How to win your day by subtraction (12 Morning Habits To Avoid)

“We know what is wrong with more clarity than what is right, and that knowledge grows by subtraction.” – Nassim Taleb

Why it works

My favorite book is Antifragile by Nassim Taleb (pictured above). In it, Taleb introduces several concepts that fundamentally changed my life. The eponymous concept, for one, denotes the property of systems that thrive – not break or stay the same – as a result of stressors, mistakes, or failures. After reading the book in 2016, I soon got to put the concept to the test. My first “job” after obtaining my PhD in 2017 was co-founding a digital health startup. It failed after less than a year, but I learned many invaluable skills and lessons during that time.

A second powerful concept from the book is the Barbell Strategy. It’s about limiting downside risk while capturing upside potential. One example is balancing secure, stable job elements with high-risk, high-reward opportunities. Think of having a day job that covers your essential expenses while dedicating your free time to a passion project. In 2021, I did just that by starting this newsletter. It allowed me to develop my “Ultraproductive” framework and meet my co-author and business partner, Eric Partaker. Fast forward three years, and we got a book deal with Portfolio Penguin while building a 7-figure business around our services and products (if you’re interested in how we pulled this off, read this).

One of the more tactical and applicable concepts in Antifragile is called via negativa. According to that principle, via negativa (i.e., acting by removing) is more powerful and less error-prone than via positiva (i.e., acting by addition). It’s about eliminating harmful elements or avoiding pitfalls to achieve better outcomes in your life. If you want to apply that principle, your morning is a great place to start. The first hour of your day determines the other 23. Here are 12 habits to avoid for a successful day. Take it from someone who used to do all (!) of the below every single day: avoiding them will change your life.

How to do it

1) Hitting snooze multiple times
As the father of a seven-month-old daughter, I know as well as anyone that this is a tempting one. Yet, it’s a terrible idea. When woken up in the middle of a 90-minute sleep cycle, we experience what scientists call sleep inertia – a feeling of confusion and grogginess. That’s why hitting the snooze button will leave you more tired instead of less tired. So, set one alarm and stick to it. Learn more about timing that alarm optimally here.

2) Forgetting to hydrate
Insufficient hydration causes fatigue and even anxiety. Being well-hydrated, conversely, makes us alert. As we typically don’t drink at night, having a glass of water right after getting up will provide you with what you need to get going early in the day. Women should go for 2 liters and men for 3 liters a day, says the Mayo Clinic. So, place a water bottle by your bed. Drink a full glass before coffee. Learn more about all things hydration here.

3) Scrolling social media before getting up
Most people check their phone first thing in the morning – and thus get a reactive start to the day. Don’t be most people. Be proactive and practice Intermittent Digital Fasting (IDF). It is dead simple: stay away from your phone 1 hour after waking up. This will give you plenty of time for productive habits like preparing for the day ahead, reviewing your calendar, or setting specific goals (see below). If you want to delve deeper into IDF, check out this article.

4) Eating a sugar-laden breakfast
“Classic” breakfast options like white bread, cereal, and fruit juice set you up for a roller coaster ride in blood sugar and energy throughout the day. For breakfast, ditch the empty carbs and stock up on nutritious choices instead. Great options include everything made from eggs, cheese, or dairy. Think omelets with vegetables, eggs with avocado, or Greek yogurt with blueberries. Alternatively, skip breakfast altogether with Intermittent Fasting (IF). Here’s why and how it works.

5) Forgetting to prepare for the day ahead
Productivity expert and bestselling author Chris Bailey has a definition of productivity that I love: productivity means accomplishing what we intend to. A 10-minute planning ritual can save you many hours across your weeks and days. A weekly planning ritual will allow you to take a bird's eye view of the days ahead, while a daily planning ritual is vital to avoid spending it on autopilot – so that you’re going through your days being reactive instead of proactive. If you want to delve deeper into weekly and daily planning, read this.

