How do you feel grounded before a busy day?

A combination of aerobic movement, a short unstructured sit, and brief writing tends to work: the run clears the mind, the sit lets it settle, and the writing surfaces what actually matters. This Burst puts those three steps together, inspired by Brad Stulberg's groundedness principles.

What is Brad Stulberg's groundedness practice?

Stulberg, author of The Practice of Groundedness, describes grounding as being rooted rather than reactive. He writes about running most mornings as thinking time, not training time, and advocates journalling as a tool for self-knowledge. This Burst applies those principles as a morning sequence.

How long does a grounding morning routine take?

This Burst runs about 95 minutes: a 49-minute run (with setup and reset), a 17-minute open-awareness sit, a 17-minute journal round, and a 12-minute intention session. You can shorten the run or skip it on rest days.

Is this Brad Stulberg's actual morning routine?

No. This is a Bearmore Burst inspired by Brad Stulberg's groundedness framework from his books and The Growth Equation newsletter. The activities reflect the principles he advocates, not a claim about his personal daily schedule.

Getting Grounded Morning

Quality: Exceptional· 100%Effort: Manageable· 01h 35m

Inspired by Brad Stulberg

What let’s you hear yourself think?

Get grounded before work puts all it’s demands on you. A morning Burst inspired by Brad Stulberg's groundedness framework: a long aerobic session, a meditation, journaling, and one intention on today.

The runsheet

1
A run, with no distractions
Cardio training
Brad runs most mornings and writes about it as thinking time, not training time. Thirty minutes of steady aerobic effort with no podcast on, no metrics to chase. The point is the cadence and the space it can give you.
30 min activitySetup 8 min · Reset 11 min · 49 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing cardio training before open awareness
This works well because post-cardio clarity lets you rest in spacious attention without fidgeting or nodding off.
2
Fifteen minutes of meditation
Open awareness
His groundedness work names presence as a daily practice rather than a state. Fifteen minutes sitting with no agenda, no productivity attached. The aim is the practice, not what comes up during it.
15 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 17 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing open awareness before journaling
This works well because open awareness creates room for thoughts to arrive without forcing them, and writing catches what's surfaced.
3
Journal one page
Journaling
Brad has written about journalling as the cleanest tool for self-knowledge, the second of his groundedness principles. Fifteen minutes putting down what the run and the meditation brought up.
15 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 17 min all-in
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing journaling before intention setting
This is an excellent pairing because writing can help clarify what you want, so your intentions may feel more specific and real.
4
Set your intention
Intention setting
Brad's framing on intention is shorter than most. Pick the two or three things today actually needs, not the ten you wish it did. Patience as a practice means letting the rest wait until tomorrow.
10 min activitySetup 1 min · Reset 1 min · 12 min all-in
Time well spent.
1h 35m spent doing something good for yourself.

The breakdown

Burst evaluation

QualityExceptional· 100%

Sequencing100%

Logistics100%

DifficultyManageable· 0

Total activity95m / 149mManageable

Physical activity30m / 59mManageable

Mental focus40m / 119mManageable

Introspection25m / 29mGentle

Creativity15m / 59mGentle

+ 4 more conditionsHow we assess →

Wellbeing focus

The relative wellbeing focus of this Burst.

HighEmotional

MedPhysical

HighSelf

MedSocial

HighIntellectual

About this Burst

Brad Stulberg is a US writer, executive coach, and on faculty at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health. Author of Peak Performance, The Practice of Groundedness, Master of Change, and The Way of Excellence (NYT bestseller, 2024). Co-creates The Growth Equation newsletter with Steve Magness. Lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

Authors & thinkers Clear my head High-pressure work Mental-health voices Morning Under 2 hours Work-life balance A new morning routine

Common questions

Getting Grounded Morning1h 35m · free in the app1h 35m · free in the app