This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tom Hale, the 57-year-old CEO of Oura Health, based in San Francisco. It’s been edited for length and clarity.
I became the CEO of Oura in March 2022. We make the Oura Ring, a smart ring that delivers personalized health data and insights to help people live more balanced lives.
My career spans more than 30 years in technology and consumer products, including serving as president of SurveyMonkey.
Here’s what a typical day in my life in San Francisco looks like.
5 a.m. — No alarm necessary
I wake up around 5 a.m. every day without an alarm. The first thing I do is check my Oura Ring. I want to know how I slept and how I’m set up for the day.
I have a little competition going with my wife and kids over our scores. Based on what the data tells me, I start making small decisions about how to approach the day. If my score is lower than normal, I take it easy and defer major decisions. If my score is higher than normal, I’ll push myself in workouts and at work.
When the business is going well, I sleep until 5 a.m. When it’s not, I wake up at 3:30 a.m. and try to get back to sleep.
5:30 a.m. — The two minutes I try to protect
I shower, and for the last two minutes, I do a breathing exercise. I’m not a meditation person, but my breathing exercise helps me get centered before I start my day.
Sadly, it’s the first thing that drops off when I’m pressed for time or dealing with a crisis.
6 a.m. — Information overload
By 6 a.m., I’m showered, shaved, and ready to start the day. The data I receive first thing in the morning from the company stats, news, and overnight events from Finland, where a good portion of our company is based, affects how my day goes, whether it’s bad news, good news, or both.
I check my email and take my supplements. I do intermittent fasting, so my first meal of the day is around lunchtime. I then look at three critical sources of information: our daily sales data, listings of our products on eBay, and news digests.
For news, I rely on curators who compile information. I always read The Information’s daily newsletter by Jessica Lessin and Headlines by Abe Burns.
LinkedIn is where I’m most active. It has great content, but it sucks me down rabbit holes, so I use a timer app that limits my social media time.
6:30 a.m. — Walking to work
I walk to work every day. It takes me half an hour, and I end up climbing a couple of pretty steep hills. During the walk, I’ll listen to podcasts or take calls from my team.
When I’m traveling, I try to get a run in or take a walk around the city. I travel to Finland three or four times a year, plus regular trips to the UK, Europe, and Washington, DC.
8 a.m. — The early morning anxiety
I’m most anxious and stressed in the early morning. Getting into the swing of things calms me down. 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 against whatever the challenge of the day is.
You’ll probably laugh at this, but in our all-hands meetings, we have a section called “Keeping Me Up at Night” and “Helping Me Sleep Soundly.” That’s how I communicate to the team what I’m worried about and what’s going great. It helps them understand what to pay attention to.
9 a.m. — 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 stop by with an idea or a question.
I’ve 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 work through my to-do list with a mix of ad hoc meetings. Thursdays are for customers and partners. Fridays are for deep work.
Noon — Two meals on repeat
I eat my first meal at my desk around noon. I usually order a meal from Proper Food and rotate between two orders: a salad with chicken or salmon on rice with teriyaki sauce.
After lunch and during the day, I take five-minute breaks to walk around the office. We have an outdoor deck and a bocce ball court where you can get some steps in.
5 p.m. to 7 p.m. — My most productive period
I get a lot done between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. I send proactive emails, flag what we need to focus on, and schedule the rest for when I get enough information to make a decision.
I usually leave the office between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and walk home.
There are moments when it all feels overwhelming
From age 30, when I had my first kid, to my early 50s, I was sleep-deprived and stressed pretty much all the time. I drank more coffee and ground through it.
I wore an Oura Ring before I ever joined the company, so I came into this job already believing in the data. These days, I don’t drink caffeine anymore, I get more sleep, and I’m very intentional about how I attack problems.
This job is harder and more demanding than anything I’ve ever done, but it’s also the one where I feel best equipped to manage it.
Evening routine — Physical books and bed by 9 p.m.
I eat dinner with my wife. We share the cooking, and our go-to meals are salad with chicken or spaghetti squash with lamb meatballs in tomato sauce. Then we’ll watch TV or read together.
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 of mental and physical health.
My wife and I go to bed around 8:30 p.m. or 9 p.m.
I put on a sleep mask and earplugs, keep the room dark, and take magnesium and melatonin before bed.
I use an Eight Sleep bed cooler. I set it at -3°C below ambient temperature. I’ve found that consistency in going to bed at the same time daily matters more than the duration of sleep.
Weekends — Walks, poodles, and backgammon
On weekends, I like to go for walks with friends. I also go for runs with my dogs. I have two large poodles. They’re a handful.
The most important thing I do on the weekends is spend time with my family. Sometimes we do separate activities in the same room, or we play backgammon together. I also play guitar, but that’s when I want to enjoy some alone time.
Using the sauna has been a massive unlock for me. I aim for once or twice a week, and if I’m at the gym, I always end my workout with a session. In San Francisco, there’s a spot right on the water where you can rotate between the heat and a jump in the cold bay. That contrast therapy is incredibly energizing.
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The post I’m the CEO of Oura. I wake up at 5 a.m. when things are going well, and 3:30 a.m. when they’re not. Here’s what a day in my life looks like. appeared first on Business Insider.
