Over the weekend I was doing some research about the daily routines of famous and successful people…

…and came across 2 very different and extreme examples.

Now I should point out that both probably play fast and loose with reality, but wanted to share them to make an important point.

First let’s start with Mark Wahlberg…

(If you don’t know him, Wahlberg is a former Calvin Klein underwear model, Grammy-nominated rapper (Marky Mark), Oscar-nominated actor and producer AND serial entrepreneur with a burger chain, a fitness empire, and a supplement brand.

Here’s Mark’s famously punishing daily routine:

2:30am wake up

2:45am prayer time

3:15am breakfast

3:40–5:15am workout

5:30am post-workout meal

6:00am shower

7:30am golf

b snack

9:30am cryo chamber recovery

10:30am snack

11:00am family time / meetings / work calls

1:00pm lunch

2:00pm meetings / work calls

3:00pm pick up kids @ school

3:30pm snack

4:00pm workout #2

5:00pm shower

5:30pm dinner / family time

7:30pm bedtime

Phew – that makes me tired just reading it… although I’ve since discovered that he has now relaxed his routine a little and doesn’t rise until 4am!

Now let’s contrast that with a very different and apocryphal routine of legendary ‘gonzo’ journalist and writer Hunter S Thompson:

3:00pm rise

3:05pm Chivas Regal with the morning papers, Dunhills

3:45pm cocaine 3:50 another glass of Chivas, Dunhill

4:05pm first cup of coffee, Dunhill

4:15pm cocaine

4:16pm orange juice, Dunhill

4:30pm cocaine

4:54pm cocaine

5:05pm cocaine

5:11pm coffee, Dunhills

5:30pm more ice in the Chivas

5:45pm cocaine, etc., etc.

6:00pm grass to take the edge off the day

7:05pm Woody Creek Tavern for ‘lunch’ – Heineken, two margaritas, coleslaw, a taco salad, a double order of fried onion rings, carrot cake, ice cream, a bean fritter, Dunhills, another Heineken, cocaine, and for the ride home, a snow cone (a glass of shredded ice over which is poured three or four jig­gers of Chivas)

9:00pm starts snorting cocaine seriously

10:00pm drops acid

11:00pm Chartreuse, cocaine, grass

11:30pm cocaine, etc, etc.

12:00 midnight Hunter S. Thompson is ready to write

6:00am hot tub, champagne, fettuccine Alfredo

8:00am Halcyon

8:20am sleep

Gulp!

Now I should point out that this is the legendary satirical version immortalised by his biographer. But honestly, knowing how Thompson lived his life, I suspect there is more than a kernel of truth to how he spent his days.

Yes, I know these are extreme examples, but here’s the point:

It’s easy to look at these routines and think the secret is hidden somewhere inside them.

Wake up earlier.

Optimise your day.

Or wait for inspiration to strike.

But that’s not what made either of these men successful.

The routine is just the wrapper.

The only thing that actually matters is this:

They produced.

Relentlessly.

Wahlberg didn’t build his success because he’s out of bed at 2:30am.

He built it because he executes – every single day.

Thompson didn’t succeed because of drugs and chaos.

He succeeded because, night after night, he sat down and wrote.

Many people get this the wrong way round.

They spend weeks tweaking routines…

…without producing the work those routines are supposed to support.

So here’s a better way to look at it:

Your routine doesn’t need to be impressive.

It just needs to be repeatable… and lead to something tangible.

Words written.

Emails sent.

Ideas published.

Offers made.

That’s it.

Because a perfectly optimised routine that produces nothing…

…is worth far less than a messy, imperfect one that produces something every day.

So find your own version.

Maybe it’s 5am cold showers and prayer.

Maybe it’s staying up until 2am because that’s when your brain finally quiets down and the good ideas come.

More likely, it’s somewhere in the middle – a reasonable hour, a normal breakfast…

…and a non-negotiable commitment to produce something that moves you forward.

You don’t need to be Wahlberg.

And you definitely shouldn’t be Thompson.

But you do need to do the work.