Hello and welcome to the Choosing Happy Podcast.

And it's Monday.

Myth busting again.

And today I'm coming for one of the biggest lies in the productivity world, that there's such a thing as a perfect routine.

You know the ones I mean.

Those gurus telling you that if you just wake up at 5am, do cold plungers, journal for 20 minutes, meditate for 30 and drink bulletproof coffee while standing on one leg and you'll unlock the secret to success.

You'll make those millions.

But what if I told you that chasing someone else's perfect routine might be the very thing that's sabotaging your progress?

Stay tuned for today's Choosing Happy Podcast.

Now let me tell you about the time I nearly broke myself trying to be a 5am person.

There was this 10 day challenge which was brilliant.

It was really, really good.

But it was about waking up at 5am sharp for a Zoom.

Check in at 5:15.

And this is the time when successful people start their day.

They said, transform your life in just 10 days.

And I managed it all.

10 days.

I dragged myself out of bed, zombie, walked to the compute and checked in with the other bleary eyed converts, often in their PJs.

And it's absolutely wrecked me.

And here's the thing they don't tell you.

I often work until after 10pm I'm naturally productive in the evening, but apparently that makes me some sort of productivity failure.

Right, then there was the Christmas launch disaster.

Now I had everything the expert said I needed.

Four consecutive weeks of Sunday Times ads, three days exhibiting at the Christmas show in Canary Wharf with massive, massive footfall.

And statistically I should have landed at least 10 clients and got loads of inquiries.

The results, crickets, absolute zero.

I was following the perfect marketing routine to the letter.

The same strategy that had worked before.

But something was off.

My energy, my belief.

Maybe the timing, the formula was right, but the magic wasn't there.

And absolutely nothing came of it.

And here's my favourite example though.

I can bake Victoria sponge using exactly the same recipe and ingredients and get completely different results based on my stress levels.

When I'm relaxed and enjoying the process, I get gorgeous, tasty, fluffy cake.

But when I'm pressured and rushing, I swear the flour takes it personally.

And I end up with what can only be described as a crispy pancake.

Same recipe, same ingredients, same oven, completely different energy, completely different outcome.

So here's the uncomfortable truth about perfect routines.

Mythbuster number one, nothing stays the same and nothing works for everyone.

That 5am routine that transformed some Silicon Valley CEO brilliant for him.

But if you're forcing yourself into someone's optimal performance window while ignoring your own natural rhythms, you're not optimizing your self sabotaging.

Even joined the group, I can't remember what it's called.

It's.

It's the miracle morning.

That's it.

And no, just 5am is not for me.

Myth Buster number two energy and belief trump technique every single time.

You can have the perfect marketing strategy, the ideal morning routine, the flawless business plan.

But if your energy is off or you really don't believe in what you're doing, if something feels forced, the flower takes it personally and you get a crispy pancake.

Instead of success, people unconsciously read your energy.

Mythbuster Number three Honest self awareness Beats guru worship Instead of copying someone else's blueprint, ask yourself, what strategies do I already excel at?

When am I naturally most creative?

What does my body actually need?

And the answer to those questions are worth more than any one size fits all routine.

And if you look at the strategies that you do for fundamental things in your life, even the ones like cleaning your teeth, when you really dig deep into the unconscious pattern that you use, you realize that you kind of apply this across most of your life.

You apply it to the areas you fail as well as to the areas you succeed.

And if you notice the areas you fail, you'll be running an excellent strategy that you could easily tweak to end up with a win.

So the takeaway for this week, this is the awareness experiment.

Instead of forcing yourself into someone else's perfect routine, try this.

Pay attention to when you naturally feel most energized, creative and productive.

And notice what conditions help you thrive.

Maybe you're a 9pm powerhouse, not a 5am warrior.

And maybe you do your best thinking in the bath, not during meditation.

And maybe your perfect morning involves sleeping until 8am and starting slowly and again.

Have a look at the strategies you run when you do something as basic as cleaning your teeth.

And apply those that unconscious excellence to other areas of your life.

Trust your natural rhythms instead of fighting them.

And I'd love to hear about your own routine experiments, both the failures and the discoveries.

What perfect routine nearly broke you?

What unexpected approach actually worked?

Share your stories with us at choosing HappyPodcast on social or email me at hazza hazavmasters.com if you want to share your story and be featured on the podcast.

And remember, the only perfect routine is the one that actually works for you, even if it would horrify every productivity guru on the Internet.

Sometimes the best rebellion has just been authentically yourself.

Speak soon and have a great week.

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this week's episode.

If you enjoyed it or think it would be valuable to others, please do share.

And if you really enjoyed it, please leave me a review.

It really helps the podcast.

All of the links are in the show notes and I look forward to seeing you next week on the Choosing Happy Podcast.

Sam.