I’m not one for New Years resolutions, but having fallen out of any sort of structured routine over the past few months, I felt it time to change things up. I stumbled across interviews with people like Jocko Willink, David Goggins and Casey Neistat. They, like many others, wake up crazy early. Like, 4:30am early.
I watched this video in bed, at 10am, having not got up yet and decided it was time for a shake up. That’s freelance life in a lockdown for you… 4:30 seemed a little too extreme, so I compromised at 5am. What encouraged me most was Casey Neistat’s routine, straight to work first thing in the morning, with zero distractions. My phone is in “do not disturb” mode and away from the desk, no one is emailing me, no one is active on social media, it’s the perfect time to get things done.
Here’s how my new mornings look:
5:00-7:30 I’m working at my desk. Be it putting a treatment together, going through my mailing list, researching for a project, writing a blog post… mostly admin tasks.
7:30 get out for a walk. Usually 30-40 minutes. I’ll stick on a podcast and really pace it out. I’ve listened to Joe Rogan for years, so its either that, The Stalman Podcast (great for tech) or catching up on episodes of Hip Hop Saved My Life or This Cultural Moment.
8:10 a few quick push ups, squats and stretches, shower, then breakfast back at my desk so I can crack on. Most mornings it’s porridge made with Oatly, frozen blueberries, honey and almond butter.
9:00am comes along and just as people are getting to work I’ve already been up for 4 hours and got loads done. It’s a satisfying, almost competitive thing which spurs me on to keep doing it!
The rest of the day is filled with what ever I like. I tend to save the more fun work tasks like editing photos (or shooting them!) for the day time and make no pressure to work solidly until 6pm. If the weather is nice I’ll head out for a skate or bike ride at some point. Come 9:30pm my phone goes back into sleep mode and do not disturb, all screens turn off and its time to wind down with a book before bed at 10. I’ve found the wind down to be just as beneficial and so far the whole process is great.
I’ll check back in after a solid 30 days of my new routine and let you know how I’m getting on. I wonder if it’ll stick…
The images above were taken at the base and summit of Mont Ventoux in France at 4:30am and 5:30am respectively.
My first foray into photographing property was such a delight! I’ve known Daniella (first picture) since school and it was great fun working together for Mr & Mrs Clarke. See more images of this gorgeous house here!
I LOVE snow days. It sparks fond memories of living in Canada and seeing the joy of such a day through the lens of my young neighbours was really special. Snowballs, snow angles, snow mens, what more could you want?!
A beautiful and cold start to the year. Henry and I photographed the new Triumph Tiger 900 in the Surrey Hills. Such an epic day out, even if I couldn’t feel my fingers. A few days later we popped out again on an equally cold day to make this wicked video!
As the year draws to a close, I’m very grateful to call this rag tag group of lads my mates and colleagues. I’ve had a very small part in the production of some beautiful vehicles and I’m so excited to see what we create in 2021! Cheers boys. Check out their work at www.shredandbutta.co.uk
My lovely friends, brother and sister Laurie & Francie Arthur are going into business together, coaching mountain biking to people of all levels. These two legends are such a joy to be around and really embody what it means to love the outdoors and make the most of it. All the best you two!
19th November, Henry Crew and I went and played on a few woodland trails near his home in Hampshire, only days before winter really took over and any beautiful autumn colours receded into hibernation.
One of my oldest friends Emma Hiley wanted to test out her new lens on me and the van. Strange being in from of a camera but I was in safe hands with Emma. Thanks for these lovely images mate x
A great weekend climbing with Kim & Daisy. So much fun and great to get pictures on the wall. I haven’t climbed in such a long time, especially outside, and it’s great to get back to it and get stoked again. Check out more images from this weekend HERE!
So excited for my mate Alex as he’s signed a pro deal for Dream Cymbals. Going to the factory on the day he collected his cymbals was fascinating. Having played Dream for a couple of years, I couldn’t resist picking up a couple for myself!
This session will go down in the memory banks as a real “pinch me” moment. Seeing musicians pursuing the best versions of themselves was truly special and I can’t wait for you to hear what they recorded. Absolute fire. Thank you to my brothers Sam and Al of fika for involving me since day one, exciting times ahead boys!
Back in February I helped film with wicked video with Sam, a creative and kind soul who makes riding a BMX look beautiful, effortless and fun! So proud of him and thrilled to be part of this project
My buddy Sam came round to shoot a few new portraits with his new aerodynamic hair cut. After years of long locks I hardly recognised him! More images from this day HERE
