My New Routine at 33 Years Old

I’m recording this mostly for myself.

At 33, I’ve finally accepted something that probably shouldn’t have taken this long to admit: I’m a sleepy guy. And pretending otherwise hasn’t made me stronger, smarter, or more disciplined—it’s just made me tired.

I’m done with the 4 a.m. wake-ups, the chronic sleep deprivation, and the idea that running myself into the ground somehow counts as virtuous or “Godly work.” It doesn’t. It isn’t intelligent. And it definitely isn’t sustainable.

There was a time when I bought into the idea that waking up earlier than everyone else was a moral advantage. That if I could just suffer more hours than the next guy, I’d earn something meaningful on the other side of it. But the truth is, most of that was just hand-wavy hustle-bro bullshit dressed up as discipline.

What I’m optimizing for now is sustainability.

Owning My Time (For Real)

One of the quiet privileges of working for myself is that I’m not actually forced to wake up at any particular hour. Yes, I might have a client meeting here or there, but nothing truly requires me to be up before the sun.

So why was I doing it?

Mostly out of habit. Ego. Fear. Some internalized belief that if I wasn’t exhausted, I wasn’t trying hard enough.

That belief is gone.

Instead of forcing an early wake-up, I’m focusing on something far more impactful: getting into bed earlier. Not necessarily falling asleep at 11pm on the dot—but at least being in bed, slowing down, letting my nervous system know that the day is ending–and, more importantly, work is over.

Even if I fall asleep closer to midnight, that’s still a massive upgrade from pushing myself until I collapse.

A Slower Night Is a Better Morning

My evenings are becoming intentionally boring—in the best way.

Incense. Herbal tea. A book I’ve already read, or one I don’t feel pressure to “get through.” No TV. No doom scrolling. No feeding my brain stimulation right before asking it to rest.

It’s not some hyper-optimized routine. It’s just gentle. Human. Calm.

And the payoff is obvious the next morning.

I wake up without resentment. Without fog. Without that low-grade anger that comes from asking too much of yourself for too long.

This Is the Work Now

I’m not trying to become a monk. I’m not chasing some romanticized version of productivity. And I’m definitely not interested in proving anything to anyone.

This routine isn’t about doing more.

It’s about doing what I’m already doing—but without burning myself alive in the process.

At 33, I’m less interested in intensity and far more interested in longevity. If I want to build meaningful things, think clearly, and stay emotionally regulated, sleep isn’t optional. It’s foundational.

No more performative suffering. No more fake discipline. No more glorifying exhaustion.

Just a life that actually works.