Leaders: Do this to Transform Your day
My morning routine used to look like this: wake up, grab my phone and go through the daily onslaught of messages. I’d emerge an hour later, grab a quick matcha latte, pull on clean clothes and arrive at my desk to answer more messages before starting a day packed with meetings. Most days deep work like providing feedback on team initiatives and responding with my thoughts on company wide strategies didn’t happen until late afternoon if at all. My days ran on adrenaline, focused on serving the needs of others. I loved being of service. Still, one of my biggest frustrations was not having enough time or energy for critical deep work like providing thoughtful feedback, imagining how to meet the future needs of my area or allowing my mind to ponder over critical strategic initiatives.
When I interviewed leaders at scaling startups I found I wasn’t alone. Most look at their phone shortly after waking. Running on fumes was a familiar story for most. The demands of being a leader means we spend our days focused externally, leaving little space for our own thoughts and our needs at the bottom of our list.
Look at any executive’s schedule and you’ll find a maze of meetings and obligations. A jam-packed day full of meetings and responding to messages means running on adrenaline. That jolt you get going from one thing to the next might get you through the day but there’s a cost. It affects decision making and burnout can beckon. Most leaders don’t have enough space to allow the deeper insights to surface, the ones that help make tough choices or help slice through when both options seem fine and neither one is remarkably better than the other. A schedule like this means important things like performance reviews, timely feedback and the like can slip through even the most well meaning executive’s grasp.
Scheduling a day or two each week for deep work can help. Still, boundaries have a way of becoming permeable in scaling startups. Rapidly changing situations, business needs that have outgrown staff capacity, systems that need to be built and standing on the precipice between success and failure of a business all contribute. Given everything we have to juggle, and responsibilities to others, leaders often have some of the worst boundaries of all. Though historically I’m pretty good at boundaries, as a leader mine became more permeable than I’d like to admit. There are plenty of places to start to strengthen your boundaries and carve out time for yourself, the most important is the beginning of the day.
Why Your Morning Routine Isn’t helping
When I start working with a new leader they often mention a lack of time to do the kind of deep strategic thinking their role requires. I ask about what their morning looks like. “I look at my messages over a cup of coffee” is common. The rest of their morning routine typically includes caring for others — humans and the four legged kind before they head to the office. Most morning routines of leaders leave little time to nurture their own well-being or allow their mind to roam. Putting the needs of the company and others first means deep thinking happens late in the day, if it happens at all. Most leaders’ routines look remarkably similar to my own.
I came to realize my morning routine wasn’t working. After particularly exhausting day, I sat staring at a document that needed focused attention. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t focus. After reading the same paragraph three times, I decided to go to bed and look at it first thing. The next day I shifted my morning routine. I put down my phone and focused on myself for the first hour of the day. Then I gave feedback to my colleague on the strategic initiative. This shift made a massive difference. I felt calmer, more centered…I was even more effective. I decided to do it again the next day, and the next. The days I skipped it were more frantic, I felt less sure about my decisions and I noticed my emotions were more erratic.
There’s a difference between a routine and a ritual. Routines are more of an automatic response, a ritual is more intentional. What we get from a routine vs a ritual is different too. Shoving my phone in my hand first thing was a routine. It depleted me. Spending the first part of my day in quiet contemplation is a ritual. It replenishes me. You might have a morning routine but is it really working for you?
Trade your morning routine for a morning ritual
Photo by My Life Journal on Unsplash
Instead of a morning routine that’s externally focused, create a ritual that allows you to be mindful so you can connect with yourself. Having alone time is critical: it allows your brain to reboot, help you be introspective, find creative solutions and even be more productive. Scheduling it in first thing is essential for leaders. This will transform your day.
Your morning ritual may include a walk, journaling to clear your thoughts, reading something meaningful, sitting in meditation or anything else that gives you solitude. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as it’s meaningful to you. Whatever you do in your morning ritual — work out, sip coffee, morning pages — make sure it replenishes you. Block the time out on your calendar and never schedule a meeting during this time unless it’s a true emergency.
These days my morning ritual is critical. It’s the foundation and rocket fuel for my work. I’m not willing to give it up no matter what. This slice of time is so essential to my work and well being I’m willing to turn down clients who want early morning meetings. There’s no price I can put on carving out this time for myself.
I start every morning on the chaise lounge in my office. It’s the place that’s totally mine. My ritual lasts at least a half hour but often goes at hour or more. By the end I’m jotting down new ideas and have made several key decisions. Once I’m done with my morning ritual I drink my morning matcha to signal that I’m ready to engage with the outside world. Only then do I look at my phone. My morning ritual is the most important thing I do all day.
When you ditch a morning routine that’s focused on others you’ll transform your entire day.
Photo by Xan Griffin on Unsplash