Did you know Winston Churchill spent the first three hours of his day working in bed? Maya Angelou rents a hotel room to write in (but never sleeps there)? Charles Darwin took a daily walk at 7 a.m.? And every morning, Benjamin Franklin asked himself, “What good shall I do today?” and every evening, inquired “What good have I done today?”
Ever since our parents desperately wanted us to sleep through the night as a baby, we’ve had routines. A way to start the day, get work done, fit in family time. Not surprisingly, routines can make a big difference to how productive and happy we are.
So what’s your routine? Exercise in the morning or after work? Early riser or night owl? TV on or off? It has to be what works for you, but we discovered a few musts:
- A good breakfast (some things never change)
- An alarm clock not just to get up, but to remind you when it’s bedtime, too
- Do a nightly wind-down-disengage
- Keep your wakeup time the same on the weekends (darn)
- Track your habits so you know where you need to improve (ah, the data)
Helping build brands is one of the best parts of my daily schedule. And that work is anything but routine.
Jamie Michelson, President