What Successful People Do With The First Hour Of Their Work Day. Remember when you used to have a period at the beginning of every day to think about your schedule, catch up with friends, maybe knock out a few tasks?
It was called home room, and it went away after high school. But many successful people schedule themselves a kind of grown-up home room every day. You should too. The first hour of the workday goes a bit differently for Craig Newmark of Craigslist, David Karp of Tumblr, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, career writer (and Fast Company blogger) Brian Tracy, and others, and they’ll tell you it makes a big difference. Here are the first items on their daily to-do list. Don’t Check Your Email for the First Hour. Tumblr founder David Karp will "try hard" not to check his email until 9:30 or 10 a.m., according to an Inc. profile of him. If you need to make sure the most important messages from select people come through instantly, AwayFind can monitor your inbox and get your attention when something notable arrives. Choose Your Frog. The Best Strategy for Reducing Stress - Peter Bregman. By Peter Bregman | 7:00 AM July 10, 2012 Imagine you’re sailing in the Bahamas, sipping a cold drink and listening to the water lapping the sides of the boat.
Relaxing, right? Not for my friend Rob.* Rob is not usually stressed-out. So why was he stressed that blissful day on his boat? That’s the underlying cause of stress and it’s afflicting us more these days than ever because our expectations keep rising, thanks in part to exponential improvements in our technology. In a hilarious interview with Conan O’Brien, the comedian Louis C.K. talked about how everything is amazing right now and nobody’s happy.
“How quickly the world owes him something he knew existed only 10 seconds ago.” Rob is usually laid-back in the face of his ever-present problems precisely because they’re ever-present. But that day on his boat, Rob was expecting his cell to work. So what can you do about the stress and frustration that comes from unmet expectations? Sometimes it’s possible to change reality. *Name changed. What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. Mornings are a great time for getting things done.
You’re less likely to be interrupted than you are later in the day. Your supply of willpower is fresh after a good night’s sleep. That makes it possible to turn personal priorities like exercise or strategic thinking into reality. But if you’ve got big goals—and a chaotic a.m. schedule—how can you make over your mornings to make these goals happen? Because I write about time management frequently, I’ve gotten to see hundreds of calendars and schedules over the years. 1.
Part of spending your time better is knowing how you’re spending it now. While measuring your mornings, try tracking your whole week. As for the mornings themselves, you can be organized but still not be spending them well. 2. After you know how you’re spending your time, ask yourself what a great morning would look like. For personal growth: For professional growth: Strategize: In an age of constant connectivity, people complain of having no time to think.
First-Time Startup Entrepreneurs: Stop Fucking Around. Editor’s note: Paul Stamatiou is Co-founder of Picplum, a Y Combinator-backed photo printing service, where he obsesses over both design and development.
He also co-founded Notifo (YC W10) and Skribit. Follow him on his blog, PaulStamatiou.com, and on Twitter: @Stammy. Reminisce with me for a bit. Do you remember the first time you got an Internet connection? Before your computer was always connected and when going online was a thing you had to plan. When I first visited California for my Yahoo! Every time I drive into San Francisco and see the skyline, it’s a strong reminder that I’m fortunate to be in a time and place where I have wanted to be for so long, with such a vibrant and strong tech community. This is all started with a tweet of mine.
I’m going to teach a course for first-time startup entrepreneurs called stop fucking around and get back to work.— Paul Stamatiou (@Stammy) April 23, 2012 We are in an amazing time right now — perhaps the perfect time to build companies.