Catherine Warrilow Archives

Rebecca Hopwood

Wellness Tip:

Don’t Overlook Your Indoor Air

Americans spend around 90% of their time indoors, and according to the EPA, indoor air can sometimes contain pollutant levels 2–5 times higher than outdoor air! 😷

Here are some things you can do:

Open the windows for 10–15 minutes a day to let stale air out
Run an air purifier in bedrooms or the rooms you spend the most time in
Keep on top of dust, especially in rugs, couches, curtains, and bedding
Go easy on heavily fragranced sprays, candles, and cleaning products
Use extractor fans or open a window while cooking or showering

And if you’ve heard that houseplants are miracle air purifiers… the research doesn’t quite back that up in real-world homes. Sorry. But hey, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fill your space with greenery! Plants do boost mood and make the room feel calmer and more inviting. 🪴🥰

Here’s a handy checklist for improving air quality indoors, and more info on ventilation from the EPA.

Routine Breakdown

Rebecca Hopwood, Founder and Director of Youbee Media and The Hive Academy & Mother

Why This Founder Starts Her Day With Coffee + Candy Crush

“My routine is simple and realistic, and it’s evolved around creating mental space before work takes over,” says Rebecca Hopwood, an entrepreneur juggling business and motherhood.

The Routine:

Early dog walk (20–30 minutes, no phone). “Up before anyone else, this is fresh air and my time to get some steps in. It forces me to breathe, move, and wake up properly before the noise of the day begins.”
Strong coffee and Candy Crush. “Ok, bear with me on this, as I know it sounds odd, but playing a bit of Candy Crush genuinely helps me switch off. My work is digital and social-heavy, so this is stress-free swiping with no comparison, no emails and no demands.”
Get ready for the day with a list. “I scan emails first to see what’s come in overnight, then I write my list from there. Anything urgent gets flagged, ongoing tasks get carried forward, and I know exactly what needs my attention before the day takes off.”
Evening boundary: switching roles, not just locations. “I close my laptop at 5pm and drive home with music to reset. This time in the car is the line between work and being present as a mum and wife. Limiting social plans and protecting evenings gives me space for Pilates or swimming without feeling like I’m stealing time from my family.”

Why it works:

Morning light exposure and light movement help regulate your circadian rhythm and improve alertness.
Writing tasks down helps “offload” them from your brain, reducing the mental distraction caused by unfinished tasks and improving focus.
Simple games like Candy Crush may actually provide a quick mental reset. One study found that casual video games may help reduce stress and improve mood after demanding tasks.
Research on “psychological detachment” shows that mentally switching off from work is linked to lower burnout and better wellbeing. Small transition rituals help create a clearer boundary between work mode and home life.

Rebecca calls her end-of-day reset a “non-negotiable habit”. Do you have a ritual for switching out of work mode?

Dario Markovic

Productivity Tip:

Start With Your Priorities, Not Other People’s

Many of us start the workday by opening email, Slack, or social media. The problem? Before we’ve decided what matters most, we’re already reacting to everyone else’s requests and priorities. 📩

In this week’s routine, shared by entrepreneur and CEO Dario Markovic, we find a simple alternative: start with your priorities first. For Dario, that’s reviewing business metrics. You might base it on whatever goals and projects you have at that moment.

One easy way to do this is with the daily section of Panda Planner. Before opening your inbox, spend a few minutes identifying your top priorities and what would make the day feel successful. Having them written down makes it easier to stay focused when distractions inevitably arise.

Try it yourself this week: spend the first 10 minutes of your workday setting or reviewing your priorities before checking email or social media. Let us know how it goes for you!

Routine Breakdown

Dario Markovic, CEO & Partner at Eric Javits, Entrepreneur & Father

The Morning Routine Behind a $20M E-Commerce Business

“I joined Eric Javits, a 35-year-old New York luxury hat brand, in mid-2020 when COVID had pushed it to the brink of bankruptcy,” says Dario Markovic. “I set up the Shopify store from scratch and grew the e-commerce side from around $120K a year to over $20M in five years.

“The routine below is what holds the day together across product, retail expansion, and operations, and what protects family time before the work starts.”

