“Integrity is the integration of ideals, convictions, standards, beliefs—and behavior.
When our behavior is congruent with our professed values, when ideals and practice match up,
we have integrity”. – Nathaniel Branden

How do you create your ideal day?

Knowing everyone has 24 hours in a day, why does it seem that some people can get more done than others? One important element is integrity–that is making sure your activities are in alignment with what matters most to you. But, it can be so easy to let circumstances or others’ needs take over your day. If we’re really being honest, sometimes we’re not even sure what we really want or what we want to get done.

Below is my favorite approach to creating my ideal day and calendar. It combines what I’ve learned from my coaching courses and certification, my studies in psychology over the last 25 years as well as tips from experts in happiness and organization such as Tal-Ben Sharar (Harvard Professor and author of Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment) and David Allen (author of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity).

I combine several modalities to create your ideal day because it’s more than time management. It’s really about energy management via getting clear on what you want, how to achieve it, and a way to flow through your day so it feels joyful AND productive. Below are the simple yet powerful steps to make it happen.

Track Your Current Day & Energy

1. Track how you currently spend your time. List each activity you do–sleep, grooming, errands, work, time with family, watching TV, etc.
   • Ideally, you could track 7 days in the week.
   • But, you could also track 1 weekday and 1 weekend day and then use that data to fill out your 7 day tracker.
2. Put this information into a table with the following listed across the top of it.
   • Activities, Hours, Values, Increase/Decrease/Same (+ – =)
     

     Activity Log (SAMPLE Chart)
     Activity	Time/Week	Values	+ – =
     Exercise	3 hours	Energy	+2
     Strategic Work	10 hours	Fulfillment	+5
     See Friends	7 hours	Connection	=
     Watching TV	8 hours	Fun	-2

2. Identify your top 5 – 6 values you’d like to honor in your life for the next 6 months to a year.
   • If you’re not sure which values to prioritize or you know things might change, you could shorten the time frame to 3 months.
   • In any case, a way to evaluate what is important to you is to ask yourself what would you need to honor to feel happier in your life.
   • If you need support in uncovering your values, review my latest webinar hosted by Northwestern University Creating a Life You Love or feel free to reach out to me for a complimentary 15 minute review.
3. Ask yourself if each activity you listed in your table is honored by a value.
   • If so, list the value or values you’re honoring with the activity listed.
   • If not, ask yourself why are you doing this activity if it’s not important to you.
4. For the activities that honor your values, decide if you’d like to keep the amount of time you spend on it per week the same, increase it, or decrease it.
5. Capture these times in your chart so that you can move forward to creating your ideal calendar below.

Create Your Ideal Day & Calendar

Now that you have this valuable information for creating your ideal day, take some time to capture the information in your actual calendar. Doing so will motivate you to follow-through on your findings. If you block out time in your calendar as if it’s an important appointment, you’re more likely to make it happen.

1. Take the data from your chart above and start blocking out time in your calendar for the week based on the times listed in your chart.
2. You can either block your calendar by activity or value. If you choose the latter, you can be a bit more spontaneous with how you honor that value.
3. Notice your energy throughout your day. Does it feel like you’re flowing through your day or are certain activities tough to do?

Review and Refine Your Calendar

Again, the key with experiencing your ideal day isn’t as much about time management as it is about energy management. Do you feel good throughout or by the end of your day? If not, you may need to refine your calendar blocks.

1. Consider your energy by asking yourself on a scale from 1 – 10 (1 being drained and 10 being energized), how do I feel at the end of the day?
2. Take a moment to review your calendar and see if you could switch the blocks around to keep your momentum going.
3. Be sure to check in with yourself weekly to determine if any changes in your circumstances require a shift in your calendar.

Additional Resources

Although the steps might be simple, it can take some time to really understand how you operate at your best and additional tools to support you in this process. Hope you find the resources below useful on your journey.

• It can still feel like we don’t have enough time, so check out my article about a simple way to “Buy Yourself Some Time.”
• Check out or subscribe to my YouTube Channel that includes short videos about productivity and how to avoid procrastination.
• Review articles and videos to optimize your calendar with my latest coaching tools on how to Be Your Best in Life.

For the month of April, I’m happy to provide a complimentary 30 minute session on how to create your ideal day. Please email me at Rosie@InnerBrillianceCoaching.com and put “Ideal Day” in the subject line.