Episode 30- In this episode, we help you prepare for a sharper new YOU for next year by revisiting the subject of routines. We've produced a compilation episode on the subject, with all the really useful stuff from episodes 12 and 13.
If you'd like to listen to the FULL episodes, the links are here:
- Episode 12 (Hello Good Morning), where we cover:
- Why you should think about your morning routine
- Planning to plan from a personal perspective
- Having a morning routine isn't just for people running multi-million-pound operations
- But if they do it - why shouldn't you?
- I've done the research in places like Success magazine, Forbes, Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, David Allen and so on, so you don't have to. Here are some articles for further reading:
- (Success link removed as article has since been taken down)
- FastCompany - The morning routines of the most successful people
- Forbes - Routines of 7 successful but human millennial entrepreneurs
- What my morning routine is - and why I do it
- Circadian rhythms and - why they make you feel like you do
- Your alarm is a conflict, but you can make it work for you
- Why I get up at 4:50, and why you should get up at 6:37
- Laugh, smile - do it FIRST
- The psychology of smiling
- Water water everywhere - get it inside you
- Run for your life - why some exercise every day is a good idea
- Oy - YOU! (time)
- Get cold - If it's good enough for Tim Ferris and Tony Robbins, it's good enough for us
- What 30 seconds in a cold shower tells you about taking things for granted
- The 6 steps:
- Alarm - set it with intention, don't snooze
- Laugh - look in the mirror, laugh or smile at yourself; I promise you, it's funny and good
- Water - half a litre, 16 ounces re-hydrate quickly after you've woken up
- Activity - walk outside, gym, run - whatever works for you
- You time - 10 minutes of meditation, yoga, or just taking 10 to stop and think about what you want to do today
- Shower - cold blast, 30 seconds at the end.
- Episode 13 (Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me), where we cover:
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- How your 'start of day' and your 'end of day' routine support each other and support you getting stuff done
- Why Forbes.com say how you end your day is critical - in this article
- Michael Hyatt says, "The right activities before you sleep can set you up for success the next day" in this article
- The two groups of 'end of day' routines - the workday one and the dayday one
- Why it's even more important to have a defined end-of-day process if you do work which doesn't have its own clear end to each day
- THE END OF WORKDAY ROUTINE:
- A great template for a 7-step routine from todoist.com - the full article is here
- 1. Clean up your physical and digital workspace
- 2. Review your to-done’s
- 3. Write out tomorrow’s to-do list
- 4. Set yourself up to “Eat Your Frog” first thing in the morning
- 5. Confront the things you’ve been putting off. (Break them down and choose one 'next step' for tomorrow)
- 6. Set a time to end your workday and stick to it
- 7. End on a high note:
- Forgive yourself
- Show gratitude
- Do someone a favour
- My personal end of workday routine (from 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction and Get the Right Things Done) looks like this:
- Spend 5 minutes asking yourself these key questions:
- How did my day go? What went well? What were my challenges?
- What did I learn today? About myself? About others? What do I plan to do - differently or the same tomorrow?
- Who did I interact with? Anyone, I need to update? Thank? Ask a question? Share feedback with?
- THE END OF DAY (DAY) ROUTINE:
- Set a 'turn off your screen' time - and stick to it
- What Scientific American say about - using screens before bedtime
- Coffee - did you know it has a 'half-life'? - The effect of caffeine on sleep
- Wind-down time, take it seriously
- Take the time to work out how long you need to start your wind-down process. Mine is 45 minutes between starting and going to sleep
- Journal. Take time in your wind-down space to write down:
- What went well for you today
- What you learned today which developed you or improved something
- Three things you appreciate or are grateful for. The more basic, the better