The Routine:

Wake up at 7:00 AM. “I used to push earlier wake-ups thinking it would make me more productive. It didn’t. Seven works because the rest of the day is intense enough; I don’t need to fake intensity at 5 AM to prove anything to anyone.”
Family time and breakfast. “This is non-negotiable. The first hour of my day belongs to my family, not to the inbox. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to convince yourself that every minute matters, but the minutes that matter most are the ones at home, before the world starts pulling at you.”
Data check. “Once I’m at my desk, the first thing I open is the dashboards: sales from the previous day, conversion rate, ad spend, returns. I run an e-commerce business, so the numbers are the truth. Reading them first sets the tone for what actually needs my attention, instead of letting other people set it for me through email.”
Slack. “After the data, I move to Slack. The team is global, so by the time I’m online there’s already context I need to catch up on. I batch this, read everything, respond to what’s blocking someone, defer the rest. Slack is a useful tool, but it’ll eat your whole day if you let it.”
No social media in the morning. “I deliberately stay off Instagram, LinkedIn, all of it before lunch. Social media is designed to hijack your attention and reset your priorities to whatever’s trending. I’d rather start the day with my own data and my own decisions than someone else’s content.”

Why it works:

Says Dario: “The structure protects two things that are easy to lose as a CEO: family time and decision quality. Family at the start, data before noise, and no social media until I’ve already done the real work. Most of what people call ‘productivity’ is just protecting yourself from distraction long enough to do the few things that actually matter.”

At its core, this routine is about protecting attention. Family comes before work, data comes before messages, and priorities come before distractions. That simple sequence means the day is driven by intention rather than reaction. What do you think of Dario’s routine?

Dr. Stephanie Steele-Wren

Wellness Tip:

Try “Work-Life Separation” Instead of Work-Life Balance

A lot of us chase “work-life balance” like it’s something we should be achieving every single day. But in reality, that can end up feeling exhausting in itself!

“Some days are going to lean heavily toward work, some won’t,” says Dr. Stephanie Steele-Wren, Licensed Psychologist, who shared her morning routine with us below. “What matters more is not sitting in that constant middle ground where you’re kind of working and kind of not, but still feel like you’re always working.”

Instead of trying to perfectly balance your day, Dr. Steele-Wren focuses more on mental separation. “If I’m working, I try to actually focus and get something meaningful done. If I’m off, I try to actually be off.”

There’s real psychology behind this too: research on “psychological detachment” has found that mentally switching off from work is strongly linked to lower stress and better wellbeing.

Try it yourself this week: focus on creating clearer boundaries between “on” time and “off” time, even if the split isn’t always equal.

Routine Breakdown

Dr. Stephanie Steele-Wren, Licensed Psychologist

A Psychologist’s Better Alternative to Work-Life Balance

Psychologist Dr. Stephanie Steele-Wren usually wakes at around 6.30-7.00am, without an alarm. “Who really even needs an alarm clock when you have a toddler?” she says. The first thing she does? Avoids her phone. “If I do check it, the day immediately feels like I’m reacting instead of actually choosing what to do.”

The Routine:

Starts slowly. “I open the blinds, get the kettle on, and give myself a few quiet minutes before the day starts demanding things from me.”
Moves a little. “Movement for me is less about pushing hard and more about staying functional. Gentle stretching or light movement helps keep everything from getting stiff or out of place and makes the rest of the day easier. This is crucial for my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.”
Coffee and thinking time. “This is usually the calmest (and briefest) part of the day. It’s when I can think clearly before things get busy and demanding of me.”
Decides what actually matters. “I try to pick a couple of things that would make the day feel like a win. Otherwise it’s easy to stay busy without really making progress, which just isn’t great for my ADHD either.”

\Why it works:

Research shows that gentle stretching and movement helps maintain joint range of motion, improves circulation, and prevents us from getting all stiff and creaky!
Even a few quiet, interruption-free minutes can help our brains feel less overloaded and make it easier to focus. Research shows constant interruptions and multitasking can quickly drain mental energy.
Picking just a couple of priorities can make the day feel a lot less mentally cluttered. Research also shows people with ADHD often do better with fewer decisions.

