Unlock Your Perfect Day: Use this Simple 5-Minute Secret Routine

Big Picture: Touring Magic

We all dream of having a perfect day, right? Maybe even a perfect week. But let's be honest—how often do we actually plan for it? It's like being a tour guide without a map, driving around hoping the tourists will enjoy the tour. Recently, I realised I've been that tour guide, and I'd want to share what changed for me.

Why Should You Care?

How often do you jump into the day, just hoping it'll turn out okay? Maybe you vaguely imagine a "perfect day" somewhere in the future. When you're finally doing work you love, or when your boss finally resigns. As Jim Rohn said, "Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present." What if you could start designing perfect days today?

The Moment It Clicked

It was one of those mid-afternoons—traffic was low, and I was cruising at 80 km/h on the M4 Northern Freeway. The Huberman Lab podcast was playing, and he was interviewing his favourite author. Honestly, that lady wasn't grabbing my attention until she asked Andrew Huberman: "What does your perfect day look like?"

Andrew began reminiscing about living in a house next to the river, with a partner and children. That fascinated me because, here he was, living his purpose and interviewing his favourite author, and yet this wasn't his perfect day. How could that be?

Then it hit me. What would my perfect day look like? The rest of the drive was a blur. What if my perfect days were passing me by—perfect weeks even—while I was waiting for them? I resolved not to let another perfect day slip away. What does your perfect day look like? Isn't it passing you by?

Increasing Your Chances of a Perfect Day

What if you took a moment each morning to visualise your perfect day? When I started taking a few minutes each morning to be clear about what would make the day perfect—my days got a whole lot better. This is supported by research which shows that visualising your goals significantly increases your chances of achieving them (Taylor et al., 1998).

You might think visualising your perfect day is hard and takes a lot of time, but it doesn’t. I don’t use an elaborate ritual. Right after my morning prayer, I take five minutes to decide what would make today perfect. You could do it while brushing your teeth or sipping your morning coffee—whatever works for you.

How Does the Visualisation Work?

The process is simple: focus on a few critical things that need to happen for the day to feel perfect. My critical thing today was writing this article. Though my to-do list was long, the main goal was clear. The truth is, many unplanned things will happen, but if you accomplish your critical task, wouldn't achieving that one critical thing make for a perfect day? What needs to happen today for it to be perfect?

Bottom Line

You could tick off every item on your to-do list today, have amazing conversations, solve big problems, and still feel unsatisfied. Why? Because you never took the time to define what a perfect day looks like for you and evaluate what you did. What will you do tomorrow to increase your chances of having a perfect day? Your perfect day starts with you.