Internet finds Ankur Warikoo’s ‘5-hour for myself’ routine impossible to follow; here’s why

Entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo‘s honest advice to fans and followers on finances, relationships, success, and failures has always garnered praise. But his recent admission on how he follows a “5-hours for myself” routine in the morning failed to impress netizens who pointed out that it was “impossible” to do the same for salaried classes. In a social media post, Warikoo shared the morning routine that “gives me 5 hours for myself every day, along with no loss of energy; no tiredness; being actively present throughout the day; helps me compound the most important things for me.”

The routine starts the previous night with Warikoo and his wife Ruchi sleeping by 9:30 pm. “7-8 hours of sleep is extremely important. You can’t wake up early with half-sleep,” shared Warikoo.

The next day: Ruchi and I wake up between 4:30 and 5 am daily. “The first thing I do is sip a glass of water for 15 minutes. It helps me wake up slowly and cherish something simple. At 5 am, I meditate for 30 minutes using the Calm app. At 5:30 am, I read for 30 mins on my Kindle while lying on my sofa. By this time, Ruchi leaves for tennis. At 6 am, I check my phone for WhatsApp messages only. My emails have been paused and will be delivered at 8 am. Very rarely will I reply on social media. Max 5 mins for now,” said Warikoo.

He shared that he wakes his children at 6:10 a.m. “My job is to get them ready for school,” said Warikoo, who noted that by 6:30 a.m., Ruchi is back from tennis, and the kids are (almost) ready. “Her job is to drop them off at their bus stop,” said Warikoo.

Following that, the entrepreneur goes for tennis, where he plays doubles every day for 1 hour. “At 7:30 am, I head to the gym. Mixed workouts every day for 45-50 minutes guided by my trainer, Sagar. At 8:30 am, I come back and read the newspaper. At 9 am, I go and shower. By 9:30 am, I am ready for the day. This means — by the time I sit down to attend to the world, I have had ~5 HOURS to myself doing things I want to do!”

How does he do this? “Early on, I realised that if I couldn’t manage my time, I would never be able to manage anything else. I tracked every hour of my day on an Excel sheet for 13 years. I learned the difference between urgent and important and how that can affect one’s schedule. Time management, as a concept, is something everyone knows. Not many know how to implement it in their lives. Taking charge of your time will, quite frankly, change your life,” said Warikoo.

While some did find it inspiring, others were quick to note its impracticality. “I don’t think it’s actually possible for salaried people. Most people already know how routine will help them and want to set one, but corporate life will never allow you. 10 hours work + travelling 1 hour twice. That’s 12 right here, counting 8 hours of sleep, only 4 is left for all the other things you have to do, more often than not you have to work overtime. So I would like your insight on how can people like me set a routine even when it’s not possible,” a user asked.

Another wrote, “This can be done (by women if someone else has taken over the responsibility of kids, their studies, their sports activities, the kitchen work, the cooking work, washing, cleaning the mess left by everyone at home, and GOD forbid, if Maid is on Off????)..for men they can follow and yes I understand the importance of getting early, but it is possible only if the work of women gets finished early. Nothing personal, just general. My story may be.”

A working mother offered her two cents: “I am a working mom, and I have to reach work at 8, so I leave the house by 715, so I wake up at 6. I also have very small kids who need to be taken care of, so following a routine is not possible.”

Can you find some 5 hours for yourself in the morning? (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

So, we turned to consultant neurologist Dr Sudhir Kumar, Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, who is consistent with his fitness routine and often posts updates on social media. “Having and following a morning routine does help. The most important is to have a consistent sleep schedule – having a set time to go to bed. This ensures that we get adequate sleep and wake up on time. Getting up early also helps to have a meaningful morning,” said Dr Kumar, who emphasised a balance depending on your working hours to ensure more energy throughout the day. He suggested tweaking the morning routine to ensure it works for you.

 

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A post shared by Ankur Warikoo (@ankurwarikoo)

According to him, a useful tip for people in salaried jobs is to not check social media sites and emails after waking up. “It saves time (as once you start browsing, 30-60 minutes would pass off without you realising), and secondly, it avoids stress (that could come from a few messages from family, friends or your boss),” Dr Kumar suggested.

Another must-do activity in your routine is having an exercise/workout plan. “This would ensure that we don’t miss out and are regular in our workouts. If your spouse also has similar habits and interests (regarding sleep pattern and exercise), it is a bonus and helps us streamline mornings better,” said Dr Kumar.

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