"perfect day" exercise

The “perfect day” exercise is an immersive visualization: imagine an ordinary day in your ideal life, letting the details emerge rather than making them up. 1

• Settle in well-rested: Choose a quiet moment to sit or lie down; Martha Beck recommends doing the exercise when you are well-rested, since feeling depleted can make the imagined day come out blank. 2 3
• Imagine waking refreshed and listen: Picture waking after a beautiful sleep. Keep your eyes closed and notice what you hear first, without trying to invent the sounds. 4
• Use your senses as the day unfolds: Continue through the imagined day, noticing sounds, smells, temperature, surroundings, and other details as they arise. 5 6
• Let possibilities emerge without limits: Don’t make the day logical or restrict it to what seems manageable or probable; notice what enters your imagination and allow its meaning to become clearer. 7 8
• Practice repeatedly: Beck says that people have reported their imagined ideal days later happening, and Huberman describes doing the exercise multiple times. 9 10