Have you ever thought about what your “perfect day” would look like? What would you be doing? Who would you be spending time with?

So many of us fantasize about the perfect day only to end up going to jobs we hate and creating lives that are good but not extraordinary. I know I’ve had to work extremely hard to create more “perfect days” but it’s not easy for most people to make this colossal shift.

I learned about this concept from “The Perfect Day Formula” and attending the 2-day event, “The Perfect Life Retreat” from the author, Craig Ballantyne. If you can learn how to create more perfect days, you’re sure to create a life you love. 

Here’s how to create the perfect day and ultimately, the perfect life.

Who is Craig Ballantyne?

Before I cover the fundamentals of creating the perfect day, I want to talk about the author, Craig Ballantyne. He’s a high-performance coach, best-selling author, and known by many as “Mr. Discipline.” In fact, he’s a machine for efficiency and productivity on a daily basis. 

He regularly wakes up at 3 am, writes for two hours, then does his morning routine, writes for another two hours and goes on with his day. Craig works with high-level entrepreneurs, runs elite mastermind programs, and speaks around the world. To accomplish all this, he’s become a master of his time and made it his life’s work to help others.

After suffering crippling anxiety attacks in his 20’s he decided no more. He changed everything about his life to working toward achieving his long-term vision. Now, he’s doing just that by helping everyday people to billionaire CEOs maximize their time and create their own perfect days.

Here are seven ways you can create your perfect life:

The Perfect Day Formula: 7 Steps to Proven Success 

1. Get Clear on What You Want In Life

The first thing we did at the event was thinking about our long-term vision for life. Not setting goals, but creating a big picture vision. Start by asking yourself questions like:

• Where do you want to be in 1, 3, 5, 10, and 20 years?
• Who will you be spending time with?
• What will you be doing on a daily basis?
• Where will you be living? Will you be traveling?

As Tony Robbins said, “We all need a compelling future, something will get us up and excite us. If you don’t’ have that, life feels very dead for high performers.

2. Create Four 90-Day Goals

Goals are great but so many people set too many or aren’t clear about how to get the result. Craig is very detailed about this process and recommends only setting four, 90-day goals. This way you can stay focused, committed, and not get overwhelmed. Plus, 90 days is great because you get a lot done and still stay motivated as the finish line is close.

Craig recommends setting these four outcome goals:

• Health goal: Example: Lose 10 pounds in 90 days
• Wealth goal : Example: Earn $5,000 dollars from a side business
• Social self goal (your relationship with others) – Example: Take your family on a vacation
• Personal enrichment goal (your own self-improvement) – Example: Read a book a week for three months

Then, for each of these goals create process goals. What is the process to make those goals become a reality? Write them down and review them regularly so increase the chances of making them happen.

3. Start an Empowering Evening Morning and Evening Routine

As Craig said in his book, “One of the reasons you must attack your number one priority first thing in the morning is that you are armed at that early hour with the greatest willpower to act and avoid getting into trouble. The morning holds the fewest external distractionS and temptations from other people.”

While you don’t have to get up at 3 am like Craig, it’s important to get up early and take advantage of the morning. Whether it’s working on a side project, investing in yourself, reading or spending time getting clear, it all helps.

But the morning isn’t a time to waste so make sure to plan your morning routine before going to bed. Spend 5-10 minutes recapping the day, journal wins, and plan what you’re going to do tomorrow morning.

4. Create Rules for Your Life

You might be thinking, “I don’t want rules in my “perfect day.” The only way you’re going to end up living a “perfect day” and life is to have a set of rules to get you from A to B.

As Craig said, “Your rules state what you will and will not do. Your rules automatically indicate that you make the right decision, making it easy to overcome obstacles and resist temptation.”

Some of Craig’s rules include:

• Going to bed at 8 pm and waking up at 4 am
• Writing for at least 60 minutes each morning
• Helping ten million men and women transform their lives

He has a total of 12 rules that are non-negotiable in his life. I’ve since done a similar exercise and found it much easier to say yes and no to certain decisions.

Figure out your own non-negotiables so you can eliminate willpower and distraction.

5. Make Health a Top Priority

Craig is also a fitness freak who’s appeared in Men’s Health, GQ, and other magazines for his jacked physique. Working out and eating healthy is a huge priority for him which is why he’s able to do so much in his life.

Let me ask, how is your fitness affecting your life? If you’re not exercising and eating clean on a regular basis it’s going to be extremely difficult to create a perfect day or life. Setting a clear health goal and making it a top priority.

Chance are, if your health improves so will other areas of your life. Discipline is contagious, a few small tweaks to your exercise or nutrition can positively affect other areas of your life.

6. Find Mentors and Coaches

As successful as Craig is, he still heavily investing in himself. He is involved in top-level masterminds and regularly hires coaches to help him grow in different areas of his life.

Do you have a mentor, coach or mastermind to help you improve your chances of success? I’ve personally spent thousands on them this year and seen a huge shift in the quality of my life. Sometimes paid accountability to someone who is where you want to be in life is an incredible motivator.

Remember, as Tony Robbins said, “Success leaves clues.” Model successful people so you can create your own version of success.

7. Surround Yourself With Successful People

The last way to create your perfect day is surrounding yourself with a group of like-minded people. It’s nearly impossible to achieve great things in your life with mediocre people. If something isn’t helping you, chances are they are hurting you.

Become relentless with your inner circle and friends becoming high-level individuals. Go to events, join Facebook groups, reach out to people you admire on social media.

Get a “whatever it takes” mentality to immerse yourself with winners. Not only will you enjoy your days more but you’ll enjoy the mindset shift that will help you become 100x more successful.

Use these seven hacks to create your own perfect day. String along enough perfect days, weeks, and months you’ll look back on the perfect life that you created for yourself.