Dr Rangan Chatterjee: ‘I haven’t had a drink in five years’
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How do famous names spend their precious downtime? In our weekly My Saturday column, celebrities reveal their weekend virtues and vices. This week: Dr Rangan Chatterjee
5am
I wake up without an alarm every day. I’m a better human being when I’ve had a good few hours for myself in the morning. I’m more patient and caring. My wife Vidhaata, on the other hand, loves a lie-in.
5.15am
I believe in the three ‘Ms’: mindfulness, movement and mindset. I sit on the lounge floor in my PJs and do a form of meditation for 10 minutes in the quiet. While I put the coffee on a five-minute timer, I do press-ups against the kitchen counter. It’s not an effort, it’s like brushing my teeth. I drink my coffee and think about my mindset for the day. I stopped making New Year’s resolutions three years ago. It’s not about the behaviour that really matters, it’s the energy behind the behaviour that ultimately determines what you do.
5.45am
I spend time writing in my new Three Question Journal. I ask myself, ‘What’s the most important thing I have to do today?’ It’s good to ask yourself when you’ve got five or 10 competing priorities ahead of you. I also question, ‘What’s the one thing I deeply appreciate about my life?’ Lastly, ‘What quality do I want to show the world today?’
6am
I’ll read – usually books written by the guests I have coming on my Feel Better, Live More podcast. I don’t have researchers, I do it all myself and my wife produces it.
6.30am
I have a little studio in my garden where I record the three-minute bespoke intro for the podcast the following Wednesday. I have done this for six years now. It only takes me half an hour.
7.30am
My two kids are up and I’m in dad mode.
8.30am
We head to the local park for the Parkrun at 9am. We all do the 5k – including my son, who is 13, and my 11-year-old daughter. How I parent my kids is one of the most important things to me. I feel the pressure to get it right.
10am
We pop into the local Waitrose in Wilmslow on the way home to stock up on food for the weekend.
10.30am
We don’t eat breakfast before the run, so cook up a big brunch at home afterwards. My wife makes an excellent buckwheat bread and I get the avocado and eggs ready.
11.30am
I’ll play Uno or Go Fish with my daughter while my son does his homework. If it’s not too wet outside, we’ll shoot some netball in the garden.
1.30pm
The in-laws often come round for lunch. I love spending time with family at the weekend. We also live a 15-minute walk from my mum – I make the kids walk rather than drive, something I’m always telling my clients to do. I’ve learned through research that the quality of your relationships determines the quality of your life.
One of the most powerful podcasts was with Bronnie Ware who wrote The Top Five Regrets of the Dying – the bottom line is, a wish to work less and more time spent with friends and family. I fell into a trap of working too hard in my 30s and confusing success with happiness. I’m very clear what’s important in my life now.
4pm
It’s too dark to think about heading out so we’ll relax together and watch a movie like Wonder, with a hot chocolate and popcorn. I’m happy lounging in my tracksuit bottoms and hoodies. I’m not big on my appearance – most of my clothes are five years-old.
5.30pm
I like to slow cook a leg of lamb throughout the afternoon so it’s ready to go when we want it. If it’s up to Vidhaata, she’ll make something quick like a vegetable coconut curry with rice. Afterwards I might play the guitar with my son on the piano. I’ve played in bands throughout my life – I took a year off my medicine degree in my mid 20s to play gigs around the UK. At home, we play a lot of Coldplay and a new favourite is Taylor Swift’s Blank Space.
8pm
The kids are in bed so we’ll watch Netflix. We loved the film Gifted Hands recently. It’s time together and it also takes me away from my work. Neither of us drink – I haven’t for the last five years. It doesn’t fit with who I am any more. I love my sleep too much.
9.30pm
I do five minutes of journalling before bed. I used to have a very bad phone habit, scrolling, but now I leave it in my kitchen on charge. It took me to my mid 40s to discover these hacks to living and feeling better and it works beautifully.
As told to Louise Bourke
Three Question Journal by Dr Rangan Chatterjee is out now from Intelligent Change
