There has been a lot written here, here, and here about the value of having a daily ritual. The benefits of daily rituals range from increased productivity, stress-relief, higher energy, career, family life and more.
I’ve had a decent morning routine for a while now that has included meditation, morning pages, affirmations and more. I recently finished reading the excellent Power of Full Engagement by Loehr which has opened my eyes to a critical insight I had totally missed up until now.
Energy is our most precious resource
According to Loehr, energy is our most precious resource because everything stems from having enough positive energy to get things done. It makes sense. The book talks a lot about how athletes strategically use recovery to gain energy and rituals to stay focused during stressful times of performance. For us non-professional athletes, these principals apply, perhaps even more because unlike sports, corporate drones don’t get months of recovery during an off-season.
After reading the book and dutifully doing all the exercises (what’s do you value, what are your strengths, who do you admire and why), I revisited my own daily rituals which now include a morning and evening component along with a handy Google Doc to help me track my progress.
My Morning Ritual (20 minutes)
- Get out of bed and eat a handful of peanuts or a banana
- Meditate for 10 minutes (I’m currently addicted to this app)
- Read my vision, values & affirmations
- Morning Pages (Include what I am grateful for)
- Daily Stoic daily exercise
- Note: No email until I finish!
My Evening ritual
- Before bed, do the following…
- Daily Stoic evening reflection
- Be grateful for 1 minute
- Enter data in ritual tracker
Do you have a daily ritual you use? How has it evolved over time?