These tips are for you…based on some of the things that do and do not work for me.
write
Spend a minimum of 10 minutes writing. While writing:
- Designate your 3 most important tasks each morning.
- List 3 things you did well yesterday.
- List 1 thing you will do better today.
- If you have time left….write free form…it is amazing the ideas and clarity you will come up with!
focus
Do one thing at a time…no multi-tasking. Give each task your complete attention.
Read and respond to emails twice a day. I know, this is a really hard thing to do…but you will get a lot more done if you curtail your attachment to your email box. Resolve to have a 0 inbox. That means…on your twice a day email times…clear it. Don’t leave emails for later. Attend and archive.
move your body
Most very successful business people know that they must take care of themselves. Exercise a minimum of 25 minutes a day. Don’t sit at your desk all day. Get up and move. Set your fitbit to vibrate if you have to and LISTEN to it. Get up and walk.
take breaks
Don’t eat at your desk. Get up, walk away and eat your lunch and/or snacks at the table. Focusing on what you are doing includes taking a break for food. Schedule time during the day to de-stress. Some of my favorite de-stressers:
- always break for hugs
- short 5 minute meditation, prayer
- step outside for 10 minutes in the sun
- breathing exercise
- music break! Our people at Club Med could be found dancing at the end of the day to let loose. It works.
isolate
If you are at home or in an office, make sure you have quiet and privacy. If you have to set up acoustical barriers…then do it. Turn off the phone and focus on your work.
say no
Treasure your time and learn to say no to anything that is not important to you.
eat healthy
Don’t fall into the trap (easy to do) of grabbing the first easy thing to stuff in your mouth when you get hungry. Plan ahead…green juice when you know you need energy is a healthy habit to get into.
what would your perfect day look like?
my day
Click here to download and complete your own form
If your day is like mine, it can probably use some improvement. How would you change the way you spend your day? Many of us spend way too much time on social media, the phone and emailing. I spend my weekend creating (because it is quiet)…something I should really do during the week. There has been a lot of valuable family time sacrificed the last few years. I know that if I were to make a couple small changes to my day that I could get more out of my week days.
You are probably like me…we LOVE what we do. It is sometimes important to manage our time for longevity instead of indulging and overworking all the time. I challenge you to join me in making changes this year. Let’s let each other know how we are doing with it!
Great tips, Cathy, thank you. I’m with you on the social media rabbit hole. I would have to add that to the list: Choose ‘one’ social media platform and engage there richly and mindfully. Less is more. Ha, ha, I feel an internet cleanse coming on! xxoo
You wrote this post for me:) I’ll definitely try to incorporate into my daily routine! I’ll probably do it for a week or so and then fall back into my old habit. Lord help me, Cathy:)
Appreciate your candor and invitation to envision a few changes, again. Here is to 2015! As a friend of mine said, it has started out being an “odd” year!
Have made copies of the form and filled out for tomorrow, Monday the 4th.
Earlier starts and establish routines. Definite improvement needed along with desired growth!
Initial 2 hrs will be personal care…and starting at 6am.
Mentoring Monday at 10 PST…
Ironic that you should have to include eating well, movement and quiet time on a list for health coaches…but I guess we all have some of the that old shoemaker in us! I’ve just made a similar “wish list” schedule for myself. My nemesis is letting the time I’ve set aside for activity A to bleed into the time for activity B,… Which reminds me, it’s time to get off the internet and write a blog post!
Wow, I absolutely love these tips. I too struggle with how I want to my day to be and how it actually goes. These are some really concrete, easy to implement ideas. Thank you!
great list, cathy! my perfect day is similar – write, read/study, coach, move body, spend time with nuclear family, include daily citrus, focus, break. the last two are the most difficult for me – i tend to have days that are one extreme or the other. those are the two areas i hope to improve in 2015.
Great post, Cathy! Not only am I printing out the “My Day” form, I printed out the whole post to keep by my desk. I struggle with the “Just say no” tip. I find I say okay when I really want to say no. I’ll have to work on that this year.
I love this post. It’s a great reminder to be mindful and present in our own lives. As coaches, we may sometimes get so wrapped up in helping everyone else that we forget about ourselves. I need to work on a few of these. The big one is spending less time on facebook!!
Wow. The difference between the two schedules was a startling wake-up call, Cathy. My schedule is similar. I’m going to try this. I’ve been wanting to try this. Thank you for the download!
Happy New Year!
I definitely want to spend more time creating, writing, and just relaxing. I resolve to have a 0 Inbox in 2015, hopefully this month!
Ouch! This stepped on my toes! I need to FOCUS more, and give each task my attention instead of trying to multi-task all day long. This will be a huge change for me, but it’s something that I know I really need to start doing. Thanks for the reminder!
Love this list!! I need to blow this up in poster form and put it up next to my computer 🙂 Thank you for the form – it’ll help a lot!
i agree with you, Heather! Now that I have the twelve month program, my coaching business is devouring me! Now I have some homework to do…survival guide is right. We all must keep going, remain hopeful, help others and having Cathy’s help is the beginning to our own potential. #lovetheinnercircle
Wish I was more tech savvy but this is doable
On another note…what do I need to do to have my picture show up when I post on your blog Cathy?
Ah thank you! I being honest with what we do and what we say we wamt to do is a starting point! I’m going to download the template-( thank you) and map it for the next 7 days, I’m sure I will see a shift by physically doing this on paper in front of me! I have an online version and a journal but this looks raw and in yer face, so will get on it today! Happy new year Cathy!
Great post. I’m going to print this out and post over my desk to keep me on track. Thanks for putting everything in one post.