How Axios CEO Jim VandeHei wins the morning
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Axios Finish Line reader Carrie Rule, a rising professional in Axios CEO Jim VandeHei's hometown of Oshkosh, writes: "I'm embarking on a new entrepreneurial professional journey, and I'm looking for ways to structure my mornings. I'm looking for ways to prime myself for creativity and productivity."
Jim's response: I'm a huge believer in early mornings, strict routines and doing a lot before the sun rises.
I'm not a doctor, neuroscientist or therapist. So take my screw-loose list for what it is: one 52-year-old CEO's routine, based on lots of experimentation for what works for me personally.
Jim's morning hacks:
1. Get up early. Yes, some people are night owls and still crush life. But I'm all-in on getting up between 4:30 and 5 a.m. most mornings. No one is around to bother you. So it provides a few hours of full control — and solitude. I do my best writing in the early part of the day. That's when I'm tapping out this column on my iPhone.
2. Focus my mind. I try (don't always succeed) to start with some combination of meditation (20 mins. of transcendental meditation), prayer and reading, plus adding to my Gratitude List — a rolling diary of people who have made a difference in my life. This process helps me focus on what matters most.
3. Feed my body. I'm a huge believer in a high-protein, healthy breakfast (latest kick: six egg whites, half an avocado and Ezekiel toast every a.m.). Big fan of coffee.
- The combo helps me think more clearly. For me, there's a massive connection between eating healthy, working out and greatly limiting booze — and my productivity and clarity of mind. Research is clear that this is pretty much universally true.
- This means avoiding alcohol most nights. I'm noticeably foggier if I don't clock seven hours of sleep. Booze interferes, sadly.
- It also, for me, means no added sugar or processed foods — both of which sap my energy the next day. Yeah, most of you will hate this one.
4. Feed my mind. I run a news company, so I read the news every morning without fail. My menu is lots of Axios content, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, several non-Axios specialty newsletters — and a quick spin through Twitter, which I still find useful for spotting ideas or opinions I might otherwise miss. Lots of people email random stuff to eat up, too.
- If I run alone in the a.m., I love podcasts (Huberman Lab, Joe Rogan, "Pivot," "All-In," Peter Attia's "The Drive," and "How I Built This," among others).
5. Strategize. The best, most useful part of my morning routine is a rolling conversation with Roy Schwartz and Mike Allen, via phone, about Axios. We all do our best thinking early and play off each other. So maybe find a big ideas tele-buddy.
The bottom line: There's tremendous value in figuring out what helps us do our best work consistently.
This article originally appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. Sign up here.
