Daniel Ek's Daily Routine
Give your first 4 hours to family, exercise and thinking. Spotify's Daniel Ek wakes at 6:30 AM and doesn't start work until 10:30 AM.
By Colin PaceUpdated
Overview
Daniel Ek co-founded Spotify in 2006 and ran it as CEO until the end of 2025, when he became its executive chairman. His day starts late on purpose: he is up at 6:30 AM but doesn't begin work until 10:30 AM.
The first hour belongs to his family. At 7:30 AM he works out, and at 8:30 AM he walks for an hour, which is his thinking time. At 9:30 AM he reads. He described the morning to The Observer Effect, as CNBC reported in 2020, and once work starts he leaves the big decisions for later in the day.
Try it if your first hour usually belongs to the inbox. You arrive at work having already seen your family, moved and thought, with the hard calls saved for a clear head. He doesn't describe what comes after the morning, so the meals, the evening and the weekend are our estimates.
At a glance
- 8 hr sleep per night
- 49 hr work per week
- 2 meals per day
- 8 hr eating window
- 7 hr learning per week
- 14 hr movement per week
- 7 hr play per week
Sleep
56 hours/week8 hr per night
- Every day10:30 PM → 6:30 AM· 8 hr
No naps.
Work
49 hours/week7 hr a day5 hr strategy2 hr other
- Work10:30 AM → 12:30 PM· 2 hr · Every day
- Strategy1:00 PM → 6:00 PM· 5 hr · Every day
Eat
10.5 hours/week2 meals16:8 eating window1 hr 30 min eating
- Lunch12:30 PM → 1:00 PM· 30 min · Every day
- Dinner7:00 PM → 8:00 PM· 1 hr · Every day
Off
Learn
7 hours/weekReading 9:30 AM
- Every day9:30 AM → 10:30 AM· 1 hr
Move
14 hours/weekMove 7:30 AMWalk 8:30 AM
- Move7:30 AM → 8:30 AM· 1 hr · Every day
- Walk8:30 AM → 9:30 AM· 1 hr · Every day
Play
7 hours/weekFamily 6:30 AM
- Every day6:30 AM → 7:30 AM· 1 hr