How would you spend your Ideal Day?

We are nearly halfway through the year, which makes it the perfect time to talk about routines, planning and creating a vision for your ideal day. I am a big believer in ‘Design the Lifestyle YOU Desire‘ and ‘Living a Well-Designed Life‘ and it all starts with planning and visualising WHAT your ideal day would look like.

“Every new day is another chance to change your life” ~Unknown

Exercise

Sharing a profound realisation I had a couple of years ago while doing my ‘Ideal Day’ exercise. When I did this exercise, I thought that I had to be a certain person, live at a certain place, have a certain amount of money in my bank account etc. to be able to live my ideal day, but what I realised was:

It’s not about where I live, how much money I have, what clothes and make-up I am wearing etc., it’s simply about focusing my intentions and energy on my non-negotiables; like having gratitude and spiritual practice, fitting in any form of exercise (yoga, long walks), eat nourishing meals, spend time on my personal growth, journal, quality me-time (I am an introvert) and so forth.

NOW…

Take a moment to imagine your ideal day. Imagine how you’d feel as you yawn, stretch, and step out of bed. What your first action would be? You’re second. What you’d eat, what you’d do, and how you’d spend your time. The lightness of happiness as you ease from one activity to the next. Your ideal day, start to finish.

• How do you want to feel?
• What time would you get up? The first thing you hear, see, smell?
• Where do you live?
• What does your home look like?
• What would your early morning routine be like?
• How will you dress?
• What will you be eating?
• What will you be doing?
• What would make you happy?

Have a clear vision of what you want. Write down all the things you’d like to do and the experiences you’d like to experience on your ideal day. Write it all down in the worksheet below. I recommend that you go somewhere quiet, for at least an hour or so. Switch off your phone (or put it on silent), bring a cup of your favourite tea and get dreaming and visualising!

Start living what you envision and put it into practice every single day. Make your dreams a reality by implementing them (taking small steps at a time) into your daily schedule. As Danielle LaPorte says;

“Do a little bit more of what you really want to do and a little bit less of what you don’t want to do – every day! And before you know it – you’ll be doing what you love!”

Visualise and Manifest Your Ideal Day:

1. Become clear on what you want
2. Write down your ideal day and create a vision board
3. Visualise your ideal day – every day
4. Believe in your vision
5. Emotional investment
6. Activity your personal development; change the way you think, take focused action towards making your ideal day happen
7. Awareness and gratitude

Picturing your ideal day is a common exercise that I use with my clients. It’s clarification visualisation, a way to hone in on what you’re really after in your professional and personal life.

How to Design Your Ideal Day Routine

1. Brainstorm

First, you’re going to conjure up what an ideal day looks like for you. I find it helpful to do this exercise separately for an ideal workday and weekend. Before you begin, have a notebook and pen nearby. You can do this exercise one of two ways. The first option is to read through the questions I’ve listed below, close your eyes, spend 5-10 minutes envisioning your ideal day, and then write it out. If you prefer to just start writing, answer each question one by one in a stream of consciousness in your notebook.

Either way you choose, permit yourself to let go of what you think your day “should” look like, or any “restrictions” you think you have right now in your schedule. We’ll think about logistics later. For now, feel through every moment from when you wake up to when you fall asleep. What comes up for you? How do you want to feel in each of these moments? Ideal should be your definition of ideal, not anyone else’s. Ideal doesn’t mean you work out for an hour every morning if your body likes to move in the afternoon. Do what feels best for you and your rhythms.

Ideal Day Visualisation Questions

• How do you wake up? What time do you wake up?
• How do you spend your morning? Do you move your body in the morning, do you listen to a podcast, do you spend time with a loved one or make your favourite breakfast? What is your morning routine like?
• What’s your environment like?
• What are you wearing?
• What does your workday look like? Where are you, what are you doing, who are you working with, what does your work schedule look like?
• What time do you stop working? What does your evening look like? Who are you with, what are you doing?
• Do you do any of your favourite hobbies during the day?
• How do you spend your night? What’s your evening routine like?
• Most importantly: how do you feel while you move through this ideal day?

2. Refine Your Ideal Day

Now that you’ve gotten your ideal day down on paper, refine your list. Take a look at your writing and circle or underline anything that really excites you. What would you be so STOKED to have more of in your days? Cross out anything that feels like an expectation or something you “should” be doing. For example, you might write down that you want to do a HIIT workout on your ideal day, but actually, yoga usually feels way better to you. Go with your gut here and don’t second-guess yourself and your preferences.

