I recently finished listening to the audio book for Craig Ballentine’s Perfect Day Formula which my coach Kate recommended as the gift that keeps on giving. This is a quick listen I had in my headphones over a couple sessions in the gym. Essentially our lives our made up of days, and if we can get better at designing each day, we’ll be able to have the life we want. This is an excellent listen or read that provides actionable strategies to help you own your day from the start to help you be more productive, present, and aligned with purpose. I have already started to incorporate a few of these strategies. I have tried both getting out of bed with out falling back asleep, and working on Purpose Up in the morning before work and working out and it turns out I am very good in the morning. This post was drafted in the AM before work, and then finished after work, so it goes to show what you can do with short bursts of productive time.
Here are the top ten take-aways for you:
- Wake up 15 minutes earlier
- Avoid the snooze – just get up, and have something you’re excited to get up for
- This is the most quiet and productive part of the day, so take advantage of it
- Work on the important things first in the morning, as even a few minutes a day can add up
- You control your priorities and purpose
- Use this time to work on your personal projects, business, or learning that new skill
- This is especially useful for people with a “day job” that want to start a side project or begin a business while still working
- Rules and Structure equals freedom
- Set personal rules or boundaries, to avoid ambiguity and have integrity
- This can include bed time, number of drinks in an evening or number of times you exercise per week
- Write down things that swirl in your head to clear it
- Writing things down that pop in your head helps you not forget important to-do’s
- Once they’re down you can free your mind to be present
- Before you leave work, wrap things up and plan the next day
- Planning your next day will allow you to come into work knowing what you need to do
- Winding down at a specific time will help you meet goals of getting home in time for family or other priorities you have
- Make time in the evening for fun and family – this is done by getting your stuff done earlier and planning the next day
- This is a great time to be present with those you love
- If you’re working on a passion project outside of a day job, you can use this time to continue what you started in the morning
- Create meaningful goals
- You need to know what you’re shooting for, in order to take shots in the right direction
- These goals will allow you to push through when you’re in the middle of obstacles or tasks which you don’t enjoy
- Coming back to the your “why” or your purpose helps re-inspire you
- Share your goals for accountability and for the universe to conspire with you
- Sharing your goals with others makes you accountable to them
- They can also help you achieve your goals in ways you can’t conceive
- Align yourself with people who are aligned with where you want to be
- Disassociate from the people who don’t want you to change
- You are the sum of the people you spend time with for better or worse
- Become a teacher in order to learn the better than a student
- By teaching you learn the material better than the student
- You also are providing value and service to others which is great for you and them
All in all the advice in Perfect Day Formula seems very simple, but can be profound in the difference it can make.
And at the end of the day, the lesson is you only have today, so work to make it perfect as your lives are made of the day you’re living in.
Good luck!