Jason Cromley, Owner, Hidden Creek Landscaping

Getting out of bed in the morning can sometimes be a difficult task, especially when a workout awaits. On those mornings when Jason Cromley, owner of Hidden Creek Landscaping in Columbus, Ohio, misses a morning workout, it doesn’t take long to make up for the morning malaise.

“If I skip a workout, I have regret all day and leave work early to get it in,” he says. Here’s what else Cromley squeezes in on an Average Day.

I run and bike and strength train every day before work. I run Tuesdays and Thursdays for about 5 miles and stretch afterwards. It’s approximately 45-60 minutes in total – strength train for about 30 minutes and then stretch afterwards. My coffee is my favorite part of my day after working out.

For breakfast it’s a protein bar or shake plus a banana in the car. My commute is 5 miles so it’s nice and short. I love upbeat, fast-paced music on my way to work.

I’ll arrive around 7:15- 7:30 and then say hello to whoever is here and then head upstairs to my journal and email. I’ll review my calendar and journal for upcoming day and tasks that need to be completed.

I try to pack a lunch every day, unless I have a lunch meeting. It’s usually a sandwich, or carrots, or trail mix or pudding, or string cheese — same as when I was kid, I guess.

After-lunch tasks are never consistent here. I have a daily journal I use and it really helps me keep my day on track and get all my tasks done. It’s by Michael Hyatt and has made a big difference in holding myself accountable!

I have approximately 4-6 meetings per day with varying responsibilities. We implemented an Entrepreneurial Operating System a year ago and its very helpful when you follow an agenda that’s always the same.

I did have to address my team to put phones away during meetings as they were constantly on them when the topic wasn’t about them. Personally, I like my people to be able to respond quickly to clients, but they all need to set boundaries from the beginning of any new relationship. I need to teach all of team about upfront expectations so they can be aligned.

I’ll leave around 5:30 p.m. and use that time mostly trying to catch up on calls. I’ll mostly sit in my garage for 20 minutes trying to finish up calls, so I don’t have to interrupt family time.

I go to bed around 11 p.m. every day and I mostly work up until the last 30 minutes before I go to sleep. I rarely work on weekends. If I do, it’s mostly on Sunday trying to get prepared for the upcoming week.