Fast Company recently published a thoughtful blog titled, Why Productive People Get Up Insanely Early by Paul DeJoe, the co-founder of Vancouver- based Ecquire, a sales productivity tool. In his quest to figure out how to appreciate the present, he stumbled upon an unusual solution,
What I was depriving myself from was time in the day where there was no pressure and no expectations. For the same reasons that I felt most creative on Saturday mornings and on planes, 4 a.m. has become a place of productive peace. That feeling is why I love what I do. I don’t need a vacation. I don’t need to step away. I just need a couple hours a day before anyone else is up.
DeJoe suggests that doing your best work means understanding that distraction is your enemy. His solution: wake before distraction can consume you.
One of the lessons from his journey of self discovery was
Planning your day the night before allows you to feel on top of your day and even look forward to it. Attacking the hardest thing first and all the stuff I didn’t want to do before 9 a.m. leaves the rest of the day to be very fulfilling….
In a competitive landscape where being relentlessly proactive and creative each day are minimum standards, the biggest threat to your business is if you stop loving what you do. Whether by waking up before dawn or truly vacating your vacation, building a schedule that protects your love for what you do is critical to optimizing the quality of your life–and your work.
When do you do your best work? How do you stay on the top of your game? How do you continue to love what you do and staying fresh and productive?
That’s a WRAP! Have a wonderful weekend.
Speak Your Mind