Bad Day? Have A Knockout Day Tomorrow
We’ve heard it all before, “Consistency is key,” but how come so many of us have such a hard time generating the feelings we want as we lay our head to the pillow? How do you have a “good” day consistently? How do you eliminate “bad” days from your life? How do you have knockout days - day after day?
How to Have a KNOCKOUT Day
Step one, what’s your typical day look like right now?
Imagine you wake up in the morning and there’s someone there taking notes on you. They watch you interact with others, they jot down how you participate at work, and they write down how you spend your time. Are you comfortable with what they are taking notes on?
Amazing lives are created one day at a time. Today + Today + Today… = Your life. It all comes down to, “What can I do today to create the life of my dreams?” We don’t need to ruminate over yesterday, that causes despondency. We don’t need to worry about tomorrow, that causes anxiety. If we have one foot in the future and one foot in the past, we’re not doing the best we can right now.
Step two, what does your ideal day look like?
Turn off the tv, turn off your phone, turn off your computer (after you write down these action steps), and put some thought into your ideal day. If you could wave a magic wand and have the day of days, what would that perfect day look like?
Step three, goal setting to the now - make progress TODAY.
Bring into account what you’re aiming for. Aristotle said that humans are teleological being. Telos means target. We need something to aim for.
A great way to think about the bullseye you’re looking to hit is to use what Gary Keller (who wrote The ONE Thing - get it here) calls “Goal Setting To The Now.” Ask yourself:
What’s your someday goal?
What’s my 5 year goal (related to that someday goal)?
What’s my 1 year goal (related to that someday goal)?
What’s my 1 month goal (related to that someday goal)?
What’s my 1 week goal (related to that someday goal)?
What’s today’s goal (related to that someday goal)?
Make progress on your ONE THING. By doing this, there is no doubt that you will feel better about your day. It doesn’t have to be anything major. Maybe it’s a phone call. Maybe it’s an email. Maybe it’s making a short video.
Step four, what’s ONE thing you can do each day to improve your energy and focus in each of these categories?
Incorporate what I call, THE PROCESS: Eat, Move, Mindfulness, Mindset, Sleep.
This is your source of energy. This is where you get the motivation, inspiration, and drive to have a KNOCKOUT day, day after day.
Did you know:
Eat: Eating processed foods increases your risk of depression (here’s the study)?
Move: Exercising boosts your mood for 12 hours?
Mindfulness: Having a mindfulness practice leads to an increase in overall happiness and fulfillment?
Mindset: Structured journaling in the morning helps focus you for the day.
Sleep: Only 2% of the population can function optimally on less than 8 hours of sleep. Think your lucky? If not, check out these sleep tips.
I’m not asking you to change EVERYTHING, but I believe you know what’s good and what’s bad for you. So…
Step five, what’s one thing you can stop doing that will lead to you having a better day?
Simple - what do you need to stop doing to have a better day?
We might not necessarily know what we need to start doing, but I GUARANTEE you can think of something you want to stop doing.
Step 6, set up your AM routine to help focus and energize you for the day and set up your PM routine so you can shut down effectively, allowing you to recharge properly for the next day.
We have very little control over what happens during the day, but we have an immense amount of control over how we wake up and how we shut down. Having a solid AM routine with structured journaling, scheduling, meditating, and exercise can set us up for a focused and productive day. Having a solid PM routine no the other hand helps us shutdown and get to bed on time, to get the rest we need, to ultimately dominate our morning routine.
Step seven, understand the consequences of straying from your KNOCKOUT day.
It’s either a surefire yes, or a firm no. Everything is at what cost. If you’re meeting with another potential client at 7pm last minute, then you’re probably not going to have the time you need to relax with your significant other. When you decide what’s important to you, you’re going to have to say no to a TON of stuff, and that’s okay. At the end of the day, you’re in charge of your own life and if you chase two rabbits, you’ll catch none.
Step eight, ask yourself: What went well? What did I learn? How is tomorrow going to go better?
Last but not least. Do a debrief at the end of the day with an experimenter’s mentality. Everything that happened from the day is now just information. What did I learn and how can I get better tomorrow?
Get curious not furious.
Get fascinated not frustrated.
No pride, no ego. Just learning and getting better.
How to Have a KNOCKOUT Day
Step one, what’s your typical day look like right now?
Step two, what does your ideal day look like?
Step three, goal setting to the now - make progress TODAY.
Step four, what’s ONE thing you can do each day to improve your energy and focus in each of these categories?
Step five, what’s one thing you can stop doing that will lead to you having a better day?
Step 6, set up your AM routine to help focus and energize you for the day and set up your PM routine so you can shut down effectively, allowing you to recharge properly for the next day.
Step seven, understand the consequences of straying from your KNOCKOUT day.
Ask yourself: What went well? What did I learn? How is tomorrow going to go better?
So, there it is. Is this the only way to do it? Of course not, but this is what I’ve seen work consistently with the clients I work with and the successful people I study.
If you’d like to engage in a deep coaching conversation about how to have a knockout day and iron out the details, please set up a call with me below.
