When I think about my Perfect Day I am reminded of this quote by Paulo Coelho…
How would you define your Perfect Day?
What would you do, who would you do it with and how would you feel?
Ask most people these questions and you will get replies like…
… a feeling of accomplishment, a big business deal closed, a promotion at work, time with good friends, family time and that mystical feeling of being in “the zone”.
But how do you balance closing a business deal with spending quality time with loved ones or getting a work promotion with family time?
Building Blocks For A Perfect Day
Solid foundations are essential…
=>> Create a Not-To-Do List!
Quite simply – a list of things you do not do under any circumstances!
I am not here to make any moral judgement on what a Not To Do list may include – but for example it could include at one end deciding to never do your own laundry while at the other end it could be to never discuss politics or to never use profanities. We are all different and what may be on my not-to-do list may well not be on yours and vice versa.
=>> Create your own set of Life Rules
Now most of us have admirable beliefs and values and hold ourselves up to high standards – but not so many of us write them down. I was inspired to more carefully define my own set of Life Rules by fellow IncomeDiary contributor – Craig Ballantyne
As an example I repeat below one of Craig’s life rules (which is also something for the Not-To-Do list) below…
I do not engage in confrontations with anyone, in-person or online. This is a waste of time and energy. If I have caused harm, I apologize and fix the situation. And then I take a deep breath, relax, breathe out, and re-focus my efforts back on my work and goals
Why are these so important?
Quite simple really – with a Not To Do list and your own personal set of Life Rules you are less likely to come across conflict situations and anything that gets in the way of having a perfect day.
Also, life is a lot simpler once you start adhering to your own personal philosophies – and stop worrying about what others think. You spend less time ‘thinking’ and agonizing over a response because you and your closest friends know your position on the important things in life!
=>>Develop A Positive Morning Ritual!
Each persons ritual may be slightly different but the important thing is to develop a ritual that empowers you and sets you up for the day.
Examples…
a) Give yourself at least 15 minutes of no screen time.
(Do not check email or Social Media)
b) Swap the coffee for a glass of water, or a herbal tea.
c) Stretch. (Good time for morning Yoga or Tai Chi)
d) Open up your daily motivational readings.
(read some of your favorite, inspiring quotes)
e) Review your goals and life purpose
f) Meditate / Pray / Give Thanks.
I honor the fact that some of us are religious, some of us are semi-religious and some of us are not religious at all. The point here, is to incorporate something that allows you to focus and start your day with energy!
=>>Make Exercise Part Of Morning Ritual!
Now, I am not one of those people who could be described as an Athlete – but one thing I have always enjoyed is a brisk morning walk. The thing about exercise (walking, running, cardio or strength training) is that it gives us a wonderful feeling of well-being. In my case, I found walking – often on my own, by the Beach in West Sussex, was the time when I had some of my best ideas. Actually, I would go further and say that I rarely if ever had my best ideas in the office!
So stop wasting your life in bed, start getting up early to exercise and experience the many benefits of morning exercise.
7 Key Actions For A Perfect Day
1) Reflect and Journal – the night before.
Before you go to bed create a routine that allows you to think about your day.
What did you learn today? (from your mistakes)
Mistakes are meant for learning – not repeating.
What will you not do in future?
What are you grateful for? How did you progress towards your goals?
I recommend you answer these questions via a written word brain dump (Journal). Write down how you feel about your day, what you learned etc and then take it one step further by pulling out the key points and structuring your upcoming day accordingly.
2) For a Perfect Day – Plan your day ahead – the night before.
Most us have heard of a TTD List (Things To Do List) – and for many years I have diligently sat down each evening and set out my TTD list for the following day. It is a good policy – but if you want to step it up a gear, PRIORITIZE! Far better to have three important life changing priorities that you must accomplish rather than a long list of relatively average things that frankly will not make a lot of difference on way or the other.
Many TTD lists are far too general and lack prioritization, covering everything from picking up the laundry to launching a new business.
By all means have a list for the household chores but the TTD list I am referring to here is the one that reflects your life goals and ambitions.
When you do tomorrows TTD list tonight – ask yourself this critical question…
What is my No 1 Priority Right Now? and No 2 and No 3. I would suggest that those priorities would rarely be collecting the laundry!
3) Wake up 15 minutes earlier than usual and focus on solving your #1 problem in life.
Wow – this is super powerful.
Apply this immediately and you will start to experience a more productive and perfect day, everyday!
