Ten Little Things

I listened to a podcast today from Skip La Cour talking about managing one’s minimum standards. The things he mentioned were, for instance, setting a certain time to be up every day, planning one’s meals the night before and following through at the times you planned rather than winging it, and other things that you must do every single day — or at least five days a week — to be successful at whatever it is you want to do.

I thought to myself: “What are my ten minimum standards?” I realized I currently don’t really have any. So I probably ought to set them. But unlike a traditional New Year’s resolution, these won’t be goals… these will just be things I expect myself to do every day. Or every day but the weekend, perhaps.

1. Wake up between 5:30 and 6:00 AM.
2. Eat breakfast at 6:00 AM
3. Plan six meals a day the night before.
4. Write up at least one blog entry.
5. Go to the gym, or if I don’t go to the gym due to inclement weather, perform body-weight exercises at home.
6. Get to work before 7:30 AM
7. Spend time talking individually with each child and my wife.
8. Straighten up the front room and kitchen before bed.
9. Review whether I met these minimum standards every night before bed.
10. Get to bed before 11:00 PM.

Yes, I do better on 6-7 hours of sleep per night than 8+. I have a lot more energy and don’t have trouble falling asleep if I limit my hours in the bed a bit.

What are your minimum standards?