Why The First 15 Minutes of Your Day Are The Most Important For Maximizing Productivity

6:13 A.M. — my alarm goes off.

(I don’t like setting my alarms at times that end in “0” or “5.” I have absolutely no explanation why.)

I grab whatever book I’m reading — currently “Educated” by Tara Westover — slip on my slippers, walk downstairs and brew a pot of coffee.

I read while it brews. When it’s done, I head back upstairs to my laptop, sit down, and write. That whole process takes about 15 minutes.

The first thing most people do when they wake up is check their phone.

I used to do it all the time.

I would wake up, unlock my phone half-blinded by the white light of the screen, send my girlfriend a good morning text, open Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and scroll.

I did this for about 30–45 minutes every morning without even realizing it. It’s not that I was “dying” for social interaction or consumption or anything like that. Half of the time, I didn’t even want to scroll.

It was just habit.

I got into a more ‘holistic’ lifestyle after a bout of stomach issues.