Get Up Doc!

At 57, I think I’ve cracked the code to getting things done: stay away from people.

People like to interact. It’s what they do.

So the only course of action is to get up before they do. That way, before their phone calls, the emails, the texts get fired at you… you can get a head start with the most important “to-do’s” of the day.

A similar case could be made for working late but for me, my brain is fried by then. The “Walking Dead” have already gotten a piece of me.

I workout after dinner, go to bed by 8, and begin working at 5.

As a result, I get more done by 8 than most people do all day… and those extra hours add up. In the course of a month, I know that I’m adding at least an additional week’s worth of productivity to each month—actually probably two weeks because of the quality and amount of work (and thinking and creativity) that gets accomplished.

So if your staff, spouse, or dog are making their problems yours, you’re just going to have to start your day before they start theirs.

There is no way around it.

The good news is that once you get used to it, you won’t have it any other way.