Overall, Dr. Steele-Wren’s routine isn’t about squeezing in some “perfect” morning. It’s about creating a calmer, steadier start that works with her brain and body instead of against them.

Stacy Baxley

Productivity Tip:

Take Meal Planning Off Your Plate

Sick of staring into the fridge at 6pm wondering what to cook tonight? Try using AI as a meal-planning super assistant. 🍲

AI tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity can learn things like:

Your family’s favorite meals
Dietary goals and nutrition preferences
How much time you realistically have on weeknights
What ingredients you already buy
Prep tasks you can batch ahead on Sundays

The result? Fewer last-minute decisions, less stress at dinnertime, and more mental energy for everything else! Have you tried using AI for recipe suggestions and meal planning?

Routine Breakdown

Stacy Baxley, Personal Growth Coach

The 5-Minute Super Routine of a Personal Growth Coach

“As a full-time high school career development coordinator and personal growth coach, I don’t have the luxury of long, ideal morning routines,” says Stacy Baxley. “My days are full and often unpredictable, which is exactly why I needed something simple and sustainable. After years of trying to follow routines that looked good on paper but didn’t fit my real life, I realized the issue wasn’t discipline: it was misalignment.”

Stacy created a 5-minute daily intentions practice that she now teaches to clients because it’s simple, repeatable, and built for real life—not perfect conditions.

The Routine:

Decides who she’s becoming today (identity focus). “Each morning, I choose a word or identity—like calm, focused, or intentional—that represents how I want to show up that day. This becomes my anchor for every decision I make. I know that my actions follow my identity—so it’s important to me to choose who I’m going to be before I decide what I’m going to do.”
Identifies her top 3 priorities. “Instead of overwhelming myself with a long list, I identify three ‘most valuable priorities’—the actions that will create the biggest impact. Over time, this has helped me realize that overwhelm wasn’t the problem, clarity was.”
Chooses one thought that supports her (affirmation). I write one simple, supportive thought that aligns with how I want to show up. This helps interrupt negative thinking patterns before they take over. It also reinforces the idea that ultimately, my actions are a result of my thoughts.
Reconnects throughout the day. “I revisit my notecard briefly—usually between tasks or on a short walk—to realign my actions with my intentions. This isn’t a one-and-done routine; it’s a tool I return to so I can lead my day instead of reacting to it.”

Why it works:

“This routine works because it shifts the focus from doing more to becoming more. It removes decision fatigue, creates clarity, and builds consistency through small, intentional actions,” explains Stacy. We agree, and that’s why focus, priorities, and affirmation are all part of the daily section of Panda Planner: they’re all powerful ways to keep your day on track.

Stacy adds that she may not complete everything perfectly, but she always follows through on who she decided to be. “And that’s what builds real momentum over time,” she says. “5 minutes may not seem like much, but these 5 focused minutes allow me to prioritize what’s important to me before prioritizing what is important to others.”

Dudley Tal Stokes

Productivity Tip:

Beat Bedtime Procrastination

There’s a neat little term psychologists use for something a lot of us do without thinking: bedtime procrastination. You go to bed later than you intended, not because of anything urgent, but because you’re scrolling, watching “one more” episode, or pottering around even though you’re tired. 🫩

Maybe it’s the only time that feels like it’s actually yours. Staying up becomes a quiet protest, even though tomorrow‑you is going to pay for it.

A few things to try:

Pick a rough “start winding down” time and treat it as a cue, not a rule.
Swap late‑night scrolling for one low‑effort calming habit (cup of tea, book, light stretching).
Make distractions slightly less convenient, like charging your phone across the room.
Use a “to‑bed” alarm to help you stay on track without turning your evenings into yet another thing to optimize.

Make it a tiny experiment: see how you feel after a week of getting to bed just a little earlier. Future-you might be pleasantly surprised. 😌

Routine Breakdown

Dudley Tal Stokes, Former Four-Time Olympian, Olympic Coach & Entrepreneur

How an Olympic Coach Trains His Mind Before His Body

For Dudley Tal Stokes, former Olympic bobsledder and inspiration for the movie Cool Runnings, a successful day begins with meditation and movement.