Honestly it is that ‘simple’ – try it
“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”
4) Maximize your magic time
Know when you are most productive and dedicate that time to your #1 project.
Most people have a period of time during the day that they are most productive. First try to identify that time then attempt to position yourself so you’re completing your essential task during this time. For me personally, my productivity decreases as the day goes on. Therefore, after my morning routine I immediately try to complete the most essential action of the day as soon as possible.
I know that the longer I wait to complete my essential task the harder it will be to focus and the slower I will work. In turn I become frustrated with my inefficiency. Avoid this by completing that key action during your optimum productivity period.
5) Batch your work … have a time to do emails, calls, and focused work. Don’t multi-task.
Remember:“The man who chases two rabbits, catches none”
Confession time – Multi-tasking used to be something I almost prided myself in. Ever heard the term: BUSY FOOL? That used to be me!
If you need to send emails and reach out to people, devote an hour to doing this exclusively. If you’re creating a course that you’ll eventually sell and you need to create videos, break it down into workable batches (filming, editing, etc.). Doing so allows you to take the same actions over and over again for a short period of time. This helps to get into a rhythm and can often lead to the feeling commonly described as “in the zone”.
Did you notice that term “focused work” above – the fact is that many of us handle our emails, make the phone calls and post on social media before we do our FOCUSED WORK. But really it should be the other way round!
It is the focused work that gets us to our goals and it is the focused work that pays the bills!
6) Always Be proactive – follow your plan
If you are following the strategies above it is almost impossible to not be proactive and following your plan.
Simply doing the above, creates FOCUS and what you focus on is what you get!
7) Stop living in the past – Live in the NOW!
“Living in the past means I’m living in regret. Living in the future means I’m living in anxiety. Learning from the past means I’m becoming wiser. Being excited for the future means I’m doing what I need to do now to make that exciting future happen” ~ Matt Hearnden
Living a Perfect Day – Expanded
Creating and scripting your own Perfect Day is well worth the investment in terms of time and energy. Actually I would go further – you cannot afford not to do it!
These 7 key actions and the earlier foundations are starting blocks only – there is more to do and learn. That is why I enthusiastically recommend Craig Ballantynes Perfect Day Formula to all my friends and colleagues. It has made such a huge difference to how I live my life and manage my day. My hope is it will do the same for you.
Before getting to know Craig, the truth is that many of my days were far from perfect. Fortunately implementing the Perfect Day Formula and having Craig as a mentor has changed that!
The Perfect Day Formula is about multiplying your productivity, having more fun, making more money and enjoying more freedom into your life…
Buy Perfect Day Formula
I am honored that Craig used my review of The Perfect Day Formula on his website and I cannot do better than repeat it below…
“For a long time I confused hard work with discipline. And even though I was a very hard worker in business, I was not disciplined in many other areas of my life, including my health and relationships. I allowed too many toxic people into my life simply because I did not have a clearly defined set of life rules and I lacked a NOT to-do list. Being hardworking in your career does not mean you are disciplined. Success in business is ultimately of no use if the rest of your life is out of balance. This was the #1 lesson Craig taught me through his Perfect Day Formula and personal mentoring. The inside look that Craig gives us into Warren Buffett’s success helped me appreciate the power of Morning Rituals and create my own. I get up earlier every day and have made time for what matters. Craig’s formula has refocused my desire to leave the world a better place for having been here, and I only wish I had been given this information when I was much younger. If I had implemented Craig’s Perfect Day Formula earlier it would have saved me a lot of heartache and money. It is essential for anyone who wants balance in their life.”
– Barry Dunlop,
London, England, entrepreneur, and father of 4
Perfect Day Quotes!
Everything happens for a reason, live it, love it, learn from it! Make your smile change the world, But don’t let the world change your smile.
“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ~ Buddha
“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” ~John Wooden
Life is not always perfect, but it’s always what you make it. So make it count, make it memorable, and never let anyone steal your happiness.
“Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational.” ~ Hugh Mackay
“Stop waiting for the perfect day or the perfect moment… Take THIS day, THIS moment and lead it to perfection.” ~ Steve Maraboli
Author Bio: Barry Dunlop is a lifelong entrepreneur, Mastermind Facilitator and sales coach who launched his first Internet Business in 1998. He also invests in renewable energy technology, Domain Names and Website Flipping. You can follow / message Barry on LinkedIn or Twitter