I’ve been trying out a new morning routine for a couple of months now. Here’s how it looks.
- I wake up around 8:30
- I pick up my iPhone and read the mails that were sent overnight by my colleagues from around the world (mainly US)
- Mails that require a lengthy answer or research are marked, short answers are sent directly
- Get out of bed by 9:00, take a shower, get dressed and walk to work. So by the time I’m at my desk it’s about 9:40
I find that this strategy offers me a few significant advantages over going to the office and start working through my inbox.
First of all, I give my brain a kick start by digesting work related matters straight away forcing myself to get a lot of stuff into memory instead of somewhere latently present in a galaxy far far away. While I’m walking I give myself time to reflect on the information I just received. Those 20 minutes walking are vital since they largely define a plan of action for the day. I draw up a mental list of people I need to speak to, topics I need to digg in, ideas I want to bounce around in a meeting, … . Basically, I’m compiling a to do list on the way to work, knowing I have the latest info available.
Second, and more important, I’m up to speed before I arrive in the office. Our great landscape office is ideal for being harassed every minute of every day, meaning I hardly ever get a quiet 30 minutes stretch to work through some topics (I’d give money for a private office with a door sometimes).
