{"id":5896,"date":"2017-08-08T10:43:16","date_gmt":"2017-08-08T10:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/cel\/?p=5896"},"modified":"2017-08-08T10:52:11","modified_gmt":"2017-08-08T10:52:11","slug":"how-to-reinvigorate-your-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/2017\/08\/08\/how-to-reinvigorate-your-routine\/","title":{"rendered":"How to reinvigorate your routine"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Very few of us look at our schedules and say, \u201cWow – that looks like a recipe for joy. Please bring it on\u201d. But it doesn\u2019t take much effort to more proactively include activities that will make the day more delightful. Here is a different way of seeing your daily routine, one that draws on all the science of this book. Use this checklist to design a day that will leave you feeling good.\u2019 Webb, Caroline (2017), How to have a Good Day: Think Bigger, Feel Better and Transform your Working Life,<\/em> Pan Macmillan, pp.319-321.<\/p>\n

On 15th August, Dr Sue Eccles (CEL), Julie Barber (OD) and Dr Corrina Lailla Osborne (OVC) are launching the new BU Programme Leaders Programme. Part of this programme will be exploring the way we work and how we can ‘reinvigorate our routine’ to be more productive and less overwhelmed”.<\/p>\n

Reinvigorate your routine<\/a><\/p>\n

There is something for everyone in this checklist. I have highlighted my favourites in bold. Have a look and see how you can make some small differences to your day!<\/p>\n

BEFORE WORK<\/p>\n

Set your intentions\u00a0 – Think about the day ahead<\/strong> \u2013 maybe in the shower, maybe on the way to work. Ask yourself: \u201cWhat matters most today? What does that mean for my attitude, attention and actions? What specific goals should I set for the day?\u201d<\/p>\n

Visualise the ideal – Take a moment to imagine the most important thing you are doing today. Picture yourself doing it and being at your best. Notice what you\u2019re doing and saying.<\/p>\n

Plan a peak – Decide what you\u2019re most looking forward to today,<\/strong> however small. Small becomes bigger when you think about it.<\/p>\n

AS YOU GET STARTED<\/p>\n

Batch your tasks. Plan a block of uninterrupted thinking time to work on your most complex task. Create another slot (or two) for reading and responding to all your messages. Batch other similar tasks together \u2013 you\u2019ll get them done more quickly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prime yourself. Decide what mental attributes you most need in your thinking today and create whatever cues may help prompt that \u2013 an image, a song, a change in your workspace setup.<\/p>\n

DURING THE DAY<\/p>\n

Set the tone. Decide what behaviour you want from the other people and how you can project that in yourself. They will mirror it back to you, whether either of you realises it or not.<\/p>\n

Express random appreciation. Do a random act of kindness.<\/strong> Compliment someone for something, ideally unprompted. Be unexpectedly helpful or generous in some way<\/strong>. Notice the effect on both of you.<\/p>\n

Protect your thinking time. In a block of focused thinking time, divert\/switch off your devices and notifications.<\/strong> If needed, set expectations for colleagues e.g. through an automatic email response promising a reply later in the day.<\/p>\n

Assume good person, bad circumstances. If you encounter bad behaviour, try assuming you\u2019re dealing with a decent person whose sense of self-worth or social standing has been threatened. To quickly reduce tension, say something appreciative.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Borrow a good mood. Give yourself a boost using facial feedback: smile. Even a fake smile will start the ball rolling.<\/p>\n

Label any frustrations. When you feel irritated or upset, write down what the facts are (free from interpretation) and how they make you feel.
\nIf you have time \u2013 and it can be later \u2013 read what you\u2019ve written and decide what your \u2018best self\u2019 (or wisest friend) would say or do.<\/p>\n

Keep your eyes on the prize. At less wonderful moments of the day, ask yourself, \u201cWhat really matters today?\u201d Write it on a sticky note or whiteboard \u2013 whatever helps you keep it front and centre in your mind.<\/p>\n

Refresh and reboot. Take a break every 90 minutes<\/strong>, even if it\u2019s just getting up and stretching your legs. It\u2019s especially important if you\u2019re involved in some tough, complex work where allowing some subconscious processing might help you reach insight.<\/p>\n

LUNCH<\/p>\n

Connect with someone. Make space to have at least one short interaction with someone you like.<\/strong> It doesn\u2019t have to be much. If you can\u2019t make it happen in person, take a moment to get in touch with a friend of have a warmer-than-usual exchange with a stranger.<\/p>\n

Do some exercise Exercise doesn\u2019t have to be flashy to boost our mood and focus. Take a brisk walk. Do some jumping jacks<\/strong>. It all helps<\/p>\n

FOR EACH TASK<\/p>\n

Maximise you vision Ask yourself: \u201cWhat the most interesting thing about this task?\u201d<\/strong>
\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the bigger reason for getting this done?\u201d<\/strong>
\n\u201cIf I could apply my personal strengths in the way I do this work, how would I go about it?\u201d
\n\u201cWhen has this been done well before (by me or others) and what can I learn from that?\u201d<\/p>\n

Start on a strong footing. Start with a positive question (e.g. \u201cWhat\u2019s going well so far?\u201d or \u201cWhat\u2019s the ideal outcome?\u201d).
\nDo this before you get into the challenging stuff.<\/p>\n

Get unstuck. If something has been on your to-do list for a while, be honest about what\u2019s getting in the way \u2013 ask a few \u201cwhys\u201d until you get to the real blockage. To resolve it, what would you have to do? And what would be the very smallest first step? Replace your to-do list with that.<\/p>\n

AT THE END OF THE DAY<\/p>\n

End on a high note. Think about the 3 best things that happened today<\/strong>. Write them in a small bedside notebook, tell your partner as you\u2019re unwinding from the day or use them as a meditative reflection when you\u2019re lying in bed. They might be tiny things \u2013 that\u2019s ok.<\/p>\n

Sleep the good sleep. Avoid looking at any lit screens right before bedtime<\/strong>; it will make it harder to sleep. That means not bringing your phone into the bedroom. If you don\u2019t have an alarm clock and have to use the phone to wake up, put the phone by the door facedown. (And tomorrow, buy a real alarm clock).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Very few of us look at our schedules and say, \u201cWow – that looks like a recipe for joy. Please bring it on\u201d. But it doesn\u2019t take much effort to more proactively include activities that will make the day more delightful. Here is a different way of seeing your daily routine, one that draws on… Read more » about How to reinvigorate your routine<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1036,"featured_media":2180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1036"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5896"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5901,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5896\/revisions\/5901"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microsites.bournemouth.ac.uk\/flie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}