#197

Scientists at the university of British Columbia claim to have found a formula for the Best Day Ever (BDE).

The BDE schedule includes 360 minutes with family; 120 minutes with friends; 90 minutes socialising beyond your immediate circle; 120 minutes of exercise; 60 minutes eating and drinking; less than 360 minutes working; 60 mins screen time; and less than 15 minutes commuting.

Article: Financial Review - Perfect Day Formula

Of course, I can immediately recognise the benefits of the formulaic BDE however there are too many personalised idiosyncrasies that would go into my BDE.

For example, a 60 minute laughing lunch with my family; a 10 minute text exchange with my bestie in the UK; 40 minutes walking our dogs with my wife; binge watching 3 episodes of Severance; or a 90 minute drive to a client listening to my favourite podcast. All of these might be enough to contribute to my BDE.

In contrast, I can imagine several scenarios that would contribute to my WDE (Worst Day Ever).

I’m sure you get the idea.

And whilst the study attempts to categorise the most important ingredients of your BDE it lacks personalisation for me.
However, what the study does point out is this – your BDE isn’t so much about measuring minutes but measuring moments and how meaningful those moments are for you.

The researchers tracked over 30,000 people and found that what truly matters is a combination of enjoyment, meaning, and alignment with personal values.

In short: our BDE lives at the intersection of meaning, connection and enjoyment.

There shouldn’t be undue pressure to get the time ratio right. Of course, there will be things that require a clock but those things should be in balance with things that require a compass.

Don’t chase someone else’s version of YOUR BDE. Go after your own. Because your best days aren’t always balanced or scientifically perfect. Sometimes they’re bumpy, unpredictable, even a little chaotic.

Like the day I lost track of time in deep conversation with a friend who was struggling. Or the one where I did a full day’s work and still had energy for a walk on the beach at sunset with my wife. Or the quiet, ordinary Thursday where everything just flowed — not because of what I did, but how I felt while doing it.

The science gives us a great nudge: fill your days with meaningful connection, movement, nourishment, and joy. But there’s no universal recipe. One size does not fit all.

For some, it’s a full house and a buzzing kitchen. For others, it’s silence and solitude. For some, it’s a day in nature. For others, it’s a win at work. For you, maybe it’s neither. Maybe it’s the day you finally made progress on something or you felt like a newer version of yourself.

So maybe instead of chasing the BDE, you could start noticing the meaningful moments – the Best Moments Ever (BME). Because the magic isn’t always in the minutes. It’s in the moments. The ones that make you pause. Smile. Sigh. Or whisper, “More of this, please". And when you find a moment like that — don’t measure it, bathe in it. Because your BDE won’t come from a formula. It’ll come from a series of personalised BME.

So… how many BME (Best Moments Ever) did you experience today?

And how might you design tomorrow’s BME?

Here’s my own personalised formula for a BME.

🌀 A moment of personalised meaning 

🌀 A person to connect with

🌀 A laugh or a smile

🌀 Intentional movement

All within a 24 trip around the sun.

And the good news?

The cumulative effect of a series of consecutive BME’s is a BLE (Best Life Ever).