6 Ways to Make Your Day Better
The practice of daily rituals has been coming up a lot lately. My clients are either looking to implement them or, at a minimum, recognizing that something’s missing from their routines.
Between all the productivity, longevity and beauty experts on social media, there are so many things I’m being told will lead to transformation of one kind or another. What I know to be true is that the rituals that work best for me are the ones that cultivate presence, productivity and joy during my day.
While I’ve been incorporating rituals for much of my adult life, I’ve become less dogmatic about them. Whereas before I would either joylessly hold myself accountable or lie to myself, I now see a ritual a little like watching a show on Netflix. If I’ve given it enough time and I know it’s not doing it for me, I can stop watching and try something else. For me, the key is finding and implementing a set of simple, quick but powerful practices that bookend and punctuate my day, recharge my reserves and that I’ll actually do. As a result, I periodically go through creative destruction around my own set, evaluating what’s working, what’s not and changing things up.
Done effectively, daily rituals act as anchors that bring intentionality and purpose to our busy days through repeated meaningful practice. There are so many great benefits to busy executives (and anybody really).
Having daily rituals provides a sense of structure, rhythm, and predictability to our day that can help increase productivity and reduce stress.
Rituals are an awesome way to prioritize self-care. Repeated rituals are a great way to build beneficial habits into the daily routine, making them more automatic over time.
Rituals like meditating, journaling, doodling, or even the artisanal making of a cup of coffee or tea can increase mindfulness and encourage more presence in the moment.
Workday opening rituals can help us start the day intentionally by reviewing goals, expressing gratitude, or visualizing success.
Workday transition and closing rituals can help us move from one kind of brain activity to another and get in the right zone for what’s next.
Pre-bed rituals act as cues to get our mind in the right place for restful sleep.
In the event that you’re wondering what rituals you might deploy, journaling may help clarify what benefits you’re looking for and therefore which rituals will best serve you. Here are some that I’ve tried or that I’m currently using…
Meditation (10-20 minutes): I love this part of my day. Everyone is still asleep but our dog and me. I start with a 10 minute body stretch, then meditate. I’m using the Waking Up app by Sam Harris and really getting a lot from it.
Journaling (5-10 minutes): I do this right after my meditation. I’m using the native Journal app on my iPhone. The free-form entries are great for capturing things I’m grateful for, my Big 3 goals for the day, and observations. This definitely creates space in my brain and promotes a positive mindset.
Prayer (2-5 minutes): A quick check in with my angel, Jarálasay. I ask for wisdom or clarity. If it doesn’t come right away, it comes soon after.
Exercise (30-60 minutes): Despite how much better I feel when I do this, consistency here is my Achilles heel - though I’ve been pretty decent lately at maintaining a 3 to 4 day a week practice of stretching and working out. For exercise, I find Tabata and EMOM workouts are awesome because they’re relatively short, intense and require almost no equipment. When I’m tight on time (most days), I can feel great in less than 30 minutes (including a stretch) and challenge myself by stacking a couple of them when I’m less pressed for time. I feel really proud when I honor this part of my life.
Morning review (5-10 minutes): Taking a few moments to review and prioritize the day's schedule, goals and commitments. I either do this as part of my journaling or it’s the first thing I do when I get to my desk.
Reading (15-30 minutes): I love the idea of reading before bed but I typically pass out as soon as I hit the pillow. I have a 30 minute block called “Lunch and Learn” on my weekday calendar. I love that it’s there as a prompt although I do sometimes sell it out to have lunch with my wife. If I sell it out, I try to make it happen by listening in the car or on a walk.
Walking (15-60 minutes): I won’t typically do this on my own but depending on my schedule, I’ll walk during a client call (and invite my client to do the same). Win-win.
Mindful transitions (1-3 minutes): When I go from one meeting or client session to another, it’s important for me to bookend each one. To clear the energy, to clear my mind, to get present to the next person I’ll be interacting with and how I can best show up for them.
Review/Preview (15 minutes): I do this to close out my work day, reflecting on the day's achievements, challenges, opportunities and to plan for the next day. I also take this time to think about and commit to what I want from my evening and how I want to show up as a husband and dad.
Digital detox: Leaving the device somewhere else in the house is a win for everybody. And I’ve noticed that when I sneak it, everybody knows. If you think you’re fooling them, you’re not. Once our kids are in bed reading, my wife and I take a few minutes to scroll before connecting or zoning out with a show.
Mindful meals: I work from home most days and sitting outside with my bowl of food and a pair of chopsticks is my favorite way to have lunch. I do my learning at this time or just enjoy the sun and the birds while getting my Vitamin D.
Sleep ritual: Truthfully, this is aspirational. Despite the blue light warnings, we’re usually watching a show til it’s time to go to bed. I don’t have an issue falling asleep but if I did, I’d probably read one of the many fiction books on my nightstand that have been there forever.
If you’re like my clients who are contemplating their rituals (or lack of them), start by asking yourself two questions “what’s the thing I want that I don’t have?” and “what’s the thing I have that I don’t want?” Then, see what rituals might serve you and give yourself permission to try them out. We’re all time-crunched. The process of designing our “perfect week” is always being refined and optimized - It’s never 100% and I’m hardly ever completely compliant but that’s part of it… and besides, it gives me something to journal about!