https://open.substack.com/pub/ramimaalouf/p/no-more-gaslighting-myself-in-2026 subtitle: my new morning routine and my simple productivity system that I’m working on incorporating into my daily habits
Around three years ago, I recorded a video about how humans gaslight themselves into feeling the need to have breakfast when they first wake up (I never published it coz it was way too opinionated without any scientific backing, but you can find it here if yr curious)
Point is, what I’m just realizing is that I still gaslighting myself in other ways, especially in the morning.
This is typically how things go once I wake up:
- I wake up ✅
- I get out of bed ✅
- I grab my phone and try to be productive as I complete my morning tasks (checking dms, emails, notifs, etc…) ❌
On initial thought, you might think there is no problem in doing that, as long as you’re not doom-scrolling or wasting so much of your time. I was hoping that would be the case, but it’s unfortunately not as simple as that
See, the first few hours of your day are extremely valuable for several (scientific) reasons which you guys can ask ai to explain but TLDR: When we first wake up from a good sleep, it’s like restarting your computer. No apps are open, RAM is clear, so whatever app you decide to open and use, it is going to run so smoothly and with speed because there’s nothing else that the system needs to be thinking about (yes there is that “waking up” state which makes apps slow when they initially open. We’ll talk abt a solution to that)
What happens when you check your emails and the end is you overwhelm yourself with unimportant tasks and responsibilities which lead to a reduced mental clarity. Just like how, when you open so many apps at once, your computer gets overwhelmed and becomes slow. Same with AI and the context window. It’s crazy how much overlap we have with machines and how they operate.
So given that I know this, why do I still check the apps and notifications. Because I fall trap to heuristics (and also it’s become a habit). We want to feel productive and get rewarded for it in the morning, but we default to the easiest option like eating, texting, etc… These are even easier to gravitate to when we are feeling drowsy and lazy. So how can we see through this gaslighting that we do to ourselves each morning? Reframe what “productive” means in the morning. Define productivity in a way that rewards real action, not just the illusion of it
Ideally i’d like to start the day with a three-hour deep work session. But before that, I need a routine that sets the tone for it. You can’t expect yourself to have a deep and meaningful work session straight out of the get-go. You gotta gradually build it from the second you wake up. Like 6 years ago I remember reading about the importance of making your bed first thing in the morning. It’s a simple way to reward yourself and build momentum. But I’ve found something better: push-ups.
As simple as it sounds, it’s actually so powerful and scientifically backed. Physically, you’re pumping blood and oxygen straight to your brain, which clears up the morning fog instantly. But more than that, it shifts your mindset. You’re starting the day by pushing past your comfort levels and you can use that as a momentum starter (I’m a huge believer of momentum. I actually made a video on it over two years ago)
Here’s the ideal morning routine I’m working toward:
- Wake up naturally around 6-7 after 7hr of sleep (twilight.orbitlas.studio is helping me with that)
- Go to the toilet immediately (no phone in hand)
- Make wudu and pray.
- Do 30 push-ups right after prayer.
- Sit at my desk and plan my day. (This could take two minutes or thirty; it doesn’t matter as long as I end up with a clear plan.)
- Time block everything. Know exactly what I need to be doing at every stage of the day. Make decisions and commitments now so you don’t get burned out during the day because of decision fatigue
- Throughout the day, especially in the morning, if a task comes up that I feel the urge to complete right here and right now, I instead just delegate it for a later time through my calendar or task manager
Side note: ideally, you’d complete steps 5 and 6 before you go to bed the previous night so you don’t overwhelm yourself with decisions in the morning. I have noticed, at least for myself, that making decisions exhausts my energy so much. I’m trying to minimize the number of decisions I have to make early in the day because it just kills my productivity for the rest of the day. Even more ideally, you’d have that plan set in stone during your weekly review… but I’m FAR from reaching this point. Let’s first seize the day (carpe diem) and have good control over it, then we’ll expand the scope where i actually plan my days in detail at the beginning of the week
The key is alignment. Every task needs to fit into its time block, and I need the flexibility to move things around without creating chaos. This solves 80% of my productivity problems. But the other 20% comes down to mindset.
Sometimes I start work with the wrong mindset, and it derails my productivity. I need to stay connected to the deeper meaning behind each task. The “why.” Not just the immediate why, but the overarching why that drives me throughout the day. For now, my overarching goal is to create leverage for myself. But why do I want leverage? To expand my opportunities. Why expand opportunities? To find the right people to surround myself with. Why? Because the right people will help me grow my career, do meaningful work, and ultimately find people who align with my values, ambitions, and mission. Who i can grow and connect with.
That’s a powerful motivator. Suddenly, even the smallest, most tedious task feels significant. This mindset doesn’t come naturally, but it’s essential for someone like me, who’s deeply purpose-driven. I can’t rely on tasks being fun. Some won’t be. But the mission is always meaningful.
For example, one thing that entrepreneurship taught me is there are so many things that you need to be doing as a solo entrepreneur that unfortunately sometimes doesn’t align with your passions and what you enjoy doing in your day-to-day life. But what if you can live with alignment? Maybe entrepreneurship isn’t so bad if I can stay aligned with my purpose. So I won’t see tasks for what they are and the efforts that I have to put into them; I see them for what they offer me, the opportunities they could open up for me. Framing it that way helps make these tasks no longer tedious. They either matter deeply, or they don’t belong on your list. That’s the filter. It’s simple, but it requires discipline to apply consistently.
I think I know what I want out of life. I have a good grasp of it. That is not the case for most people. But the problem is I’m not leveraging that power to my advantage whatsoever. I continue to live with misalignment, no intentionality, even though it is so easy for me to do that because I know what my ultimate purpose is. It just comes down to having the discipline to take a few minutes of your day to align your tasks with your vision.
Maybe I should just write these visions down so I know exactly what they are, because right now they’re just in my head. That reminds me of the app idea that I had, which was about building delusional confidence in the morning. But I’m realizing that for some people like me, you don’t need that. You have what it takes to be delusionally confident as long as you align yourself with your purpose.