Millionaire mindset: Naval Ravikant, an Indian-origin investor and founder, has a startup valued at $4 billion, AngelList. The founder-chairman entrepreneur, who has a reported net worth of $120 million, has a rather unconventional morning routine. Ignoring life-hacking wellness trends or technological wearables tracking every beat of your heart, Ravikant has relied heavily on evolution to create a morning routine that suits his lifestyle.
In conversation with Tim Ferriss, Naval Ravikant shared his morning routine in the podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show in October 2020. He had been called an ‘evolutionary angel’, who allows biology and evolution to guide his mornings. Breaking down the first 60 minutes of a typical weekday, Ravikant gets in every bit of nature he can, including light, air, movement, and even squeezes in time to check emails.
Breaking down Naval Ravikant’s morning routine
On a typical workday, Ravikant explained, “If I have control of it, I try not to wake up to an alarm clock.” He then shared his rationale behind this decision, the Indian-American entrepreneur shared that it’s ‘highly damaging’ and ‘it’s not something you’re meant to do.”
Emphasising the importance of a peaceful sleep, especially the last moments of it before one starts their day, Ravikant shared, “It is better to wake up naturally.” One of the ways he does that is by sleeping at a time when the body clock aligns itself with the sunrise. What’s the evolutionary hack?
Early to bed, early to rise: How Ravikant ‘wakes with the sun’
Ravikant shared that it is best to sleep near a window or under a skylight. “Natural light is the ultimate gentle alarm clock, going back to evolution as a binding principle, you are evolved to wake up to the sunrise,” calling it a pleasant way to wake up.
In fact, he shared that it was largely the guiding principle of placing his bed or choosing a house.
He quipped that waking up at 7:30 AM is ‘pretty late,’ calling himself a ‘night owl.’ On the contrary, a large section of corporate employees would consider that fairly early. He then recalled how, as a teenager, he used to sleep till 11 AM.
Light workout, check emails, repeat
Soon after waking up, Ravikant followed a slow and light workout routine. This contrasts with several CEOs who wake up at 4, turn to a high-intensity weighted workout, and check emails all at once.
“I always like to do a light workout throughout the day. It combines yoga, stretching, breathing, and dumbbells,” Ravikant shared. He explained that ideally he should follow a 30-40 minute routine, but the 51-year-old only works out for 20 minutes.
“In the middle, sometimes, I check email. I try to incorporate meditation into the workout, with no music or distraction,” Ravikant shared his way of doing his workout ‘properly’. “I’m just being aware of my thoughts, and watching my mind,” Naval Ravikant told Tim Ferriss on his podcast.
Naval Ravikant’s back-to-work routine
Usually, after his morning routine, the AngelList founder is bound to his computer. He messages and exchanges emails with his colleagues and team, “hopefully not on phone calls,” he remarked.
This morning routine then ends with a decaf coffee or a tea, before heading to work. He concluded, “The combined workout-meditation routine is really important. Waking up naturally is very important.” In the end, he reiterated that not waking up to alarm clocks brought more peace and that waking up naturally is an easier habit to build than breaking any other difficult cycle.