My Morning Routine
Briar Prestidge
CEO & Founder | Award-Winning Doco Producer, Executive Branding, Publicist | Metaverse Advisor for INTERPOL | Futurist & Avatar Tech-Fashion Designer
If you’ve been following this newsletter for a while you know I'm usually deep in conversations about the future, longevity science, and pushing the boundaries of human potential. Recently though, I have been getting a lot of questions about a totally different topic, something far more fundamental: my morning routine.
And honestly, I love that you're asking. Because my morning routine has been transformative for me. Early on in my entrepreneurial journey, I was fortunate to realize something game-changing: one of the most powerful tools for improving our lives is actually pretty simple—it’s how we start our day.
Now, I'm not claiming to have stumbled upon some revolutionary secret. After all, the importance of morning habits isn't exactly a novel concept. But here's where it gets interesting: emerging research in fields ranging from chronobiology to neuroscience is shedding new light on just how impactful these early hours can be.
Research from Stanford Medical School in 2024 found that early sleepers and risers tend to have better mental health than night owls. A Harvard Business Review report revealed that customer service agents who began their shifts with a positive attitude typically maintained that outlook all day, despite encountering difficult customers. One 2021 academic study found that waking up just one hour earlier was associated with a 23% lower depression rate.
Implications of not having a morning routine? Almost everyone drifts into self destructive behaviour because most people use the early hours to check emails, calendar or to-do list and this “immediately starts the day off on a stressful note, and tells your brain to go into panic mode,” Jackson, who is also the clinical strategy manager of mental health equity at Modern Health told CNBC.
Here’s a secret no one believes when they look at me—I’m not really a morning person. Often, I want to stay up late researching topics on the internet or reading threads about the future or biohacking on Reddit. Sometimes I have late nights working—interviewing a guest on my podcast or attending overseas business meetings on Zoom. Ever since I can remember, I've struggled to fall asleep at night. My mind is constantly active, pondering the meanings of life, thinking about my businesses and projects, and dreaming about the future.
As a little girl, I had a huge imagination. I often stayed up scripting conversations about being the long-lost daughter of a queen, being chased by aliens, or imagining how an interaction with a high school crush would play out the next day. I don’t think we spend enough time exploring our imaginations these days. We're always distracting ourselves and filling any spare time by being on our phones. What if we taught people to explore their imaginations more, like we did when we were children? Why do we stop daydreaming and lose our child-like curiosity as we get older?
I've finally come to realize that I'll probably never want to sleep because there are far more exciting things I could do with my time. However, I also know that getting at least seven hours of sleep is a necessary ingredient for not only a productive day but also a long, healthy life, according to biohacking and longevity experts. I feel it the next day if I've stayed up late doom-scrolling on Reddit or Instagram. Our decision-making and mood are affected: we feel increased hunger and choose the chocolate croissant over the eggs for breakfast, we feel sluggish, look tired, lose the sparkle in our eyes, and don't perform our best throughout the day.
I used to think I was a night owl, but I've now come to discover that there is no such thing. The biggest improvement in my daily performance came when I fixed my nighttime routine. People with self-discipline don't have more willpower; they've just figured out how to alter their environment ahead of time. When we have kids, we discover that they benefit from having a consistent bedtime. Adults aren't any different. So, my bedtime is now consistently at 10 p.m, and I read a book for 30 minutes instead of looking at screens. Exposure to blue light from our phones, laptops, or TVs suppresses melatonin production—a hormone produced by the pineal gland that manages our sleep-wake cycle. Kristen Holmes, the Head of Performance at WHOOP, told me that blue light can also cause changes in our hormones and even cancer. Being an all-or-nothing person, upon learning this, I quit reality TV cold turkey last year to stop staying up until 1 a.m. watching it.
Tracking my sleep quality with my WHOOP watch has gamified my experience. While some might find regimented data tracking anxiety-inducing, I find it motivating. Wearable tech is becoming a significant trend in health and fitness. Our bodies are not machines; they are complex and unique to each of us. There isn't a one-size-fits-all formula for longevity, which is why wearable tech can be helpful in discovering the small behavior tweaks that create meaningful outcomes in our biometrics over time.
What gets measured gets achieved, and now I'm always striving for that 'perfect' sleep—not just in length but also in quality. At least one hour of deep sleep, two hours of REM. More and more research supports the importance of rest and recovery as being equally important as fitness and training. If you're not resting optimally, you won't be able to achieve the best outcomes in any area of your life.
Our brains don't always make the best decisions for us, so I've tried to hack my environment. Upon waking at 6:30 a.m., my smart curtains automatically open to let sunlight into my room. I make my bed and drink a glass of water with electrolytes on the balcony—these are keystone habits that give a small sense of pride for accomplishing the first tasks of the day.
As I sip on my almond milk latte or Americano, I check my social media and Reddit notifications that came through overnight and briefly catch up on whatever news is trending—while reminding myself to ingest it all with a pinch of salt because the media is skewed and driven by fear. Fear creates clicks to their websites, and clicks generate revenue for the publications. I check my planner to see what meetings my PA or brand manager has scheduled for my day. Then it's either time for the gym to lift some weights, or I take a 15-minute walk to get some steps in, followed by some stretching and red-light therapy.
It's not a "perfect" morning, but what is? It's one that, over the years, I've slowly developed and decided works best for me and my life. Here's a hot take: People who obsess over their morning routine make less money than people who obsess over making money. When I first became an entrepreneur in my mid-twenties, all those '5 a.m. club millionaire gurus' on Instagram had me convinced that waking up at the crack of dawn and immediately starting with meditation, breathwork, waiting 90 minutes before having my first coffee (or refusing to drink coffee at all!), writing in a gratitude journal, and 'grounding' by walking barefoot on the grass was absolutely necessary if I wanted to achieve similar success. Well, I'm here to tell you that it's not.
