Quickly Grow Your Creative Business with this 5-Minute Daily Routine.
Posted on June 02, 2022 by Linsi Brownson, One of Thousands of Entrepreneurship Coaches on Noomii.
To conquer your goals and start making more powerful decisions in your business, all you need to do is set aside 5 minutes at the end of your day.
“You improve what you practice, but you master what you measure” — Linsi Brownson
What worked today?
What didn’t work today?
What would I do differently?
These three simple questions have the power to change your life, and will help you make high-powered decisions for your business.
To conquer your goals and start making more strategic and intentional decisions in your business, all you need to do is set aside 5 minutes at the end of every day to answer these three questions.
I call this a Daily Debrief – a routine, ritual, or practice that you use to finish your work like (like the CEO you are).
Why do a daily debrief?
In short, “you master what you measure.”
It is so easy to get caught up in tasks that we think are necessary because we have been told to do them, or because they worked in the past. But becoming your next-level self and business requires you to think strategically about the future and think critically (not judgementally!) about the past, to find that sweet spot for your next moves.
Athletes are a great example of this. Their coaches have them watch game tapes to observe their own performance, and the coach gives them feedback as well. They can see exactly when they turned left instead of right, when they hesitated too long, or the perfect footwork pattern that led to their successful move. It’s so valuable!
Who should do a daily debrief?
If you are working on a short-term project or goal, doing daily debriefs during that phase will help you:
Stay on track with your plan.
Quickly make changes and adjustments as you need to, so you’ll waste a lot less time on busywork or tasks that just don’t have the impact you’re looking for.
Feel connected to your goal throughout the process. (Getting disconnected from our goals is often one of the biggest reasons why we fail and fall into our old patterns.)
If you are trying to stop overworking and create a better work-life balance, a daily debrief will help you:
Take better care of yourself throughout your day, and manage your energy in a healthier way.
End your workday on time.
Feel more in control of your day-to-day life. (The feeling of lack of control is often why we develop these workaholic or perfectionist tendencies and habits to begin with.)
A daily debrief will give you small consistent wins and encourage your to keep building on whatever it is that you’re working on to improve your life.
Productivity for Creative Business Owners
How to do a daily debrief.
I recommend that you start bookmarking this daily debrief as the last activity that you do in your workday. Set aside 5 to 15 minutes at the end of your day.
I also recommend having a notebook or a place that is dedicated to this information, because you want to be able to easily refer back to all this awesome data that you’re collecting. Later, you can do even more holistic review on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis (or at the end of your goal!).
Grab your notebook and answer these three questions about your day:
What worked? What didn’t work? What will I do differently?
You may be thinking “this sounds like a great idea, Linsi, but, I don’t have time to do this every day.”
I understand! And I’m gonna challenge you on that..because this is a high-impact habit that will have such a massive benefit to your business and to your life over the course of time. And I guarantee you that there are 5 to 15 minutes in your day where you’re doing something that does not have that same benefit for you, right?
When you do this on a daily basis, you will immediately start making more high-powered decisions about how you spend your time.
And as a total bonus, if you’ve ever had the thought “I wish there was an off switch for my brain”, this is the closest natural thing that you will find. Once you get into the habit of doing this, it really helps you shift gears quickly and create so much more clarity for the next day.
Start small.
As for anything that you are intending to make a long-term habit, a slow introduction in a way that doesn’t make the daily debrief seem like a burden is key.
Whatever time you can manage, start today. Make time for the debrief by examining your day and seeing where you can borrow 5 minutes from to save you time and energy later. Once you get into the habit of it, it really helps you shift gears and create clarity for the next day.
After today’s daily debrief, sit back, relax, and give yourself a good pat on the back. Congratulations, you have just taken the first step towards changing your life and your business for the better. Now, since you have reflected on the day, you have full permission to turn off your brain and rest it for tomorrow.