HOW TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL DAY, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY?
Hello, hello, how are you all rocking the new year & all those goals you have set for yourself!?
If I am being honest, I have had a great start so far… Mostly because of all the small changes I have been making to the everyday things I do and how I do them.
Trust me, it has been working WONDERS!!!
Sure, there have been slips, several in fact, but I am not letting the negativity of those slips take away from or mess with all the positivity that is coming out to my otherwise great start to the year!
Because, I have been one of those who would let one thing which didn’t go my way for a day or two have a massive impact on the rest of the week but I have made a conscious effort to change that over the years.
For eg, if I couldn’t manage the time to work out for 2 days in a row, I’d say screw this week, I will restart next week, and the same thing happens the following week too, and before I realize it, I would have gone 25 out of 30 days without working out.
HOW STUPID, right!?
So how does one have a rocking day, all day, every day, throughout the year you wonder?
Honestly, you yourself already know the answer to that very question…
Habits my friend, HABITS!
HEALTHY habits!!
Healthy DAILY habits!!!
RINSE & REPEAT…..
That is the only tried and tested formula for SUCCESS!
And all highly successful people swear by it, they all practice healthy habits, daily!!
Sure, some days are harder than the others, at times other external factors impact our daily routine, and on some days there’s truly nothing you can do about anything that is going wrong.
But that’s ok! That is part of life!!
As long as we stay focused, and stay the course, everything will be alright in the world again (quite philosophical, I know).
Remember, this too shall pass, so master the art of showing up and do your part…
So not only am I sharing some simple daily habits, but I am also breaking it all down so you too can relate to it (and make it your own) and have a successful every.single.day (aka giving away my trade secrets ;)).
P.S: Some of these are already an integral part of my day-to-day life and a few that I have tried in the past and gave up before they became a habit but proved to be extremely effective and incredibly impactful!
So, I am doing my hardest to make the latter a part of my habits and eventually my lifestyle (as I mentioned in this blog post, it takes 21 days to build a habit and 90 days to build a lifestyle).
Plus, if I write it here, then I am telling someone about it, in turn, it makes me accountable, right!?
But before I start, one biggest piece of advice, start small! Don’t try to incorporate everything all at once, it will only get overwhelming and it is not sustainable!
Baby steps are the only way to go…
And as I always say, what works for me might not work for you, so tweak it to suit you and your lifestyle.
MORNING ROUTINE
A morning routine is exactly what sets the tone for the day!
And knowingly, or unknowingly, we all already have a morning routine in place, but you need to figure out if it is a good one or not.
I mean, if your morning routine looks something like this -> wake up an hour later than when your alarm first goes off, starting the day being stressed about being late, mindlessly rushing from one task to another as you get ready and then running out the door without even eating breakfast…
if that’s you, then we have some serious work to do.
Do NOT be in a hurry and rush from the moment you wake up until the moment you get to work.
1. If need be, wake up an hour early than usual. Try to have as relaxed a start to your morning as possible… Wake up with a grateful heart.
Set yourself on the Time Tracking + Time Blocking mode.
Confused as to what I am talking about? Don’t be, read all about it here.
2. Make your bed, yes, most important!
– My parents taught me that at a very young age. They say it attributes to positive energy, I did not realize just how powerful such a simple practice is. I do falter once in a while, but my parents never ever do anything before making the bed.
3. Freshen up.
– For me, this also now includes a skincare regimen – massaging my face, applying a face mask, moisturizing, etc, etc.
4. Light a candle, diffuse essential oils, and play some calming music in the background. All of these have such a positive influence on all your senses. It truly awakens your mind, body, and soul.
5. And as you do so, imagine what a successful day is going to look like (by doing this you are sending positive vibes to make it happen).
– ‘OM’ playing in the background does it for me.
6. Make your first morning drink. No, I am not talking about coffee or tea. But having a glass of warm water with lemon in it, or drinking a big glass of celery juice first thing in the morning.
7. Practice Suryanamaskara (Sun Salutations) + Breathing Exercises + Meditate. Even if it is just for 5-10 mins it gets your body and mind going.
– I cannot vouch enough for the amazing benefits of practicing Suryanamaskara and breathing exercises first thing in the morning, read more here.
8. Now get your coffee or tea or whatever else you drink and have some quiet time, catching up on news or anything else, even if it is only for 5-10 mins. And no emails or social media just yet.
– The hubs never wants to be troubled with Q&A or with things to do before his morning cuppa joe, and I’d be all grumpy about it (in a funny way) and be like ‘your coffee is more important than your wife’.
