I'm a 61-year-old CEO and DJ for longevity raves. I start my day with a cup of tea, ruthlessly cut meetings short, and don't have a house cleaner.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 61-year-old Tina Woods, the CEO and founder of Collider Health, an organization developing public-private partnerships for healthy aging and longevity. It's been edited for length and clarity.

As a 61-year-old CEO moonlighting as DJ "Tina Technotic" I am not one of those executives with a strict bedtime or daily routine.

A few years ago, as I was finishing writing my book, "Live Longer with AI," and starting hormone replacement therapy for menopause, I decided to enact some lifestyle changes aimed at improving my longevity. I learned how to DJ, to keep me in the groove while recovering from foot surgery, and I also started practicing a low-key form of intermittent fasting. Now I enjoy more all-night dance parties than I did before surgery!

Biohacker Bryan Johnson would probably not approve of my all-night raves, but they bring me such joy and are a big part of my own personal longevity protocol. While stepping out of the routine energizes me and fuels my creativity, there are still a few things I do just about every day to help anchor me and drive results.

I start the day with tea and coffee, plus news

My morning ritual usually starts with a cup of Earl Grey tea followed by a proper oat milk latte. I like to turn on BBC Radio 4 and listen to what's happening in the world while I'm caffeinating. Even though a lot of what we hear every day is bad news, I think it's important to feel connected to what is reverberating around the world and tap into the zeitgeist.

Cleaning the house each morning gives me time and space to think

Most people in my circle have a house cleaner, but I consider housecleaning an integral part of my morning, and I usually do a bit right after the coffee hits.

I have a schedule for which rooms get cleaned every day, with special emphasis on high-use areas like the bathrooms and the kitchen. I enjoy it, the physicality of polishing a window or scrubbing something — and I find the movement provides a great time to get new ideas, because my mind is able to free-associate more than when I'm at my desk.

I am ruthless about long meetings

During the day, I am on a lot of scheduled Zoom calls, chatting with interesting folks around the world, cementing partnerships, or planning longevity events like the recent JoyScore experiment I piloted in San Francisco in December, alongside my DJ partner and Longevity Rave cofounder Yukari Takehisa. We are partnering with wearable brands, longevity spaces, in talks with The PlayaAI Foundation (from Burning Man) and also various resorts around the world to see how we might better measure how joy, longevity, and health are so interconnected.

In the old days, I would say yes to a meeting at four in the morning, knowing it was important for my job advancement. But now I can afford to be a little bit more ruthless, and I try to avoid any and all pointless meetings — of which there are many in this world. If someone invites me to a meeting that's an hour long, I say, "Well, listen, I've got half an hour."

Of course, being a good business leader is also about knowing when you do need the time to have a more expansive meeting, and creating that flex in your schedule. Even though I have a packed schedule, I always make time for people with interesting ideas. I'm intrigued by the unusual and the underdogs, the people who are the mavericks, and so I will always make time for those people, whether they be students with new and unusual proposals, someone wanting to start a new company, or another entrepreneur asking me to join their board.

Tech has replaced personal assistants and staffers

I use a ton of technology to help me get through the day: databases, mail mergers, accountancy software, website design, and ChatGPT. This is a way that I've created space for myself.

In the old days, you would have assistants doing all your stuff. You spend a lot of time getting people, recruiting people, training people, and then briefing people and checking on their work, taking up a huge amount of time. I've got rid of all that, and now with what spare time I have, I try and build in a little time each day for exploration and learning.

My day-to-day typically involves me trying out some kind of new technology related to longevity. Last year, I did a biological age workup at a clinic in Poland where one measure of biological aging, the Glycan Age test, put me at 35 years old. But I didn't stop there, knowing that one biological age measurement is only a snapshot at best, a single measure that looks at how I'm aging in certain ways, but not others. Just the other day, I went to a London skin clinic and got my skin age measured. After analyzing wrinkles, UV damage, and the like, my biological "skin age" was clocked at 54. Another immune age measurement I took recently had me at 51, a full decade lower than my real age, and an aging rate on par with centenarians.

Mid-day is a favorite time for deep research and writing

The great thing about being your own boss is that you get to set your schedule. I don't mind taking a late-evening call or an early-morning conference with people in other time zones, but I am vigilant about making my schedule work for me.

I am writing a new book chapter on the future of work, and have found that one of my best times to write is after a Saturday mid-morning Zumba class.

I don't mind having work calls on Saturdays either, because the reverse of that means that I can go out for a run any time I want. I can build a calendar around what works best for my work life and health.

I try to fast, but I'm not a purist

I generally subscribe to the 'one meal a day' or OMAD style of intermittent fasting for longevity, and adhere to it four days a week, most weeks. I'm not a real purist about this, though. I don't make it absolutely rigid that I do not have a single element of food between the time I wake up and the first meal of the day, which is generally dinner in the evening. I might have a handful of nuts and seeds or a little bit of lean meat as a snack. By mid-afternoon, I may enjoy a cup of miso soup to tide me over until dinner.

I do a pre-dinner workout, usually a mix of aerobics and strength training

I make it a priority to get in an hour of exercise six days a week. I typically work out between 5 and 8 p.m., doing a mix of running, rowing, and strength training. My mind travels off in all sorts of different directions when I'm running and listening to music, so it's a great time to get bright ideas.

I find that the hour just before and just after my workout is a great time to let my brain free roam and do creative work, free from distractions.

I generally give myself one day off a week — especially if I was out raving the night before.

I connect with my husband over dinner

Dinner is a great time to unwind and connect after a long day. Sitting down with my husband, having a good old chat about our day, that's probably the thing that I do most religiously. You'll often hear longevity experts advising people to eat dinner early, aiding digestion, but because of our schedules, dinner usually ends up being between 8 and 9 p.m., and I'm fine with that.

As I age, I am focusing more on protein in my meals, with plenty of chicken, fish, seeds, and nuts. I still indulge now and then with a piece of beautiful dark chocolate, and I won't turn down a good glass of Champagne on special occasions. I think that's part of the fun and the joy in life.

I don't have a strict wind-down routine

The idea of having a rigid sleep hygiene schedule is crazy for me — it just doesn't work for the life that I lead, and I want to lead. That being said, I do make sure to get enough rest. I try to listen to my body when it's tired, and allow myself to sleep in if I've been out dancing the night before. I usually get about six hours of sleep, and that feels great for me.

If it's a rave night, I could be out all night dancing after work

Some people would consider getting on the dance floor an indulgence. I see that as an absolutely essential part of my schedule. That feeling that you get on the dance floor, the connection, the power of the music, the synchrony, the euphoria, those are very, very powerful things.

My husband is my chief raving partner, which is absolutely fantastic. In general, we both have a thirst for adventure: climbing mountains, traveling to new places, getting out into the wild and natural world. Surrounding yourself with an energy that is bigger than you is such an important and sustaining part of my longevity routine.