Inside My Real Weekly Schedule: 7:30 AM Homeroom, Track, and Midnight Deploys

People see the highlights on LinkedIn: 100,000 monthly users, a book live on Amazon, and a podcast series. They don't see the alarm going off at 6:45 AM or studying for a biology quiz while waiting for a build to finish.

Here is what an actual Tuesday looks like in my life:

A Day in the Life

• 6:45 AM — Wake Up & Quick Prep: Cold water, shower, quick scan of critical server alerts on my phone. If nothing is on fire, notifications go on Do Not Disturb.
• 7:30 AM – 3:15 PM — High School: Seven class periods, hallway chats with friends, track practice, and student council business during lunch. I don't touch code during these eight hours.
• 3:45 PM – 4:15 PM — Decompression & Snack: Resetting my brain after school. Walking outside or having a quick snack before opening my laptop.
• 4:15 PM – 6:30 PM — Ryla Labs Engineering Sprint: The prime coding window. Two hours and fifteen minutes of pure focus. Today: optimizing search query latency on our database.
• 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM — Family Dinner & Homework: Finishing math problem sets and history reading so nothing hangs over my head.
• 7:45 PM – 9:00 PM — Writing & Podcast Prep: Reviewing research notes for an upcoming *Eight Minute Episodes* guest or drafting essays.
• 9:30 PM – Lights Out: I protect eight hours of sleep religiously.

The Weekend Shift

Saturdays are reserved for deep, exploratory builds—the kind of project that requires five unbroken hours of architectural thinking. Sundays are strictly for rest, family, and planning the upcoming school week so Monday morning feels calm instead of chaotic.

"The hardest part of building young isn't writing code. It's having the discipline to close your laptop and do your chemistry homework when you'd rather be shipping a new feature."

Key Takeaways

• Designate non-negotiable shutdown times: Work expands to fill the time available; deadlines create efficiency.
• Batch your mundane tasks: Group small chores (inbox zero, paperwork, dependency upgrades) into a single 45-minute block.
• Never sacrifice your youth: Make time to laugh with your friends, run track, and enjoy high school.