6) Not taking a moment for gratitude
Author Roy T. Bennett put it best: “Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.” Gratitude comes with a plethora of mental and physical benefits. The former include improved cognition, less stress, and a reduced risk for anxiety and depression. The latter include lower blood pressure, improved immune function, and better sleep. To practice gratitude, all you need to do is write down three things you’re grateful for in the morning (or evening). Give it a try and see what happens.

7) Forgetting to review your day's calendar
Productivity isn’t about squeezing in more things, but doing the right things. Bestselling author Nir Eyal compares managing your day with to-do lists to running your life on Windows 95. Why? Because to-do lists “allow us to get distracted by the easy or urgent tasks at the expense of the important work”. Fortunately, there’s a better way to win your day: Timeboxing. Used by Bill Gates, Elon Musk and many more, timeboxing is simple: you migrate your to-do list into your calendar – and turn everything you do in a workday into an appointment with yourself. Learn more here.

8) Leaving your bed unmade
You’ve probably heard this advice a thousand times, but I’ll say it nevertheless: Making your bed is a powerful morning habit. Why? Because it optimizes dopamine – our “molecule of motivation” – early in the day. Dopamine lowers our threshold for taking action toward our goals. When our dopamine levels are higher in our brain and body, we focus on outward goals and feel motivated to pursue them. Making your bed is a small win to start your day that can make a big difference. Learn more about why and how this works here.

9) Not getting your morning sunlight
Getting plenty of morning sunlight is vital for optimizing your cortisol and melatonin levels. You’ll have more energy during the day and fall deeply asleep quicker at night. To do so, use our 10-10-10 rule: Get 10 minutes of sunlight into your eyes before 10 am (and avoid bright, blue light after 10 pm). Combine this with a brisk walk for exercise. If you want to learn more about the 10-10-10 rule, read this article.

10) Multitasking during morning preparations
Multitasking is a trap. Since it takes us up to 23 minutes to refocus after an interruption, multitasking (which is really just rapid task switching) makes us 50% less efficient. As a result, work takes twice as long. On top of that, it also makes us miserable – by boosting stress and feelings of time pressure. Instead of starting your day multitasking, cultivate one session of deeply focused work a day. Here’s why and how.

11) Not setting specific goals for the day
If you don’t define what a good day looks like, you’ll never feel like you’re doing enough. If you want to avoid this outcome, use Oliver Burkeman’s 3-3-3 Method: spend 3 hours a day on your most important thing; timebox 3 shorter tasks (e.g. email); and plan 3 maintenance activities (e.g. health-related). Learn more about how exactly to pull this off here.

12) Checking work emails first thing
Checking your inbox first thing in the morning will dramatically increase your risk of spending the day reactively instead of proactively, with easy or urgent tasks crowding out the important work. Let’s face it: your inbox is a to-do list put together for you by other people. So, if you want to start your day proactively instead of reactively, set a specific time for email later. If you want to learn more about getting better at email, check out my 3-2-1 Method.

Transform your mornings, transform your life.

Small changes lead to big results. Start today.

And please share this post with one person who might benefit from doing the same.

Until next week,
Christian

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2) Becoming Ultraproductive 1:1 Coaching Program
Are you struggling to focus on the important work being busy with urgent stuff? Are you feeling tired throughout the day despite sleeping for 7 or 8 hours at night? Are you having trouble dealing with high stress at work – and “switching it off” at home?

If so, check out our new Becoming Ultraproductive 1:1 coaching program. In it, I help executives, entrepreneurs and CEOs build rock-solid habits for deep focus, deep sleep, and mastering stress – and increase their productivity by up to 10x. That way, I’ve coached 60+ executives, entrepreneurs and CEOs on Becoming Ultraproductive since 2023.

The coaching program includes six 1:1 sessions with me over 12 weeks, tailor-made habit systems and handouts to optimize focus, sleep, and stress – and a guaranteed 100% increase in productivity. It is limited to ten seats at a time. If you’re interested in one of these seats, learn more and get in touch here.

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