Win Your Day Key #1: Power Work
KEY POINTS:
1. The first key to mastering your day is Power Work.
2. Find out what time of day you are most productive and block off this time to do your most important and creative work.
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.”
Now that you’ve learned how to master your morning, here is the first key to mastering your day.
Another way to create the optimal day is to do the bulk (if not all) of your most important activities during the hours of the day when you are at your best. This is different for everyone. Some people like to dive in right after their morning routine and bang out several productive hours before lunch.
Others like to ease into their days and really dig in later in the afternoon.
Some people are night owls.
Once you figure out what works for you, control that time. It is a time each day you will invest in your life’s most important work. It is your “Power Work” time.
Remember that “work” can be anything - your actual job, or your physical training, your creative pursuits, or your family time. Just do your most important tasks when you are at your best.
Key 1: Power Work
During this time, you can not engage in anything that is not mission critical. You can turn off your phone and close all irrelevant windows on your computer. You can completely block out anything and everything that could possibly take your attention away from the task at hand. You will not do anything administrative, distracting, or non-pressing. Such activities require less mental investment and should be saved for hours outside of Power Work.
If you’re not sure what will work for you, analyze your patterns. Take a day, break it up by hour, and look to identify when you typically feel at your best. It may take some experimentation, but once you know when you’re most productive, protect that time.
Power Work is very individual. By identifying the times of day when you feel best, you can get much more done in much less time, and you’re going to have the highest level of energy for the things most important to you.
Save the nonessential tasks for periods of the day when you are likely to have less energy and focus.
During Power Work, we suggest operating in 60 - 90 minute blocks, followed by 10 - 30 minute breaks. These breaks can consist of meditation, exercise, music, light reading, or anything else that helps your brain relax and recharge.
Some companies are beginning to implement what are called “healthy breaks.” This is where people are encouraged to take the time to go on a mind-clearing walk, or visit a break room where there is little to no activity or noise. People are not encouraged to spend their breaks on their phone. Rather, this time should be spent letting the mind rest and helping the body break out of the seated position.
And remember, once you know which hours are most productive, be sure to stay positive and tell yourself “I can do this”. Positive self-talk can have significant effect on attitude and performance, so remind yourself that you are capable. What you think is what you are.
This Week’s Exercise: Determine your “Power Work” time
Before you can block off time to Power Work, you need to determine when that time should be. What time of day are you most productive?
This week, analyze your habits. At the end of each day, track when you felt your best and accomplished your most important tasks. Once you’ve determined when you’re most productive, you can start to carve out time in your day for Power Work.
Keep up the good work!
Watch Greg and Bruce discuss how they incorporate Power Work into their lives.
The information and advice provided in this program is intended to assist you with improving your performance, as well as your general health. It is not intended and should not be used in place of advice from your own physician or for treatment or diagnosis of any specific health issue. By participating in this program you acknowledge that undertaking any new health, diet and/or exercise regime involves certain inherent risks, that you assume such risks, and that you release Wells Performance Inc. from any responsibility or claim relating to such participation.