Ray Santos first got into barbering back in high school. “My haircuts weren't coming out as clean as I would've liked at my local neighborhood barbershops,” he tells me. So he went out and bought a pair of simple clippers and began practicing on himself. He discovered he had something of a talent for it. “From there, I grew an eye and a passion for keeping myself and my friends at school looking fresh, and here we are now.” Where are we, exactly? Santos is an in-demand celebrity barber, a member of the Gillette Barber Council, who is often jetting around the country keeping guys like the NBA's Miles Bridges, Zach LaVine and Kelly Oubre Jr. looking their best. He's also the founder of SANDALBOYZ, a line of modern slides that are inspired by musicians in the studio, surfers at the beach, and athletes before/after the game. Which is to say that Santos is a busy guy. But the reason why he's been so successful is because he's such a humble and easygoing guy—the type of person you want to work with or trust enough to literally put your head in his hands. We tagged along on one recent morning to see how he gets it all done and makes it look so easy.

I’m not naturally a morning person.

But, over the years, I've worked to get a pretty good morning routine going. Still, it doesn't come naturally to me. It takes a bit for me to wake up. I try to get at least seven hours of sleep every night.

And I definitely hit that snooze button.

Not always, but an alarm is definitely a must. I always allow myself two snoozes, and then wakeup on the third.

That’s not to say I’m not up early.

Pretty much everyday, I'm up around 8:15 am.

My nightstand is pretty simple, but stocked with the necessities.

I like to keep things somewhat minimal. So I've got a single plant, whatever essential oil I'm vibing with at the moment and a phone charger. I'll be honest. I don't always make the bed.

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. It all depends on the day, right?

The first notification I check on my phone? Usually it's the text messages and calls that came through while I was asleep. Then I might tap on Instagram. But I try to avoid scrolling on any social media first thing in the morning. That's a lot coming at you.

Every day is a little different, but without fail, I’ll do these three things ...

I'll start with a nice coffee first, then a workout at nine and then my dog, Louis, gets a proper walk.