Today’s post will be a short one, but I thought it was a really good nugget to share, not just with you, but with myself as a note. I recently came across this podcast with Tim Ferris and Hugh Jackman. In the podcast, Tim mentioned that he’d read a story about how Hugh Jackman would read to his wife, everyday. And in the clip here, Hugh expanded on this story and how it came to be.
Hugh Jackman reads with his wife every morning
He said that he’d gotten the idea from Patrick Stewart, who would read a book for 30 minutes every morning without fail. He wouldn’t read or watch the news because it makes him angry, and he wouldn’t check emails because it makes him anxious.
So Hugh bought a few books, and every morning, after making coffee and tea, along with a cold bath, would read a book for 30 minutes to each other. Sometimes he would read it, other times, Deborra (his wife) would be the one reading it out loud.
Why first thing in the morning?
When asked why first thing in the morning, Hugh replies that the day tends to get away from you, and when you’re done with your day, you may be too spent, to so anything with your partner.
Starting this out first thing in the day, everyday, ensures that you front load your quality time, and that no matter how bad of a day it became, you’ve had a first win, a positive to mark your day.
I thought this was very meaningful, and a great life hack.
Must it be books?
Hugh also mentioned that often times, it starts with the book reading, but will steer away from that into just general conversations, ideas or just issues that one party is facing, and just having that time together, to talk through it, provides a clarity of thought and is also a good way of getting each other ready for the day’s challenges.
So, I guess the takeaway here is that every day, we have 24 hours, but it is so easy to let those hours slip away, and that a really good way to take control of that, is to front-load it, and make sure we all start the day with our best foot forward.