Dan is the co-founder and CEO of Every — a bundle of newsletters from operators in tech covering productivity, strategy, the creator economy, Web3 and more. Previously he was the co-founder and CEO of Firefly, an enterprise software company that he sold to Pegasystems.
On his morning routine.
I’m usually up around 8 AM.
I start the morning pretty slowly. I’ll often meditate after getting out of bed and then go to a coffee shop in the neighborhood with my girlfriend.
We’ll hang out there in the morning—and I’ll do some reading, do Morning Pages, and start to put together a todo list for the day.
Then I’ll start to get focused work done for a few hours until the afternoon when I do most of my meetings.
On navigating the ups and downs.
When it comes to managing internal emotions, it’s different for everyone.
To maintain an even cognitive and emotional balance in my own life, I swear by therapy, meditation, and exercise. On Sundays, I’ve made it a habit to go to a nearby Zen center where there’s a mix of meditation, chanting, and usually a longer lecture from a monk.
I also do a coaching session with a friend of mine every Saturday, where we basically sit down for an hour together and spill our guts.
It could be related to work, personal life, or anything in between. It helps me get a fresh perspective on any issues I’m working through.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve developed a whole roster of resources that help me navigate the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and maintain a balanced mental state.
Finally, when it comes to setting routines, social support is massive.
Nurturing and deepening close relationships with friends and family are critical to help guide me through tough times.
On protecting time for pleasure.
Put simply, it’s important to make time for things that you want to do.
One of my biggest problems has been under-weighing things that are important to me, because it’s so easy to get lost in all the work that I have to do running Every.
My co-founder Nathan and I started Every off the back of two newsletters that we were writing together: Superorganizers and Divinations. One of the main reasons I was excited to build the company was because I genuinely loved to write.
However, the day to day of running a company requires endless meetings and putting out constant fires. So if I’m not constantly thinking about it, it’s easy not to have much time to write.
I try to intentionally make enough space to make room for the things that make me happy, even when my schedule is insanely busy.
I’m clearly still working on this part of my life, but definitely making progress.
On upgrading his focus.
When my emails are piling up and I have endless to-do lists left unfinished, I’ll sometimes get a bit overwhelmed and get caught at a point where I can’t focus.
To remedy that and upgrade my focus again, I’ll switch up my physical location.
That could be going to a new coffee shop, a different cafe, or even working in the bathtub. It sounds silly, but I’ve loved using a bath caddy, setting up my laptop on top of it, and sprinting through my emails for an hour or so.
When you’re having an off day and it’s taking you a while to ramp up into deep work, there’s no use beating yourself up over it. It’s just not going to help you get things done.
Instead, try changing up your location to revamp your focus. Or give yourself a break, there’s always tomorrow.
On his evening routine.
To kick off my evening wind down, I’ll jump in the shower to help me relax.
I also try to read before bed. I think it’s the best kind of wind down. Currently, I’m reading The Power Broker. My girlfriend got me a massive hardcover copy, and it’s really fun to sit with this giant book and get through a few pages every night before I go to sleep.
I also sometimes listen to audiobooks as well to help me go to sleep, usually related to mindfulness or psychology. My favorite though, is always Harry Potter.
Finally, I’m in bed by 10:30 and usually knocked out by 11 PM.
