A peek into my life – Positive habits for productive people

I get a lot done. I manage to enjoy large parts of each day. I make time for my kids, husband, family and friends and I exercise religiously and take time to meditate each day. I’m not some sort of super hero or energiser bunny, and I’m certainly not perfect, I simply have really good, positive habits that work.

Habits are essential to success. People with positive habits will consistently move towards their goals, while others with weak and inconsistent habits will progress much more slowly, if at all. Taking time to set up good habits will make life monumentally easier and help you become more resilient when things go pear shaped. Today I want to share with you some of my habits and hopefully inspire you to develop some of your own.

  • Rise early – My day starts at 5.32am (because 5.30 is just a little early!) and in my head I count 10 things I’m grateful for before I get out of bed. (I NEVER hit the snooze button, on the rare occasion I’ll choose to ignore it on a weekend, but always make sure I’m up before 6.30am.)
  • Exercise – I grab my beanie, hand warmers and dog and head to the beach. It’s dark and quiet and my mind ticks over the plans for the day and the beauty of the morning. This time is just for me, it seems to ground me and at the same time connect me to the infinite possibilities of the day.
  • Smash out the chores – Lunches, washing, cleaning, tidying. I get as much done as I can before the kids get up and make use of that time by listening to something that inspires me. Either a TED talk, an audio book or a Youtube clip on business development. It makes the jobs enjoyable.
  • Make fun – With two small kids the morning routine can be a grind, particularly with Laura’s general rebellion against school. Each morning I try to bring something fun to the morning, we often dance to loud music, head to the lake to feed pelicans or just ride bikes out on the road. Anything that makes us laugh is a positive start!
  • Fuel up –Meals to me are just a source of fuel, I eat to sustain my energy not to satisfy my taste buds. Each week I plan 4 meals, I shop once a week and make sure I have everything to make those meals on hand and each day I just choose what we’ll eat. We also plan on a night out and a few easy meals which means we’re well covered for those nights when things blow out.
  • Stay organised – Before bed I spent 10 minutes tidying up. Everything gets put away. Part of the joy of having clients come to my home is I must stay on top of the mess and the house needs to be presentable. The discipline is easy because it’s essential to my business.
  • Catch up days – When I get behind, and trust me I do, I schedule in a catch up day. It’s generally a weekend day and I’ll ship the kids out and just focus on getting things done. I hate feeling overwhelmed and would rather sacrifice a day of the weekend to get on top of things again.
  • Move – I love exercise, and funnily enough, the more I exercise the more energy I have. Exercise provides a triple pay back, expending a little self-discipline to exercise increases my energy, improves my focus and enhances my self-discipline in all other areas of my life.
  • Work your ‘To Do’ list like a boss – Each afternoon I review my to do list. If it’s become overwhelming I rewrite it and I regularly check my three-month plan to make sure I’m doing the things that matter, rather than just the things I have to do. It’s always next to me and a constant reminder to stay focused.
  • Connect – When I tuck the kids into bed, we talk about the ‘Good, Bad and Utterly Ridiculous’ and have a debrief on their day, then we read a story, or I make up a story for them. It’s a lovely way to end their day.
  • Simple pleasures – Once the kids are in bed I have a cuppa, a dark Lindt chocolate ball or two, and either read my book or watch something with Sean before bed. It’s the most relaxing part of the day.
  • Wind down – After a shower, I do 10 – 15 minutes of mindfulness. It clears my head and relaxes my body before sleep.

Things don’t always go to plan, but having strong positive habits to fall back on makes life significantly easier. If you need some help or support to develop positive habits send me an email and we can talk over some coaching and mentoring options.

 

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