We often struggle to get what needs to be done finished. Important projects or hobbies do not get the time of day. Often we may not call our friends or parents frequently, losing touch with them. Exercise, diet, relationships: in all areas we may find that we are slowly but surely not doing what needs to be done fully.
Ask yourself: in the areas of work, purpose, career, relationships, friends, family, health, and wealth, how do you rate your satisfaction from 0 to 10? Wherever you have a low score, notice how you have not been taking the small daily actions to progress in that space. Studying the daily habits of successful leaders reveals that long-term satisfaction relies entirely on structured routines rather than fleeting motivation.
What then is the solution? It’s not willpower or hoo-rah motivation. That cannot be sustained daily. It’s not criticizing oneself and feeling ashamed. That will only lower our motivation.
The answer is simple. Success and freedom come from simple rules. Rules, when implemented, make behaviors automatic, allowing you the space and the freedom to grow and progress. Here are some examples of rules you can make and the impact they are likely to have when you follow them up. In my corporate workshops, I help executives establish these exact frameworks to scale their focus and automate high-leverage behaviors.
Wake up early: Before 7, 6, or even before dawn. Make it a rule. Practice it. If you fail a day, go at it again. Repeat multiple times, “I am an early riser, I welcome the dawn.” This one action will give you 1 to 2 hours extra to read, meditate, spend time with your family, or exercise. Once you start waking early, you can make it a harder rule in the next phase by saying, “I wake up by 6:00 AM everyday.” This will reset your body to sleep earlier, rise earlier, and be more productive.
I run daily: You can replace the word run with the word “jog,” “swim,” “brisk walk,” “jump rope,” or any other physical activity you like. You may do it for 5 minutes or 50 minutes depending on your capacity, but as you do it, notice the energy, drive, and focus it generates. State clearly, “I am a healthy, fit person who loves to work out.”
I plan my next day: Everyday in the evening, spend 10 minutes looking at your next day's agenda, on what is important, on what you want to do, and what you need to prepare for. Do you need to send a project report, reply to an important email, or call someone who matters a lot? Write it down, put it in the diary. Repeat, “I am well planned and organized.”
I hug and kiss my spouse and kids: When you wake up, during the day, before you leave home, and before you sleep. Do it one day if you don’t already. If you do it, make it a rule to do it regularly. Notice the difference.
I go to the temple every Tuesday / I pray daily for a few minutes in the morning / I stay calm when faced with challenges / I do push-ups daily / I call my parents: you can make an endless set of simple rules.
Make one rule. Start practicing. Notice the difference. Then make more. As you do, you will see a dramatic improvement in the quality of your life and the impact you create on yourself and others.
Rules create freedom. To discover how to systematically design your life and career routines for exponential growth, secure your copy of my book, 10X Productive Leader.