Have you ever had a day that started off on the wrong foot and it went downhill from there. As you woke up, it was cold and dark, and you were tired from not getting enough sleep.
You check your phone, only to see a string of stressful headlines and a number of emails already piling up.
You spent the day reacting to urgent requests and never quite get to the one thing you wanted to get done.
And then perhaps you said to yourself that you will work some more that night. But by then your energy levels were low and you wasted the evening on social media or TV only to get to bed late again.
These kinds of days happen to all of us. They are discouraging, frustrating and draining. And even if you have very few days where things really go off the rails, even those days where we are 25% below our best performance, are still frustrating and disappointing.
But what if there was a way to turn those off-to-a-bad-start days to your advantage? What if you could pivot on some of those challenges and leverage them to quickly turn the day around? Better yet, what if you created a system that largely eliminated them altogether?
Causes and Effects
If I were to ask you what sets you up to have your most productive, focused and resilient days, I’m guessing most of you have a good sense of it.
There would be a number of factors. Things like getting a good sleep, taking time to plan the day, having blocks of time dedicated to your priorities, having a positive or grateful mindset as you move into the day, having a sense of calm and feeling mentally prepared for unmet expectations and disruptions, and having a sense of connection to others.
The reality is that whether it is our worst days or our best days, there are usually a series of choices we have made along the way. And quite likely the night before. Often unconscious choices, but choices, nonetheless. Choices that either helped us get and stay on track, despite the challenges of the day, or choices that started a performance wobble that eventually led to sliding far off track as the day’s challenges mounted.
Better Days – By Design
To be at our best, whether we play professional sports, are a brain surgeon or are a busy CPA with demanding clients – we need to intentionally have and follow a protocol that sets us up to be our best. The reality is that bad days are less about your character or your circumstances. They are largely a design issue. While it might feel like the bad days are out of your control, they are often the outcome of a number of choices that are in fully in your control.
Which begs the question – “What’s the protocol that sets you up to be your best?” Which quickly begs the next question if you have a protocol – “How consistent are you in following it and refining it such that it keeps getting better?”
Good Choices are Great. Good Habits are Best.
Hopefully you can see how those best days and worst days are really the outcome of a series of choices. Some of which are small choices, nudging you into a downward or upward spiral. There is a contagion and momentum that our choices have, creating more choices in a similar direction.
This is an important insight and therein lies an opportunity!
First, any time you feel off track and can make the choice to get back on your protocol, you have quickly interrupted the pattern of the downward spiral. This is a powerful way to stay on track, wherein you use the signal of feeling off track as a trigger to double-down on what keeps you on track.
Second, wouldn’t it be better if you designed good habits into your day, ones that set you up for success, such that you really aren’t making ‘choices’ anymore? You are simply executing the habits and behaviours that you figured out allow you to perform at your best?!
This is what the highest performers in any domain do. They don’t feel like they are making intentional ‘good choices’ throughout the day. That would use up far too much of their mental and emotional energy. Energy they need to focus on their craft. Instead, they create the good habits that serve them and then they execute those good habits. Consistently. Full stop.
Here are a three key habits of high performers today:
Digital Sunset. Where you intentionally turn off all technology an hour or more before you go to bed and have a wind-down routine that sets you up for a great sleep.
Morning Routine. Rather than look at your phone first thing, create a routine that grounds you and brings clarity to what’s most important in your day.
Focus Blocks. Creating at least one block of undisturbed, focused time where you can completely immerse yourself in a task - usually the most important task for the day.
How About You?
What would life be like for you if you improved your daily protocol? What if you could be confident that good, or even ‘best’, days are the norm?
That is how we flourish and do our best work. This is how we experience joy at work and in life.
I invite you to join the Nature of Work 8-week cohort created for CPAs. These are the tools you need. This is the accountability you need. These are the habits you need to create better days and do your best work – despite the busy season, despite COVID, despite whatever other challenges arise.
Click here to register today. I look forward to seeing you in the pilot group.