Some people hit snooze five times. Lanrick Bennett is already showered, caffeinated, and tuned into Metro Morning by 5:45 AM.

Meet Toronto’s urban mobility expert who’s been making the city move better, one bike ride and policy conversation at a time. As a subject matter expert in urban mobility and placemaking, plus the Urbanist-in-Residence at UofT’s School of Cities, Lanrick day is packed with everything from climate advisory meetings to family dinner prep.

But here’s what caught our attention: he’s managed to build a routine that actually works. No burnout vibes, no “grinding until I drop” energy, just smart systems, clear boundaries, and a whole lot of intentionality.

Action-packed, never dull , and I always make time for family.

5:45 AM: The Metro Morning Ritual

The day starts with consistency, not chaos.

While most of us are still negotiating with our alarm clocks, Lanrick is already out of the shower with coffee in hand. Breakfast? Simple and predictable, eggs and toast, pancakes, French toast, or sometimes just cereal.

But here’s the non-negotiable: Metro Morning is always on.

“It’s been part of my routine since the Andy Barrie days,” he says. “Yes, I’m that old.”

The radio stays on during and after his shower, setting the tone before the real work begins. No immediate email checking, no social media spiral, just the news, his coffee, and a quick look at his calendar and to-do list.

Why this works: Starting with external information (the news) instead of internal pressure (your inbox) keeps you grounded in what’s actually happening in your city and world. Your problems can wait 20 minutes.

Before 7 AM: Content That Matters

Lanrick’s content strategy is simple: themed days, consistent timing, done.

Sundays are #HearThis (Black history and Black-specific stories), Mondays are #IdeasAtWork, and Wednesdays are #HumpDayPodcastPicks. All posted before 7 AM, because consistency beats perfection every single time.

But the real genius? He’s not overthinking it. Three themes, three days, recurring content that serves his community without burning him out.

“I try to get these out before 7 AM,” he explains, treating content creation like any other part of his morning routine, necessary, but not overwhelming.

The lesson: Pick your lanes, stick to your schedule, and stop reinventing the wheel every single day.

The Bike Battery Check (Because Toronto Moves Different)

Plot twist: the man who shapes urban mobility actually lives it.

Before leaving the house, Lanrick makes sure his bike battery is topped up. He rides every day, a 45-minute charge gets him about 120 km, so he usually charges twice a week.

This isn’t just transportation; it’s research. When you’re working on urban mobility and placemaking, every commute becomes data. Every bike lane (or lack thereof) becomes lived experience that informs policy conversations.

Two-screen productivity setup: Laptop for work and school-related tasks, external monitor for social platforms, BlueSky, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Plus, he follows ten reporters daily (four local, four national, two international) to stay grounded in what’s happening.

The family check-in happens before anyone leaves the house: kids’ schedules, activities, who’s handling dinner. “It’s a shared responsibility and it matters.”

Working Lunch: Podcasts and Policy

Lunch is a working lunch, and Lanrick has made peace with that.

Leftovers and snacks, nuts, grapes, fruit, water, juice. The hybrid schedule means most days he’s at his desk eating during a conference call. “I don’t enjoy eating out, so this works for me.”

Here’s where it gets interesting: he almost always has a podcast in one ear. If City Council is in session, he’ll have the meeting playing on YouTube in the background, mostly just listening to the audio.

This is what staying informed actually looks like, not doom-scrolling Twitter, but intentionally curating what matters for your work and community.

8 AM to 4 PM: The Core Work Window

Most of Lanrick’s core work fits within traditional business hours, and that’s by design.

Alongside his full-time role, he’s also the Urbanist-in-Residence at UofT’s School of Cities, sits on the City of Toronto’s Climate Advisory Group, and works with students from UofT and Toronto Metropolitan University on housing projects like HousingNowTO.

Multiple roles, yes. Scattered energy, no.

He uses dictation in his Notes app during the day to capture ideas or things he wants to revisit later. Smart move: because the best insights usually happen when you’re focused on something else entirely.

6 PM: The Hard Stop

“No work during dinner is a hard rule. Phones are on silent.”

Evenings start with reconnecting with his kids, finding out what their day looked like, cooking dinner, and just hanging. Music or the news is usually on in the background, but screens stay put away.

This boundary matters because when you’re juggling civic engagement, academic work, and family life, everything will try to bleed into everything else. The dinner table stays sacred.

After dinner? That’s when the evening shift begins.

6-10 PM: The Creative Hours

While most people are decompressing, Lanrick is just getting started on his passion projects.

“Because my daytime work is contained, evenings from about 6 or 7 to 10 are when extracurricular civic and creative work happens.”

He writes in his home office. Depending on what’s happening in the city, he’s out at events maybe twice a week. This is when the real urban mobility advocacy happens: the community meetings, the policy discussions, the creative collaborations that don’t fit into a traditional job description.

The magic: By protecting his 8-4 work hours, he’s actually created more space for the work that matters most to him.

After 10 PM: Fruit, Whipped Cream, and Family Time

Recharge looks different for everyone. For Lanrick, it’s simple: a bowl of fruit with whipped cream.

“After 10 PM, if I’m not at an event, I’m usually on the couch decompressing. That’s also when homework help or test reminders happen.”

The kids are largely self-sufficient now, which he and their mom are proud of. Family time is more concentrated on weekends, but evenings are still busy with comings and goings.

He doesn’t read as much as he’d like (relatable), which is why podcasts are such a big part of his life. No cable for ten years, mostly YouTube for entertainment. Music is reserved for bike rides or time on the TTC.

The Planning Philosophy: Just Enough

“I don’t plan days far in advance. I plan just enough so I’m not scrambling in the morning.”

This means making sure everything is charged, cables are packed, and he’s thought through how he’s getting to events: especially if rain is in the forecast.

It’s planning without over-planning. Preparation without perfectionism.

When you’re balancing urban mobility advocacy, academic work, family life, and civic engagement, the goal isn’t to have everything figured out three months in advance. The goal is to not be stressed about tomorrow morning.

What Actually Works

Here’s what stands out about Lanrick’s approach:

• Consistent morning routine that grounds him before the day gets chaotic
• Themed content strategy that serves his community without burning him out
• Protected family time with actual boundaries (phones on silent!)
• Evening creative hours that happen because daytime work has clear limits
• Just-enough planning that prevents scrambling without creating overwhelm

The man who’s helping Toronto move better has figured out how to make his own life move sustainably. No grinding, no martyrdom, no “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” energy.

Just smart systems, clear priorities, and a bowl of fruit with whipped cream at the end of the day.

Your Turn

What would change if you planned “just enough” instead of trying to control everything?

Lanrick’s routine works because he’s honest about his capacity, protective of his priorities, and intentional about how different parts of his life connect and support each other.

Whether you’re advocating for better bike lanes or better work-life balance, the principles are the same: know what matters, protect what works, and don’t be afraid to keep things simple.

Connect with Lanrick: Follow his urban mobility insights on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and read his thoughts on Medium.

Ready to share your own day-in-the-life? We want to hear how other creators, advocates, and community builders are making it work. Submit your story here and let’s keep the conversation going.