Why the 'Perfect Day' is a Lie

I spent years in search of 'the perfect day'. The ritual & routine that would make me the most efficient, the most productive, the most balanced and happy and on top of everything. 

In my head, the 'perfect day' looked something like this: 

Now, this seems like a productive and balanced day. And I would feel pretty happy if I managed to create days like this even some of the time. 

But targeting this 'perfect day' doesn't take into account one indisputable truth. 

Life happens.   

• You get a terrible night's sleep and need to sleep in a little. 
• You realise that you're out of eggs/milk/bread and need to dash to the shop before brekky. 
• Your computer does an update and is out of action for half an hour.  
• A client is only available for an important meeting at 9am. 
• You get an important phone call at 3.30 that takes 45 minutes.  

I could go on with other examples for days . . . the point is that it is almost certain that the perfect day you had planned won't go exactly like you planned it.  

So why does it matter?   

When we expect our day to follow this perfect structure, and it inevitably doesn't, then we end up disappointed. We feel out of flow, like our entire plan has failed, like we're simply a passenger and the unpredictability of life is in charge. 

So we stop making a plan at all, or beat ourselves up for being so disorganised and for not getting enough stuff done. Then our productivity and focus suffers, and we resign ourselves to the belief that we will never get as much done as needs to be done, and that running a business requires 3-million hours a day and we will just have to hustle forever. 

Story of your life? Well I'm calling bullshit on that!

Yes, life is unpredictable and unexpected things will happen to throw us off course. 

Yes, it is unrealistic to think we can build a 'perfect day' plan and stick to it most of the time. 

BUT, that doesn't mean that there is nothing we can do to take back control of our day and create balance, productivity and flow.

It simply takes a planning ritual that involves the right measure of flexibility. With the right tools and a framework, you can supercharge your business and life productivity and make the most of your 24 hours.

Here's how YOU can ditch the 'perfect day' mentality and create a planning ritual that will supercharge your business productivity!

When I do my planning each week, I don't try to create a 'template' for every day that looks exactly the same. Know that you'll have different priorities on different days and between weeks, so you need to approach each week with a clean slate. 

Yes, there are some set routines that remain consistent most of the time. My personal training sessions and dance classes for example are at the same time on the same day 95% of the time - I only move them if I absolutely have to. Nicole Stone writes that identifying these "boundaries can ensure structure and productivity in your life".

These routine activities are therefore booked into my diary as recurring appointments so I can build everything else around them.  Think of it like an empty room with 3 pillars in the middle of it. I can put my furniture (tasks, meetings, activities) wherever I want in the room, as long as I work around these 3 fixed pillars. 

Next, I have my weekly team meeting and monthly client meetings which are generally held at the same time/day and follow a routine schedule - but I can move them around when I need to. I also book time in each week or month for the things that are important to me. My weekly planning routine, meditation, and reflection time as examples all have space booked in my diary, and I will shift these blocks around to wherever they fit best, but having them there makes sure they don't get missed, or put off indefinitely. 

With these foundations in place, each week I work out my ideal work day - and so can you! When you've got a free morning, book in focus 'get stuff done' time.  And when you've got lots of meetings, book in smaller quick win tasks around them. 

By treating each day individually, you can make best use of the opportunities presented by it.

Said Eleanor Roosevelt, "If life were predictable, it would cease to be life, and be without flavour."

Accept that because life is unpredictable, you need to embrace flexibility into your planning. As you approach each task with this mindset, you are able to adapt to the flow of the day and maximise your own flow in the process.  

• • • • Planning your focus time in periods when you're least likely to be interrupted. I'm quite partial to weekend working bee's, which is when I clear my emails ready for the week ahead, work on content creation or really high-focus tasks, and plan my week ahead.  During the week I may schedule focus time early or late in the day when others are less likely to call, email or message me. 
        
        BONUS TIP: I'm also a big fan of the 'do not disturb' feature on my phone/laptop. Turning off all distractions in my 'hour of power' times to enforce my planned focus time is game-changing. 
        
    •  
      • The second trick you can use is planning more time than you need.  Because we know we'll need most likely get distracted or interrupted while working on some tasks, schedule in additional time. So if you think it will take you an hour, plan for two. Simple but effective. 
        
        
      • Finally, use an online calendar (like Outlook, Google Calendar, your Mac's calendar or any of the thousands of calendar planning apps) where you block out time for what needs doing. I book in my travel time, my preparation time ahead of meetings or workshops, any time when I need to pick up the kids or go to an appointment. Everything gets scheduled and by the start of each week there is typically very little white space left.

When the unexpected happens and your plans change, you can play a simple little game of tetris within your calendar to shift all the blocks around and create a new plan. Easy!

3. Finally, put first things first 

The final approach you can use is around prioritisation. The list of stuff that needs doing is always far longer than what can possibly be achieved in each week.  If you try to book in everything, you'll set yourself up for failure and do everything poorly! So only book time for highest priority things that MUST be completed each week.   

• • • Carefully decide what must be done in the week ahead by questioning what impact each task will have if it is or is not done.
      
    • Look at the effort involved, and consider which items will have the highest impact for the lowest effort, and prioritise these things first.
      
    • Then move onto the things that are highest impact but require more effort.

Once I have all the things that need doing mapped out, I then make sure that the most important things get planned first. I might prefer to work on that fun project for my focus time block on Tuesday morning, but that client report is more important, so that get's booked in first. 

The art of effective prioritisation is an incredibly useful tool that will serve you well and help you deliver massive results in your business. 

The Verdict

Implementing these changes to my planning routine made a significant difference to my productivity. It meant I was focusing on the right things, at the right time, and could easily change gears when things came up that disrupted my plan.

And it that increase your business productivity too.

I'm now able to fit all of the important things into my week, stay focused on them, and avoid getting caught up in things that make a lot of noise but don't really move me forward.   

Some weeks I have a lot of learning time, others I have almost none. Some week's the house is a mess, others it's spotless.  Some week's I stay up late to work on important projects and other week's I get to bed early. And regardless of which way a week flows, I feel successful knowing that my focus is exactly where it needs to be. 

Find the tools and approaches that work for you to plan and focus on the things that really matter. It will supercharge your productivity and make you a far more effective business owner. 

Like shortcuts?  

Over the years a lot of people have asked me about the approach I use to plan my weeks and get so much done. So I created a simple 5-step framework that can help you increase your productivity, and give you back more time in your hands.

I've shared a few highlights with you in this blog, but if you would like a full copy of my framework, it's available for you to download for FREE here. 

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