Lotus.life — Day 5: Daily Success Plan
This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 5
There’s nothing quite like a power ballard karaoke tune to invigorate you so you can focus the mind (I’ll explain Bonnie a bit later). Empowering yourself with a daily success plan is a way to get you to focus the mind and be more efficient. So let’s do this thing.
Today, I plan to clarify daily habits; What I will do, when I will do it, and how I will do it. This makes sense. Write it down. Plan it and then stick to it. I do this all the time, but maybe I’ve not been doing it as effectively as I could have.
A spoke in the works for me is that every day is different, there is no guaranteed time slot I can promise myself every day. Sometimes I leave early and am working or rehearsing back to back til 11pm, at which point I just want some wind-down Netflix time, shower and bed. So I need to see where I can tidy up my practices to make me more efficient when I’m in AND out of the house. There are 3 things that probably are a little hap-hazard and require attention: Emails, Diary handling, and invoicing/book-keeping, but there’s also other stuff that needs attention.
I’m going for a pledge style today. Top tips for me.
I pledge to myself:
- get dressed BEFORE I get started. I have a habit of working through in my jim jams until I have to go to rehearsals in the evening. I feel so much better if I do human things.
- to set up my space before I start: water/cuppa tea, Facebook closed, phone on flight mode, put some funk n soul tunes on.
- EMAILS & SM: unless it’s urgent or regarding a time sensitive job, don’t look at them. Check emails once in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Don’t check my notifications until I’ve finished breakfast/am on the train. I’ve heard these habits work, so I’m going to do them.
- DIARY HANDLING: 1) Before I accept a job, I need to be aware of the amount of work I have on that week. Do I really need the job? Do I really need to say yes? 2) I need to be strong and block out 2hrs of ‘my work’ time at least 4 times a week. It will become precious and so I know I will treat it with a ‘before the storm comes’ approach. If a job comes in that is too good to say no to and it affects my ‘my work’ time, then take it, BUT put it elsewhere in the week. This is feasible. There are 7 days in the week.
- TOMATO TIME: So, Natalie suggested something called the Pomodoro method or Tomato Time as I now like to call it. It’s bloody brilliant, makes total sense. I started tonight. You basically set your timer for 25mins, work intensely, and then when the music goes off, you take 5mins away from your laptop/notebook and do something COMPLETELY different. Hence, Bonnie Tyler and her eclipsing heart. Something physical is good, gets the blood flowing. However, recently I’m struggling with my foot, so I’m less inclined to be as ‘jump with wild abandonment’ as usual. Bonnie will do. For now.
- INVOICING/FINANCES: I recently read a tweet from a friend (who I think is pragmatic and full of good ideas) that said he was dedicating 1 day a month to his finances. This makes sense. If I plan a set day to update all my finances, then it would free up so much more head space. I’m fairly good with it all now, but I could be better, otherwise come end of tax year I’m going to be swimming in receipts and spreadsheets. Again, this needs to go in the diary.
- DAILY BOOM GOALS: know the 3 things I must get done that day and do them. Boom!
- “I COULD..” LIST: I hadn’t thought of structuring this until I’d read Miss Organisational Queens’ blog for Day 5 (thank you Helen!). She described her Trello use to manage things. Now, I can park all my “I could” projects and ideas all in one place instead of on scraps of paper, on my phone, and in my notebooks. (STOP. I have to take a break, the timer has just gone off. I don’t need words for this one!)
- PLEASURE FACTOR: these are the things that make me feel good and so keep my mental health, err, healthy. Skype a faraway family member/friend once a week, aim for 8hrs sleep, sing/listen to music everyday, read aloud, improv/play, make food.
So, there you have it, a bunch of healthy daily habits that will help me achieve my freedom lifestyle!
Right, well, I’m halfway through this blog challenge, so this cheeky number would be appropriate to end this session. Gotta love 80’s cheese. Thanks Jon B.
Previous posts in this challenge:
Day 1: What’s holding me back?
Day 4: What are my Superpowers?
