It is 4:10 PM and I have to tell you: I am wiped. Actually, no. That’s not quite accurate. Let me start again…
Good morning!
It is 4:11 PM and I have to tell you: I am creatively wiped. That is, my creative tank is empty. If this sales tip seems less energetic than normal and less helpful than normal, now you know why.
Ordinarily, I write and record these tips in the morning. It’s when I do most of my content creation, in fact. There’s a good reason for this. The morning is when I am most energetic. It’s when I do my best work. Most of the time, if I have a task which involves any kind of creativity, I make certain it is scheduled early in my day.
Yesterday morning is a good example. I was taking a shower after a workout and had an idea for a column. Walking into my office, the column came flying out of me. I was able to write my 1200 word printing impressions piece in about 30 minutes. Had I waited until late in the day, it would have been like giving birth. As it is, I’m not exactly cranking this tip out in short fashion.
But because I know this about myself—because I know I do my best work in the morning—I plan my day around it.
The most important part of time management is preparation. This includes things like making the most of time spent out of the office (like when you set up an appointment and then look for other customers and prospects to visit nearby).
Well, another aspect of preparation is to line up tasks according to your energy level. The next time you have a sales appointment at 1:30 in the afternoon and everyone in the room starts to get sleepy, it’s because your body is breaking down the client lunch you just had and you are low energy.
Granted, at 63 years old, my energy pattern is likely different than what I was 36 years old. But the point is still relevant enough to encourage you to put some thought into why you do what you do and when you do it.
It’s now 4:27 PM. Time to plan my tomorrow and set myself up for success. A good time manager prepares.
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