9 lessons I learned from following Jack Dorsey’s morning routine for 5 days

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Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Square.

Being the CEO of both Twitter and Square means many long, packed days for Jack Dorsey. 

According to a 2015 Product Hunt Q&A, one of the ways he handles it is by building “a lot of consistent routine” into his schedule, so he can react effectively when something unexpected happens.

For example, every morning Dorsey wakes up at 5 a.m., meditates for 30 minutes, and completes a seven-minute workout three times. His day, according to the Q&A, typically ends at 11 p.m.

I followed his morning routine for five days to see what it would do to my energy levels, mood, and productivity. 

Here’s what I learned from my attempt to start my day the Jack Dorsey way:

I spend a lot of time thinking about the little things, particularly during meditation

The thoughts that distracted me during meditation were small things, like what I was going to have for breakfast, what skirt I would wear that day, or when I was going to go grocery shopping. When people talk about eliminating decision fatigue, this is probably what they are talking about.

To meditate effectively, you have to practice consistently and be patient  

I’m convinced that people who try meditation and say they can’t do it just haven’t practiced enough. I got better toward the end of the week when I made the conscious effort to do it every day, and I intend to keep this in my morning routine.

I kept track of the chatter in my mind during each meditation in a journal. I noticed that I focused better toward the end of the week, and it started to feel natural.

I decided to keep the habit after the experiment, and I really notice a difference on the days I don’t meditate: My head is less clear, I’m less focused, and I am a lot more indecisive.

Getting the right amount of sleep is crucial to my productivity

According to the Product Hunt Q&A, Dorsey usually sleeps about 6 hours a night.

I’ve tried many times to hack my way to needing less sleep, using apps like Sleep Cycle, trying various (modified) versions of the polyphasic sleep method, and testing out the old trick of drinking more coffee.

But at the end of the day, I’m much more productive when I get that seven or eight hours than when I don’t. I might be able to “hack” it for one day, but after two days in a row, bye-bye focus.

I am motivated by variety

I noticed that the seven-minute exercise format Dorsey follows started to bore me by the end of the week. The one day I went to a group fitness class after work I pushed myself a lot harder than I did that morning. 

Variety is my best motivation for maintaining habits that are hard to keep, like exercising regularly and eating healthy on a limited budget. While I see the value of eating the same meals and wearing the same clothes so you don’t have to think about them, I think that would make life less enjoyable for me.

The most difficult thing about early morning exercise is making the decision to do it

Even though I dreaded the exercise, because I decided I was going to do it the night before, it was easy to make myself put on my gear and work up a sweat. 

Waking up early and going to bed early puts me in a better mood

Something about early mornings makes me excited to start my day. During the experiment, I noticed that I don’t get as irritated with small things, like subway delays or footpaths overcrowded with tourists, provided that I’ve had sufficient shut-eye the night before. The 5 a.m. start is probably a bit too early, but I think I could do 5:30 a.m.

Part of what makes a morning routine successful is the act of sticking to it and enjoying it

Dorsey’s early-morning start was pretty brutal for a Monday, but by the end of the week it began to feel like a habit and didn’t seem as difficult.

I liked knowing what I was going to do each morning. Also, completing two challenging endeavors — meditation and exercise — before work primed me to tackle the day ahead. 

 

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