Bonjour. Cyril from Work Smarter: Live Better. In this video, I would like to share how a very simple routine can completely change your life.
I am today in England with my friend Giuseppe. We are in the countryside, enjoying a long weekend with our families. Giuseppe was a senior manager at Shell for 17 years. Then a few years ago he decided to set up a business, buying and renovating properties. It has done so well that he won the Property Investor of the year in England in 2015.
Giuseppe and I were just talking about stress at work. Whether as a senior leader in a large company like Shell or managing your own business, you get inundated: with emails, meetings, things to do. We started discussing an interesting topic, how managing your time is important but also key is to managing your energy.
Giuseppe has just shared an amazing story about his uncle who is 83 years old. Two months ago they went skiing together. Giuseppe was amazed to see how fit his uncle was. After they stopped to have a coffee, he asked his uncle how he can be so fit for his age.
The answer: a simple daily routine.
‘Every morning after waking up I have a cold shower, drink a glass of water, and then do 20 minutes of exercise. It doesn’t matter if I’m in my house, on vacation or in a hotel for a business trip. I do it every single day. 20 minutes of push-ups, sit-ups, and stretching.’
Giuseppe’s Uncle was president of a large corporation, and was very often travelling. But since he was thirty years old he never missed his 20 minute morning exercise unless really sick.
Very interesting. I think there are two very important lessons for me. Firstly ,make sure you prioritize in your life the things which will have the most impact long term. We always put first what is urgent and often don’t have the time for important things such as health, family, friends or following your passion.
Secondly make sure you build the right routines in your life. I love the phrase from Aristotle ‘We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit’.
This is this week’s Work Smarter: Live Better tip. I hope you enjoy it. Giuseppe and I are going back to our families to enjoy the beautiful countryside in England.
Ciao
Cyril
