Plan for Power

At the end of the day, when you schedule your next day, plan a powerful morning. The average person starts the day by spending one to three hours talking care of email and phone calls and checking in with the boss and others – “relationship building”. Reduce this to 15-30 minutes so you can get to your first “veggie” sooner. That is discipline.

Check your email for “veggies” only. Add them to your list. Then, close your email and turn off notification, put your phone on voice mail (if you have one), and jump into your list.

Devote an hour of your biggest “veggie”. Defer any interruptions so you can focus. Then, close your “veggie time” and check your email can voice mail allow interruptions, Take care of the major matter as quickly as possible. Allow 60 minutes to complete as many requests as possible.

Then shut out email, phone and interruptions again and take care of your next biggest “veggie” for 60 minutes, After you finish it, attend to the lower priority emails and phone calls. Get back under control before you go to lunch.

Eat lunch after the people who interrupt you the most; that reduces by an hour or two the time in which they can interrupt you. Also, do not work and eat at the same time; in fact, do not eat lunch at your desk.

Use the same approach, structure, and discipline for your afternoon.

You see, by scheduling around your “veggies”, batching little tasks (such as phone calls. Emails and memos), and not letting interruptions and fires control you, you will be working smarter, not harder. And do not work late; it just makes it harder to return to work on time and fresh for a powerful morning. As I mentioned previously, spend the last 10-15 minutes planning for the following day.

What day is a good start for you? For me, Monday morning is critical. A good start makes it more likely that the week will be easier and flow better. Do not schedule meetings or conference calls first thing Monday morning.

Do not plan too much, be realistic. We tend to overestimate by 20%, on average, the amount of time a task will take. Leave room in your schedule for interruptions, last-minute meetings, and unforeseen problems, so you do not run yourself ragged and fail to get everything done.

Some tips:

Use your energy cycles to your advantage: We have at least three energy cycles in a day. For 75% of us, the strongest is in the morning, the next strongest is in the afternoon, and the weakest is in the evening. Use your morning more effectively and reduce the chances you will have to stay late.

Schedule smartly: When you plan your day, look for ways to structure it better and work with more discipline. Put the “veggies” in the morning and leave room for interruptions and the unplanned stuff.

Start earlier and leave on time: That is smarter than starting on time and leaving late. You can accomplish more before others arrive – and you can spend more time with your family in the evening. Families notice those who come home late more than those who leave early.

It took me a long time to realize that others were taking advantage of my best time to get things done. They were reducing my most productive time of the day to a “pimple” – and I was letting them.

Don't bother the posts below, but if you are free, why not?

1. Use a daily list
2. Working longer hours: find more time for you
3. Manage your master list (ML)
4. Be available always: limit interruptions
5. Working At Home: How?