With ‘stay at home’ changing how many of us go about our work, your Monday to Friday routines and habits have almost certainly ceased, slowly (and possibly unconsciously) being replaced by new routines as you learn how to be at your best at your home work stations.
What new routines have begun to form in your everyday practice?
You have now been presented with a perfect opportunity to heighten your awareness! You can evaluate what stays, what goes and what new routines to adopt to enhance your energy levels, your impact, your attitude and your everyday performance.
Are you up for exploring new levels of focus and personal productivity?
I have never been a great one for routines, more often than not my peaceful rebel defies any steps to conform but the context in which you and I now find ourselves has changed and there is no better time than in this challenging and uncertain set of experiences to dramatically review, change and update how to go about our days to not only be more often at our best but also to deliberately create the circumstances in which we can grow, inspire and expand the impact we have.
If you are up for it, I suggest three simple stages to gain the most from this moment of personal evolution:
Notice your current routines - how do you go about your days; what are your foibles; in what order do you tend to set things up; where do you go; when do repeated events occur (meals, beverage breaks); when do you feel at your best (energy peaks in the morning or evening perhaps)?
Break your own rules, for a short period of time, perhaps a week. Your own gentle, personal revolution! Sit somewhere differently; have dinner at lunchtime one day; take a siesta; work lying down; sit on the floor; write your messages before sending them; meditate or read a chapter of your inspiring book in the middle of what was your ‘getting things done’ zone. You can work collaboratively on these things – why not shake up the whole team’s routines?!
Design your new routine and test it for a fortnight. Evaluate whether changes would enhance how you feel and perform and implement them to develop it further.
I am certain that the routines I have found myself now performing have significantly helped approach this isolation positively. They have enabled me to quickly and peacefully accept whatever my circumstances now happen to be. I have boosted my ability to think more broadly about challenges and am happier to sit with them for longer, even if a new approach has not come to mind – yet!
Routines set you up for the hours that follow, prepare and embed your attitude, concentration energy and expectations.
Take a moment today to contemplate the extent to which you have changed over these recent weeks:
How do you start your days? What has evolved in terms of your dress code, day prep’ and packing? What are the first 3 things you put your attention on every day? Just as a keynote speaker at a conference sets the tone for the day ahead, how you start your day sets your tone.
How are you framing your days? Are you simply allowing your appointments to become the theme and focus? Could you be more deliberate and determined about what each day will be for you, what would those ingredients be? Set an intention. Make contact with high energy/inspiring colleagues? Reading? Mediation?
There is a third category that is much on my mind now having written the Simple Notes “Food for Thought” and “Push or Pull” over the last month… “Attitude First Aid” which may well be the next Simple Note!
And whatever you do… keep it simple!
Simon
PS – Interested in a webinar for your team? I have recently been producing a range of content for businesses seeking evolution for their team during this period and would love to talk to you about what I can do for your team to help energise and invigorate them during their current challenges. Visit my website to check out some of my recent webinars and let’s put something together.