Own the Day, Own Your Life

Own the Day, Own Your Life Plot Summary

Introduction

Have you ever felt like life is happening to you rather than for you? Like you're constantly reacting to circumstances rather than creating them? The difference between an extraordinary life and an ordinary one often comes down to something surprisingly simple: how you approach each day. Most people drift through their days on autopilot, responding to whatever demands their attention most loudly, never realizing the tremendous power they hold to shape their experience. What if you could transform your daily experience through strategic, science-backed practices that align with your biology rather than fight against it? From the moment you open your eyes until you close them at night, every choice you make either moves you toward greater vitality and fulfillment or away from it. By mastering specific routines and habits that optimize your physical energy, mental clarity, and emotional wellbeing, you can take command of your day and, by extension, your entire life.

Chapter 1: Hydrate and Energize Your Morning Ritual

The first hour after waking sets the biochemical tone for your entire day. Most people sabotage themselves immediately by reaching for their phones or coffee before addressing their body's most fundamental needs. This common pattern triggers a cascade of stress hormones and missed opportunities that affect everything from cognitive function to physical performance throughout the day. Aubrey Marcus discovered this principle through personal experimentation and consultation with elite performers. When working with NHL star Duncan Keith, Marcus found that a simple morning routine transformation helped Keith achieve one of the most dominant playoff performances in hockey history. The secret wasn't complicated—it started with proper hydration. After hours without water during sleep, your body is naturally dehydrated, yet most people reach for coffee (a diuretic) or their phones (a stress trigger) instead of addressing this basic need. The transformation begins with what Marcus calls the "Morning Mineral Cocktail"—a simple mixture of filtered water, high-quality salt, and lemon juice that provides essential minerals and electrolytes your body needs to rehydrate properly. This isn't just about quenching thirst—it's about priming your internal environment before hitting the road. When Keith implemented this practice along with strategic light exposure and gentle movement, his performance improved dramatically, helping lead his team to a Stanley Cup victory. To implement this morning ritual effectively, prepare your hydration solution the night before—12-16 ounces of water with a pinch of high-quality salt and a squeeze of lemon. Place it beside your bed. Upon waking, drink it completely before doing anything else. Then, expose yourself to natural sunlight within the first 20 minutes of waking to reset your circadian rhythm. Even on cloudy days, natural light is significantly brighter than indoor lighting and helps signal to your body that it's time to be alert and energized. Complete your morning trinity with gentle movement—not a full workout, but enough physical activity to increase core temperature and circulation. This could be as simple as 23 burpees (Marcus's lucky number), a gentle yoga flow, or even playful wrestling with your partner or pet. The goal is to eliminate grogginess through movement without crossing the threshold that requires recovery. Remember that consistency matters more than perfection. Even implementing just the hydration component will yield noticeable benefits. The key is creating a deliberate morning sequence that puts you in control rather than letting external demands dictate your state from the moment you wake up.

Chapter 2: Fuel Your Body with Strategic Nutrition

The modern approach to breakfast is fundamentally flawed, setting millions of people up for energy crashes, cravings, and poor cognitive performance. The typical high-carbohydrate, sugar-laden breakfast creates a metabolic rollercoaster that undermines productivity and health throughout the day. This isn't just about feeling good—it affects real-world decision-making in profound ways. A fascinating study of Israeli parole judges revealed the dramatic impact of blood sugar fluctuations on judgment. Researchers discovered that prisoners who appeared before judges just after they had eaten had a 65% chance of favorable rulings, while those who appeared before a meal break had less than 20% chance. This stark difference wasn't due to judicial bias but to the biological reality of decision-making under blood sugar fluctuation. Marcus himself experienced this transformation when he abandoned conventional breakfast wisdom. For years, he was addicted to cinnamon Pop-Tarts—essentially sugar filling between refined starch, coated with frosting. An hour after eating, the initial blood sugar spike would give way to irritability, fogginess, and hunger. When he switched to a breakfast focused on healthy fats and protein while eliminating sugar, his energy stabilized, mental clarity improved, and cravings disappeared. The optimal nutrition approach centers on four universal principles. First, minimize sugar intake, especially in the morning when your body is most sensitive to insulin spikes. Second, prioritize healthy fats like avocado, eggs, and grass-fed butter, which provide sustained energy without blood sugar fluctuations. Third, consider that sometimes skipping breakfast entirely through intermittent fasting can be beneficial, allowing your body's natural cellular repair processes to operate. Fourth, focus on nutrient density rather than calorie counting. To implement this approach, start by eliminating all sugary breakfast foods—including fruit juices, cereals, and pastries. Replace them with options like eggs cooked in grass-fed butter with greens, bone broth with avocado, or a smoothie containing healthy fats from coconut or MCT oil. If you choose to try intermittent fasting, begin gradually by delaying breakfast by an hour, eventually working up to a 16-hour fasting window if it feels beneficial. The most important aspect is paying attention to how your body responds. Energy levels, mental clarity, and hunger patterns provide valuable feedback about what works for your unique physiology. The goal isn't a perfect diet but sustainable energy that powers your day without crashes or cravings.

