I believe that routines are the backbone to success — whether career-wise, for your
fitness goals, or in your relationships. Routines provide us with a template to reach our goals.
I use routines for everything — morning routines, exercise routines, writing routines,
evening routines, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly routines. These routines ensure I am
on the right path and taking steps in the right direction, whatever that direction is.
But I think we must also include routines for reflection — dedicated periods of time to plan and
reflect on what we’re doing and where we’re going. In my quest to learn more about these routines
for reflection, I found the book 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right
Things Done by Peter Bregman. Bregman outlines an 18 minute daily routine that will help us to find
clarity on where we are going, and to ensure that we remain on the right path throughout the day.
Here, I will outline this routine, how to do it, and why it’s important. This routine is
modifiable, so take the parts that are meaningful to you and make it your own.
“The world doesn’t reward perfection. It rewards productivity….
Be the good enough writer. That’ll keep you going. Because ultimately, the key to perfection isn’t
getting it right. It’s getting it often. If you do that, eventually, you’ll get it right.”
The routine Morning — 5 minutes
Taking 5 minutes in the morning to plan your day
is incredibly important. Bregman recommends sitting down with your to-do list and figuring
out what you can do that will make today highly successful. What progress can you make towards
your goals? Where can you schedule the things on your list? Plan what you are going to do today.
“Effectively navigating a day is the same as effectively navigating down a rocky precipice
on a mountain bike. We need to look ahead. Plan the route. And then follow through.”
For me, I follow a more Stoic practice — I visualize the day ahead and consider what
challenges I may face. I then decide how I will deal with those challenges.
I also write one thing I am grateful for, my intention for how I want to live this day,
and the one thing I need to do today to be able to say that this day was a success.
These 5 minutes in the morning can look like anything. The point is to take some time to
reflect on the day ahead and plan your direction. Each hour — 1 minute x 8
Set an alarm for each hour. When your alarm goes off, take one minute to reflect.
Take a deep breath Reflect on the productivity
of the last hour — did you do what you wanted to get done? How was your focus? How are you feeling?
Set an intention for what you are going to do for the next hour. Bregman says,
“Reconnect with the outcome you’re trying to achieve, not just the things you’re doing.”
“Manage your day hour by hour. Don’t let the hours manage you.”
Evening — 5 minutes Take 5 minutes at the end of your
work day to reflect on how the day went. Bregman suggests asking yourself the following questions:
How did the day go? What success did I experience?
What challenges did I endure? What did I learn today?
About myself? About others? What do I plan to do — differently or the same — tomorrow?
Whom did I interact with? Anyone I need to update? Thank? Ask a question of? Share feedback with?
Again, mine looks slightly different. I recount the top 3 wins of the day, what I am grateful for,
what I am looking forward to tomorrow, and my one thing for tomorrow. If I’m feeling
particularly motivated, I will run through the questions Seneca asked himself each evening:
What did I do badly? What did I do well?
How can I be better tomorrow and what tasks were left undone?
Figure out what will be most valuable to you in your evening reflection.
This will be highly personal and will depend on what your work day looks like and what your
goals are. Again, the point is to reflect and ensure you’re on the right path, as well as
setting you up for a productive day tomorrow. Taking time to plan and reflect on your days
is important. Turning this into a routine makes it more likely that you will do this reflection
regularly, and more likely that you’ll take steps in the right direction every single day.
A simple, 18 minute routine is all you need to achieve this. Take 5 minutes in the morning
to plan the day ahead, take one minute each hour to reflect on your progress and refocus,
and take 5 minutes in the evening to reflect on the day and what was achieved. This process is
simple and quick, but it has powerful results. “The moments add up to days, the days add up to
years, and the years add up to your life. Making sure that your days and moments are guided by what
you want to accomplish with your years means each moment will reflect the life you choose to live.
So you’ll know you’re getting the right things done. It all starts with your one thing.”