DAILY TEMPLATES OVER DAILY ROUTINES

This is a personalized post from the base camp of our founder, JD Arbuckle.

We all know what a daily routine is. It’s regimented, your tasks move in order, and no one I know can stick to them! So, what we’ve developed is something called “daily templates”. A daily template means breaking your day into chunks where you fit in specific types of activities.

The best way to explain this is through an example, so let’s use my own daily template. I usually wake up at 6 or 7. I’d rather get an extra hour and have a productive day, then force myself to get up early and be miserable all day long.

From 7 to 8 is my morning launch. A good morning for anyone includes grooming, a healthy breakfast, and maybe some exercise
or something spiritual. My commute is extremely short, but for those who have to drive for a half hour or so, try an educational podcast. It will get your brain running, and you’re learning new skills while some people are just yelling at traffic.

From 8-10, I’m in the office. This is the time for creative work, whatever might be on the plate that day.

From 10-12, I’ll conduct meetings or help clients. Project work.

From 12-1 is lunch, and it’s a great time for a few pages of your book and a few minutes of meditation.

From 1-3 is business development. Sales, more time consuming meetings, but stuff that needs
to get done.

From 3-5 is more client projects, administration, and setting goals for the next work day. It’s very important to set your goals for tomorrow. It will help you sleep better and catapult into productivity the second you start work.

From 6-7 is fitness. Because this is a template, not a routine, I might decide to run, lift, or work on my rugby skills.

From 7-8 is dinner and any other growth activities I might need to do.

From 8-11 is just for play, relaxing, and socializing. You need time for this in your day, but not too much time.

From 11 onward the phone is on airplane mode. It’s light reading and sleep from here on out.

CREATING YOUR TEMPLATE

The point of a daily template is to make sure you aren’t missing any big chunks of your life. Too often we will put off creative work, or personal growth, because other daily goals might come first.

With a template, you know you have a set time for these things. They don’t get left behind. And if you’re scheduling meetings, you have two time chunks where those can go. Don’t let someone else take your time away from you if you can help it. Stay on track.

As a recap, try and separate your day into chunks that hold a certain type of activity. Choose from a list of activities inside each of those chunks, so you always have something new and fresh to work on.

And if you must do something outside of it’s time frame, just move your chunks around to accommodate. It’s so much easier than trying to re-organize your big task list for the day.

If you’ve struggled with a daily routine, try a template. You may find yourself becoming more disciplined, and getting more done, than ever before.

If you want, we have some downloadable equipment for you: a daily template creator and spreadsheet you can use to create your perfect day. There’s a list of activity ideas and even more examples, so you can get the ball rolling. Download that above, right below the video. 

Good luck. Subscribe to the Conquer Channel for more intel, and remember to do good, be great, and conquer today.