During our recent CEO Peer Group meetings here in DFW, I asked my group members to think about their “Perfect Day.” Our Renaissance Executive Forum peer group members lead busy lives and most struggle to find time to get away and enjoy life. The Perfect Day exercise was my attempt at finding ways to create more energy in our lives.
Being the primary decision maker for our company, we often feel the burden to always be there for our team. Getting away for a few days often feels like it’s not worth it when we consider the massive workload we face upon return, so most never completely unplug enough to really relax and be refreshed.
I handed out this simple page and ask each member to fill out what they think would be their perfect day. I suggested they design the perfect day here in DFW so it did not require some grand scheme to pull off.
I helped the thought process with a few topics like “what time would you get up, what would you eat, or what music would you listen to.” We then shared parts of our perfect day to the group, and none of the things seemed unrealistic and most were things we all felt would make a great day.
Things like sleeping-in, visiting with friends and family, not checking email, working out, or having a bourbon and cigar as the sun goes down. The best things in life are often simple things that we forget about when we let the demands of life allow us to feel trapped.
Apply Perfect Day Parts Each Day
I then challenged them to find a way to have parts of this perfect day each day, instead of having all of it in one day.
For example, if part of your perfect day was to read a good book, schedule time twice a week to read a book. If it included dinner with someone you love, schedule that and make reservations. If it was to sleep in, add that to your schedule too. This is not complicated.
Some of my best days are when I make time to have coffee and read my Bible in the morning with no time constraints. This is simple and free, and I can add this into my life at least a few times a week.
The point is that we can take pieces of what we love about life, and make sure to add that into our lives so each day has things we really enjoy.
Satisfaction Creates Energy
Doing things we love increases our satisfaction in life, and satisfaction creates energy, and energy helps us get it all done so we can do the other things we love. You can do this too.
- Write out your perfect day.
- Think of the things that refresh your soul and bring energy back to your life.
- Also consider things you would NOT do and factor that into the day.
- Write out as much detail as you can.
- Find ways to schedule pieces of the perfect day into each day.
Your vision of a perfect day will be different than other peoples, and that makes sense because it’s YOUR vision of a perfect day. I suggest you share this information with others in your life so they understand more about you, and can help you keep these as part of an ongoing lifestyle.
Contact me if you want a copy of this sheet to use with your team. Share below some aspects of your perfect day to inspire others. If you are having trouble doing this, contact me and I’ll help you find ways to make it happen.
Robert Hunt
REF Dallas