Soon Hagerty is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded Boundless Futures Foundation and founded and co-owns The Good Bowl.
As leaders, it’s imperative to be clear about our values and goals to make sound decisions and take appropriate action to achieve those goals. But how do we attain the clear vision, deliberateness and growth mindset that are characteristic of an intentional leader?
Over the past couple of years, I have focused on developing a personal philosophy and disciplined morning routine that centers on three core principles: the centering effect of slowing down, the life changing philosophy of Stoicism and the incredible impact of creating space to truly react calmly in all situations.
The Power Of Slow
After talking to female founders over the first year leading an organization focused on empowering female entrepreneurs, I’ve discovered one of the biggest struggles new founders have is that they don’t stop to process what they’re learning and use those experiences as actionable insights.
It’s important to slow down to absorb the lessons of life. For me, that starts with a disciplined morning routine including journaling, meditation and writing a focused, daily to-do list. Only after I reflect on the past day’s lessons and set priorities for the coming day, do I look at my phone or email.
As a result of a more disciplined morning routine, I’ve found that I no longer let others dictate my priorities. It has also provided me with an incredibly calm start to the day.
Last year, author Cal Newport released his book Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout. He writes that we can have meaningful accomplishments by doing fewer things well, working at a natural pace and obsessing on quality over quantity. His philosophy really resonated with me and complemented my focus on delving deeper into areas where I believe I can make the biggest impact for myself and those around me.
During the work day, I try to schedule my day with back-to-back meetings, then take a one hour break half way into my day to take bullet point notes. I recognized 30 minutes here and there throughout the day barely provides enough time to distill your thoughts—I end up just answering unimportant emails. Lastly, I take 15 minutes before I go to bed to jot down any learnings and plan for my next day.
The Power Of Stoicism
Stoicism is a philosophy that originated in ancient Greece and Rome, and it continues to be relevant today—arguably more relevant for today’s fast paced world. One of the tenets of Stoicism is to accept what we can’t control and instead focus on what we can control. It can present a path toward inner strength and emotional resilience.
I know it sounds simple, but it can be challenging to stop in the moment, take a breath and decide whether you must address something or let it go.
Here is where my morning routine comes in. Those periods of reflection and journaling are an important practice to help me slow down and reflect on what is happening and what I want to happen next in a more thoughtful way.
Reflection isn’t just for letting go—it’s also powerful preparation. Another Stoic practice is rehearsing challenges before they happen. Consider using a few minutes during meditation to mentally walk through tough situations. It can bring clarity, steady your emotions and help you show up with intention—especially in difficult conversations. I’ve found the result is often fewer regrets, a calmer mind and stronger relationships.
The Power Of Space
You must give yourself space as a leader. I often say I need to “create time to create.” Many of us are guilty of trying to cram as much as we can into a day—including me. That runs the risk of minimizing the real priorities. We often focus on overall productivity when we should take into consideration what is the most compelling or effective use of our time.
I think an effective way to create space at work is to block out two hours at the end of the week to really coalesce your thoughts, such as Friday morning, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. That way your mind is fresh, but you are able to review your week’s worth of meetings and projects and isolate any learnings, actionable insights or strategies you want to employ moving forward. I call this time “actionable insights.”
If you choose to begin your own morning routine to set the day off right, start small, say 10 minutes of meditation and journaling to reflect on lessons learned from the day before. It helps to have a spouse who also practices a morning routine so you’re not interrupted. If it’s a solo pursuit, the people in your life need to understand how important this time is to you. It’s only 10 minutes. You are worth that, and trust me, over time they will likely thank you for it.
I had to laugh the other morning. I was meditating and my daughter came into the room asking to borrow some hair care products. I told her, “You know what happens when you interrupt the meditation. Cranky Soon shows up more.” She didn’t even put up a fight. She came over and meditated with me for the last five minutes. It was great, a really nice moment, and I think she is now on the path to being an intentional leader. You can be, too.
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