1) Create a Healthy Routine
Do you ever experience this? Days begin to blend into one another, and you may wonder what you accomplished during the week. A routine can provide an anchor and a greater sense of control over life. If you have children, creating a routine is especially important to give them a sense of normalcy.
Create a routine that fits your lifestyle. It will look different for every person, and you will continually tweak it over time.
I’m a morning person, so my schedule looks something like what follows.
5 am-6 am - Wake-up. Have a quiet time reading, reflecting, and meditating on what is most important for my life. After looking at the big picture, I focus on my day ahead. This sets the tone for my entire day and helps me live out my values.
6 am-7 am - Enjoy a healthy breakfast while replying to emails, making business-related social media posts, and organizing my day. I try to pack as much nutrition into breakfast as possible. Typically this means a smoothie made with frozen fruit, protein powder, flax or chia seeds, avocado, and perhaps some cocoa. Then I top it off with nuts like walnuts and pecans or seeds such as sunflower or hemp.
7 am-9:30 am - Work on my primary project. By scheduling my most impactful work first thing in the morning, I accomplish an essential goal before most people even begin. To figure out what plans are most critical, The Priority & Action Matrix can be a helpful tool.
9:30 am-11 am - After a short break, I dive back in for the second round of focussed project time or meet with current or potential clients.
11 am-12 pm - After three hours of solid work, I meet with another client or work on upcoming projects.
12.00pm-12:30pm - Lunch break. This is critical. Working effectively requires sufficient fuel. Usually, I'll make a big salad piled full of raw or cooked vegetables, a protein source such as chicken, eggs, or hemp seeds, and top it off with lots of high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
12:30-1:30 pm - This is an ideal time to meet with more current or potential clients or work on business tasks on my to-do list.
1:30 pm-3 pm - Another ninety minutes of focus time allows me to continue working on projects, top-ranking tasks, or meet with further clients.
3 pm-4 pm - After a short break, I either finish up with a few tasks and prepare my schedule for the next day. This is also ideal for listening to podcasts or webinars while I begin dinner preparations.
4 pm-5 pm - Exercise typically happens during this time slot. Whenever possible, I exercise outside to reap the benefits of exercise and fresh air, and plant pheromones. If I'm short on time, I hope on the spin bike in our basement.
5 pm-6 pm - I prioritize having a nice sit-down dinner with my husband and talking about our day. Relational health is high on my agenda.
6 pm-8 pm - The section of time between six and eight o’clock is devoted to my husband, connecting with family, enjoying hobbies, or volunteering. Reading is one of my favourite forms of self-care.
8 pm-9 pm - Most nights, I spend this hour reading and winding down from the day. Usually, by nine o’clock, sleep comes readily.
9 pm-5 am - Bedtime and restoration for the next eight hours. I practice mindfulness to fall asleep quickly and take sleep hygiene seriously. Everything in life feels better with good sleep.
While this schedule may or may not fit your lifestyle, it gives you an idea of how a routine can help focus your day. Be sure to include food preparation, social time, exercise, spiritual rejuvenation, and some learning or creativity in your daily or weekly rhythms. It’s essential to take care of yourself on every level, including physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially, and relationally.
2) Exercise
Building your physical strength is powerful and health-boosting. It’s life-affirming and good for your health. Feeling physically well empowers every part of your day.
Add physical activity to your schedule. What is the best form of exercise? That’s simple; the one you will do. Find what brings you joy and feels good in your body. Include outdoor activity whenever possible. There are many options to boost your strength, fitness level, and flexibility. Here are some ideas:
Walking, jogging, and running involves a considerable number of the body's muscles, providing coordination, toning, and cardio all at once. Other cardio options to try include cycling outdoors or pull out that indoor exercise bike that is collecting dust in your basement.
Take up a yoga practice, which is excellent for strength-building, flexibility, and calming. There are many in-person and online options to choose from, with everything from ten-minute routines for beginners to advanced options.
Body-weight exercises such as pushups, squats, lunges, and abdominal crunches can all improve your overall fitness. Make sure to check with your doctor before starting any exercise or nutrition routine.
3) Grow Personally & Professionally with Non-Fiction Books
Educate yourself with non-fiction books. There is so much to be gained, including self-confidence, skills, healthy habits, and business acumen.
Here are a few of my favourite books:
Unstressed: How Somatic Awareness Can Transform Your Body's Stress Response and Build Emotional Resilience by Alane K. Daugherty
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
Educated by Tara Westover
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time by Arianna Huffington
4) Explore Life’s Deeper Meaning
Rather than watching endless news streams or binge-watching television, focus your attention on your dreams. Not only will this provide you with huge benefits down the road, but it will also offer inspiration and give you tremendous purpose in the present.
Gaining a clear vision regarding how you want your life to be is a powerful motivator. A clear vision helps you work towards your goals, take action and make changes that matter.
Here are five questions to help you explore your dreams.
What would you LOVE to do and why?
What do you yearn for or dream of?
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Where do you dream of being five years from now in both your personal and professional life?
Imagine you are 90 years old and looking back over your life; what did you do that made you both proud and joyful?
Dream big. Don’t let ifs, probabilities, and other people’s opinions dismiss your aspirations. Your life ambitions should be more significant than you deem possible. No one changed the world by thinking small.
5) Engage Journalling
Journalling has many benefits, such as identifying your feelings, gaining valuable insights, and fostering gratitude. Journalling helps you learn more about yourself, your dreams, and the world around you. Choose a method that works for your lifestyle. Some approaches to consider:
Acquire a beautiful notebook that makes you feel special every time you open it. It can be beneficial to physically write rather than type on a phone, tablet, or computer.
Write on slips of paper and collect them in a jar or box used exclusively for this purpose. You can decide how long to keep them, if or when to reread them, and perhaps create a ceremony for extinguishing them.
The following are some journal prompts to get you started:
What are you truly grateful for?
What and who matters most to you in your life?
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
What have you learned over the past month?
How has it impacted your life?
6) Live Your Values
When you are clear on your values, you better understand what motivates you. When you build your life around values, you can create a truly meaningful existence. When you align your actions with your values, you become an authentic human being, which is a fulfilling way to live your life. Here is an exercise to help you get started.
What are your top three goals over the next three months? These can be personal or professional goals.
On a scale of 1 to 10, to what extent do your goals reflect your values?
What can you change to align your goals with your values better?
By creating a supportive routine, feeling your body with healthy foods and exercise, investing in your personal and professional growth, and aligning your goals with your values, you can live a meaningful and purposeful life.
Explore more self-care strategies to live your best life.
About the Author
Bonita Eby is a Burnout Prevention & Organizational Culture Consultant, Executive Coach, and owner of Breakthrough Personal & Professional Development Inc., specializing in burnout prevention and wellness for organizations and individuals. Bonita is on a mission to end burnout. Get your free Burnout Assessment today.