I am the CEO of Oura. I wake up at 5am if everything goes well, and 3:30am if not. This is what a day in my life looks like.

This as told essay is based on a conversation with Tom Hale, the 57-year-old CEO of Oura Health, based in San Francisco. It has been edited for length and clarity.

In March 2022, I became CEO of Oura. We make the Oura ringa smart ring that delivers personalized health data and insights to help people live a more balanced life.

My career spans more than 30 years in technology and consumer products, including the presidency of SurveyMonkey.

This is what a typical day in my life in San Francisco looks like.

5 a.m. — No alarm needed

I wake up around 5am every day without an alarm clock. The first thing I do is check my Oura ring. I want to know how I slept and how I am facing the day.

I have a little competition with my wife and kids about our scores. Based on what the data tells me, I start making small decisions about how I’m going to approach the day. If my score is lower than normal, I take it easy and postpone important decisions. If my score is higher than normal, I will push myself during training and at work.

When things go well, I sleep until 5am. If not, I wake up at 3:30 am and try to go back to sleep.

5:30 — The two minutes I’m trying to protect

I shower, and the last two minutes I do a breathing exercise. I’m not a meditation person, but my breathing practice helps me get centered before I start my day.

Unfortunately, this is the first thing to go when I’m short on time or dealing with a crisis.

6am – Information overload

By 6am I am showered, shaved and ready to start the day. The data I receive first thing in the morning from business statistics, news and nightly events from Finland, where much of our business is based, influences how my day goes, whether it’s bad news, good news or both.

I check my email and take my supplements. I do intermittent fastingso my first meal of the day is around lunchtime. Then I look at three crucial sources of information: our daily sales data, listings for our products on eBay, and news feeds.

For news, I rely on curators who collect information. I always read the daily newsletter of The Information by Jessica Lessin and Headlines by Abe Burns.

LinkedIn is where I am most active. It has great content, but it sucks me down rabbit holes, so I use a timer app that limits my time on social media.

6:30 am – Walking to work

I walk to work every day. It takes half an hour and I end up climbing some pretty steep hills. During the walk I listen to podcasts or answer calls from my team.

When I travel, I try to run or take a walk around town. I travel to Finland three or four times a year, plus regular trips to the UK, Europe and Washington, DC.

8am – The early morning anxiety

I am most anxious and stressed in the early morning. Getting a handle on things gives me peace. The first thing I do when I get to the office is make a list in one of my accounting notebooks. Every time I cross something off, I feel like I’m making progress, no matter what the challenge of the day is.

You’ll probably laugh at this, but at our meetings we have a section called “Keep Me Awake” and “Help Me Sleep Well.” This is how I communicate to the team what I am concerned about and what is going well. It helps them understand what to look out for.

9am – Standing desk, open floor plan, no trophies

My workspace is pretty Spartan, no work trophies or memorabilia. I work at a standing desk. Our office has an open floor plan. Anyone can come by with an idea or a question.

I have developed a weekly cadence. On Mondays my direct reports have their staff meetings, but I check in. Tuesdays are my staff meetings, structured with clear agendas. On Wednesdays I tackle my to-do list with a mix of ad hoc meetings. Thursdays are for customers and partners. Friday is for deep work.

Afternoon — Two repeat meals

I eat my first meal at my desk around noon. I usually order a meal from Proper Food and alternate between two orders: a salad with chicken or salmon on rice with teriyaki sauce.

After lunch and during the day, I take a five-minute break to walk around the office. We have an outdoor terrace and a jeu de boules court where you can take a few steps.

5:00 PM to 7:00 PM — My most productive period

I get a lot done between 5 and 7 p.m. I send proactive emails, highlighting what we need to focus on and scheduling the rest for when I have enough information to make a decision.

I usually leave the office between 6:30 and 7:30 PM and walk home.

There are times when it all feels overwhelming

From the age of 30, when I had my first child, until my early 50s, I was sleep-deprived and stressed most of the time. I drank more coffee and ground it.

I wore an Oura ring before I joined the company, so I came into this job believing in the data. Nowadays I don’t drink caffeine anymore, I sleep more and I am very conscious in the way I approach problems.

This job is harder and more demanding than anything I’ve ever done, but it’s also the job where I feel best equipped to handle the task.

Evening routine: physical books and bedtime at 9 p.m

I eat with my wife. We share the kitchen and our go-to meals are salad with chicken or spaghetti squash with lamb meatballs in tomato sauce. Then we watch TV together or read.

Right now I’m reading ‘King of Kings’, which is about the fall of the Shah of Iran, and ‘How the Body Knows its Mind’, which is about the interaction between mental and physical health.

My wife and I go to bed around 8:30 or 9:00 PM

I put on a sleeping mask and earplugs, keep the room dark and take magnesium and melatonin before going to bed.

I use one Eight Sleep Bed Cooler. I set it to -3°C below ambient temperature. I have found that consistency in going to bed at the same time every day is more important than sleep duration.

Weekends – Walks, poodles and backgammon

At the weekend I like to go for a walk with friends. I also go running with my dogs. I have two large poodles. It’s a handful.

The most important thing I do on the weekend is spend time with my family. Sometimes we do separate activities in the same room, or play backgammon together. I also play guitar, but I also want to enjoy some time for myself.

Using the sauna has been a huge release for me. I aim for once or twice a week, and when I’m at the gym I always end my workout with a session. In San Francisco there is a place right on the water where you can alternate between the heat and a jump into the cold bay. That contrast therapy gives an incredible amount of energy.