You Can’t Just Roll Out of Bed and Expect to be Your Best Self

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In a recent conversation with Shaka Smart on the Coaching Culture Podcast, we delved into the importance of his morning routine. The idea that you can’t just roll out of bed and expect to be your best self struck a chord with me. It echoes Ryan Holiday’s paraphrase of the philosopher Seneca: “Virtue consists of two parts: the study of truth, followed by conduct. If there is a third part, it would be admonishment and reminders—the process of reviewing, reflecting, and creating rules based on our experiences.”

Review. Reflect. Create rules. This is the process through which we build our character.

Every morning, we should engage in a B.A.R. (Before Action Review) to set the tone for our day, as Shaka Smart suggests. At the end of the day, an A.A.R. (After Action Review) helps us reflect on what we’ve learned. Why? It’s about building the skills necessary to become more self-aware and to avoid the mental traps we often fall into, a topic Dr. Michael Gervais will explore in an upcoming Coaching Culture Podcast episode, and one that Jennifer Garvey Berger has addressed in previous episodes.

I understand—morning routines have become a trendy topic, with everyone feeling pressure to “optimize” their start to the day with green juice, mountain meditation, workouts, gratitude journaling, sunlight exposure, and specialty coffee. While there’s certainly value in these practices, it’s important not to overthink your morning routine. It needs to be practical and aligned with the flow of your life—not dictated by the latest influencer trends.

If we were professional athletes, we’d be expected to focus on every detail necessary to be our best—nutrition, mental training, and so on. As coaches, we aim to do everything we can to maximize our chances of success, just like Dave Brailsford’s story of painting the trailer white to spot even the smallest speck of dirt on the bikes—a concept James Clear discusses in Atomic Habits.

And yet, when it comes to our own well-being, performance, and skill-building, we often let our morning routines slide. That’s why it’s crucial to design and commit to a morning routine that helps you:

1. Review your previous day.
2. Reflect on the day ahead.
3. Create a plan to live well.
4. Build the necessary skills and knowledge to be effective in your role.

It’s not about following the latest fad; it’s about being your best self.