Every entrepreneur’s working style is different, some are morning persons, and some are night owls. Day or night, it is usually the first hour at work that is usually the most productive time in your work schedule. Unfortunately, when you are your own boss, you are answerable or accountable to no one, which leads to a tendency to get lax and let time slide until deadlines draw near and tasks become urgent. If you are in a state of creative chaos forever, here are 3 ways you can harness the first hour at work and do your best work:
Prioritize Before Working
Streamline your tasks at the start of the work schedule and get the most important tasks out of the way first. Determine what needs to be done today at all costs and which can wait. Some of us try to start our work day with small and not so urgent tasks in order to warm up and build a pace. The problem with this approach is that by the time you are done with a couple of mundane tasks, a major part of the day will be gone and you will have lesser energy to focus on the most important task. If you are able to prioritize tasks and get a major chunk of work done in this hour, you will be able to work at a relaxed pace throughout the day.
Get Yourself Nourished
Start your work schedule by getting yourself nourished properly, especially if your work day or night is a long winding one. Don’t start working on an empty stomach. Take your time! Have breakfast or dinner; drink your cup of Joe. Keep a glass of water, a biscuit or even a small flask of tea or coffee nearby, so as to not give yourself an excuse to get up frequently. Make healthier choices in terms of nutrition, such as substituting green or herbal tea for coffee or tea; grabbing a protein bar or fruit instead of cake and biscuits; replacing juice and water with tea and coffee.
Creative Tasks First; Routine Ones Later?
It seems a more sensible think to start your day with responding to emails from clients or returning phone calls, but these routine tasks start sapping your creative energy fast. If you have a creative task like a graphic design to draw, a proposal to work out and submit or an important copy to write, start with that first. So you can work on it with a fresh mind and approach and can give more time and dedicate more energy to it. However, sometimes getting smaller mundane tasks out of the way quickly can ensure that you have a larger free chunk of the day for your creative tasks and can work on it without interruptions of routine tasks. However, everyone agrees that afternoons are the absolute worse time to work on creative tasks.
An erratic and haphazard work schedule can be a work style that can work out well for you but it is a chaotic one nevertheless, with short term results. It stops you from doing your best work and realizing your true potential.
Is your work style and thinking pattern sabotaging your chances at success? Get in touch with Luci McMonagle and discover your key to personal and professional success.