Navigating our bustling lives, I've come to realize just how crucial habits and rituals are. For me, it's not always about grand gestures but those little routines - like that morning coffee or a quick stretch. They're like daily pep talks, a simple "you got this" reminder. So, as you go about your day, find those small moments that resonate with you; they could be the unsung heroes of your daily hustle.

In essence, this question is asking how does one learn to optimize their time; in an effort to reduce stress, increase productivity and save time? In my opinion, this is about planning your life and how you want to spend your time. Most people spend their time DOING in lieu of planning. If you plan how you're going to spend time, you typically are more effective; this of course is what habits are all about. Habits become so routine that there are fewer decisions to make, and your life becomes simpler, regardless of how complex it is. Spend some time prioritizing what's important to you; what you can eliminate (if you're stuck eliminating a bad habit, find the trigger to that habit). Spend time reflecting, imagining. Spend time PLANNING.

Who else listens to a useful podcast or catches up on current affairs while they get ready for work in the morning? That's a simple habit that hits 2 marks. In elite sport I learned to create more meaning and efficacy in my rituals and habits by becoming more aware of what I was doing, and when. Sequencing the habit and breaking it down allowed me to refine actions, and put in pattern interrupts for when I was going off track. Pattern recognition is a superpower for personal and professional development. And, when I had my new useful pattern committed to mind and muscle memory I was freer to notice the next increment of improvement! Bingo!!

Setting up habits and rituals? Think of them as your personal life hacks. For me, it’s about the little shifts - like choosing water over soda or a quick meditation over aimless phone scrolling. Remember, it's not about going big; it's the consistent small wins that count. Find your 'why' behind each habit, and you're golden. Give it a whirl and watch the magic unfold in your daily grind!

Creating new habits is only one side of the coin. Habit recognition is essential in being able to interrupt the things that you habitually do that don't serve you well. Then you can create a new habit that is useful, which is usually easier than trying to will yourself out of a less useful one!

Set up a reflective practice that allows you the space you need to evaluate your habits. In sport, I had a series of questions I mind-mapped after every training session. I keep them in a journal. For me, it was better to digest and process them before talking with my coach. Now I do the same in my business. The constant reflection and evaluation has allowed me to keep growing and be more sucessful.

I get super excited about our business goals. Mapping the milestones we need to achieve them is an important part of the strategic plan, and allows us to set deadlines and measurements. Intentionally identifying the habits and rituals that we need to nail those is the secret sauce!

Being a neurominority myself, I came to understand the importance of rituals and habits. Being ADHD, my brain is not poised for maintaining routines as soon as they become habitual. Hence I learnt to either adjust them on a recurring basis in relation to goal setting or change them completely. Knowing your triggers which may derail efforts is crucial in this equation. I would also advise to carefully expand your own self-awareness and introspection, have an accountability buddy or a coach / mentor to help guide you along the way. And: talk to other neurominorities and benefit from listening to their lived experiences which most often bring valuable insights.