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How to Master Your Morning Routine
April 16, 2024
When it comes to improving resilience, research shows that consistency is key. Consistency is about establishing regular habits that we can string together to form a routine. It’s the habits that are important. It comes as no surprise that an effective morning routine can set you up for success for the rest of the day. We sat down with Rob Redenbach to discuss his morning non-negotiables—what he refers to as his ‘scripts’.
Rob has protected aid workers in Iraq and performed stand-up comedy at the world’s largest arts festival in Scotland. He has also worked with Nelson Mandela’s bodyguard team in South Africa and trained elite organisations in his unique, highly functional style of martial arts – originally devised while managing a security company in Papua New Guinea. A successful author, his latest book, Always a Little Further, breathes life into resilience and leadership, transforming theory into vivid, unforgettable lessons. Through powerful, deeply personal stories that resonate long after the final page, Rob equips readers with actionable tools to confront adversity with courage and a renewed sense of purpose.
Q: What is the importance of a morning routine to you?
R: It starts with understanding the anterior mid-cingulate cortex, which governs tenacity and willpower. Experts like Dr Andrew Huberman describe the AMCC as one of the most significant discoveries in neuroscience. Like a muscle, it strengthens with training and weakens with neglect. It’s the difference between imposed discipline and self- discipline. For example, if a soldier is ordered to march 15 kilometres with their battalion, it’s physically challenging but doesn’t engage the AMCC as much as if they chose to do the same march independently. Each time someone voluntarily chooses to do something they’d rather avoid but know is good for them—or resists something harmful—they engage and strengthen the AMCC.
Q: Have you found that the benefits compound every day as you execute your routine?
R:Yes! That’s part of the beauty of the AMCC. The more it’s worked, the stronger it becomes—just as the more it’s neglected, the weaker it becomes. There are fascinating studies showing its role in professional athletes when their careers end and they stop training. These studies show, through MRI scans, a significant reduction in that part of the brain. It’s also larger in people who stick to a diet, and it contracts when they fall off the wagon and stop the diet. Working it every day consistently over time builds the capacity of the AMCC.
Q: What are your key morning habits?
R: The first thing I do, and it’s not original, is simply make my bed. There’s an interesting YouTube clip from US Admiral William H. McRaven where he talks about the value of making your bed, and I subscribe to that. It’s not a big thing or overly difficult, but it takes a bit of an internal push.
The next thing I do is ten minutes of controlled breathing. Again, it’s not overly difficult, but it takes a bit of effort to stop myself from saying, ‘Oh, I’ll skip that today’. It’s the act of doing it that has value as far as the AMCC goes, but of course, there are additional benefits to breathing and meditation.
This next one might sound a bit loopy, but I take a cold shower. There’s a lot of really convincing research about the value of cold-water exposure. I also recite The Man from Snowy River, as studies show that regular poetry recitation can improve long-term cognitive function.
Then, I’ll go outside and just walk around the block to get some early morning sunlight. It only takes about 6-7 minutes. Again, based on science, there’s extensive research on the value of getting early morning rays from different angles. The photons are registered by the optic nerves differently, stimulating elements of the brain structure that reduce the impact of the amygdala. You don’t want that fear centre firing first thing in the morning.
Finally, I check my phone. Tim Curtis helped me realise I’d developed an appalling habit of checking it far too often—up to 100 times a day. It got to the point where I’d reach for it as soon as I woke up. It’s unhealthy to start the day with a dopamine hit from low-value activities like social media. So, I resist the urge by first making my bed, doing 10 minutes of breathing, taking a cold shower, reciting The Man from Snowy River, going for a walk, and then allowing myself to check my phone. That routine is a script I aim to follow every day. Inevitably, there are days when I really don’t want to do it, but I do it anyway—and I always feel good afterwards.
Q: How have you made your morning routine adaptable throughout your life, including during your time in South Africa?
R: Part of the reason I chose those specific components is that they are transferable from one location to another. There’s potential for it to add consistency and value since I’m not dependent on any equipment. Maybe the cold shower isn’t always available, but there are ways to work around that. For example, in September last year, I spent a couple of weeks in Scotland, and I would get up in the morning, go for a walk, and jump into a cold Scottish creek. It did the job!
Q: How do you deal with disruption to your routine?
R: I don’t worry about it. I’m not going to beat myself up if something happens. That’s life, and I get on with it. It’s not a case of, ‘Oh my God, my morning routine has been broken! How will I cope? Today is ruined!’ I don’t allow my mind to get caught in that rabbit hole.
Q: What is your advice to others who are wanting to master their morning routine?
R: Approach it from the perspective that it’s the consistent focus on developing the AMCC—that’s the foundation. What someone does in their routine is secondary. Is it better to have, for example, cold water exposure first thing in the morning, or should somebody step into a sauna? Or should they do something completely different, such as a stretching routine? It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that it takes effort. What matters is that people don’t really want to do it, but they overcome that limbic friction.
On the other side of that, it needs to be something positive and healthy. If someone’s waking up in the morning and the first thing they do is reach for a packet of cigarettes, that’s not so healthy! Don’t blame the AMCC for that! Instead, use the AMCC to overcome that addictive compulsion by replacing a negative habit with a positive one.
It doesn’t matter what the specifics are; what does matter is that there has to be some resistance. If somebody wakes up in the morning and, for example, loves making their bed— well, they’re not working their AMCC. It’s still nice they make their bed, but the AMCC requires a different activity, so they need to find something they’d prefer not to do.
Real growth comes from effort, not comfort.
Upcoming Events
Conversations with Mandela – SOLD OUT
Sydney Opera House, 13 July 2024
With hundreds of shows to choose from at the world’s largest arts festival at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023, the Edinburgh Evening News compiled a list of the Top 10 acts worth catching at the Fringe – Rob Redenbach’s Conversations with Mandela was positioned at #4. With a masterful mix of humour and storytelling, Redenbach recounts his journey from Australian nightclub security to working in South Africa with the bodyguard team of Nelson Mandela. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride as Conversations with Mandela provides unforgettable insights into one of the 20th century’s most celebrated leaders.