Chapter 3: Harness Stress for Growth and Resilience

Stress has been universally vilified in modern culture, portrayed as a silent killer that must be eliminated at all costs. This perspective misses a crucial biological truth: certain types of stress are actually essential for optimal human functioning and growth. Understanding the difference between harmful chronic stress and beneficial acute stress is key to transforming your relationship with challenge. Wim Hof, nicknamed "The Iceman," demonstrates this principle through his remarkable feats and teaching. At age fifty-seven, Hof holds dozens of extreme sports world records, including running a marathon above the Arctic Circle shirtless. What's more impressive is that he's trained ordinary people to achieve similar feats, including climbing Kilimanjaro with minimal clothing and altering their immune response to pathogens in laboratory settings. His method combines conscious breathing with controlled cold exposure to create beneficial stress that strengthens rather than weakens the body. The transformation in Marcus's approach to stress came through his work with Hof. Initially, immersion in ice water triggered an intense stress response—racing heart, constricted breathing, and mental panic. But by applying controlled breathing and mental focus, Marcus learned to modulate this response, eventually finding the experience invigorating rather than overwhelming. This practice built what he calls "mental override"—the ability to make yourself do something difficult despite resistance. To harness stress as a performance tool, start with the Wim Hof breathing method: take 30-50 deep power breaths (deep inhalations into the belly followed by passive exhalations), followed by a breath hold after exhaling. This technique creates a hormetic stress response that builds resilience while releasing adrenaline and norepinephrine—the same hormones coffee produces, making this an energizing natural alternative to caffeine. Next, incorporate cold exposure gradually—begin with a "power shower" (ending your normal shower with three minutes of cold water) or even just washing your face with cold water. The cold shock releases up to 300 percent more norepinephrine, which helps reduce inflammation while building mental toughness. Tony Robbins, despite his grueling schedule of international travel and marathon speaking engagements, maintains extraordinary energy levels partly through this practice, plunging into a sub-50-degree pool each morning. Remember that the goal isn't to eliminate all stress but to intentionally introduce beneficial stressors while managing chronic stress. As Marcus says, "If you can conquer the acute natural stress of something like freezing water, something that makes you stronger—even grow to love it—you can conquer anything." This practice isn't just about physical health; it's about cultivating the willpower to overcome resistance in every area of life.

Chapter 4: Create Deep Focus in a Distracted World

In today's hyperconnected environment, the ability to achieve and maintain deep focus has become both increasingly valuable and increasingly rare. The average person checks their phone between 50-75 times daily, and studies show that even having your phone visible (even if turned off) reduces cognitive capacity. This constant distraction doesn't just waste time—it fundamentally changes how we think and work. Marcus discovered the true cost of distraction during a critical phase of writing his book. Despite setting aside dedicated time, he found himself constantly interrupted by emails, texts, and social media notifications. His productivity plummeted, and what should have been a three-hour writing session yielded barely a paragraph of usable content. The turning point came when he implemented what he calls "digital quarantine"—physically removing all potential distractions and creating an environment optimized for focus. The transformation was immediate and profound. By eliminating digital interruptions and optimizing his physical workspace, Marcus completed more quality work in a single three-hour session than he had in the previous week. This experience aligned perfectly with research showing that after an interruption, it takes an average of 23 minutes to return to deep focus. For Marcus, this meant that even quick glances at his phone were costing him far more time than he realized. To create your own deep focus environment, start by identifying your most important work—the tasks that truly move the needle in your life or career. Schedule specific blocks of time dedicated exclusively to this work, ideally when your energy naturally peaks (typically 2-4 hours after waking for most people). Before beginning, implement a complete digital quarantine: silence your phone and place it in another room, close email and messaging applications, and use website blockers if necessary. Next, optimize your physical environment. Research shows that ambient factors significantly impact cognitive performance. Use essential oils like rosemary or peppermint, which studies have shown can improve alertness and memory. Ensure proper posture and ergonomics—as the Washington State Department of Labor found in reviewing 250 workplace studies, proper ergonomics consistently increased productivity while reducing strain and absenteeism. Position yourself near natural light if possible, which improves mood and cognitive function. Remember that deep focus is a skill that improves with practice. Start by tackling your hardest task first—what Nicolas Chamfort called "swallowing a live toad" first thing in the morning. This prevents procrastination and the stress of having difficult work hanging over you all day. With consistent application of these techniques, you'll develop the increasingly rare and valuable ability to achieve deep focus in a distracted world.

