It’s back-to-school time in my household, and with this time of year comes more structure.
I love getting everyone back into their routines, and every year, I think about ways to improve how we operate and help everyone become even more independent.
I’m big on making operations smooth.
The smoother the operations, the more time and energy we’ll have to put toward things that matter to us most. We love cooking meals from scratch, entertaining, hosting parties, and doing health and wellness activities.
This applies to business as well. The smoother the operations, the more time and energy leaders have to spend on strategy, relationship-building, and other initiatives that move the company forward.
In this article, I’m going to focus on the household because I believe that’s where it all starts – the place where you build your foundation of healthy habits that help you maximize your impact as a leader.
This year, I sat down with each of my kids – well, the three youngest, who are 16, 15, and 12- and helped them develop their own customized system for running their day-to-day. My 19-year-old could run the household blindfolded…autonomy by 18 – check!
Each of our systems is different, but I’ll give you the general framework that we all follow:
- Priorities
Get crystal clear on your priorities. When you have clarity around that, it’s easier to make the right choices in the moment.
- The Big 4
Sleep – Super important. Pick a time for lights out and aim to get 8 hours of sleep.
Hydration – Kick off your hydration first thing in the morning, and drink water throughout the day.
Nutrition – Food is fuel, not just a way to satisfy hunger. Fuel your body with high-nutrient foods (protein, healthy fats and carbs every meal). Meal plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and have healthy snacks available.
Exercise – Get in some form of movement every day.
- Morning Menu
Your morning sets the tone for your entire day. Allow plenty of time to have a healthy breakfast, organize your day, set your intentions, and review your to-dos.
- Evening Rituals
Wind down with a relaxing end to your day. Power down, read a book, have some tea, and do anything else that helps you relax.
- Organization
Clear the clutter. Make sure everything in your life serves a purpose. We have some keep/throw away/donate sessions in our house often to avoid too much clutter from accumulating.
The systems we develop today will need to be adjusted over time, so periodically, we review and update. As part of this, we talk about what’s working well, what isn’t, and what else needs to be added.
Remember, a little organization and proactivity go a long way. The more empowered everyone in your household is, the more freedom you’ll have as a leader to make a meaningful impact without the overwhelm and burnout.
So, on a scale of 1-10, how smoothly is your household running right now? And how smoothly would you say your business is running?
I empower my clients similarly to the same way I empower my kids, as described above. I’d love to help you design a customized approach that works for you. Let’s chat.