✖ 4 Alternative Daily Routines
1. Slow and groggy in the morning? Set your alarm clock 30 minutes later than when you need to get up: You’ll be amazed how efficient you’ll become!
2. Do the second-most-important task first: According to John Perry’s The Art of Procrastination, procrastinators avoid doing the most important task due to fear of failure or judgement. The second-most-important task, however, doesn’t hold that pressure.
So instead of evading the most important task, just do the second-most-important one first – you’ll get a boost of accomplishment and tick off a big task.
3. Take a midday shower: One of my former flatmates would shower not in the mornings or evenings, but after lunch at work. He said going through a grooming routine at noontime made him feel refreshed, like the day was starting all over again.
4. Start a ‘Have Done’ list: Don’t just focus on what you still need to do, but also pay attention to what you have done. Having a ‘Have Done’ list – either alongside your ‘To Do’ list or in place of – can help you see where you’re spending your time and keep you present, instead of having your attention always on the future.
‘Instead of always looking at what else I had to do, I started reflecting on my achievements and celebrating the smallest wins,’ wrote Dr Pragya Agarwal, scientist and journalist, in The Guardian recently. ‘A tiny change, but it has already been monumental in helping me to evaluate how I perceive success in life.’
