‘I’ve been notoriously bad at setting boundaries’: The new rule shaping Deb Knight’s routine 

Chief executives, leading sports stars and media personalities have never been more aware of what it means to lead a healthy lifestyle. After all, they’re among some of the busiest people in the country.

These days, it’s all about self-care, balancing peak performance with the mental load – and making sure we all get those precious eight hours. But is a regular gym session, a coastal walk or an ocean swim enough? 

We asked Australia’s leading personalities about the routines and habits that support them in being the best at their game.

She’s one of the most recognisable faces of Australian television, with regular hosting duties on 9News Sydney and A Current Affair. But you may have known her voice long before you knew her face, as the accomplished journalist carved out an extraordinary career in radio before making the move to the small screen. 

Deborah Knight has covered some of the biggest news stories of our time - including the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Iraq war and the COVID-19 pandemic − all while juggling the responsibility as the mother to three children. 

With all that responsibility, how on earth does the 53-year-old prioritise wellness? You know what’s next, we had to ask… 

Deb, what’s the very first thing you do in the morning to set yourself up for a successful day? 

The first thing I do is get out of bed as quickly as possible. 

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I think the key to being successful in your day is actually the prep you do the day before. So I try to get the school lunches made the day before, my own lunch made the day before, and try to pre-plan, so I’m not in a mad panic as I get ready to start the day. 

Noted, we’ll be reconsidering our evenings from here on out… Are there any morning habits you think are overhyped?

I'm all for doing the essential tasks and getting out the door, so one key thing that is overrated, from my point of view, is a morning workout. I just am not an early morning person, and so the thought of going to the gym at 5am or 6am just doesn't work for me. 

We know sleep is so important to functioning, do you have a non-negotiable ritual to guarantee a good night’s sleep?

I think the key to a good night’s sleep is always going to bed at about the same time. I’m a real creature of habit, and I don’t go out raging late at night. If I’m having a really late night, I find that really knocks me around the next day.

Do you have a bedtime?

I try to sort of be in bed around 10pm most nights. Often I'm in bed before my children are.

What's your go-to lazy meal or snack when you need to stay fuelled but just don't have the time or energy to cook?

I'm a big fan of rice bowls, and I find that that can be a really quick and easy way to have a decent meal.

Do you have a secret to a good rice bowl?

If I'm making rice at home, if there’s any left over, I'll put a small amount in the freezer, then [when I’m ready to make one] I’ll pull that out and add some veggies and some tuna to it. That, to me, can be a really quick and easy, and simple and nutritious meal.

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If you only had 15 minutes to be active on your busiest, most exhausting day, what would that look like?

I think one of the key ways of making sure you can get some exercise in, even if you're really busy, is to go for a walk. I just find trying to switch your brain off is really good, [so taking] the dog for a walk, or even just going around the block. 

Are there any tasks you've automated or outsourced to save your brain power for the important things?

Yeah, I've got a robot vacuum that I'm a huge fan of at my house… I don't know that my pets really like it. I try to outsource the cleaning as much as I can as well. I've got a cleaner who comes in once a fortnight at our place, and that is an absolute godsend.

Are there any boundaries you've set that have helped reduce your stress levels?

I've been notoriously bad at setting boundaries in my life. I've always said yes to opportunities as they arise, and that's often to the detriment of myself because I tend to overextend and have overcommitted to things, but increasingly I'm putting weekends as just out of bounds when it comes to work commitments.

What are you doing with that time on the weekend? 

That's my time with my family. I don't want to go to events if I can avoid it. More and more, I'm just putting the weekends as: “No more work stuff, and more family and me stuff”.

What might you make room for if you could just set the mental load down?

I reckon having a long, warm bath is definitely considered a luxury when it should perhaps just be considered ‘switching off’ time. I just really like having a bath, but I think if I can have that as a luxury, I’d do more of that. 

Totally on board, relaxation baths are absolutely overrated! 

It's just having that time to yourself in whatever capacity you want to do, whether that's watching some TV, going for a walk or having a bath, just having time to yourself, I think, is a luxury that we should be able to incorporate more into our everyday lives. 

It's so important to just have space for you and not to have other people nagging you to do stuff.

Spoken like a true mum. Last question: If you could get every Aussie to try one habit that you really enjoy in your daily routine, what would it be? 

Because I’m on television, part of my job involves hair and makeup, and one part of my daily routine that I really enjoy is removing all the makeup at the end of the day. 

I just think getting into tracky-dacks and removing all of the detritus from the day, that is, to me, a really great part of the end of my day. It just means that it's done now. I can just chill out. 

That's a little bit of a specific thing to my job, but I think just getting into that comfortable space, whatever that might be, I think that's something we all need to incorporate into our day.