There are seven notes and endless ways to play them. There are 24 hours in the day and several ways you can live them. There are varying rhythms making up the pace of life. In the recent months our daily rhythm has been disrupted and we were forced to reconsider a new routine. This was and still is my biggest challenge since we came back to Europe – rebuilding a daily and weekly routine that works for work and for what’s left after that. As disruptive as it is, the blessing is that it is also a time to shape your days rather than follow the mainstream ways of going about life.

As i thought about building a routine that works, three posts appeared on my Facebook feed reminding me three lessons on the topic:

Get down to the detail – The routine behind 21 half marathons in 21 days

My friend and ex-colleague Mark Avery ran 21 half marathons in 21 days. Now that is impressive in itself. Yet the mindset and the routine behind it is even more so. He shared his routine on his Facebook page after those intense 21 days. His routine went into the details of what he did before, during, and after the runs, till the evening, before running another ‘half’ the day after. I followed Mark every day of those 21. I was impressed to see that he kept living a pretty normal life during the three-week-long challenge. He used his midday break to interview runners like him as he raised awareness on mental health. He still clocked in for work. He drank the right things and ate appropriately for the right energy levels the day after. Last but not least he planned his rest and recovery routine in the evening. 

Some of my weeks lately do feel like a marathon everyday. For this reason my focus is on planning a winning routine and make sure that what matters gets done. 

Expect the unexpected – The routine for the creative entrepreneur during Covid-19

Probably, #whileyouweresleeping, Peter Grech was on his bike. Frequently pictures of sunrise pop up on my feed. It’s Peter reminding me to make my mornings count. I spoke to him about how the pandemic disrupted his routine and how he now shapes his days as a father of three and the CEO of BRNDWGN.

He shared with me how some things have not changed even with the unexpected Covid19 reality. He still wakes up early and makes time for training. He manages to have breakfast with the family before hitting his desk by 8.45. As BRNDWGN went remote his work routine now includes regular company check-ins through Zoom on Monday and Wednesday, followed by huddles with his management team. At noon he stops for lunch with his wife and youngest son. He works till 6.30 to walk the dog just before dinner at seven. Friday evening is family Pizza and Cinema night whilst Saturday and Sunday are for outdoor hikes, swims and rides. 

I am totally sold on making mornings count and need no convincing on not skipping breakfast. Even for me this part of the day is a fixed routine. However, next time I skip lunch or dinner, I will remind myself that at least one CEO makes time for these daily and manages to do that with his family. 

First things first – The routine for seeking meaning in life

A routine is a winning routine not only if it helps to get things done by making the most of time, but also if it helps you make time for what is meaningful. Another friend who made it to my Facebook feed was Clive Seychell, a seminarian who during the Covid days had fronted Għallimna Nitolbu, a Facebook page providing resources on prayer. Now you might not be the prayer type but surely you yearn for meaning in life and would benefit with quality time to sort your thoughts out before rushing out to live life. I spoke to Clive on his prayer routine. He shared how he slots his prayer time in the morning, and works backwards from the first appointment of the day to make sure that prayer is the first thing he does. He has a specific place where he spends this solitary first part of the day. The rest of the day follows after that. 

As basic as Clive’s prioritisation hack seems to be, as hard it is to live up to it if you do not take yourself and your lack of time seriously. This is not even a question of starting the harder things first so as not to procrastinate in getting them done. It is a question of doing what matters first. 

As I compose my new daily rhythm on this side of the world, the above examples set clear aims – taking time to plan your day in great detail as if it were a time balance sheet, your goal being to maximize its full potential; expect that your plan will be disrupted, sometimes by things you welcome, other times by the unexpected you’d rather had not happened; and, finally, first things first. 

_{Photo of one sunrise in Malta taken by Peter Grech}