1. Write.

In line with Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, I begin nearly every day with morning pages. The premise is to write three pages of stream-of-consciousness, longhand writing each morning before doing anything else for the day, even brushing my teeth. This practice helps me listen to my intuition and it reinforces to my psyche that I am a productive and creative person. While much of my writing is gibberish, I have compiled a collection of short stories and even started writing an allegory as a result of this discipline. It’s a nice reprieve from the rigor of deadlines at my firm.

2. Look outside myself.

Once I’m done with my morning pages, I invite a power greater than myself into the day, asking my thinking to be directed toward courage, honesty and service. 

3. Review to-dos for the day. 

Only then do I go into my digital world. I check my schedule for the day then review the firm’s project management boards to get a sense of the workload for the day. Where needed, I delegate or consolidate to make the day as relaxed and easy as possible. That’s not to say I aim to make the day light; in fact, in any given day, I might write a 3,000-word eBook, review 25 social posts, conduct a 90-minute client strategy session and make edits to 12 blogs. The aim is to approach work with ease, balance and grace. Easy does it, but do it. 

4. Meditate.

After organizing my daily to-dos, I read a passage from a daily spiritual reader then close my eyes and meditate on it for 15 minutes. Today’s passage was about stoking a sense of self-trust. As I lay quietly and reflected on this concept, urgent feelings from all those to-dos cropped up, and I was able to remind myself what was important. Clear the mind, focus on the principle of the day and the intuition will alight, making those to-dos more manageable and enjoyable. 

5. Move.

Every weekday I take the dog for a hike or go to the gym to lift weights. I move my body about 45 minutes daily. My father calls this “cleaning out the cobwebs.” Sure, my joints and muscles feel better after a workout, but my mind and feelings are cleared, too. 

6. Get ready to head to the office.

Whether I’m working from home or in the office, I always shower and get ready for my day. This is my mental queue of transition from home life to the professional world. 

7. Pause.

Steps one through six above happen most days for me before eight o’clock in the morning. That’s a lot of output! When I get to my desk, I sit quietly for five minutes. This allows me to fully arrive in my workspace, in my mind and in my body. Often an intuitive thought will strike during the pause, making a project or task that day a little simpler. After that initial pause, my goal is to take one five-minute pause after every half hour to an hour of work. It’s the most difficult and most productive thing I do each day.

8. Work.

During my time in the office, I connect with my team, lead agenda-driven meetings and complete deep work, or long stretches of head-down writing or strategy with no meetings and all phone and computer alerts off. 

9. Conduct a financial review. 

A major goal of marketing is to produce profitability and/or growth, and I believe only a financially fit marketing firm can guide its clients to strong financial outcomes. To that end, I take about 15 minutes daily to check my bank balances, budget and financial statements. The clarity I have on how my firm runs makes me a better advisor to other executives. 

10. Connect with friends and family.

Most weeknights with my family, we have a homecooked meal at the dinner table then watch a show or two together upstairs. About once or twice a week, I go to an organized event and/or out with friends. Letting go of work at the end of the day lets me start anew the next day. 

What are your disciplines for success in your work?

Since 2007, Big Buzz® has helped Stage II to Stage III organizations systemize marketing to achieve growth goals. Founder and CEO Wendy O’Donovan Phillips is the author of two books available on Amazon, Kaboom and Flourish, multiple data-driven eBooks, has been published in McKnight’s, in Forbes, and has been quoted in The Washington Post, ABC News and Chicago Tribune. She has lectured dozens of professional organizations in front of audiences ranging in size from 25 to 6,000. She has been honored by the American Marketing Association for excellence in her field and has been named a Gold Key Award Winner by the Business Marketing Association. In her two-decades-long career, she has consulted with hundreds of organizations globally to support improved marketing clarity, strategies and outcomes. Get details: visit www.bigbuzzinc.com and follow Wendy.