How to Build a Routine Based on Your Personal Brand

At the core of every great working professional, entrepreneur, and business owner is a methodical and well-adjusted routine. Establishing a consistent schedule is a great way to improve efficiency and create a more purposeful lifestyle. However, not every routine is created equal. Your brand, like you, is always changing and it’s crucial that you make room in your lifestyle for continual development and fine-tuning.

I’ve spent years trying to craft the perfect schedule that is tailored to my specific lifestyle. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution for every person, or even for every season. Our schedules change to accommodate the way our lifestyle evolves. I’ve found that routines are best approached with a clear understanding of one’s own personal brand. Not sure if you have a personal brand? There’s an article for that here.

Got 5 seconds? Here’s the skinny:

Your personal brand is unique. YOU are the only one who can protect and develop it. Build a powerful routine by making room in your schedule to grow and support your unique skill set. Outline your short-term and long term goals and manage, track and measure them on a consistent basis. Add value consistently and authentically to build support and community around your brand.

Got 5 minutes? Here’s the real:

Define the unique characteristics of your brand.

When I help individuals to build their personal brand, we first discuss the distinctive qualities that make it unique. I explain that when we properly evaluate our values, passions, and long-term goals it becomes much easier to identify the foundation and purpose for our own individual brand. While trying to establish an effective schedule, be mindful of the contributing factors that play into your desired image and identity. For instance, if your brand is widely influenced by your profession as a personal trainer, your schedule should permit enough time to develop your skills and training methods. Prioritize the building blocks of your brand to see optimized results.  

Outline your core objectives.

While formulating a powerful schedule, I find it helpful to outline short-term and long-term objectives that are relative to my personal branding goals. The first thing I do every morning is manage and evaluate my short-term goals by using an app called To-Doist. At the beginning of the day, I list everything (on my to-do list) by order of importance. Start small: cross off the easy stuff first to increase a strong sense of motivation and satisfaction. Do not be afraid to re-evaluate and manage your list for optimized productivity. Your list will change according to the flow of the day. Try not to be too rigid because this can backfire and produce frustration. When it comes to long-term goals, I take a different approach. As I begin new projects or seasons of productivity, I’ve found it helpful to get as visual as possible as I consider my long-term goals. Create a moodboard with visuals that represent your desired future for your brand. Add a list of long-term goals you hope to achieve for the season. You should feel inspired by your long-term goals, never daunted by them. A beautiful moodboard is a great way to promote creativity and imagination.

Make room for consistent value.

Your brand is worth nothing without the value provided to your audience. Allow enough time in your schedule to add consistent value where there otherwise wouldn’t be. With a surplus of ways to share media and post brand collateral, there is no shortage of available options to educate and inspire. Start small by sharing a LinkedIn article you found interesting. Next time, leave a comment about what you thought of the article. Before you know it, you’ll be writing your own articles. Every day, look for new ideas and try a variety of methods for reaching your audience. (This would be a great insertion for your short-term goals to-do list!)

Track progress and manage expectations.

Once you’ve outlined your short and long term goals and begun to create on-brand content that will be valuable for your audience, how do you know what your key performance indicators are? In other words, what needs to happen in order to develop your personal brand? Holding ourselves accountable is an important step of building an effective routine that sticks. Don’t be hesitant to change what isn’t working. For instance, if you’re finding it difficult to write blog posts in the evening, try waking up early to write when your mind is fresh! By tracking your own progress and managing the expectations you have for your career, you can develop the modes of productivity and add these to your routine in a way that will stimulate and contribute to your own personal brand.