Be honest with me. When was the last time you started a day on your terms?
Not checking your phone before your feet hit the floor. Not scrolling email while the coffee brews. Not already three tasks deep before you’ve taken a real breath.
Most of us start the day in reaction mode. Something hits your inbox. A text comes in. A notification pulls you sideways. And by 8am, the day is already running you.
You’re not lazy. You’re not undisciplined. You’re just always on. And there’s a cost to that. You feel busy but not grounded. Productive but not clear. Moving fast but not sure you’re moving in the right direction.
I know because that’s been me.
I’ve been a student of productivity for a long time. But if I’m honest, most days I’m either working or consuming something work-related. Even on “off” days. A podcast here. A chapter there. Always on.
I attended my first Strategic Coach session last week in Chicago. Spent a full day with about 20 other business builders talking about how to build something sustainable. The biggest takeaway was a concept around free days, focus days, and buffer days.
The idea is simple. Focus days are game days. You’re crushing it. Doing the work that moves the needle. Buffer days are prep days. Admin. Planning. Keeping the lights on. And free days are exactly what they sound like. You don’t work. At all. Midnight to midnight. No podcasts. No business books. No “just checking one email.” Full rest.
It’s an athlete mindset. Rest and rejuvenate so you come back stronger on game day.
So, I tried a free day last Sunday. I was with my daughter Emerson at a soccer tournament near Cedar Point. Plenty of downtime between games. Normally I’d listen to a business podcast or read something. Instead, I watched the US Soccer team play that afternoon. On the drive home I listened to a soccer podcast instead of a leadership one. Still learning. But about a hobby. Not about getting better at work.
It was surprisingly hard. And surprisingly refreshing.
That experience got me thinking about mornings.
I’ve had a chair time habit for over ten years. Bible. Devotional. Journaling. Some reading. It’s always been a good start to the day. But I wanted to build on it.
Dr. Andrew Huberman talks about getting sunlight first thing in the morning before any screen time. That landed for me. I also stumbled into Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Masterclass and found some guided meditations that actually stuck. Meditation is one practice I’ve never been able to stay super committed to. This time felt different.
So, I built First Light.
It’s a six-part morning practice. One move for each letter of INTENT. And it can take as little as six minutes.
The point isn’t a perfect routine. It’s to start each day on purpose — from who you are — before the world starts pulling at you.
Here’s what it looks like.
I — Inner Stillness. Silence before input. Pray, breathe, or just sit. Don’t react yet.
N — Nourish. One deliberate input. A page, a passage, a song. This is where my chair time lives.
T — Take a Step. Move into the morning light. A short walk is the whole win. No phone.
E — Express. Get what’s inside, out. Brain-dump or pray on paper.
N — Name It. Gratitude with teeth. Your Wins, your Wars, and your Weapons.
T — Target. Choose the one intention you’ll carry into the day.
Same six moves. Every morning. I run them in this order...still first, then nourish, then move...but it’s yours. Do them in whatever order fits your morning. Just hit all six.
Then set your dial for the day you’re in.
Floor is about six minutes. One minute a move. For the hard days. Protect the streak.
Standard is about twenty minutes. The key moves, dialed up. Most mornings live here.
Full is about forty minutes. The whole practice, with room to breathe.
Why this works...
Slow down to speed up. I keep coming back to this phrase because it’s true. It’s the same principle from athletics and sales. When you’re between the lines, you’re all in. When you’re not, you’re doing the work to get ready. The morning is your prep time. It sets the tone for everything that follows.
I built a guide to help you try it. It walks you through all six moves on a daily sheet, with a seven-day tracker so you can watch the chain build. There’s a printable version if you’re pen and paper, and a simple digital version if you prefer that. Neither one is fancy. They just help you get started.
Download the printable guide
Try the digital version
My recommendation. Run it for seven days. Start on Standard. Floor only when you have to...just don’t break the chain. See what happens, then adjust from there.
I’m not saying this is the routine for you. I’m saying having a routine matters. And the one that works is the one you’ll actually do.
First Light has been a game changer for me this last week. I hope it helps you too.
If you give it a try, let me know what you think!