Start as Soon as You Get to Work

Why the First Hours are Most Critical

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been discussing how to slow your pace.  Mainly, we’ve been talking about how to slow the pace as it implies to the workplace.  Keep in mind that while these tips work very well in the workplace, they work in other places too: home, church, small groups, personal projects, group projects, etc.  No matter what you’re working on or where, there is one habit that can derail any progress. That habit is called procrastination.  Procrastination is possibly the biggest deterrent to getting anything you want to get done accomplished.

This is why I say “start as soon as your feet hit the floor.”  Start while your thoughts are focused on the idea.  Don’t wait until you’ve interacted with others who (by default) have another agenda for you.  Just a simple interaction at the copier can derail you.  One visit from an employee, boss or peer can get you off on a tangent.  I suggest you do a first-part-of-your-day lock in.  Start the day with your door closed or your headphones on so that you can put all your energy into slowing your pace and bringing your week to the end you desire.

Don’t let your day slip away.
If you haven’t noticed, time slips right through your fingers like sand on a beach.  Your day is the very same.  If you’re not careful and not paying close attention, your morning will slip away and your afternoon doesn’t leave you with enough hours to accomplish all you need to complete.  Let me help you, your day is just that… your day and it’s up to you to manage the tasks you have to complete in that day.

The first hours are critical.
The first couple hours of your day are the most critical.  Like the show, The First 48, you need to complete all you can during this short and fleeting time period.  The way you start will determine how you finish.  When your day starts out of control, it will surely end out of control.  When your day starts in an orderly fashion, it tends to end smoothly.  The common denominator is that it both starts and ends with you.

Years ago, I updated our family plan to indicate that I didn’t want to get straight out of bed and head directly to the office. I wanted to have time before work to enjoy my home and family.  So we figured out a way to make sure we get about 90 minutes to 2 hours at home awake prior to leaving for any office.  We figured how you start your day greatly impacts how it will end.

Make slowing your pace the top priority.
You have a list of priorities whether written or remembered.  Add one more to the top of the list for your Friday.  Figure out how to slow your pace so that you can glide into your week’s end.

Today is Your Friday!
Don’t put off the practice of slowing your pace.  Get right to it.  Your week’s end is at stake as well as your balanced life.