Why You Need Lifestyle SOPs
Want those “healthy habits” and resolutions to actually become a habit?
Then you need a lifestyle SOP. Here’s what that means and how to do it.
I used to bemoan SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). Mostly because my first introduction to them was having to write one for my then position, and knew that it was a “check-the-box” task assigned by senior leaders that was going to figuratively gather dust on a shelf.
Later, I realized how valuable they are and that in fact, I had been benefiting from well-developed SOPs and learning from poorly developed SOPs my entire career.
Now, it’s one of the analogies I use when working with my clients. My business owner clients know that their business sinks or swims by the quality of their SOPs and how well they enforce compliance. My “corporate grinder” employee clients know that they can perform their best when the business and role have clearly defined SOPs.
What they don’t realize until we work together is that they need SOPs for their life. Or rather, no one has framed it for them in this way.
What is a Healthy Lifestyle SOP?
Healthy lifestyle tips abound and there is a lot of advice out there recommending the adoption of a “healthy lifestyle” and healthy routines and daily habits. I contribute to this. These are similar to the concept of creating an SOP for your life. Sometimes my business-oriented clients need to think about this way, rather than as a “self-care plan” or “healthy daily habits”. It better meets them where they’re at and better speaks their language.
You, too, might benefit from reframing healthy habits, etc. with “Lifestyle SOPs.”
Here are a few examples to get you thinking about what might be in your Lifestyle SOP:
• Every SOP has a Purpose section. Your life has a purpose. Do you know it?
• Every SOP has a Scope section. This is where you would define which part of your life this SOP is for. For example, is this your nutrition SOP, your sleep SOP, your exercise SOP, your personal relationships (e.g. marriage, dating, platonic friendships) SOP, your financial SOP, or your stress management SOP…?
• Some SOPs have a definitions section. You might not need this. But it’s where you could define what healthy sleep means to you, for example.
• And of course, every SOP has the Procedures section which details the step-by-step instruction on how to perform the activity under the SOP’s purview. In this case, say you are doing an SOP for sleep. You would want to be crystal clear on what needs to be done to develop and maintain a healthy sleep routine. So you might first define healthy sleep for you as 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep in each 24-hour period. And then outline the steps required to make that happen:
⁃ Stop drinking caffeine by 12 pm*
⁃ Workout by 5:00 pm**
⁃ Eat dinner by 7 pm
⁃ Wash face and brush teeth after dinner so that you can…
⁃ Dim all house lights by 8:30 pm
⁃ Stop watching all screens by 9:30 pm
⁃ Read, listen to soothing music, or stretch for 10 minutes by 9:50 pm
⁃ Get into bed and turn on sleep sounds by 10 pm
⁃ Wake up at 6:00 am fully recharged for the day ahead.
*Caffeine has a half-life of about 5 hours in a healthy adult. So for your body to metabolize (or process out) all the caffeine you need at least 10 hours.
**New research shows that you can exercise at night so long as you finish by an hour before bed. However, to follow your full bedtime SOP, you can see that you need to finish by about 5pm so that you have time to get home, have dinner, and finish your routine.
• For the requirements section of your Lifestyle SOP, you might include working with a certified health+wellness coach, nutritionist/Registered Dietician, personal trainer, therapist, or business coach.
• For the responsibilities section…well, that’s you 😉. It’s your life. No one can make you do anything. BUT you can identify accountability partners to help you execute your responsibilities. When I work with my clients, we take a close look at the different types of accountability they might need for different goals or areas of their lives.
Have you thought about creating a Lifestyle SOP? How well do you think this would work for you?
Want to strategize with me on it? Schedule a complimentary strategy call here.