An innate sense of place and time for the right eyewear design in the moment is the pure talent that defines Nico Roseillier, creative director of the newly formed De Rigo REM. The French-born Roseillier oversees the product design and development of all REM brands, from John Varvatos to Converse, and the whimsical Jonathan Adler collection.

Roseillier’s design sense is well-honed—and well-earned. He has also served as the creative director at MODO Eyewear, and as the founder and creative force behind Les Marrons, a firm that specialized in architecture and product design. EB checked in with this highly respected designer to learn more about his incredibly creative and notably productive day, from dawn to dusk.

6:30 a.m.: This is where my day begins in Altadena, CA—just north of Pasadena in Los Angeles. On most days, I wake up to the rising sun and soothing hum of the birds outside—a pleasant and tranquil start to the busy schedule that awaits. Today, I need a little extra reinforcement from my alarm.

6:40 a.m.: I start my morning with 20 minutes of Transcendental Meditation to relax my mind and get into a state of Zen. This sets the tone for the day ahead.

7:00 a.m.: Time to wake up Jude and Jagger for breakfast. Baking is reserved for the weekends, so we keep our diets lean with oatmeal and fresh fruit. As a parent, I am on morning duty, so I have roughly an hour to get them ready and out the door while my wife, Marissa, preps lunches. With two growing boys, this is usually easier said than done.

8:00 a.m.: Success! I have effectively managed to get everyone out of the house and dropped off at school. Coco, our 1-year-old Australian cattle dog, comes along for the ride, so we head to Eaton Canyon for a 45-minute nature hike. One of my favorite things about the trail is that there are barely any people, so it is very quiet and peaceful. It’s been raining a lot lately, so the river is full. Which means I have a very happy dog who finds herself a personal swimming hole. My car, after the fact, is not so happy.

9:00 a.m.: After I drop Coco at home, I am off to the office. I try to take advantage of this short drive to make all my personal calls to the East Coast. Today, the traffic is extra backed up, so I take this as an opportunity to call my parents in France.

9:30 a.m.: Just in time for our executive meeting. From Monday to Thursday, all the department heads meet for 30 to 45 minutes to go over top-line projects and outline any key agendas for the weeks to follow.

10:00-11:00 a.m.: Check emails, repeat. I use this time to stay focused while my team comes by to follow up on questions.

11:00 a.m.: Back to meetings, this time with the Marketing and Art Department to run through the list of creative tasks for the week. This turns into a fuller session about Vision Expo and plans for rolling out our new booth with De Rigo.

12:00-1:00 p.m.: Lunchtime. I opt to stay in and eat with my team in our downstairs lunchroom. Coincidentally, there is a bake sale, so I spoil my appetite with some really delicious Nutella-stuffed chocolate chip cookies. I’ve been really good all day, so I don’t think a little sugar will hurt. Right?

1:00-5:30 p.m.: This is when the magic happens. I reserve my afternoons for sketching, research, and brainstorming. I am very meticulous about my drawings, which I do by hand, so there are a number of revisions before I am satisfied with the final results. Around 3-ish, we begin product development. Collaboration is one of the most important aspects of everything I do, so it is crucial that I am hands-on with my team, every step of the way. We review each detail of every frame that we are creating start to finish—from material and color selection to making modifications.

5:30-7:30 p.m.: Time to hit the road because tonight, I have karate practice. This class is a big one, as I am working on passing my green belt.

7:30 p.m.: Homeward bound. I spend the evening catching up with my wife and kids. Jude has a science project due tomorrow that we have been working on for weeks, so we put on the last-minute touches before bedtime stories.

9:00-11:00 p.m.: The kids are asleep, so Marissa and I have some much-needed alone time over a late dinner of her homemade meatballs (my favorite) and a bottle of pinot noir as we listen to a classic vinyl of the Rolling Stones. After the dishes are put away, I hop on Airbnb to take a look at places in Joshua Tree for a trip I am planning for my brother who is coming into town after MIDO. I just got back from a recent birthday trip in the desert, so I know just the place to take him in Flamingo Heights. Trip booked.

11:00 p.m.: The last hour of my day is reserved for catching up on the news and shows. I am a bit of an HBO enthusiast, and there is never a shortage of good TV there. While I patiently wait for “Westworld” to come back (which I hear is going to be quite a while), I catch the third episode of “The Young Pope” with Jude Law.

12:00 a.m.: One last look at emails and Instagram before I get into bed. I feel my eyes start to get heavy from the long day. I quickly switch my iPhone to airplane mode, then darkness. Lights out.

—as told to Erinn Morgan