How to Maximize Lifestyle Satisfaction, Even When the Options Are Limited
Date
Wednesday, February 24th, 2021
Location
Montreal, Canada
Author
David Oram
Editor
Maéva Carreira
Editor-in-Chief
Tamy Emma Pepin
It goes without saying that the ways in which we can live our lives have been restricted by the current pandemic. However, the options and choices we can still make for our enjoyment are numerous. That is one of the primary reasons why I went into business in the first place, and started Renno and LUCA: the ability to have control over relationships, time and how to provide value in other people’s lives.
The most important key to maintaining health and performance in your life, is to identify the things you have the power to control.
However, things are never straightforward, and the ability to iterate, be humbled by the process while maintaining consistency are vital. Which is especially the case when starting new companies, building habits and evolving.
Here are some areas that can be controlled:
1. Set morning and evening routines – as digitally light as possible!
Setting routines – like reading a book, meditating, stretching, etc. – when you wake-up and before you go to sleep, helps us to unwind and start your day in a more mindful way.
Setting routines – like reading a book, meditating, stretching, etc. – at the beginning and end of each day help us to unwind and startup in a more mindful way.
Decision fatigue is real. Ever wonder why Steve Jobs dressed the same way every day? It’s one less thing to worry about. Keeping certain parts of your day very simple helps you to focus on other more important things.
For myself, a go-to is reading a novel before bed. It gets me off my phone and, depending on the book, it can be a great way to seed wild dreams!
2. Take control of your schedule and notifications
Do you feel like you are forever scrambling to get things done and get into a workflow? Like your most recent message is the most important one and takes priority over everything else?
Turn off ALL notifications that are not essential – phone calls and certain text messages are all I roll with for real full-blown notifications.
Smaller badge icons are valuable to remind you to check less urgent notifications.
Always remember, your inbox is just someone else’s to-do list. Try only checking your inbox on scheduled times, rather than having it open at all times.
Also, having a set amount of time where people can book calls with you is another easy way to ensure that you have the appropriate blocks of time where you can work in a flow-state.
With changes like these, it is much easier to have intention throughout your day and understand what type of flow you want. When you can have meals, workouts, naps, etc. – all key to sustaining performance at a high level for a sustained period!
Personally, once I understood the power of building habits with these principles in mind, it allowed me to remove myself from the outcome and arbitrary success metrics. It allowed me to enjoy the journey even more.
3. Have some fun
I am sure we all thought we were going to pick-up new habits and skills when the pandemic first hit. Just like any shitty New Year resolution, they go out the window fast. We then feel distraught when we feel like we failed.
But who cares?
Only you are beating yourself up.
Have some fun with it all – don’t worry about becoming fluent in Russian, finishing some 30 day yoga challenge, or whatever it is. Have a bit of fun picking-up and dropping new things.
When you hit something you know you will like, great. Equally important, be cool with dropping something and never coming back to it.
I fail all the time. I have been living in Montreal for a number of years now and French is still always an adventure for me. Sometimes I get it. Most times I struggle massively. But, I always know I am evolving.
Keep experimentation high and don’t fall into a sunk cost fallacy.
Lunchclub.ai has been a fav of mine so far. It helps me have random connections and chats during my week without any expectation like trying to make a sale or achieving a goal. It is all about being able to have a regular conversation – variety and a change of pace.
4. Upwards and Onwards
The post pandemic period will be the most unique in Modern History. Are you ready to capitalize?
Continue to assess and make decisions for the world you want to live and thrive in.
Sure, things will continue to change, and any good plan takes heavy beatings early and often, but that is all part of the game.
We never know what is exactly around the corner, but it is important to always keep in mind how we want to feel, who we want to be with and what kind of lifestyle we want to have.
Have confidence and execute. It is and always will be, one step after the other.
Thanks for reading and I hope you found some value in these tips. Enjoy experimenting with them!
David Oram
David Oram is an entrepreneur dedicated to organizational launch and growth. He is currently focused on supporting start-ups throughout their journey with Renno & Co, Canada’s Digital Law Firm, along with powering teams by building collective intelligence to support their decision-making processes at LUCA Theory.
Prior to becoming a full-time entrepreneur, David spent time in the sustainability non-profit Future Earth,. as well as in the science and finance worlds. Most of all, he enjoys building teams, making investments and working to see them succeed.