Welcome to the Week… 10 Tips to Personally Design Your Life

Good Morning & Welcome to the Week:

What would each week look like if you had the precision of an interior designer creating your perfect week? What would the look and feel be like?? What would the emotion you are looking to create be?? How would things be arranged??

Just like a well designed home, a great life is in need from time to time of some design help to ensure the optimal look and feel fits the needs. Like a home being architected and designed, there are important questions to ask.

Do you anticipate having kids; one, two, three?? What about a space to quietly work if someone works a hybrid role?? What type of kitchen do you want to create?? Do you want one that is integrated into the living space or one that creates a sense of privacy? Everyone has different needs and same goes as you think about the design of your weeks and in turn your life.

It's no secret that days filled with rushing and a sense of playing catch-up leave us feeling frazzled.?The way we design our days simply become the accumulation of a life. After all, days add up together = a life. Below are 10 tips I have gathered over the years that optimize the design of those days to ensure that we create our best possible versions.?

1) Early to Bed / Early to Rise… with no Social Media Ben Franklin might nod in agreement at this modern twist on his advice. Setting yourself up for success starts the night before. By disconnecting from social media and ensuring ample rest (ideally 8 hours - so you actually get 7 asleep), you prime yourself for a killer day.

2) AM Exercise for an All-day Endorphin Rush Establish a routine that gets you moving every morning. Like clockwork, every Wednesday I’m at the UT track by dawn, a practice I've cherished for 19 years and every other day has some familiarity to it. When I need to mix it up, I do so, however, consistency is the heartbeat of momentum.

3) AM Medical / Dental Appointments Securing the first slot at the doctor, dentist or other similar appointments minimizes wait times and disruption and is a simple hack that returns precious minutes to your day.

4) Kill the back-to-back; Embrace the Buffer If your calendar resembles a Tetris game on expert level, it's time to reassess. Introduce 15 to 30-minute buffers between meetings to refresh and reflect – your sanity will thank you.

5) Eliminate the Language of Limitation Words like "capacity" and "I can't" are often signs of defeat. Instead, try meditation or journaling to clear the mental clutter. And remember, authenticity trumps appearance on camera every time.If you are in a hybrid meeting and others have their cameras on, respect the others and do so to the best of your ability.

6) Remove Waste from Your Life Scour your day for time-drains and eliminate them ruthlessly. Whether it’s social media, poorly timed or organized errands, or non-essential tasks, streamline your life wherever possible. Did you know that the average American spends more than 2.5 hours per week contemplating, running errands for or stressing about mealtime… perhaps a little help from convenient services like um… Fitlife Foods can be a game changer.

7) Guard Your Prime Time Identify your peak productivity hours and protect them fiercely. For me, it’s the sacred 8 AM to 12 PM window. Am I perfect about it, no way, but I will usually try and fill up my later slots first.?

8) Make Office Days Count If you’re splitting time between home and office as most Americans are in some way, maximize your in-office days with an early start and a strong finish. Let your non-commute days offer a gentler start with that extra cup of coffee.

9) Design Mini 'Vacation' Moments Regularly schedule small escapes to recharge. A monthly massage transitioning into a fun dinner with friends can work wonders. A late afternoon bike ride and a family dinner outside is a chill escape. Look for the little moments. They are happening all around you.

10) Do Your Best to Have a Trip Planned off in the Distance Keep a beacon of excitement on your horizon. A future trip, even six months to a year out, can serve as a delightful reminder that good times await.

As Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn , once said, "No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team." This wisdom echoes in life design. Surround yourself with a supportive network, and remember that the most successful strategies often include delegation and collaboration.

By adhering to these ten rules, not only do we engineer our days for efficiency, but we also foster environments ripe for happiness. As you embark on this week, consider which rules resonate most with you and how they can be implemented into your life's blueprint.

Feed Your Journey,

David