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A happiness scientist and Harvard business professor says attending daily Mass and saying the rosary before bed are secrets to his success.
Arthur C Brooks, who is also a best-selling author, has a regimented daily schedule which he says optimises his day to focus on writing and teaching—including waking up at 4.30 in the morning.
Detailing his routine to Business Insider, he begins a typical day before the sun is up to work out in the gym before attending Mass at 6.30.
“When I’m at home, I go with my wife, Ester; if I’m on the road, I have an app on my phone that tells me where the closest Mass is,” he said.
“I’m an authentically religious person, but Mass is also important to me as a scientist because I know that meditative focus is good for managing negative effect down and managing creativity and focus up.”
Later, after a busy schedule of writing and teaching, he returns home to his sprawling family home, which contains three generations of the Brooks family, to have dinner together.
“We have a multigenerational household, we asked our three kids where they wanted to raise their families so that we could help,” he said.
“This arrangement is great for everybody. We eat supper as a family.”
Spending time with family is important to Brooks as he takes walks his wife, Ester Munt-Brooks, after dinner.
Munt-Brooks is a Catholic educator and speaker who works primarily with Spanish-language audiences and the couple take this time to talk about and deepen their faith.
At the end of the day, the couple prays the rosary together to wind down after a busy day.
“It’s a joy to focus on the things that I love, which are my family, my faith, and my work that lifts people up,” he said.
