Hour Of Power

Think about what you did first thing when you landed at your desk this morning. I’m guessing you checked email, right? The scenario usually goes like this. You have a loose plan for the day in your head or on paper, you get into work, turn on the computer and start clicking away on email. Before you know it, its 10 am, you are pulled into all sorts of new ideas, problems, and issues and you haven’t gotten to any of YOUR priorities of the day. Then, the morning meeting happens, it’s lunchtime, you’re back on your computer checking email and you haven’t worked on any of your highest level priorities. It’s now 3:30 pm and you still have those priorities that you need to get done today staring you in the face. You sit and wonder how is this going to happen given the time you’ve got left in my day? These items continue to get pushed back in your day and now it’s time to pick up the kids or catch the bus. What happens to those priorities?

Instead, consider this: You get into work, look at the list for the priorities that you need to get going on and get started on the one that is the ugliest to you. You set your timer for 30 minutes. It dings and you move onto the next highest level task. Your timer dings after another 30 minutes have gone by. Look at what you’ve accomplished by 9 am! Now, it’s time to check email. But, the difference is that you already have accomplished 2 of your priorities or at least started on them as you head into your morning.

This is called the Hour of Power! Shifting your mind and focus around utilizing that first hour of your day to accomplish those tasks that are the hardest, least enjoyable or most time-consuming is what sets productive people apart from everyone else.

Set yourself up for success

1. Have a plan for your day – the Hour of Power doesn’t work unless you are clear what you will be doing within that timeframe.

2. Let your staff, colleagues, friends, peers and supervisor know that you will be using that first hour of your day to accomplish high priority tasks that need to be done. (I’m yet to meet a boss that doesn’t like this idea and would rather have you clicking away on email)

3. Stick to it for a week and see how it works for you. Really focus your mind during that hour and be honest at the end of the week. Did it feel good? Did you get more done? Was it really that hard?

I once heard somebody say “Earn your salary by noon!” By focusing your time in your most important hour of the day and putting it to work for you, I promise you will see big changes in what you can accomplish.