The Robert Greene-Inspired Writer’s Morning
Designed by Bearmore
Inspired by Robert GreeneWhen recurring thoughts are what get your day started.
Get over the looping petty thoughts before they take too much of your day. A long, quiet morning Burst inspired by Robert Greene, bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power: 35 minutes of Zen meditation, a slow breakfast with the paper, then wash the dishes as a final mindful act.
The runsheet
Zen meditation
Greene sits cross-legged on a black cushion next to a window and focuses on the weather, the birdsong and the changing shadows outside. He doesn't aim for emptiness, but rather to stop engaging with his own recurring thoughts.
35 min activityBearmore’s thoughts on doing open awareness before nutrition
This can support the next activity because broad mindfulness slides into eating, perhaps making flavours more vivid without forcing a strict focus.
NutritionTea and breakfast
20 minA varied breakfast of turkey burger and oatmeal one day, eggs with smoked salmon another, sometimes sardines on toast, eaten slowly with strong black tea so the meal becomes a mindful part of his morning rather than something to be rushed through.
Bearmore’s thoughts on doing nutrition before reading (mindful)
This works well because the relaxed, satisfied feeling from a meal can carry into patient, engaged reading.
Read the paper
Greene reads the print New York Times during breakfast, and sticks with the actual physical newspaper despite it being less current than the online version, because it keeps him off screens.
15 min activityBearmore’s thoughts on doing reading (mindful) before tidying & cleaning (mindful)
This works well because the mindful state from reading can extend into cleaning with similar attentive quality.
Wash up
Washing the dishes is part of his morning ritual rather than a chore for Greene, with whole thing becoming more like a meditation than an everyday job.
10 min activityTime well spent.
1h 30m that belonged to you — not the inbox, not anyone else.
The breakdown
Burst evaluation
Wellbeing focus
About this Burst
Robert Greene is the bestselling author of six books including The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, Mastery, and most recently The Laws of Human Nature. He has been writing for over thirty years and treats writing as a habit to be kept up, rather than an inspirational one. He lives in Los Angeles and runs his daily Zen meditation practice from his cushion in his home office.