Steal My “Dailys” Strategy to Create More Traction Over Time
You may not know this about me, but…
… I’m a little bit of a personal development junkie.
I got on the personal development train when I was 17 and started my first network marketing business. I loved this idea that we can continue to grow and work towards being the best version of ourselves every single day. I also learned it’s a daily practice you have to develop.
Needless to say, after all these years, I’ve continued with the practice and am into maximizing my health, my mindset, and my business in a way that allows me to reach my potential in all areas. Let’s just say I love making things better and love helping other people do the same.
So, if I had to pinpoint one practice that’s helped me uplevel consistently, in all areas in the past 10 years, it would be my “Dailys” (I know, I know, it’s spelled incorrectly - I’ve just spelled it that way this whole time).
See, when you become a parent, everyone tells you, “The days are long, but the years are short.”
I’ve also heard it said, when it comes to goal-getting, “We overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can accomplish in a year.”
I think what we can take away from that is we often forget to think of our days in the context of our years, and vice versa.
Did you know that who you are each DAY determines who you’ll become in a year?
That may seem like “uh duh, Linds,” but guess what. That means today..like right now..
And if there’s one thing that I need to be reminded of on most “todays,” it’s affirming myself with the positive things and less about finding the negative.
One of the ways I put all of this into practice is through my super simple process I so artfully started calling “Dailys,” since it happens, ya know… DAILY.
I’d love to share the process with you! This could be a practice that has the potential for MASSIVE IMPACT on who you believe yourself to be and the actions you take because of it.
What are “Dailys”?
My Dailys consist of 3 things. I try to do them in the morning before anything else, and I do most days.
We’ll talk about why I said “most” and not “all” in just a minute, but let’s review the 3 core actions.
“I AM” Statements
I begin by writing out 20 affirmations about who I want to be. 20 may sound like a lot, but I don’t try to make it perfect. I tend to think through these categories: spiritual, mental, physical, personal, professional.
Thinking through these domains means that I hit all areas of life. I sometimes write down who I want to be on that day, or even who I want to be eventually in those areas. This allows me to feel into the reality that I can be those things in the here and now. It also keeps me focused not just on the tasks I have for the day, but really who I want to be within those tasks. This is huge in stepping into not just getting more done, but feeling better along the way, no matter what you get done.
And, I don’t know about you, but I really want to be proud of my days, don’t you?
As I think through who I want to be, I simply write them out in “I am” statements. “I am focused.” “I am resilient.” “I am serving my clients beyond their expectation”
The present tense is ESSENTIAL. Then I move onto the next part of the Dailys.
Prayer Journal
Next, I dive into my prayer journal. Whether you’re religious or not, this piece of the process is what I see as simply dumping everything out from the day before, airing any anxieties, and setting intentions for the day ahead. This step ensures that I don’t have the swirly-twirly brain that happens when you have things rolling around in your head that you haven’t externally processed. Spirals will derail your progress, and prayer journaling allows you to “stop the spiral” before it starts by getting it all out. Writing out my worries, my fears, my hopes and dreams and handing them over to God helps remind me of what I am and am not in control of. It’s a powerful way to start the day.
Reading
like to start my day by reading because it gets my content creation and thought leadership wheels turning, which is a huge part of my job. Reading is also a huge value of mine, so adding it into my Dailys makes certain that I make time for it before things get crazy.
So, that’s the Dailys process! Pretty simple, right?
This sets my day up on a positive note, but also helps me prioritize “harmony” rather than “balance.” By addressing all areas of my life in my affirmations, I’m giving attention to all areas, but there may be one area that’s more of my focus right now. I think understanding this truth is key for any leader who prioritizes growth. If we try for balance, we’ll literally never win. But, we can put our eyes on all areas of our life daily to ensure that what we’re prioritizing is on purpose.
With all this said, even though this practice has been integral in my growth, I think it’s important to tell you this: I’m a mom and a business owner and a wife and a daughter and a friend and, and, and…
It’s just not realistic to do this EVERY DAY WITHOUT FAIL. and I don’t beat myself up for that. In fact, that would derail all of the work I’ve done on my mindset and belief in myself, right? So let’s talk about what I do on my “off” days.
What to Do When Your Daily Practice Falls Through
We all have bad days. We have busy days. We have “off” days.
Confession: Mine are usually Mondays!
Our family DOES WEEKENDS. Lots of fun is had, but rest is fairly rare. So, on Mondays? I’m running a little slow. I tend to be tired. And I typically don’t tackle my Dailys. But, knowing that about myself, I still want a way to start off the week productive and purpose-filled.
What do I do? I orient myself toward task-accomplishment rather than entire-life improvement for a day.
I always turn to the Pomodoro Method! If you haven’t heard of it, Pomodoro is an easy time-management tool where you set a timer for 25 minutes at a time, with a 5 minute break in between.
I look to my task list and I start tackling…
25 minutes on.
5 minutes off.
And so on throughout my day.
This tactic keeps me focused and in “conquer” mode, but it also keeps me OUT OF the negative self talk that comes from having an imperfect day.
The real takeaway from this is not to use The Pomodoro Method (although, I highly recommend it!).
No, what I really want you to see here is that it’s awesome to have daily routines, but you’ve gotta infuse it with flexibility and grace. Seasons change. Stress comes. Getting down on yourself only sends you backwards. Comparison will stop you in your tracks. So just acknowledge where you are and do what you can to win the day YOUR WAY.
Because what do we know? CHAMPIONS ARE CONSISTENT. And consistent never means perfect.
Do you have your own version of Dailys? If not, I’d love for you to try mine and let me know how it goes after you get a few days under your belt!
