It’s a common saying that some of the most successful entrepreneurs are usually early risers. And when you’re running a business, it may seem like there are never enough hours in a day.
We chatted with Tori Deetz, creative director of Visual Magnetics, for this edition of First Hour — a series that showcases the morning-side of entrepreneurs. Below, Tori shares how she spends the early hours of her day.
WeWork Magazine: Are you a morning person?
Tori Deetz: Yes! Definitely.
WWM: What time do you usually get up?
TD: 6 a.m.
WWM: What gets you up everyday?
TD: Something I’ve been doing regularly for as long as I can remember is writing a little bit at night right before I go to bed. Recently I’ve started to not only keep track of what happened throughout the day, but also what I’m looking forward to the next day. Something as simple as thinking about the next day with a positive mindset makes the thought of starting your day again 8 hours later a little more exciting.
A WeWork member also offered me a tip that helps me every morning, “If you snooze even once after you initially wake up, you will waste that magical burst of energy you would have had all day if you just forced yourself to get out of bed right away.”
WWM: What are your first thoughts when you get up?
TD: Usually by the time I wake up I already have a few texts from my early riser colleague, Naomi. Both she and I usually have our best ideas within the first hour that we are awake. The only thing better than being passionate about your job and your company is finding others who are as passionate about joining that journey and accomplishing the same goals as you.
WWM: Describe your morning routine.
TD: After living in New York for three years, I recently realized that I no longer buzz with excitement or feel butterflies for the city I call ‘home’. After thinking about what had gone wrong, I realized that there was something missing in my mornings. I just started a new morning routine where I try to do something like walking down to Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn, to get a look at the skyline in the early morning light. I find myself falling back in love with New York.
WWM: What do you eat for breakfast?
TD: I admit I have recently reformed some bad breakfast habits. For as long as I can remember, I used to eat cold leftovers like pasta in the morning. I now eat sprouted ancient grain hot cereal or an awesome smoothie combo my roommate and I discovered: avocado, blueberries, Greek yogurt, almond milk, lemon juice, and goji berries. I also gave up coffee, switched to green tea, and added a B12 supplement for a little sustained energy boost throughout the day…now I feel unstoppable!
WWM: What do you do during your morning commute?
TD: I start out with Design Milk’s Daily Digest – a super inspiring email newsletter on design news. I’m also currently reading ‘Goodbye to All That’, a collection of short essays from writers on loving and (eventually) leaving New York. Reading a different perspective every morning on the subway of someone else’s successes and hardships in this city make me feel grateful that my time living here hasn’t expired yet. At the same time, I realize that I’m not alone in some of the inconveniences and challenges of living in this city, like being squished up against 6 people at once on the L train.
For music, I’ve always been fan of some good old-fashioned instrumental bluegrass. The high energy of a fast-paced driving banjo tune against the backdrop of a hustling and bustling morning commute seems pretty fitting to me.
WWM: What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at the office?
TD: I usually greet other fellow early rising WeWork members and catch up with my colleague, Naomi, who is also one of my closest friends. We divulge on weekend adventures over tea or coffee so that by 9 a.m. we are ready to dive into our workday. Then we write out daily goals on the dry erase walls in our office.
WWM: What does your ideal day look like?
TD: My ideal day is something I rarely am able to pull off, but when I do it’s pretty great. I love getting in a Rockaway surf session on a fall day, leaving Williamsburg at 5 a.m. and managing to make it back to WeWork Soho West in time for our morning meetings. Doing something that’s both spiritually and physically fulfilling helps me put day-to-day work challenges into perspective.
Photographs by Brister Photo