Article originally appeared here: https://www.thriveglobal.com/stories/11219-tj-manotoc-we-are-not-perfect-we-do-make-mistakes-but-the-key-is-having-a-growth-mindset?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Thrive&utm_content=thrive

Thrive Global: What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?

TJ Manotoc: I anchor ANC’s (ABS-CBN News Channel) morning show called Early Edition from 5:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. So that means I’m up at 4 a.m. Clearly I need to be efficient with my time right away from the moment I wake up. The first thing I do is gently make my side of my bed, without waking up my wife. I think of things I am grateful for. Then I go down and start the kettle and pop the butter in the steamer to begin my Bulletproof Coffee making process.

TG: What gives you energy?
TM: Aside from Bulletproof Coffee that kickstarts my day, more details later, it’s my family. They are truly my motivation to push further, work a little harder but also smarter.

TG: What’s your secret life hack?
TM: Bulletproof Coffee and my Baron-method Nutrition Plan. These have saved my life and I am confident it will extend my life. The nature and times of my work demand the best nutrition and fuel I can get. Just Google Bulletproof Coffee and you’ll see what I mean (Hi, David Asprey! You rock!). The instant mental and energy boost I get in the morning is priceless. And I love how there is no caffeine rush or caffeine crash. It’s simply amazing.

As for my overall nutrition, an amazing personalized plan from my now good friend Harvie de Baron has helped my lose almost 20 pounds (my worst physical state 3 years ago) in under 3 months effortlessly. And I have kept it off and maintained the level of fitness since. He made me eat more, but more of the right food. Clean food and yummy food. I still have my cheat days on Saturdays. Yes, I still enjoy the burgers, pizzas and ice cream once a week like everyone else.

TG: Name a book that changed your life.
TM: I’d have to name two. Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Successful People. John Gray’s Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus AND Children Are From Heaven – it’s his parenting book.

TG: Tell us about your relationship with your phone. Does it sleep with you?TM: Unfortunately due to the nature of the job being in the news, I do have to be close to my phone at all times. But in the last 2 years I’ve been able to hack my relationship with my phone and my need to stay connected with everything happening by adding an Apple Watch to my devices. That allows me to glance at my phone much less. I choose the most important notifications I need to vibrate on my wrist. That also allows me to be away from the phone at home while with the kids but still connected in the sense that if a boss calls and breaking news happens, I am still online.

The next hack I did was to make full use of Twitter’s notifications. I had to pick my most important feeds that are relevant to my work as a journalist and my passions in the fields of productivity, health, and tech. So when I need to check whats going on, I just pull down the notifications tab and browse there. If there’s something I need to RT to my followers, it’s as simple as a force touch and tap. It saves me from opening the Twitter app more often and having to deal with silly dramatics and rants from some friends and the random selfies of celebrities and athletes.

TG: How do you deal with email?
TM: Google’s Inbox app has saved the day. It takes care of the hundreds of updates and forums I am a part of. I only see the most important emails right away. I love how I can snooze an email to reappear on top of my inbox at a specific time. I am curious too about Sanebox. I’ve heard a lot of good things about it.

TG: You unexpectedly find 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?TM: Probably watch a light YouTube video on a tech review or a fun Casey Neistat vlog. Do some breathing exercises. Or call the wife and kids and see what they’re up to. Basically tuning away from the stresses of work for the meanwhile.

TG: When was the last time you felt burned out and why?
TM: I honestly can’t remember. Though I work in a stressful news environment, I deal with stress very well. I have developed high resiliency for stress mentally and emotionally. Most likely due to how I dealt with and survived depression and anxiety attacks as a teenager. And my optimum nutrition helps me deal with the physical aspects of stress.

TG: When was the last time you felt you failed and how did you overcome it?
TM: I don’t agree with the word “failure.” In life, I feel there are only victories and learning moments. We are not perfect, we do make mistakes, but the key is having a growth mindset (Hi, Carol Dweck!) in everything you do and seeing every opportunity as a learning experience and a chance to grow.

TG: Share a quote that you love and that gives you strength or peace.
TM: “The true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton

TJ MANOTOC IS A NEWS ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT FOR ABS-CBN NEWS IN THE PHILIPPINES. HE BEGAN HIS CAREER IN TELEVISION IN 2000 AS A SPORTSCASTER FOR ABS-CBN SPORTS, MOVING ON THE COVERING THE PHILIPPINE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION FOR 5 YEARS. IN 2004 HE REJOINED ABS-CBN AND HAS BEEN A BIG ASSET IN VARIOUS PLATFORMS FROM TAGALOG AND ENGLISH NEWS PLATFORM, SPORTS COVERAGES OF LOCAL SPORTS AND THE NBA, TECHNOLOGY, AND HEALTH.

17 YEARS ON IN BROADCAST NEWS AND SPORTS, TJ HAS BEGAN A TRANSITION TO COVERING HIS NEWEST PASSIONS, HEALTH, PRODUCTIVITY, DISRUPTIVE START-UPS, AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

TJ’S PASSION FOR HEALTH STEMS FROM A VERY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF SURVIVING DEPRESSION AS A TEENAGER AND IS NOW A VOCAL ADVOCATE IN SPREADING AWARENESS AND HOPE. TJ IS MARRIED WITH 3 KIDS AND LIVES A HEALTHY AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLE EAGER TO LEARN MORE AND MORE EACH DAY AND SHARE HIS KNOWLEDGE TO HIS VIEWERS AND FOLLOWERS ONLINE.

CATCH TJ ON THE ABS-CBN NEWS CHANNEL EVERY MORNING ON “EARLY EDITION” 5:30-8AM AND ON “THE SCORE” ON ABS-CBN SPORTS + ACTION AT 10PM MONDAY TO FRIDAY. AND ONLINE ON TWITTER @TJMANOTOC ON INSTAGRAM ON @TJMAN77