The Routine:

Meditates. “I begin each day with a meditation routine I call Mental Relaxation and Rehearsal. I aim for a minimum of 15 minutes and an ideal of 1 hour. From a state of deep relaxation, I do a series of visualizations designed to help me reach my peak performance state and model potential situations ahead. Once my mental state is set, I find it easier throughout the day to maintain the correct tension required for the particular situation I encounter.”
Works out. “I focus on mobility and control of the body, followed by 15-20 minutes of high-intensity exercise, using body weight and kettlebells. I may do a walk, with or without weights, for 30 minutes. After a cold shower, I’m ready for the day.”
Starts his day the night before by getting enough sleep. “I have an alarm for bed at 21:45; I usually get ready by 22:00 and am asleep by 23:00. Before the alarm, I make sure the environment is low-light and add some Green Tea.”

Why it works:

Research supports visualization as a performance-enhancing tool! Mental rehearsal lowers anxiety, helps you prepare for situations, and builds confidence and focus.
Mobility work improves joint control and reduces stiffness, while a short burst of high-intensity exercise flips the “on” switch in your brain, boosting focus and mood.
Adding a cold shower boosts alertness even more, thanks to a quick surge of energising hormones.

Notice how Dudley uses a “to-bed” alarm to start intentionally winding down? As we said above, it’s a neat trick for keeping your evenings on track!

Ayanna Abrams

Wellness Tip:

Wake to a Melodic Alarm

If your morning alarm is a jarring beep beep beep, you’re doing yourself an injustice. An abrupt sound is more likely to leave you with sleep inertia – that groggy, disoriented feeling you get upon waking.

You probably already sensed this intuitively, but science backs it up. Research published in PLOS ONE found that people who woke up to melodic alarms reported lower levels of sleep inertia than those who woke up to neutral, non-melodic sounds.

So why not try swapping your blaring beep for Edvard Grieg’s Morning Mood or a similarly melodious tune? Try it tomorrow – and let us know what song you choose.

Routine Breakdown

Dr. Ayanna Abrams, PsyD, Founder of Ascension Behavioral Health & Co-founder of Not So Strong

The Therapist-Approved Way to Start Winter Mornings

Winter mornings ask a lot of us. And when you jump straight from bed to go mode, your nervous system can stay in high alert. That’s why Dr. Ayanna Abrams, PsyD, suggests a “soft start” morning routine – a gentler, more intentional start to the day. “You might also notice better decision-making with less reactivity and even less exhaustion by the end of the day,” she says.

The Routine:

Wake up more gradually. Swap a harsh alarm for softer sounds and give yourself an extra 10 minutes so the morning doesn’t start in a rush.
Keep your phone out of reach. “Use an actual alarm clock that serves only that purpose, and put your phone across the room or in another room overnight,” says Ayanna.
Delay screens altogether. Skip TV, emails, and scrolling first thing to reduce mental and emotional overstimulation. “Emails and texts are others informing you or asking something of you; social media is other people’s lives; news is tons of information,” says Ayanna. “You’re ‘starting’ the day in the lives of others.”
Start with a grounding ritual. Take a few slow breaths, stretch gently, or sip water in bed to help your body wake up calmly.
Add warmth and nourishment. A warm drink and a simple, balanced breakfast can signal safety and ease to your nervous system.
Jot down your thoughts. “Jotting down some morning reflections or a very short to-do list—no more than three items—can help you think about your day without a rush.” This creates direction without overwhelm.

Why it works:

Waking up gradually lowers the stress response and helps your nervous system shift out of sleep without a cortisol spike.
Delaying screens reduces cognitive overload, giving your brain space to orient before processing external inputs.
Grounding rituals send safety signals to the body, easing muscle tension and supporting emotional regulation.
Writing things down early helps you get your mind clear, reducing background stress and decision fatigue.

Soft starts are just one part of a broader “soft living” philosophy, which prioritises slowing down and self-nourishment over wealth and hustle culture. “This requires more stern boundaries to protect your time, your energy, how much access people have to you emotionally, and how much you are ‘doing’ vs. ‘being’ day to day,” says Ayanna.

Have you heard of soft living? Here’s a guide that breaks it down if you want to learn more.