I get a ton of questions on my daily routine, and I think we can all learn something from everybody so here's my typical day and some lessons behind them that you could possibly apply to be more productive, happier, and live your ideal life.
Let me preface this by saying two things...
1. I don't have kids yet. I get it. I know my days will not be as structured once they come into the picture, and that's, even more, the reason why I try to be so productive right now, and milk every opportunity I can.
2. I spend a lot of time looking at what my ideal life is. My schedule is based around that, and you'll see that. I can't help someone create a better day, a better week, a better life, it I don't know what happy looks like.
I wake up every morning around 6-630.
I typically lay in bed for 30 minutes after that doing what some would call a "meditation."
That typically consists of about 10minutes of what I'm thankful for and what I have planned for the day. A try to paint a picture in my mind of what I want my day to look like. It doesn't always play out that way, but more often than not, it does.
My action item for you would be, regardless of what time you have to be at work in the morning, or get up for the kids, it's worth it to set the alarm 15 minutes earlier. 15 minutes seems like an eternity when you want more sleep, but those minutes, alone by yourself, just thinking, to me anyways, is invaluable.
The remaining 20 minutes I check to see if there's anything pressing on our staff communication cloud, get a preview of any important e-mails, and check social media.
That way, when I actually start my day, I am usually down to an empty inbox, or at least only a few that need detailed answers, and no social media notifications.
I then spend about an hour reading every day from 730-830. I'm grateful I have that built into my daily routine, but I've also worked extremely hard to get there. This is one of the favorite hours of the day, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
For you, maybe it's 930-1030pm after the kids go to bed. Maybe you start with just being in the moment on your 30-minute car ride to work. Whatever time it is, I think it's important to have a little bit of "me" time every day.
From 830-930 I write this daily post, just like I'm doing now. I see this as the most important thing I do every day for my businesses. I'm hopefully building a relationship with you, even though we may have never met. And for those who are clients at Spurling, you know, how I talk and come off in these e-mails is exactly how I am in person.
From 930-230 I am 100% focused on the development of my businesses. That's 5 hours of work, with about 3-4 breaks to get up out of the office and stretch, get coffee (a requirement for me), and go the bathroom. This could be marketing, staff development, client relationships, or consulting with other entrepreneurs. Whatever calls that day, I know I will leave that 5-hour block and my professional growth, my team's growth, and my client's experience, will be 1% better.
The lesson here is I found a time of day and an environment (my home office) that I am most productive. For some, that may be how you position your desk so that you don't see everything walking by. For others, it could just be putting headphones in so you don't hear all the external noise. Whatever it is, I know that I get more done in these 5 hours than most people do in a week. It's just because I know where and when I'm most productive, and I don't let anything get in my way.
From 230-530/630 I'm usually at the gym. Arguably, these are the most "non-productive" yet valuable hours of the day. I have no agenda during these 3-4 hours other than two things:
1. Get a workout in to take care of me.
2. Make sure my team and my clients are happy.
Sometimes that's training a staff member or dealing with a client concern, but more often than not, it's simply checking in to assure they know I'm here if they need anything. The team at Spurling are a band of rockstars, they know and I know what's expected of them, and they simply execute. Outside of my workout, on most days, it's simply checking in with clients to make sure they are happy with their experience.
My best lesson for you on this block is there are hours during the day that don't "feel" productive, but they are the most valuable. Your example may be playing with the kids at home, watching their practice, or something to that nature. They don't seem productive, but they usually have the highest value in making you happy.
From 630-930 I spend time with Megan. We eat dinner together, and I usually get roped into watching some stupid television show with her. This block of time is my biggest area of opportunity. Something I'm working on every day.
I love what I do so much, I never see it as work. So checking on our members Facebook group, answering an e-mail, or reading a blog is not work to me. Often I'll catch myself on my phone during these hours, and not in the moment with Megan because I don't see it as work, but of course, she does :)
My lesson for you on this stretch is we all have areas of opportunities. The first step is self-awareness. From there, slowly work on getting 1% better.
From 930-1030, Megan has usually gone to bed, so I'll do one more hour of catch up of articles that I wanted to read, videos I wanted to watch, and I'll usually fall asleep listening to a podcast.
Rinse and repeat.
A day in the life of a young entrepreneur with no kids :)
I don't expect your routine to be anything like this, but I do think we can learn valuable lessons from each other.
I'm a weirdo when it comes to productivity, and I love studying people's daily routine, so reply to this e-mail and let me know what your routine is.
Have a great weekend!
I'll be back Monday to keep this machine turning.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling