By far the most common question I never get asked is this: “Do you practice what you preach?” Indeed, I’ve written a lot about critical thinking and self-improvement in the wider sense. And I’m also not too open about my private life. So it’s fair to wonder if I apply all the knowledge and wisdom myself and what my life as a critical-thinking writer and blogger is like.
Philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti once implied that creatives should strive to be rich and unknown, not poor and famous. This has been my goal ever since I left my 9 to 5 to become a writer. After only two years, I’m 50% there as I’ve consistently and reliably nailed the part where few people know I exist.
On top, my new lifestyle gives me freedom and independence. To organise my life the way I want. And to practice what I preach. Here’s what a typical day looks like for me.
A Day in the Life of a Blogger
4:30 AM: A typical day in my life as a blogger starts with me waking up at around half past four, ready to smash the day. I get dressed and sneak out of the bedroom.
4:45 AM: It’s important to thoroughly prepare my mind and body for a long hard day of writing. I’m a big believer in the Wim Hof method, a meditative breathing exercise that consists of deep breaths and long breath holds. It’s best to do it on an empty stomach. The breathing is energising, heightens my focus and is good for the immune system.
5:15 AM: Next I act on Andrew Huberman’s advice and make sure I get sunlight in my eyes as soon as the big yellow star is up. Why? Early morning sunlight viewing triggers the first dopamine release of the day. While I stare into the sun, I optimise my intake of water, the most essential of nutrients.
Thoroughly energised I take my greens, which are pulverised fruit & vedge full of vitamins and minerals. Taken with lots of water, greens are not only good for my body. They’re also good for the bank account of the podcaster who recommended them to me.
5:30 AM: Leading a life as a blogger I need to be fit. So I go for a run. Not just any run, though. I go for a so-called Murph: I run a mile, do 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats and then run a mile again to finish off. It’s the perfect opportunity to up my water intake and listen to my favourite podcasts. Maybe even take some notes if I learn about a fascinating new idea.
I should note that Murphs aren’t my everyday workout. Three days a week I lift weights with a classic push/pull/legs routine and the latest 💯 workout recommended by AthleanX. With the help of James Clear, I’ve developed a strong habit of making plans not to skip leg day.
6:15 am: It’s time for my equally strict regime of knowing that I should stretch afterwards. Then I take a freezing-cold shower. It boosts my immune system to superhuman levels and does something to my brown fat I don’t fully understand.
6:45 AM: By that time, my wife and 4-year-old are about to get up. I prepare their brekky (Australian for breakfast) with fresh milk, aromatic coffee and a selection of protein-rich, hearty yet healthy foods. So yes, I take extreme ownership of my family’s breakfast. I don’t shout it from the rooftops, though. Partly because I’m humble, and partly because my wife says it’s not true. In any case, I supplement with Vitamin D, protein, creatine and a bottle of water.
8:00 AM: I kiss my wife and son goodbye as they leave for work and kindy (Australian for kindergarten).
8:15 AM: Now it’s time to get some writing done. The morning session is reserved for drafting and editing newsletters and essays. Following David Sedaris’ advice, I write a lot more than I end up publishing. For instance, you may not know that I also pen personal satirical stories few people will ever read let alone believe.
9:15 AM: I turn my attention to social media, brush up on my SEO skills, work on website maintenance or do other admin stuff. Nothing even remotely interesting enough to include in a diary.
10:00 AM: Another part of my life as a writer and blogger is answering readers’ emails. Thankfully, I’ve written a lot about intellectual humility and the importance of admitting when you’re wrong. So naturally, I take even the harshest criticism extremely well. For example, I get the occasional email calling me out for quoting the wrong person. Thanks to my writing, I’ve learned to see the world through my critics’ eyes by drafting 5000-word replies steelmanning their argument that I suck.
If I didn’t get any emails (which is most days), I find solace in the realisation that I’m still on track to remaining completely anonymous. I go outside instead and do something for the community by picking up trash in my neighbourhood.
10:30 AM: I eat a yogurt.
10:45 AM: The morning session tends to deplete a lot of my energy. Afterwards, my mind is usually racing in a stream-of-consciousness manner. Luckily, I discovered Naval Ravikant’s meditation technique for me. I love his minimalist approach. I just sit still, eyes closed, back upright and do nothing for 60 minutes. (Try that at your 9 to 5.) Naval’s method is perfect as it calms me down from taking criticism so extremely well.
12:00 PM: Ah, it’s noon. Time for a session of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I recently switched from Krav Maga to the martial art for the digital entrepreneur. I enjoy BJJ because it’s very strategic, almost like body chess. I’m working on my blue belt so I need to finesse my technique and get a few rolls in. Being a writer, it’s a perfect opportunity to practice my submissions.
