Codie Sanchez explains that adopting a rigid, military-style daily routine reduces low-level decision fatigue and increases capacity for important choices. She gives her own schedule as an example (wakes at 6:00, workouts at 7:00–7:30, begins work around 8:15–8:30) and argues that limiting daily variability (keeping exceptions rare) creates greater freedom.
Questions this video answers
6:00 AM
7:00–7:30 AM
Around 8:15–8:30 AM
Chapters
You want to know why a bunch of military men are so much more successful than, say, the Everyman? It's because they've become so used to routine. My daily schedule used to vary wildly. I wanted to do this, I wanted to do that, I wanted to have spontaneity. And then I realized by watching my husband, he does the same thing every day, every chance he gets. It's called removing low level decision fatigue. And so instead of deciding, well, today I'm gonna work out at 12, and tomorrow I'm gonna do it at 7, he's like, every morning, 7:30, I go and work out no matter what. Removing those small allows you to open up the big decisions. My daily schedule today, now looks like I get up at 6 every single morning. I go work out at 7, 7:30. I hit work from 8:15, 8:30. The more I can keep my day simple, the easier it becomes. All the deviations in life. Lots of people say, I don't want the routine to be the same every single day. But what you find out is that if you keep the exceptions, the exceptions. Living by the rule opens up massive freedom.