(5 minutes read)
Recently I experienced a very interesting developmental coaching session. During the session the person I coach, presented an individual development plan. The plan itself was really professional with a purpose, key focus areas and specific developmental actions. There was only one key problem. There was no progress, no development, almost nothing at all. The person I coached was a bit frustrated. During the session we discussed what was the experience so far, what has been done or not accomplished. I asked questions to understand. At the end of the session if was clear that the coachee has not implemented any developmental habits supporting execution. There was absolutely no DEVELOPMENTAL EDGE.
If you really want to realise your dreams and drive your personal development you need to support your plan with set of specific conscious or unconscious habits.
First, you need to understand how do you spend your day. You can use available technology or a notebook and a pencil. Put down all your activities, including sleep, work, passion, family time, exercise, friends, social media usage, tv time, Netflix, phone chats. Literally everything. Do not adjust your daily routines. Do it for a week and at the end sit down and analyse it carefully. Check if there is any daily routine? Maybe you wake up every morning and with a cup of coffee in hand you then decide what to do?
The chart below represents my daily routine. I have developed it over time and it suits my needs and plans well. I sleep about 7-7.5 hrs and it gives me a good recovery. From 6am till 9am there are 3 hours of school rush, exercise, meditation, checking private emails and social media, morning coffee, breakfast and many other activities. Mornings are quite busy. It is important how you start the day. It will give you a good energy for the rest. From 9am till 6pm I am fully dedicated to my work, my passion. I love what I do and I do what I love. This makes a massive difference. My heart and brain are fully focused on my work during 9 hours. From 6pm I do have time for my family, friends and for myself. At 10pm I am in bed. It is my quiet time and I use it for reading books, reflecting on the day, thinking about the next day.
Once you know how you spend your day and before implementing some changes you need to clean up a bit. Get rid of all not necessary activities or time thieves. Stop spending time on them, stop wasting your time. You can do it in many ways. For example you could limit social media use to 15 mins during the day only. Reduce tv, movie streaming or video games time. I am not saying eliminate it in total. No, be a cautious consumer and limit it to e.g. 30 mins daily only.
Get rid of negative or toxic relationships. There are some people which give you megawatts of positive energy. I called them “human power banks”. There are some people who drain your energy and after a chat you need to recover for couple of hours. It is all about gaining energy and not losing it.
After you clean up your daily routine there will be plenty of free and available slots. Now you can chose how and with what to fullfil your day. There are three groups of different activities: DEVELOPMENTAL HABITS, INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION and WELLBEING. There are plenty of developmental habits you should do every day which will take you in small steps closer and closer to your DREAM.
DEVELOPMENTAL HABITS
Allocate 30 mins every day only for your personal development. During this time you can reflect, build knowledge or invest in your network. There are many options.
Read 10 pages of a book every evening. It is not a massive time investment, however this small change will help you to read one book a month. 12 books a year!
Multitask! Combine activities which can be combined. When you walk or excessive you could listen to podcasts or audiobooks. When you wait you can check news or private emails.
Reflect at the end of a day on what has been achieved or not. Do not be afraid of implementing some changes in the future. You own your daily routine. Improve it over and over.
Reward yourself with something nice (for me a piece of chocolate works!) if during the day you accomplished something which was important for your development. Maybe you had a great mentoring session or you connected with an inspiration leader.
INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION
Your brain requires exercise as well. Start reading a blog or start online course. Look for knowledge and inspirations.
Read an article/book or listen to a podcast which is outside your comfort zone. If you are a mathematician, read a history book. If you a humanist, listen to a podcast on Artificial Intelligence or the Space Wars. Exploring the world outside your comfort zone will provide you with necessary intellectual stimulation.
If you like meeting people and talk, have a coffee with inspirational people who are passionate leaders. Their minds will inspire you and they will ignite your intellect.
Start playing chess… yes, I am not joking. Join an online chess community and learn who to play in one of the oldest games in human history.
WELLBEING
Managing your energy level is one of the most areas. You will not be able execute your daily routines if you are tired or low on energy.
Start breathing exercise. There are plenty of useful tutorials on YouTube.
When you are tired, do not grab another double espresso. Just take a 15 mins nap. It is so refreshing and will recharge your energy. Do not forget to set an alarm!
During your private time do some stretching. Work on your flexibility. You can combine it with exercises as well.
Do not forget to meditate. Disconnect with everything and focus on yourself only.
And finally, be a positive person. Smile all the time. It will be recognised by other people. You will be sharing positive energy and vibes.
Now it is your turn. Are you ready for a change? Review your current daily routine, shape it up and implement new developmental habits. The little activities which, consciously or unconsciously, you do each and every single day that lead you to realise your dreams.
Drawing by boradoodles.pl
Every Day Development 
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