Schedule Like a Pro... part two - the afternoon

IMPORTANT WORK FIRST:
Many people arrive at the office and immediately get busy with email and meetings, leaving their realwork for later in the day. Rookie error…  First order of business in the morning is laying out your tasks by priority do your important work FIRST – with no distractions. Why? To put it bluntly distractions make us loose IQ points & offices are an endless stream of interruptions.  So if you don’t hit the ground running with your priority tasks needed for the success of your business what makes you think later on will improve your odds of having quality time?   Studies show that alertness and memory, the ability to think clearly and to learn, can vary by between 15% and 30% over the course of a day.  Moral of the story if you’re smarter in the morning then don’t you want that brain power working on your most valued tasks?

So make sure your making progress on the thing/s that matter.  Hint lay out no more than three ‘priority’ tasks and tackle them one at a time before taking on your busy work.  You can thank me later when you see the results!

But even you can’t sprint for miles. What do you do when your brain gets tired?

This is the time to regroup when you start to slow down:  It’s called afternoon brain fog syndrome. We have all felt it & I can tell you it is not only for the elderly. Why does this happen? Working too hard? Food coma? Often it’s just our natural body clock rhythm telling us we need to reboot.

First, take a break.  Taking a break does not mean you’re a slacker.  Studies show taking a power break 5-10 minutes every 90 minutes gives our brain a boost and makes us more productive with better results.  Get a snack… Take cleansing breathes – stretch the legs - refocus!

Lunch – take it!  You need to refuel – mentally and physically.  We don’t run on success alone. Stay away from heavy foods that will make you crave a three hour nap!  What you need next is a mini version of your morning ritual. Review your goals and the progress you have made for your morning. Get your second wind for the next part of your day. 

Nothing is more motivating than progress & progress is made when we stay on task completing priorities first.

You took a break, reviewed your goals and achievements, and now you’re ready to work again. What do you focus on for part two of your day?

The needed but not priority items:  Meetings, calls & people stuff:  When your energy is high 2-4 hours in the morning focus on the creative & challenging work!  When energy is in its lower productivity stages then focus on busy work… These are the things you can do as they say blind folded.

One of the most important tricks for maximizing your productivity involves matching your mental state to the task … At 6:00 a.m. I’m a creator, and by 2:00 p.m. I’m a networker… It’s the perfect match of my energy level with a mindless task.  When I say mindless I am not saying unimportant, just tasks that are 'busywork' things that don't require major concentrated efforts.  For you it might be the developer, the architect or the artist in the morning and the administrator, the task completer, or the communicator in the afternoon.  Just make sure whatever you are in the morning is what makes the wheels turn for your company!

So the workday is over. Is that it? Not hardly… Look for 'Schedule Like a Pro... The Evening.

Schedule Like a Pro... final part - the evening

There’s an optimal way to handle your schedule after the sun goes down too.

The last thing I want you to add to your schedule:  A relaxing evening… Though successful people do work long – long hours, the greats almost all take the evening off to recharge.  How many of you have trouble shutting the mind off of work needs? Just about all of us do – why?

A couple reasons:

1)     We feel as if we didn’t make enough progress

2)     We have pressing matters that are left unresolved

I propose a few things to add to your evening (work) routine… Here comes the rest of the story.  I want you to block time before you leave for the day – EVERYDAY to:

1)     Write down or mark off your accomplishments if you use an organisational system (there are several good ones out there)

2)     Write down the tasks still needed to be worked on for tomorrow or add them to your calendar (those will become your first morning things to do if they are of a priority level)

3)     Straighten your desk! Why, it helps you mentally put the office to bed like making your bed in the morning make your desk in the evening.  Plus, coming into to an organized office helps you stay focused, on track and not get the immediate over whelmed feeling that will cause you to veer off course.

Now do something for you… All day you have been awesome, staying on task & knocking out the work load.  So reward yourself.  Take a hike, read that book you’ve been looking at for the past month, share a glass of wine or share some light conversation with a friend, pick up a movie and pizza for family night or a board game, lay in the hammock and cloud watch… point is do something everyday that says I love life and am not willing to waste a moment of it!

LASTLY – SLEEP!!!

The bottom line is that sleep loss means valuable mind loss.  Sleep loss cripples thinking, in just about every way you can measure thinking.  Sleep loss hurts attention, executive function, immediate memory, physical negative effects, slows working memory, mood, quantitative skills, logical reasoning ability, and in general makes you act like a cranky pill.  Your body regenerates best in a sleep state so if you are working hard now so that you can enjoy life do you really want to do it from a wheel chair?  Take care of your body and it will take care of you – you can make excuses for anything but you have to ask yourself if you want to make progress to change things for the better why allow yourself the negativity of an excuse to hold you back?

An excuse is the reason you are giving yourself for not doing things you know you need to do – so… No Excuses! Live Life to its fullest & start now because tomorrow will always be the excuse that holds you back.

ROAR!!

3rd times a charm?

Yes, I know you've heard it before try - try again and we hope the 3rd times a charm. Well, this is about your daily routine and adding some serious productivity boosts to your day.

Think now about how many thoughts roll around your head - I don't know about you but that is a serious time distraction when you have 'brain blogging' going on.  Some of us get so bogged down with the ideas, needs, issues and other thoughts that roll around on a regular basis that we don't function at our highest or stay as creative as we need to be.



Third times a charm - here's where it comes into play.
First time charm: When you come in to the office in the morning before you start your daily routine take your first moment in the day to seriously clear your mind.

Now this is harder than it sounds you are not just taking a quick few breaths, thinking of your happy place, and starting your day.  You need to close off distractions (cell phones, computers, lights, activity in the halls) and let those 'brain blogging' thoughts surface while you visualize a list in your head and prioritize the thoughts that surface.  For some of you that do not visualize well it is ok to write down the thoughts surfacing.  Now go over them and put them into perspective.
1) Grass needs mowed (This can be thought about at home)

2) Power point presentation needs fixed (Prioritize)
3) Coffee pot needs rinsed (Do at next break)
4) Client follow ups (Right after you clear out yesterday left over)
5) Left over work from yesterday (Start your morning with - prioritizing value)
6) Call back utility company (Handle at first break)
7) Squirrel.... ok that was a serious distraction (How many of you have unexplainable randomness?)
8) Check on car oil level (Right after work is over)

Next open your eyes you have your structure for the start of the morning - take your deep breaths, roll the shoulders, straighten the spine and take on the day!
Wait!! What about 3rd times the charm?? You all know as well as I do that even the most well laid plans go awry when other outside factors come into play. So what you just did to start your day you do right after lunch and before you go home.  Only difference is after lunch you will re-clear your mind and re-prioritize your morning list taking into effect higher priorities that may have come your way.  The 3rd times a charm & one of the most important for a balanced life is when you clear your work day out of your mind - remember you are human and there's only so much you can do in a day.  Write yourself out a task list for the next morning and put it out of your mind allowing family and fun come into your mind.
Some might do this task right after you shut down the computer for the day or on the ride home, where ever it is just make sure it is handled before you walk into your home. Consciously think about a wonderful memory before you walk into the house and be the greeter with a smile for your castle area.
This will not happen over night and it does require concentration and dedication. But, if you make it part of your routine like drinking 8-8oz glasses of water a day it will improve your spirit and productivity!

Think Happy Thoughts!
Kristi Kirkland
www.answermarketing.net