THE FIRST PROJECT OF THE DAY, by Michael Neill

"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule but to schedule your priorities."
-Stephen R. Covey

The US Army used to have a slogan that read "We get more done before breakfast than most people do all day." Over the past few weeks, I have been experimenting with a practical application of this slogan to my working day. Instead of getting started on the overnight e-mails or getting stuck in to my daily task list, I deliberately choose something which *doesn't* need to be done today and make that the first project of the day.
Here's what this looked like last week:
Monday: Wrote a few pages of my new book, "Supercoach"
Tuesday: Did some on-line research on potential project partners for training work
Wednesday: Wrote an e-course for a new web project
Thursday: Worked on "Supercoach"
Friday: Read a few chapters of "Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It" by Cali Ressler and Jodi Thompson
In each case, I spent between 30 - 90 minutes on the project, and in each case I then moved on to my daily dose of e-mails, appointments and to-do's. In other words, I prioritized what was important over what was urgent, knowing that anything which was truly urgent would get done anyways but anything which wasn't (longer-term goals, projects and explorations) might not.
Now, this is by no means an idea which originates with me - time management experts from Julie Morgenstern ("Don't Answer E-mail in the Morning") to Mark Forster ("Do it Tomorrow") and Michael Masterson ("Automatic Wealth") have been preaching the benefits of beginning your day on your terms for years. But what has been a revelation to me is just how much easier it is to get stuff done *before* I open myself up to the input of the day.
Once I've answered my first e-mail or picked up my first phone message, my brain automatically begins solving other people's problems or responding to their heartfelt questions. And there's a part of me that loves that - I want to be of service and I enjoy being able to make a difference in people's lives. But by simply delaying that process by an hour or so each morning, I get to put my first things first.
And because I know I'm taking care of what matters most to me, I'm much more inclined to then take care of what matters most to the people around me.

Today's Experiment:
1. Starting tomorrow, begin each day with at least 5 minutes of work on something which you really want to do but know doesn't *have* to be done today. As you get more comfortable with this idea, extend the time to 15 minutes, then 30 minutes or more.
2. Create a "frontlog". Everyone knows about backlogs, but a frontlog is simply a list of all those things which you know will be on your to-do list later in the week, month or year but wouldn't otherwise make the list now. When you find yourself with free time you want to spend moving things forward, you can begin clearing your frontlog instead of filling that time with busy work or idle surfing.
Have fun, learn heaps, and contemplate this quote from Alan Cohen:"On the day you die, you will have unanswered e-mail in your inbox."
With love, Michael
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(c) 2008 Michael Neill/All Rights Reserved