What’s more, BJJ is an excellent metaphor for my life as a critical-thinking blogger and the intellectual journey from unconscious incompetence to knowing what you might never be able to do. Again, it’s crucial to at least plan on doing my mobility exercises afterwards.
1:00 PM: BJJ makes hungry. On the way back home I usually stop at a café and treat myself to some superfoods and a glass of water. I’m more than happy to pay $25 for a smashed avo on toast because I don’t know how to poach eggs at home. Still, I use the negotiation skills I developed writing The Mind Collection to get my lunch for $19.37 plus extra sunflower seeds sprinkled on top.
1:30 PM: BJJ and food make blogger tired. You need to give the mind and body some rest to invigorate the creative juices. In the past, I wasted valuable minutes by taking a nap. Nowadays I go with Huberman’s NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) protocol. It rests my body and releases tension without shutting down my precious mind.
2:00 PM: It’s time to write some more. The afternoon is reserved for working on my book. As in the morning, I limit this session to sixty minutes. They say you only have two productive hours per day, not eight. Why push my luck?
I’m a big admirer of the late essayist Christopher Hitchens. So when writing in the afternoon, I treat myself to his preferred drink: “A decent slug of Mr Walker’s amber restorative [Johnnie Walker Black Label], cut with Perrier water (an ideal delivery system) and no ice”.
However, until I’m both anonymous and rich, I’ve vowed to replace the Perrier with filtered water. For the sake of my health, I replace the whisky with a slug of H2O. I call it the Drink of Theseus.
3:00 PM: As you can imagine, the writing gets me pretty worked up again. To wind down, I go for a long walking meditation recommended by Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. A positive side effect is that I get the best ideas when I’m outside. While in a constant meditative state, I make my way to the chess room of our beautiful public library. Here I follow my other passion: teaching.
3:45 PM: Warren Buffett’s famous principle is to get smarter every day. Since I enjoy teaching, I’m also a big fan of the Feynman Technique. The idea is to learn about a topic or skill and then teach and explain it to others as if they were five. It’s hard to find people to teach whatever you want to learn. At the moment, I’m volunteering at the library to lecture about chess. I’m very patient and don’t give up until my students get it. Or ask me who the f*ck I am and if I could go somewhere else.
5:00 PM: My life as a blogger winds down. By the moment I get home, my wife and son are back from work and kindy. He’s had a warm lunch there so my lovely wife prepares him a light dinner.
5:30 PM: The time after is reserved for playtime. My son loves books. So I read to him a lot while making sure he stays hydrated. As the teacher in the family, I think it’s great to have a teacher in the family. Our 4-year-old is only four years old but I’ve already started to teach him how to read and disagree with me. He’s a natural when it comes to the latter.
6:00 PM: Six o’clock is notable because it’s the water cut-off time. I’m over 40. Experts say not drinking water past six will prevent me from having to get up at night.
7:00 PM: My son’s bedtime. After the best of all mum’s gets him ready I read him the final story of the day. He loves the one about the little tiger and the little bear who want to get rich so they can buy stuff they don’t need. After they find a fortune, fight over it and lose it again, they realise the value of having a best friend. Good night, son.
7:15 PM: My wife and I cook dinner together. Nothing fancy. The other day we vigorously and decisively recreated Binging with Babish’s recreation of Koji Steak with Duck Fat Fries from John Wick: Chapter 2. Albeit grilled on the barbie (Australian for BBQ). Because we’re Aussie (Australian for Australian).
I determine that wine is not water and we drink a glass of Merlot.
8:30 PM: There’s still work to be done. After dinner, I prepare for my next day or upcoming family activities. We have a 4WD adventure coming up and I never launch into such a project without conducting a thorough Premortem Analysis. This analytical technique is designed to anticipate failures before they happen. No rush, though. The report for friends and family to review isn’t due anytime soon.
9:30 PM: My wife and I relax by reading a good book. Usually each their own. Using the speed reading techniques recommended by zero f*ck-giver Mark Manson I can breeze through great literature such as Dostoyevsky‘s The Brothers Karamazov. I’m not a machine, though. If I can’t finish it, I read the last few pages the next day.
In any case, a second glass of Merlot is the exception, not the norm.
10:00 PM: It’s finally time to wind down. I write in my journal, reflect on my day and note any lessons learned. Then I spend some more quality time with my wife; finishing the day — and the bottle of Merlot.
11:00 PM: I’m sound asleep; my body not hurting all over despite my plans to stretch; ready to get up again soon to go to the bathroom.
So there you have it. A typical day in my life as a writer and blogger; enjoying the richness of living anonymously. It may not be much. But I try my best to be productive while not neglecting my family, health and wellbeing. As we all know, an obsession with self-improvement is the death of creativity.