But now I realize how important it is to have some quiet me-time as you start the day. I probably never realized this as I am always the first one to wake up in the house and by default always got my quiet time.
9. Glance at your priorities and to-do’s for the day (these should be written down in your journal or noted on your phone. This step is really important to set your intentions for the day, to assess what tasks need to be tackled, in what order, and when. Also, this is a good time to BRAIN DUMP (read more here).
– Writing these down should be part of your nighttime routine. Will talk about it in just a little bit.
10. Get your sweat on. Do a home workout, or go to the gym, or go outside for a run, whatever works for you. If morning workouts aren’t your thing then do it in the evenings, as long as you do it.
– I LOVE home workouts, they are the best! I shared exclusive details of what works for me on IG stories recently, they are now saved as ‘Fitness’ under my IG highlights.
11. Have a wholesome breakfast. They do say that it is the most important meal of the day. Especially after a good workout, it is so important to refuel.
– Avo toast / steal cut oats with fruits / boiled eggs with avocado / GG crackers with cottage cheese / omelet / whole wheat multi-grain toast with nut butter are some of my favorites. Along with a glass of smoothie, of course! Get the recipe here.
And you are all set to conquer your day! The above might seem like a lot, but once you get the hang of it you only need an hour to get through it all, or an hour and 15 mins tops.
– Now, off you go to work. During your commute (to and from work), listen to a podcast (see my recommendations here), or read a book.
12. Once at work, go about checking things off of that priorities and to-do’s list. Remember, TASK BATCH. Start from the most important first and work your way down. DO NOT do anything until you have finished all those absolutely important tasks.
– During all of that, move, stretch, drink water, you know, the whole nine yards. Here is something to help you stay the course and stay healthy during the day.
NIGHTTIME ROUTINE
1. Once back home, relax for a bit with your coffee (take 5 or 10 mins) and then reflect upon your day – what went well, what didn’t, and what needs to be changed?
Brain dump even, or track as part of your goals. I am not telling you to write an essay, just make a few points in a journal or on the phone to track your own progress on the daily.
– Again, I shared something along these lines on my IG stories, saved under ‘Self Improv’ IG highlights
2. Spend some quality time with the family, make it a top priority – no phone, no social media, no email, no office work, just people talking to each other without any distractions. Even 30 mins does wonders!
After all, life is not all about going from one task to another non-stop. You need to give each other your time, and do things together, even if it is cooking, cleaning or doing laundry.
– This becomes incredibly hard when there is a baby in the picture (speaking from my own experience, it was my lowest of lows last year, read more here). And I am determined to not let that happen, ever again!
3. Have dinner. Watch TV for a bit if you find that relaxing (but not too much).
4. Get things ready for tomorrow – plan your outfit, pack your lunch, prep your breakfast as needed, etc.
5. Plan the next day (this is what I was referring to earlier). List your goals, priorities and to-do’s for the following day – include 5 tasks that you need to complete to have a successful next day, and 3 tasks which are stretch goals (read more here).
This gives you a clear sense of what needs to be done and in what order, and helps you to not start off the next day feeling overwhelmed about all the things that need to get done.
6. Now unplug – no phone, no email, no social media. Unwind – play some soothing music in the background, light a candle and diffuse essential oils in the bedroom, follow your nightly skincare regimen, get into bed, read a book.
7. And call it a night – practice gratitude, imagine what a successful next day is going to look like (again, by doing this you are sending positive vibes to make it happen), and go to bed (early). Remember, how you end tonight dictates how you begin your day the next morning!
Next day, rinse and repeat!!!
And don’t forget to follow the 4 GAME CHANGING, SIMPLE YET POWERFUL THINGS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED as you go about your day-to-day. That really is the foundation to help you do and be your absolute BEST!
Amidst all of this, practice #PACT15, at least 2-3 times a day. Wondering what the heck that is!? Sorry, that will have to be a whole other post (after all, I want you to come back to my blog again ;)). But in all seriousness though, practicing #PACT15 daily for the last few weeks has TREMENDOUSLY helped me to stay on track and get so much more done every.single.day without feeling overwhelmed!
Whew, that is a looooooong read…..
But I do genuinely want to share with you guys all I know, because, I have been there and done that, and still do. If this helps even one other person, then I feel accomplished!
So I sincerely hope that this is helpful to you all…
If you have any daily habits of your own that help you, then please do share, gracias!
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit.”
xoxo,
Kusum
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