8 Bite-Sized Habits to Start Your Day Out Right
Who doesn't want to be their best self? We want to be the best boss we can be. The best parent. The best coach. The best leader. But does that require you to have to overhaul everything? Take that approach, and the tasks soon become overwhelming. Overwhelm puts the brain (and body) into stress mode – and when brain fog and confusion strike, it becomes hard to do anything.
Change is not easy! Humans are creatures of habit. We like our comfort zones because we know who we are in that space. We don’t like change because it forces us to do things differently. The good news is, you can change your life, and it doesn’t have to be an overnight thing.
Instead, you can make significant improvements in your life when you focus on your habits. When habits are your go-to methods for change, you don’t need to take the big leaps to create a transformation. Instead, by leveraging the power of momentum, the compound effect will let your best self thrive.
There are plenty of small habits you can do that will take you no more than 10 minutes, but have an impact on the entire day. Let’s explore some of these.
MEDITATE for calmness - A busy, hectic life can create a chaotic, overloaded brain. In this state, it’s harder to think, trickier to make decisions, and more challenging to stay in control of your emotions. Meditation is a 10-minute habit that can help you create that calm, peaceful state within. If you can sit for just 10-minutes a day, you can cultivate a clear space inside that you can retreat to whenever things become too much.
IDEA-GENERATION for innovation - Idea-generation is a practice as well as a skill. It’s a muscle you can strengthen with the help of your habits. Each day, spend 10-minutes tackling a problem and challenge yourself to come up with at least ten different solutions. A chunk of your thoughts will probably be useless, but that’s part of the creative process. You have to be able to clear through the noise to get to the good stuff. This daily ritual will turn you into an idea-generator.
JOURNALING for self-awareness - The more you know yourself, the better equipped you are to be your best self in the outside world. Journaling is one of the best practices you can adopt to help with this. With journaling, you can overcome your limiting beliefs and empower yourself to achieve bigger goals. It’s super easy to get started with this habit. All you need is your notebook, pen, and some time to dive into your inner world and ask questions.
CONVERSATIONS for connection and self-expression - Your net worth is your network. The people you interact with have a huge impact on your life. One of the best ways to strengthen that network is through the power of conversations. Get in the practice of asking better questions. From the questions you ask your co-workers, to the conversations you have with your employees, all the way to the people you meet at an event or a conference. If you can ask the right questions, you're in!
REFLECTION to extract your lessons and learnings - If you want to move forward faster, it’s smart to get into a habit of reflection. One of the reasons we get stuck is we keep doing things the same way – even if they don’t work. The trouble is, we can’t be aware of how our actions hold us back, unless we reflect on them. Simply end the day by asking yourself some thought-provoking questions. For example: What did I do well today? What could I have done better? What should I stop doing in the future? How did I leverage my time? What opportunities did I squander? If you can reduce the time it takes you to learn something that doesn’t work – and change it, the more your best self can grow.
PLANNING to leverage your time and maximize your day - When it comes to becoming your best self, one of the biggest objections you have to overcome is a lack of time. You know how it is…you have an idea for what you want to achieve, but somehow the day gets the better of you. Then you promise to do better tomorrow to make up for it! Time is our most valuable resource, but a lot of people don’t treat it that way. Instead, we waste minutes because we’re not intentional with our plans. This challenge is easy to fix. Simply spend ten minutes of your day planning out how you want the day to look. Treat every task or activity in the same way you do a meeting or an appointment – schedule it! When something is on your calendar in black and white, you’re less likely to procrastinate or spend longer than you should be catching up on emails or checking through low-level tasks.
TRACK YOUR HABITS so you’re not tempted to skip a day - It's hard for humans to make changes – even good ones! We’re creatures of habit and staying in our comfort zone is always the safest bet. As a result, there will come a time when you feel the urge to let your new habits slip. And you know what happens next! The second you take your foot off the pedal is the moment you allow yourself to fall back into your old ways. So how can we get around this? Track your habits. Create a list of the habits you're trying to change, then award yourself with a check each day you complete your habit. Before long, this streak of checks creates a chain that becomes too painful to break.
So what's stopping you? Start today – and then keep going!
You can do anything when you start small and chip away at something every single day. It’s consistency for the win and if you master this skill, you can mastermind big wins. Choose the 10-minute habits you want to infuse into your life. Plan time into your day and monitor your progress with a tracker. Imagine how you’ll feel in 90 days! The action you take on a single day may not look like much. But over time, your daily habits will compound into exceptional results.
If you're ready to start on the road to a better self, enroll in my 90 Days to Your Best You! class.
For more information, email me at: info@thegiftedleader.com