Great leaders do as well. A lot of what they do on a day-to-day basis is habitual – just like their own set of standard operating procedures. Just like professional athletes that follow the exact same game-day approach to how they prepare themselves for competition.
If you talk to any of the world’s top leaders, they will tell you that they follow a very set routine to how they start each and every day. This regular and consistent approach is what allows them to deal with high levels of stress and pressure and to get their ‘heads’ into the day.
I follow the same routine as well. Each morning starts with a healthy and energizing combination of berries, leafy green vegetables, flax, antioxidant rich pomegranate juice and protein powder blended together. While I am drinking that, I will review the day’s meetings coming up, peruse online news for updates from around the world and a do quick check on overnight email. Then I am off to a swimming pool where I will do a 2K workout. While I am swimming, I am thinking about the day and how I want to approach certain things. After that, I am ready to give it my all for the day. It is all very methodical and calculated. Might sound boring to do that everyday however, when I do not, I am not the same and cannot handle the strains of what I do.
This past week, I asked some of my followers on social media what they do to start their day. I was pleasantly surprised to see that, while different, everyone that responded all followed a set routine to the start of their day. Here are some of them…
- Maria Samuelsson An early morning run
- Georgiana Teaca For me a hot mix plant tea and a big warm glass of water while reading my agenda for the day
- Karen Jamison Although I’m not religious, I am spiritual. Always being in biz dev, I listen to inspirational “sermons” by a southern religious leader, with many of the messages being about faith, integrity, etc.
- Mike Knapp Formal meditation. 15 minutes minimum
- Graham Young The thing I do without fail is first thing drink a warm cup of lemon water
- Steluta Bigu For me it’s yoga
You can see that they are all different. The key it is their personal ritual that works for them.
If you do not have a customary routine for how you start your day, you are missing a critical component to what great leaders never miss. Start immediately. Find your day-starter routine. Stick to it for three weeks to form a habit. You will be amazed by how much peace and performance it brings to your life.
Robert Murray is an Author, Global Speaker and Business Strategist. You can find Robert’s books on heart based leadership here. For further advice, ideas and inspiration on leadership, follow Robert on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.
