written every day. If I stick to it I will have written 10% of my dissertation by late April (25% total including what I’ve already written).
2-3:30pm – blog post writing at a local coffee shop
I usually write in my apartment, but I like to get out and change my environment as well.
4-5pm – reading books, email
6pm – date with a girl I met through daygame
Some guys do dates at 7 or later, but I prefer to meet at 6 to find good seats at my favorite 1st date venue.
8-10:30pm (if the date ends early) – reading, Twitter, texts and Facebook to set up future dates
My best energy and focus is early on in the day, so at night I prefer tasks that require less thinking. I’m probably better at dealing with women when I’m tired and don’t care as much than when I over-analyze them. I enjoy reviewing my Twitter feed as well and since I’m 9 hours ahead of the West Coast, when its night here, its afternoon in California and early evening in NY.
11pm – sleep
I rarely stay up past 11pm, unless I’m out with friends or with a girl. I’m not as productive at night so instead of trying to squeeze a bit more work in, I call it a day once I’m tired and get my sleep to be ready for the day ahead.
There’s nothing like resting your head on your pillow knowing you’ve finished a good day’s work, you don’t have to wake up at a certain time the next day to rush to your job, and the entire next day is your canvas to paint on. Thoughts like these are what motivate me to do whatever it takes to keep building the system that will sustain me for the rest of my life. My comfortable though stressful life in California cost me $40,000 per year. The life I described above can be sustained on $18,000 per year or even less if I got a more creative.
I have no boss. Every single thing I do is of my own choosing.
What would your ideal, daily routine look like?
