About a month ago I read Louder Than Words by Todd Henry, which discusses ways to find your authentic voice. There are many points that really stuck with me, with one in particular being the concept of “dailies.” I wanted to share this as it is something I have found to be very useful in my own life.
“The dailies” is a group of activities done everyday that is set to keep you on track. Many of us have plenty of things we intend to do but excuses are easy to come by and we end up putting them off. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and before you know it there is a chasm of time between you and where you thought or hoped you would be.
You must ask yourself what will benefit you in the long run, things that you put off otherwise. Not all is directly related to your work. What will exercise your mind, what will keep your body healthy, what calms you, relaxes you. What can you do or like to do that will benefit you as a whole and ultimately enrich your life and your work? It is about progress, and by having a set of daily goals you achieve that progress. One day at a time.
“It’s not what you know that matters, it’s what you do.”
You can split your daily set of activities into two categories: personal dailies and business dailies. Personal dailies may include such things as reading, meditation, writing, and exercise. Business dailies are activities related to your career or the pursuit of professional goals.
Related to the dailies is the morning ritual and the importance of setting up your day in a way that will serve you. Todd Henry discusses this in a podcast that I recommend. He provides examples of his own morning ritual, which includes getting up at the same time everyday as well as four core components: read, space (15 min to clear your mind), write (10min freewrite), reflect (on upcoming day – schedule, calendar, etc). Everyone’s morning ritual will be different and it is important to customize one that will benefit you. Just always remember to “give yourself a break.” Some days things won’t go according to plan, maybe some days you need to allocate your time elsewhere.
“Your systems exist to serve you, not the other way around.”
If these ideas and concepts speak to you I definitely recommend reading Louder Than Words. You can find my review here.
Additional resources:
- Todd Henry’s podcast in wich he discusses the dailies.
- A dailies worksheet.
~Ida
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