First identify your priorities. Then treat every day equally by focusing and holding yourself accountable to those priorities 7 days a week.
Do pretty much the same thing every day with some modifications (i.e., work emergency, weekend schedule vs. weekday, the days you must pick up the kids from school vs. the days you don’t, family emergencies, etc.). But what about weekends, holidays and vacations?
Every Day? Really?
How can every day be treated the same? It would be ludicrous to put forth the same effort seven days a week – everyone needs a break to recharge, besides I’m not suggesting for you to be a workaholic 7 days a week → just focus on your priorities first every day.
What if you don’t want to do anything on Sundays but relax and watch TV? It’s simple – just plan and put a bit more effort into your priorities throughout the week or on Saturday. Don’t just live your week by the seat of your pants – plan it out thoroughly. Be efficient with your time and utilize every minute so then you can feel totally free to goof off and relax; have fun.
Wake up thinking about your priorities first. That means to focus on the tasks and obligations associated with your finances, career, health and relationships at the start of each day (if possible), throughout the day and when you go to bed each evening. I consider these to be the most important priorities to live a successful life. The objective is to get into a routine so focusing on your priorities becomes habitual (i.e., when you wake up, throughout the day and before you go to sleep). You want to program your mind so that your actions achieve your goals. Eventually your mind will be trained, and you will be functioning as if it were on auto-pilot.
I can hear the internal flack now: “That’s utterly ridiculous, there’s more to life than just thinking about your priorities.”, or “Does that mean I have to work all the time?” or “I can think about what I want to think about!” Or, “I am tired and hurting why should I continue to torture my body, may be tomorrow.”
These are all protests from your mind fighting for control. Your mind is used to having no control, sort of like a spoiled child. So of course, it is going to give you a hard time and try to throw you off. All I’m saying is for you to take control of your mind. Focus on your priorities which should include tasks associated with your goals and important obligations. The payoff will be that you’re productive and accomplish your goals.
Follow Your ‘To-Do’ List
A ‘to-do’ list should be prepared at the end of your work day or that evening before going to bed. Get in the habit of doing this religiously every evening. Have it with you wherever you go. Document your personal and professional tasks, obligations, errands, etc. As new things come up throughout the day -put them on your ‘to-do’ list.
Adhere to Your Routine
Treating every day equally also means adhering to an efficient routine every day, which promotes your priorities. That doesn’t mean all work and no play it just means being efficient with your time so you can do more with less resources and still have plenty of extra time for play (however you define play time). Following a routine is a huge success factor for training your mind to hold you accountable.
Exercise Every Day
When treating every day equally, exercise daily! I would consider everything below exercise:
- Go to the gym a few days a week
- Go for a hike another day
- Wash the car another day
- Walk around the block another day
- Clean your apartment another day, etc.
By treating everyday equally, you begin to maintain good health habits.
