Ditch the morning routine.

Most men are doing morning routines all wrong.

One of two things is happening:

1. The first guy sleeps in, slams some coffee, and rushes through the day in a fog.

2. The second guy wakes up, crushes a workout, meditates, takes an ice bath, spends time in the sauna, and then dives straight into work.

The first guy’s problem is obvious—he needs routine and structure.

But the second guy? That’s trickier. It looks productive, but if he’s not moving the needle on his most important tasks, he might be more distracted than disciplined.

You can endure an ice bath, run 10 miles, or meditate for 40 minutes, but if your finances are a mess, your relationships are neglected, or your faith is an afterthought, you’re avoiding the work that matters most.

The purpose of a morning routine is not the ice bath, the journal, or the workout. It’s about creating alignment, energy, and focus to set the tone for the rest of your day.

It’s about producing results and creating rhythm.

Routine, Results and Rhythm, Every Day

Routine exists for one reason: to create predictable results.

Consistent, structured routines create rhythm. Think of it like learning to dance:

• Routine is practicing the steps.

• Rhythm is when the steps become instinctive, and your body moves effortlessly.

In life, rhythm shows up as natural integration:

If we’re continuing the dance analogy its when your body moves to the music without having to think of the steps.

Across your four domains rhythm might look like…

• Faith: Praying and expressing gratitude instinctively.

• Fitness: Choosing movement and nourishment without overthinking.

• Family: Sharing connection, leading your emotions, and serving in everyday moments.

• Finances: Managing money, creating value, and giving generously as second nature.

Routine → Results → Rhythm.

Once you have rhythm, drop the routine.

Big Idea:

If your fitness is already a 9/10, but your finances are a 4/10, is spending your mornings in the gym discipline or distraction?

What if your biggest problem [or most important mission] got your first focus?

What You Do First Matters

Mornings are the only time of day that belong fully to you. It’s when your energy is highest, your mind is clearest, and your willpower is strongest.

Yet too many men waste this time on what feels comfortable instead of what moves the needle.

If you don’t have a morning routine, you need one.

When I lacked discipline and was out of shape, I didn’t need an influencer’s morning routine of ice baths, red light therapy, breathwork, and gratitude exercises.

I needed to get my ass in the gym. I needed my routine to produce results.

Now, fitness is part of the rhythm of my life. I don’t miss workouts, and because of this, fitness doesn’t need the same first focus and structure it once did.

I have a more important mission to move first thing in the morning and it’s not my body.…

It’s All Important, Just Not at the Same Time

Think about your life like a car.

Each tire represents a critical domain of your life:

• Faith [Spirit & Being]: The spiritual alignment that gives you vision and clarity.

• Fitness [Body & Doing]: The physical energy to tackle life’s challenges.

• Family [Heart & Feeling]: The love and connection that ground you.

• Finances [Mind & Thinking]: The financial growth and freedom to expand.

When one tire is flat, it doesn’t matter how much gas you press, you’re not going anywhere.

When thinking about the flat tire its obvious what to do.

Put air [effort] into the tire that is flat AND make sure you top off ALL the tires.

But this is where most men get stuck. 

Most men pour everything into one area while ignoring the others.

They wake up and:

• Dive into work, but their fitness and family suffer.

• Crush a workout, but their finances fall apart.

• Meditate for clarity, but they avoid the hard work of leading their family or fixing their business.

Some create a little progress, but no long-term success. Others air up the tire they’re already great at, not realizing they’re slowly drifting off course.

What’s missing? Balance and alignment.

The Routine Is the Foundation, Not the Outcome

Your morning routine isn’t the goal, it’s the preparation.

It is quite literally the maintence needed to air all of your tires so you can pursue what is really meaningful.

Your morning routine is a simple system that makes success predictable.

By building a deliberate morning routine, you remove the guesswork and distractions that derail progress.

It doesn’t have to be long or complicated. It just has to be intentional.

What you do in the morning determines everything that follows.

That book, business, or body you want to build? It starts in the morning, and your routine should reflect the results you want to create.

So, What Do You Want?

The first place I would start is with an honest inquiry of where you’re at.

I’ve created a free discovery tool called the GAP MAP to give you insight across your Four Domains: Faith, Fitness, Family, and Finances.

It will give you a visual snapshot of what’s strong and where you have deficits.

If it were me, I’d be putting air in the tire that’s lowest so I don’t have a blowout on the side of the road.

====> Take your GAP MAP Here.

Eat the Frog First Thing in the Morning

Once equipped with your GAP MAP, pinpoint your frog.

The frog is your hardest, most important task, the one you tend to avoid. Across your Core Four; Faith, Fitness, Family, and Finances. The frog is the domain of your life that’s in the greatest deficit.

• Identify Your Frog: What’s holding you back? Your fitness? Your finances? Your family? Your faith?

• Attack It First Thing: Dedicate your morning to eating the frog.

• Build Momentum: By tackling the hardest task first, you create energy, motivation, and clarity for the rest of your day.

Why This Matters

Most men focus on what’s easy. They build on their strengths while avoiding their weaknesses.

But a man who’s truly disciplined? He confronts his deficits.

Remember: Discipline isn’t just about effort; it’s about alignment.

Every morning is an opportunity to align your Four Domains. Because when your mornings are aligned, so is your life.

Morning momentum = mastery in life.

What Does This Look Like?

Here’s an example of my hyper-focused morning routine:

• Faith: 2 minutes of prayer, 3 minutes of scripture (<5m)

• Fitness: Ice bath, quick bodyweight circuit, hydration (<10m)

• Family: 3 gratitude texts (<5m)

• Finances: Quick review of top 3 priorities for the day (<5m)

• THEN, focused deep work on my most important mission (e.g., writing, business-building).

Here’s the thing: I love working out, praying, reading, meditating, and sitting in gratitude with God—but those domains are already at a 7/10 or higher. I have the rhythm in my life to prove it.

I’m fit, faithful, and have great relationships (family), but my mission and vision for HVM and beyond is nowhere near where I want it to be.

God has made it very clear, the work is the worship, so get to work.

What’s Your Routine Creating?

I’d love to hear from you, what does your morning routine look like?

Is it creating the results you want and the rhythm in your life? Or has it become stale or stagnant?

Reply and let me know.

Talk soon,

E

P.S. The first step is clarity. I created the GAP MAP to help you assess where you stand across Faith, Fitness, Family, and Finances. Check your score and reply back and let me know what FROG you’re going to eat first!

BTW, if you’ve taken this before you can retake anytime to see how you’ve improved your scores. Track it and improve it.