OK. So there we are. Number One on my list. My absolute personal favorite.
If there is only ONE thing that you take away from this, that you put into practice, then please let it be this one. Focusing on this rule (or principle) alone will give you a massive boost in productivity and make a tremendous difference in how you perform, how you feel and how others see you at work (and probably outside of that).
After about 25 years of being heavily into personal development and growth, I have made this my cardinal rule. Ready ? Here goes.
Spend the first 90 minutes of your day religiously taking care of what matters most.
That’s it. Sounds simple, doesn’t it ? Spending the first 90 minutes of your day doing what matters most. But let’s dig a little deeper. In fact, let’s analyze what a typical day for most of us looks like once we get into the office.
Right after getting our – must have – morning coffee, we usually do one of two things:
- we open our e-mail app and start firing away
- we go into a meeting
Which really translates into one thing – we start “looking and acting busy”. Now, if I were to run into you in the hallway and ask you “what is the most important thing that you do to make sure you are successful in your job ?” I am willing to bet the answer is NOT going to be either of those.
More likely, it will be things like reflecting on major business issues, talking to clients, developing proposals, writing or other things. What do most of those have in common ? Right, you need some peace and quiet to do them – and they “don’t look like work”
If nobody cares, why should you ?
For years, I went into the office and did meaningless stuff first because I thought it made me look good. I thought that if I went into the office and rushed straight into a meeting, it would give me the image of a “go getting, high-flyin’ super talent”. Guess what ? Nobody cared.
What my boss (and pretty much anyone else) cared most about was getting results. Results they could see, measure, touch and feel. Results that mattered. Results that – dare I say – made them look good.
And it certainly seems like things haven’t changed much – a recent study by the University of St. Gallen and London Business School confirms that “only about 10 percent of managers take purposeful action.” The remainder are busy, just not very effective: 40 percent were energetic but unfocused; 30 percent had low energy, little focus and tended to procrastinate; and 10% were focused, but not very energetic.”
And as soon as I realized that, I started spending the first 90 minutes of my day doing what matters most. Now, I have coached and worked with entrepreneurs, startup CEOS, future executives and other movers and shakers.
Invariably, when I told them to do what matters most first two things started happening. Those that tried it say they can’t live without it anymore. Those that didn’t said “I can’t do that, what will people think/what will my team makes of this/what will my boss think”.
Those that tried it told me countless stories of the massive impact it had on their performance and their life. Those that didn’t – well, there wasn’t much to talk about
90 minutes is all it takes
Spending the first 90 minutes of your day working on what matters most is like “the gift that keeps on giving”, but a few things jump out in terms of what people have told me they experienced:
- a massive increase in productivity as they take less time to “do the really difficult stuff” when they are at their freshest and most productive
- a flow of new and innovative ideas that often result in dramatic improvements or radical new solutions to tackle problems
- a feeling of achievement and purpose when they look back on their day, week or month and realize all that they’ve accomplished
- a feeling of being in control of their own career and orchestrating events rather than being swept around by them (interestingly enough, this one came from a VERY senior executive)
Finally, nearly everyone that tried it told me that focusing on what matters most in the first 90 minutes of their day has earned them the reputation of someone who gets things done, someone you can turn to when you need a problem solved and – ultimately – someone whose performance makes them stand out by a mile.
So there you go. My Top-5 Performance Hacks. Five principles that I live by on day-to-day basis. Five things that have dramatically and positively impacted my performance and that of many others. And five things that could do the same for you – if you give them a chance and put them into practice.
I sure hope you will.
PS. As you know, I just started blogging again and the comments section looks a litlte empty right now. I would consider it a HUGE favor if you’d put in a word and let me know if you tried one (or all) of them, and what the results were. And don’t hesitate to use the social links to share – thanks !
PPS. I am thinking about putting together someting very, very special to “give back” and and make a real difference in 2012 (as I mentioned, my main goal for this year is to help as many others as possible). Stay tuned for more !
