My 7:00AM Morning Routine (What Actually Works)

It's 73 degrees with showers nearby. Today's high will be 81 with heavy thunderstorms. All right, good morning guys. So today I actually got up at 7 a.m, a little bit earlier than 7 a.m if I'm being honest. It is a beautiful morning. Living in this new space has really made me appreciate just New York City and mornings kind of with the city a little bit more than I did in the past. The location I'm in is so much more nuanced from just like a urban planning and like a view standpoint. When you're further away from Manhattan, New York is actually pretty green so it's so cool to see the treetops throughout my neighborhood but then also seeing this beautiful picturesque New York City skyline. Like being able to see Midtown, Empire State Building, the famous H&M building and the newly added JP Morgan building which honestly looks way cooler at night than it does during the day. Anyways, I want to practice a bit more gratitude this morning by just jotting down what I'm grateful for using this planner. The annual journal 2026 weekly overview designed in Denmark. It's a notem journal that my wife got me. The last few weeks have actually been pretty tough. I think it's important to take moments like today where I'm feeling good, I'm feeling rested even though I didn't get the best sleep but I just want to take more time to be grateful because guys the last few weeks have been crazy. I literally ruptured my eardrum and this is the most active I've been in the last few weeks so I'm just grateful that my ear is healing properly or at least before my doctor's appointment tomorrow it seems like it's been healing properly just because I have way less symptoms and it feels a lot better. I'm gonna enjoy this Thursday morning, jot down some things that I'm grateful for and also write down some notes for what I want to execute for today and then make some coffee. So this is part of my morning now. That pause before everything starts and I've been upgrading how I spend it with the Lavazza Tabli. Lavazza just launched the Tabli. It's a patent system that actually changes how espresso works at home and honestly it's made my early morning moments even better. You take your first sip, that's when you know it hits different. This is what 100% coffee feels like. Pure coffee, pressed into a tab, no wrapper, no compromise. This is research and design like nothing else on the market. Generating a rich, velvety, persistent crema. A new sensational experience I've loved each and every morning of using this machine. The whole setup is clean. The slider, one button, three pre-dosed selections, espresso, lungo and double shot. Choose what fits your morning and that's it. It's user-friendly, intentional and easy to clean. Because this isn't rush, it's a pause, it's a moment you own before the day begins. Check out the Lavazza Tabli today at Amazon and Lavazza, all linked in my description box. So I'm loving our living room setup. It looks so good. We got a new media console from Pope Vision and I plan on doing an updated like living room setup video. So give this video a thumbs up if you want to see something like that. As you can see, we've got a crazy TV behind us that I've been trying to hide for like forever, but it's time to unbox it and add it to the living room setup. And I definitely need to vacuum because the carpet is looking kind of crazy. One thing you'll notice is that despite us having a much larger kitchen, it looks a lot more minimal in here. One of the main reasons is because we have more storage. For one, this massive peninsula has storage underneath and then we have more cabinets here. We even have like this almost kind of like mini pantry just above our refrigerator. Obviously, the coffee setup is a lot more minimal and easy, but I also added this Dreo water filter. And it's just because with this newer apartment building, we're just less trustworthy of how clean the water is. It just doesn't taste that great, especially when comparing it to our previous apartment where we drank tap water all the time. But at this new apartment, we're sticking with the filter. As you can see, this kitchen is so much more open than our previous apartments. Genuinely, I smile every time I walk in the kitchen because it's really a I dreamed of having in our New York City apartment. I'm so grateful. It's practical, functional. It looks really, really good. I'm always wiping down this marble counter because I want it to look perfect and just excited to share more of our life in here with you guys. But also, I need to hang up these pictures. We have so many pictures that need to be hung up. I posted a Apple TV Instagram carousel, using it for the first time. And people were like, oh, I love that there are no pictures up. I was like, they love that there was like nothing on the walls. I was like, this wasn't on purpose. It's just because we only moved here a few months ago. And I've also been traveling like crazy. So it's been hard to get this space perfected. I don't know what to do with this massive white wall, but I do know we're going to add some pictures throughout this part of the living room, especially behind the couch. And then going to add some pictures on that wall that's adjacent to the refrigerator. And then maybe a picture in, I guess we should, we have a couple of recess