Dabbl

              Every now and then it’s important to take a step back from the daily hustle to reflect on your habits and routines. Lots of times we get caught up in our work and activities over the course of several months and fail to recognize where our daily habits are taking us. Are we doing what we really want to be doing with our time? Can we make small changes to our daily habits that will maximize our efficiency? If you haven’t looked at your daily routine recently, then the answer to the latter question is almost always ‘yes’.

              I’ve preached time and time again that our habits make up who we are and who we strive to be. So it’s critical that we assess these habits every so often. A monthly or weekly reflection can do wonders for our work and personal goals. The point of doing this is to ensure we are moving in the direction we want to be moving. It’s very easy to stray off the path we gave ourselves months ago. That’s why weekly or monthly check-ins are important.

              When looking at your daily routine, it’s important to write it down and be as specific as possible. By doing so, you will have a better and more honest image of what your days truly look like. And the more honest you are with yourself, the more effective the changes will be. When doing this exercise, I like to use 30 minute or 1 hour intervals and list out everything I do during that time slot. First I will right down what my daily routine is currently. Then I will write down what my ideal daily routine is. Then compare the two. By comparing the two lists side by side, it’s easy to make the distinction where changes need to be made.

              To give you an example of what one of these lists should look like, here is my ideal daily routine:

• 7am – 8am:        Wake up, get ready for work, make tea, plan out work priorities for that day.
• 8am – 9am:        Write, post to side hustle social media
• 9am – 11am:     Respond to any urgent work request, work on top work priorities
• 11am – 12pm:   Exercise
• 12pm – 1pm:     Shower and lunch
• 1pm – 5pm:       Work, make more tea
• 5pm – 6:30pm:  Finish up work and start to relax
• 6:30pm – 8pm: Prepare dinner, eat dinner, clean up after dinner
• 8pm – 9pm:       Relax, catch up with friends/family
• 9pm – 10pm:     Shower, get ready for bed, get things in order for the next day
• 10pm:                 Bedtime

There you have it. My ideal daily routine. You can be as detailed as you’d like. But remember the more detailed you are, the more clarity you’ll give yourself and the more effective this exercise will be. You can choose to slice the timeslots however you like, but I recommend 30 minute and 1 hour timeslots for simplicity purposes.

It’s important to reflect on yourself every once in a while. Reflecting on your daily routine is an effective way to make sure you are on the path you want to be on and increase your efficiency. By simply writing down your current and daily routines, you will be able to easily notice how your time is spent and how it should be spent. I encourage everyone to try this exercise weekly or monthly. Your time is valuable! So let’s make sure you aren’t wasting it.