James LaughlinHigh-performance leadership and executive coach. Covering all aspects of life and career.

Protect your energy before burnout forces you to.

27 May 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief monologue, the speaker outlines a daily routine designed to preserve personal energy and prevent burnout. He wakes at 5:30 am, meditates for 15 minutes, and exercises six days a week—alternating between walking and weight training. After exercising, he habitually answers two reflective questions: “What good will I do today?” and “If I do just one thing, what will have the biggest impact longer term?” These practices are framed as a way to stay in the “green zone” of well‑being rather than slipping back into the “red zone” of burnout, emphasizing proactive maintenance over reactive recovery.

Chapters

I get up at 5:30 every day and I meditate for 15 minutes and then I do exercise. It's either walking or I do weight routines and that sort of thing as well. But I would probably exercise 6 days a week. Easy. Well, yeah, but you've been in the red zone. You never want to go back there again. And it's much easier to stay in the green zone than try and claw your way out of out of the red zone. So that's the— and when I come back from that exercise, I then answer those two questions. What good will I do today? And if I do just one thing, what will have the biggest impact longer term? So it's answering those questions.