walls that need to be filled with some, some life. If you guys are wondering what laptop I'm using, the M4 Pro MacBook Pro is still going strong. This has been one of my favorite MacBooks ever. Super powerful, super reliable. Hasn't missed a beat and I've owned it for, I think about two years now, but I just unboxed the Asus Zephyrus G14, made a really fun video earlier this year for the 2025 version and just got the 2026 version because we're going to be working with Nvidia for a back to school campaign within the next few weeks. So I'm excited to actually switch from the M4 Pro to the G14 2026, which is exactly what I did in the previous video. But I'm curious to see what it's going to be like going from an AMD processor to an Intel processor. That's going to be interesting. Other than that, it's the same chassis that they use for the 2025 model. So doesn't look different at all. It feels a little bit better because it's Matt. I mean, last year's was Matt as well, but I could tell they changed something with the aluminum alloy. Either way, excited to make that video too and share with you guys. I've also noticed that when it comes to posting between my social media platforms, TikTok and YouTube shorts are great for like one minute long, like longer, more comprehensive reviews and videos. It's not that I can't do it on Instagram, but I'm trying to compare and contrast. Like for example, this Zephyrus G14 video is a longer unboxing on TikTok and YouTube and it's performing well. But on Instagram, I'm going to do an ASMR unboxing because those videos just seem to do a lot better. IG's all about the aesthetics. It is what it is. Just got to, you know, go with the flow when it comes to the algorithm. So I've been using the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. It's honestly my favorite device from Google's recent made by Google event and hardware launch. But for one, this olive green color is beautiful. It looks so good. The display is so sharp. I will say that the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold is definitely not the thinnest or the lightest foldable in the market, but it is durable. I think it's IP68, if I'm not mistaken. And see, the beauty of this thing is it integrates so well with Gemini. So I could just say, Hey, Gemini, how many peak nits of brightness does the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold have and what's its IP rating? The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold features up to 3600 nits of peak brightness and has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. Yeah, that's really bright, which is probably why I like this display. I don't have a ton of customizations. I honestly find that the Samsung devices are a lot more fun to customize, but I should take some time to figure out how to customize the Pixel devices. Either way, this animation, dude, that's crazy. It looks like a swash, you know, when like a wave breaks and the water brushes up against the shore. That's what this wallpaper looks like. But all in all, it's a ton of fun using this phone. I like how wide it is. I didn't realize how wide the Pixel folds were, especially after using the Z Fold 8. My appreciation for wider foldables has increased a ton. I just find them a lot more practical. Give me a wider fold than a taller one. But of course, I like it to be tall enough. That way, when I'm watching YouTube or watching a show, basically just like streaming something, the top and bottom of the video isn't cut off. Also, one other thing. So I don't really listen to CNBC television anymore. I actually listen to Bloomberg. I just find that when it comes to finance and just the economy, the Bloomberg brief has been my absolute favorite. It's definitely not as entertaining. It is a lot more informative, feels a lot less biased too. If I'm being honest, this has been my go-to for the morning when it comes to getting a beat on the market before the day starts. When it comes to investing this year, I will say I've been a bit more conservative. I just find that mentally it's easier on the mind when you're investing a bit more conservatively. Not that I was ever a super risky investor. I definitely am one of those barbell method type of dudes. More healthy balance in 2026 compared to 2025. But the portfolio has been looking pretty good this year. Ebbs and flows, just like the Pixel 11 Pro Fold wallpaper. But overall, I think it's been a solid year. I definitely am going to need this extra screen real estate from the Fold because I'm going to be out and about when our fantasy draft starts. Now I'm position number six in the draft. It's a 10-team league, $50 buy-in. If I wasn't a pot stirrer, I'm the designated trash talker in our fantasy league. If it's too quiet in a group chat, I got to stir a pot. Just keep people on their toes and to keep the league exciting. It's a heavy burden, but I'm willing to carry it. Nonetheless, I'm the sixth pick. I have no idea how the draft is going to shake out because you know how these hometown leagues are. Somebody might draft Josh Allen in the second round, which throws a whole draft off. So we'll see. I'm hoping Christian McCavery could be there. I am the reigning champ. I'm the defending reigning champ for the inaugural council league, is what we called it. You know how we do, guys. We only plan for bread and trophies.