Progress, Not Perfection…
My ‘perfect’ morning routine: Wake up at 6.25, do some ‘bed yoga’ (gentle stretches & limb movements, nothing weird! It helps loosen my hip flexor and increases flexibility), get up, pick up my morning walk clothes left out ready, go downstairs, drink a pint of water, empty the dishwasher, get the porridge ready, get dressed while the kettle boils, make a cup of peppermint tea for me and normal tea for Rob, read the ‘Daily Stoic’ and UCB ‘Word for Today’ daily entries and make notes on them, then plan the day around my appointments – what do I need ready for them? what are the top 3 things I want to do to make it a great day? what am I grateful for and who can I share that with? - read my purpose statement, then go for a half-hour walk while listening to a positive podcast – on Monday it’s the High Performance podcast, come back to make & eat my porridge, then by 8.30 I’m washed and getting on with the day.
Of course I’m not perfect, and sometimes bits get missed, especially if there is an (exceptional) early morning work appointment, but I’m really aware when the habits go, particularly if it’s over a period of time. The point is they are positive and intentional, and when they slip the impact is clear gradually, but quite quickly. I’m either thinking less positively, feeling more tired, worrying more or wasting lots of time, or all four! I’ve learnt the hard way – winging it doesn’t work - and I wish I’d realised this sooner. Good, professional habits are ‘short term pain for long term gain’, the ‘hard yards now for an easier tomorrow’, and one bad day, week, or month doesn’t mean that trying my best with them, and getting back to doing them isn’t worth it – “progress, not perfection”. Which is why I pre-ordered Ryan Holiday’s new book ‘Discipline is Destiny’, to help reinforce my positive thinking around ‘routines that set you free’, focusing upon ‘what you CAN do’ rather than all the rest. If I’ve planned the month ahead, and then (on Sunday evenings) the week ahead, and then (each morning) the day ahead, I’m really clear on what I’m trying to achieve and am calm and energised by it. When this planning slips I feel rudderless and a little out of sorts, anxious I’ve forgotten something – which I generally have under those circumstances!
Research shows that having positive habits & routines enables us to put conscious energy into the things we love doing. My tops and tights are in the wardrobe in colour order – not because I’m a really organised person, but because I’m absolutely not – and I don’t want to waste time trying to find things that match when I could be thinking about and developing new ideas. My weekday routine is comforting, though I’ve still not quite got my weekend and holiday morning habits sorted, so any ideas on that gratefully received, including, enjoy the break as you’ll enjoy the weekdays more as a result!
Last Monday’s guest on the HP podcast was Ryan Holiday of both ‘Daily Stoic’ and ‘Discipline is Destiny’ fame, talking about the ideas behind the new book, and stoicism more generally. I always find Jake and Damien’s conversations with their interviewees engaging and uplifting, and they each time spark new ideas and ways of thinking which I find really inspiring. I hope this episode does the same for you.
Reflections:
How does your morning routine leave you feeling?
What routines have ‘set you free’?
What do you think about the statement ‘Discipline is Destiny’?
What one change to your routines would help you in your day?