CEO at The Persimmon Group➣Preparing Leaders for Tomorrow➣Keynote Speaker➣Executive Coach➣Management Consultant
Do you check your email first thing in the morning? That is one of the most common mistakes the people I consult with make, and it is also one of the hardest to change. When you start your day by opening your email, it immediately sets you into a reactive mode. Research, as well as interviews with high performers across industries, validates that giving yourself time to “step into your day” and contemplating what you want to accomplish has a substantial impact on your ability to control your focus and, ultimately, your performance. Here’s what you can do instead: Think about your morning routine. Most of us have one, even though we may not intentionally organize it. Start with the moment you wake up and end with when you either leave for your commute or go to your home office. Challenge yourself to stop checking email prior to going “on game.” If you have your email set to automatically notify you every time a new email comes to your inbox, then change your phone settings to download new emails only when you open the email app yourself. This places the control back with you for when new emails arrive. Start to recognize when you check your email the first time and associate that with the start of your workday. After doing this for several days, resolve what you would like to have as your “thinking time.” I use a personal journal and sticky notes to capture my thoughts and action items that I hope to accomplish over the day or upcoming days. This allows me to clear my mind of what I want to do (or believe I should do) before I receive the issues or needs in my inbox that I have to do. #leadfortomorrow #productivity #leadershipcoaching