Last Monday was a bad day. The day got away from me. From the first meeting early in the morning until late that night, I let the day happen to me. I was completely reactive, constantly chasing to keep up. It drained me. I ended the day tired, overwhelmed and feeling sorry for myself.
When was the last day you let ‘happen to you’ versus you ‘taking the day on’?
Days like last Monday have been few and far between since I’ve started sticking to these three steps. They set me up to take on each day. I thought I’d share with you all leading into Monday.
Step 1. Set an intention for the day
What do you want for yourself today? Intentions for me are usually a short phrase like ‘share my love’ or can even be a word like ‘powerful’.
When you set an intention, you are literally priming your mind and your body for the day ahead.
Step 2. Meditate
For some this may sound weird, if it does, then call it breathing. It doesn’t matter what you call it as long as you do it.
Take five or even two minutes before you start your day to slow down and breathe. I often do this right before I leave the house for work, on my commute or immediately when I get to work. It’s important to choose the time that works for you, a time when you can slow down, breathe in deeply, let your mind and body relax.
Steps 1 and 2 are easy to combine together. When I do my breathing I also set my intention for the day.
Step 3. Write down your 3 big things
Each day before I start work, sometimes even the night before, I write down the 3 main tasks/goals I want to accomplish that day. I find it gives me focus and clarity so I can take on each task without worrying about all the other stuff I should be doing. I’ve picked the 3 most important tasks for the day and if I get those done it’s been a great day.
Do these three steps at the very start of your work day and let them be the first thing you do before checking your email or responding to other work issues.
MY LIST OF DAILY REMINDERS
The only problem with this comes when you set the day with the right intentions and then it just spirals away from you. To ensure you stay on track with your intention and your 3 big things, set a reminder in your day to take a break and clear your head. For me this means, jumping up and down to bring oxygen to my brain and increase my blood flow. I call it flexing my energy muscle and use it as a way to reset and get back to my intention and my three big things.
If you keep with these over time, they will become habitual. Until then, use reminders in your phone to make sure you see and then follow the steps each day.
Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have 24 hour days. - Zig Ziglar