My morning is also not a three or four-hour longevity routine where I take 83 supplements like 'The World’s Most Measured Man,' tech billionaire Bryan Johnson. I take functional supplements according to what my blood results every three months indicate I'm low in. In my opinion, longevity is all about balance. We could obsess and stress over the data, or we could also live our lives.
About two or three times per week, if I don't work out in the morning, I continue my fast until around 1 p.m., and sometimes as late as 5 p.m. Nutritionists have long suggested that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but intermittent fasting has gained ground in health and longevity circles. With intermittent fasting, breakfast is not only optional but also discouraged. The most common is a 16-hour fast with an eight-hour eating window. Fasting is natural and has been practiced throughout human evolution. Ancient hunter-gatherers didn't have supermarkets, refrigerators, or Uber Eats—they functioned without food for extended periods.
I'm ravenous if I work out at the gym, so afterward I enjoy one of my protein-rich breakfast recipes. High-protein breakfasts activate signals in the brain that curb appetite, reducing cravings and snacking throughout the day. Protein in the morning also jumpstarts metabolism and keeps our blood sugar and cholesterol levels low and steady.
The more I've researched and spoken to experts about biohacking and longevity, the more I've discovered how complicated and personal it is. Listen to your body, both cognitively and physically, because there is never a one-size-fits-all. Some people may experience headaches, blood sugar dips, and difficulty concentrating if they skip breakfast. Others who skip breakfast may overindulge and eat the wrong things when they finally do eat. Be mindful of consuming empty calories from supersized coffees with syrups.
My days are busy, so I like to have a slower pace in the morning so that I don't feel rushed or overwhelmed. I also have a 'no meetings before 11 a.m.' rule. I appreciate that I'm able to do this and am aware not everyone has this luxury. Our brains have the most energy in the mornings, which is why I try to hold space for myself mentally to explore creative ideas and make big business decisions.
Some days, I wake up feeling bold as hell—like I can achieve anything in life. I'm out there making it happen and making a real impact in society. My vision and legacy are bigger than me. I'm on a mission to positively impact over 100 million people before (or if) I die by sparking curiosity and influencing a new generation of creative thinkers who dare to envision humanity's next steps. I see a lot wrong with today's society, much of which I described earlier, and with scientific, medical, and technological advancements also comes an opportunity to better our trajectory.
Then there are days when I wake up feeling the complete opposite. Perhaps I'm worried or anxious about the future, all the people and overheads that I'm responsible for, a big project I'm working on, or a problem that I'm trying to solve. Or I feel overwhelmed about the huge dreams I aspire to fulfill in my lifetime and the change I hope to influence in society.
On these days, I remind myself that it's okay to feel this way. We're all human, and it's natural to experience a spectrum of emotions. What matters is how we navigate these feelings and move forward. My morning routine serves as an anchor—a set of rituals that ground me, provide structure, and help me reset. It doesn't have to be perfect or emulate someone else's ideal; it just needs to work for me.
I've learned that the simplest habits can have the most profound impact. While technology and biohacking offer incredible tools for enhancing our lives, sometimes the most transformative changes come from within. By prioritizing sleep, nourishing our bodies, and creating space for both productivity and imagination, we align ourselves more closely with our goals and aspirations.
So, whether you're a night owl trying to catch the morning sun or someone seeking to optimize your day, remember that it's a personal journey. Experiment, adjust, and find what resonates with you. After all, life's too short not to embrace each morning as a new beginning—a chance to shape not just our day, but our very lives.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR, BRIAR PRESTIDGE:
Briar Prestidge, CEO of Prestidge Group, is an award-winning documentary producer, Web3 evangelist, and futurist. She is also a metaverse board advisor to INTERPOL's Investigations and Forensics team, as well as a board advisor to Humanity+, the Metaverse Fashion Council, and serves as a strategic advisor for Imagin3 Studio.
In 2016, Briar founded Prestidge Group, a leading executive personal branding, PR, and speaker relations agency. The company manages HNWIs, C-level executives, technology experts, celebrities, government officials, and investors, with offices in Dubai, New York, and London.
In her award-winning documentary '48 Hours in the Metaverse', Briar spent 48 hours non-stop on VR and metaverse platforms interviewing 21 experts across 33 virtual worlds. The documentary was awarded five laurels from major film festivals and was featured in leading publications such as Forbes and WIRED. As a tech-fashion designer, Briar has a futuristic fashion label for avatars and a shopping empire on Roblox under her tech-fashion house OLTAIR. In 2021, her first phygital fashion label, inspired by her luxury suit collection (now closed), was showcased at the world’s first Metaverse Fashion Week on Decentraland.
Briar aims to influence a new generation of creative thinkers who dare to envision humanity’s next steps. To learn about how we can elevate the human condition, find solutions to world problems, and find a balance between opportunity and risk, she hosts exclusive discussions with visionary CEOs, tech experts, scientists, inventors, futurists, and philosophers on her podcast HYPERSCALE: The Podcast of the Future, and on her upcoming documentary, Cyborg To Be.
Briar was named one of the ‘Top 100 Most Influential’ people in the United Arab Emirates by Ahlan! Magazine, and has been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, OSN, Emirates Woman, Marie Claire, Grazia, WIRED, and The National, among others, in recognition of her work.
Do Nothing In Excess/Make A Pledge & Destruction Is Near
1mohazzah