3. Live Your Ideal Day

It’s tempting once you’ve visualised your ideal day to immediately want to implement your “perfect” schedule. Keep in mind that ideal does not mean perfect, nor will you ever achieve a perfect day, every day. Our minds want perfection, but in actuality, flexibility is key to helping you feel the most in flow with how you want to feel each day. I say this as a recovering type-A planner and organiser (still me, but I’m learning to love being flexible!). What works in one season may not work in another, and that’s okay! Your preferences will change as you move through life.

Something I’ve been looking into is the concept of workability. Look at what you’ve highlighted in your ideal day brainstorm and let’s start to think about how you can work these into your life right now. Instead of feeling restricted by your current schedule, consider what ONE thing from your list you can implement. Maybe you can swap scrolling on your phone in the morning for a 10-minute meditation. When you circle back to how you want to feel, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to form new habits.

4. Take It Further

It’s important as you start building new habits and things into your days to keep them on top of your mind. I like to write about my ideal day often with different journaling prompts like, “How do I want to feel today?” and “What am I excited about in my life right now?”. You could also create a vision board, affirmation, mantra, or a list of intentions to keep at your desk or on your mirror. Circling back to my ideal day often keeps me grounded in what’s important to me and how I want to go through my days, so I encourage you to try it too!  

As you get more comfortable building your ideal day, take it further by visualising your ideal week, month, or year. My motto is to ‘Live a Well-Designed Life‘. Undoubtedly, it’s the most simple tweaks that make the biggest impact on how we feel day-to-day!

The ‘Ideal Day’ Exercise

Sharing a profound realisation I had a couple of years ago while doing my ‘Ideal Day’ exercise. When I did this exercise, I thought that I had to be a certain person, live at a certain place, have a certain amount of money in my bank account etc. to be able to live my ideal day, but what I realised was:

It’s not about where I live, how much money I have, what clothes and make-up I am wearing etc., it’s simply about focusing my intentions and energy on my non-negotiables; like having gratitude and spiritual practice, fitting in any form of exercise (yoga, long walks), eat nourishing meals, spend time on my personal growth, journal, quality me-time (I am an introvert) and so forth.

And this…

It can be done from wherever I am in the world. This realisation was a reminder that it all comes from within ♡

10 Journaling Prompts for Planning Your Ideal Day

1. Reflect on Your Current Days: What aspects of your typical days do you enjoy? What parts do you find stressful or unfulfilling?
2. Dream Day Visualisation: Imagine your perfect day. What activities do you see yourself doing? Where are you? How do you feel?
3. Prioritise Activities: What activities bring you the most joy or fulfilment? How can you prioritise these in your ideal day?
4. Time Allocation: How much time do you want to spend on different activities? Consider work, leisure, self-care, and social interactions.
5. Create a Realistic Schedule: Based on your priorities and time constraints, create a realistic schedule for your ideal day.
6. Mindset Shift: What mindset shifts can help you approach your ideal day with a positive and motivated attitude?
7. Self-Care Integration: How can you incorporate self-care activities into your ideal day? Consider things like exercise, meditation, or spending time in nature.
8. Social Connections: Who are the important people in your life? How can you include them in your ideal day?
9. Learning Opportunities: Are there any learning opportunities or personal growth activities you want to include in your ideal day?
10. Flexibility and Adaptation: How can you build flexibility into your ideal day to accommodate unexpected events or changes?

How to Plan Your Day

• START THE NIGHT BEFORE. What do you need to do tomorrow to meet your needs?
• CREATE A BEAUTIFUL MORNING ROUTINE. Many people start their days with movement, meditation, quiet time, or reading.
• BRAIN DUMP. Get your ideas out of your head and onto paper.
• REVIEW THE BIG PICTURE. What are your current projects, and which ones are the most important?
• REVIEW YOUR DAILY LIST IN YOUR WEEK. Estimate the time it will take to complete each task.
• WORK YOUR LIST. Batch tasks that are similar for optimum efficiency.
• FINISH EACH DAY WITH A TEN-MINUTE TIDY. What can you do now to set up your spaces and routines for beauty and efficiency?
• PICK A WEEKLY PREP DAY. Get the house cleaned, meals planned and prepped and review your calendar for the week ahead.

This article has also been published in the Huffington Post and Mouth of Mums.

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