🔄 Module 51: Personal Development & Wellness

Build a sustainable founder routine that protects your energy, sharpens decision-making, and keeps your practice growing without burnout.

⏱️ 60–90 minutes Difficulty: Intermediate
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By the end of this module, you’ll have a 12-week personal performance plan with daily/weekly non-negotiables, a stress-to-strategy reset protocol, clear “shutdown” boundaries, and a metrics dashboard that connects your habits to client outcomes and revenue stability.

2. Why It Matters

Your business can only scale to the level of your consistency, clarity, and energy. Personal wellness isn’t a “nice to have”—it’s the operating system that protects delivery quality, sales confidence, and client retention.

In Phase 5, we optimize for longevity. That means designing routines, boundaries, and recovery rhythms that make your best weeks repeatable—even during launches, busy seasons, and life turbulence.

3. Step-by-Step Guide

1

Define Your Non-Negotiables (NNs)

List 3 daily and 3 weekly behaviors that directly improve your clarity and performance (e.g., 30-min walk, 20-min deep work block, Sunday plan). Tie each NN to a business KPI.

Pro Tip: If a habit doesn’t map to revenue, delivery, or recovery, it’s a “nice to have,” not an NN.
2

Create the “Shutdown Checklist”

End each workday with a 5-minute ritual: capture loose ends, set tomorrow’s top 3, close tabs, and physically leave your workspace.

Pro Tip: Use a sticky note labeled “Tomorrow’s Engine: 1–2–3” and place it on your keyboard before you stop.
3

Install the Stress→Strategy Reset

When overwhelmed, run a 10-minute reset: breathe (1 min), brain-dump (4), categorize (3), choose one needle-mover (2). Then start a 25-minute focus sprint.

Pro Tip: Keep a one-page “reset card” on your desk so you don’t rely on memory under stress.
4

Design a 12-Week Performance Block

Choose a theme (e.g., “Capacity & Focus”) and 1–2 habit goals. Track weekly adherence (%), energy (1–10), and output (leads, sessions, revenue).

Pro Tip: Limit to two habit goals per 12-week block to avoid dilution and increase compounding effects.
5

Protect Your Energy Calendar

Batch consults, stack client days, and secure “Deep Work AMs” 2–3 times/week. Place recovery buffers after heavy delivery days.

Pro Tip: Color-code your calendar: sales (green), delivery (blue), admin (grey), recovery (mint). If a week isn’t color-balanced, fix it.
6

Establish Boundary Scripts

Prepare 2–3 friendly scripts to protect hours, response times, and scope. Scripts reduce decision fatigue and keep relationships warm.

Pro Tip: Save scripts as keyboard shortcuts or text snippets so you use them in real time.
7

Review Weekly, Adjust Monthly

Run a 15-minute Friday review (wins, misses, energy drains). Do a 45-minute month-end check to update NNs and capacity plan for the next cycle.

Pro Tip: Put both reviews on a recurring calendar with a short agenda in the invite description.

4. Examples & Options

Real-World Example: Coach “A”

Daily NNs: 20-min walk, 25-min prospecting sprint, 10-min shutdown. Weekly NNs: Sunday planning, 2 deep-work AMs, 90-min content batch. Result: +22% consult bookings in 8 weeks, higher energy scores (from 6.1→8.3).

Boundary Script (Client Hours)

“To protect session quality for all clients, I reply Mon–Thu 10–4. If something urgent pops up, reply ‘URGENT’ and I’ll prioritize next window.”

Stress→Strategy Reset Script

“I’m taking 10 minutes to reset. I’ll come back with one clear next action and a 25-minute sprint to move it.”

DIY (Free/Low-Cost)

Google Calendar color-coding, Apple Notes/Notion page for NNs, phone timer for 25-minute sprints, printable shutdown checklist.

Mid-Level

Motion or Reclaim.ai for time-blocking, Notion habit tracker template, Rise Science or Oura-style sleep tracking (basic plan).

Advanced

Executive coach or accountability pod, HRV-based training plan (Whoop/Oura + TrainerRoad-style periodization), VA to enforce calendar rules & buffers.

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Vague habits. Instead of “work out more,” set “20-min walk Mon–Fri at 7:30am.”
  • Overloading goals. Instead of 6 new habits, run a focused 12-week block with 1–2.
  • No shutdown ritual. Instead of drifting into the evening, run a 5-minute checklist and close the loop daily.
  • Boundary drift. Instead of ad-hoc responses, use pre-written scripts and response windows.
  • Tracking nothing. Instead of guessing, track adherence %, energy, and one business KPI (leads/sessions/revenue).

6. Quick Win Highlight

💡 Quick Win: Add a daily shutdown checklist to your calendar at the same time for the next 14 days. Keep it to: (1) Capture loose ends, (2) Set Top-3 for tomorrow, (3) Close tabs & log off. Expect instant stress reduction and clearer mornings.

💬 DM Prompt
“Hey [Client], quick upgrade I’m making that you might love: a 5-minute ‘shutdown checklist’ to end each day clear and calm. Want my 3-step version to try this week?”
Mark Complete ✅

7. Mini-Implementation Exercise

Your Non-Negotiables

Habit When Business KPI Link
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________

Shutdown Checklist (5 minutes)

  1. Capture loose ends in an “Inbox” note
  2. Set Top-3 for tomorrow
  3. Close tabs & tools
  4. Place the Top-3 note on your keyboard
  5. Physically leave the workspace

8. Tools & Resources

Google Calendar / Outlook

Time-block deep work, batch consults, and schedule shutdown alarms.

Notion / Apple Notes

Template your NNs, weekly reviews, and reset protocol on one page.

Reclaim.ai or Motion

Auto-protect deep-work windows and keep buffers around heavy days.

Oura / Whoop (basic)

Track sleep and recovery to correlate habit adherence with energy.

Focus timers (Pomodoro)

Use 25-minute sprints to turn resets into momentum quickly.

Text Expander / Keyboard Shortcuts

Install boundary scripts as snippets for instant, consistent replies.

9. Checkpoint / Success Criteria

✅ 3 daily + 3 weekly NNs documented and scheduled
✅ Shutdown checklist installed as a recurring event
✅ Stress→Strategy reset card printed or pinned
✅ 12-week performance block defined with 1–2 habit goals
✅ Weekly review & monthly adjustment on the calendar

10. Summary & Next Step

  • Anchor your routine with measurable daily/weekly non-negotiables.
  • Use the shutdown checklist and reset protocol to recover focus fast.
  • Protect deep-work and recovery buffers with a color-coded calendar.
  • Run 12-week blocks and brief reviews to compound gains over time.
Next → Module 52 Future-Proofing Your Practice