Chapter 5: Design Your Evening for Restorative Sleep

Sleep is the ultimate performance enhancer, yet it's often the first thing sacrificed in busy lives. This approach is fundamentally backward—without quality sleep, every other performance strategy becomes dramatically less effective. The evening hours leading up to sleep represent a critical transition period that most people mismanage through screen exposure, poor environmental conditions, and stress-inducing activities. Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post and one of the most successful media executives in the world, learned this lesson the hard way. Despite her extraordinary success, she collapsed from exhaustion one day, hitting her head on her desk and waking in a pool of blood. This dramatic wake-up call led her to completely redesign her approach to sleep and evening routines, ultimately writing a bestselling book on the subject and launching a wellness company focused on sleep optimization. Marcus experienced a similar transformation when he examined his own evening habits. Despite prioritizing other aspects of health, he found himself struggling with insomnia and poor sleep quality. The breakthrough came when he realized he was treating sleep as an on/off switch rather than a gradual transition. By implementing a deliberate wind-down routine and addressing environmental factors, his sleep quality dramatically improved, along with his daytime energy and performance. To design your optimal evening routine, start by establishing a "digital sunset" at least 60 minutes before bedtime. This means completely disconnecting from phones, computers, and television, all of which emit blue light that suppresses melatonin production. If you must use screens, install blue-light blocking apps or wear specialized glasses. This simple practice can increase melatonin production by up to 50%, helping you fall asleep faster and achieve deeper sleep cycles. Next, create a sleep sanctuary in your bedroom. Research shows optimal sleep occurs in environments that are cool (around 65-68°F), completely dark, and quiet. Remove all electronics, use blackout curtains if necessary, and consider a white noise machine if ambient noise is an issue. Adding air-purifying plants like English ivy or snake plants can improve air quality and sleep. The goal is to make your bedroom a space dedicated exclusively to sleep and intimacy, not work or entertainment. Implement a consistent wind-down ritual that signals to your body that it's time for sleep. This might include journaling to clear mental clutter, light reading (not on screens), gentle stretching, or meditation. Avoid using alcohol as a sleep aid—while it may help you fall asleep initially, it significantly disrupts sleep architecture, reducing time spent in the most restorative sleep stages. Instead, consider natural sleep supports like magnesium glycinate or herbs like ashwagandha that help calm the nervous system.

Summary

The journey to mastering your day isn't about perfection or superhuman discipline—it's about implementing strategic practices that work with your biology rather than against it. Throughout this exploration, we've discovered evidence-based approaches to optimize each segment of your day, from the critical first hour after waking to the evening wind-down that prepares you for restorative sleep. As Aubrey Marcus emphasizes, "You don't have to own every day to own your life, but you do have to own today." This powerful truth reminds us that transformation happens one day at a time, through consistent application of principles rather than occasional heroic efforts. The most important step you can take is to choose just one strategy from what you've learned—whether it's the morning hydration routine, the focus environment optimization, or the evening digital sunset—and implement it consistently starting today. Small, strategic changes compound over time, gradually transforming not just your days but your entire life.

About Author

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Aubrey Marcus

Aubrey Marcus (IG: @aubreymarcus) is the founder and CEO of Onnit, a lifestyle brand based on a holistic health philosophy he calls Total Human Optimization. Onnit is an Inc. 500 company and an industry leader with products optimizing millions of lives, including many top professional athletes around the world.Aubrey currently hosts the Aubrey Marcus Podcast, a motivational destination for conversations with the brightest minds in athletics, business, science, relationships and spirituality with over 25 million downloads on iTunes. He regularly provides commentary to outlets like Entrepreneur, Forbes, The Doctors and The Joe Rogan Experience. He has been featured on the cover of Men’s Health, is the host of the Fit For Service Mastermind, and is the author of the NYT Bestselling book Own The Day, Own Your Life from HarperCollins.If you ask Aubrey the cause he is most passionate about, it is raising awareness for psychedelic medicine, through organizations like MAPS.org and Heffter Institute. He is a 20 year native of Austin, Texas where he currently resides.

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