| Giving yourself the Edge – Taking your morning serious |
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| Corporate Lifestyle |
| Written by Ayodele Olowookere |
| Wednesday, 15 October 2008 19:37 |
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For the first time in about five years, I had to travel from Lagos to Ekiti by road. The experience on the road brought to mind the theme of my write up for the week. Giving you the edge. I hope you realize early that being a top notch professional is about being sharp and always at the right places with brilliant ideas all the time. I mean all the time. Everyday counts and it’s important your mind, concentration level and chain of thoughts are alert and composed.The morning is as important as the remaining part of the day. As a professional; you have to see each day like a sprint, therefore, the way you start the day is critical. So what are those things you can do to start your day and stay in shape professionally? They are quite simple. 1.Start early. This is the part of your morning routine over which you have the greatest control. To fit it all in, you must start early. Try as much as possible to avoid getting up late and having to rush through your morning. This will not help you one bit. The quiet of the morning is often the time when your mind is at its clearest and most well-suited to solving important problems. If possible, take out a note pad every morning as you go through your chores and write your thoughts for the day. This allows you to be much more strategic and proactive than reactive." 2.Exercise every morning. This is really hard considering the fear of traffic, and the fact that most people can’t afford gym equipment in their homes. But you can work around this if you are determined to. It can be as simple as skipping the rope for some five minutes; I do this regularly. Remember, you can only get to do this if you follow up and adhere to the first rule; starting early. Also, try and do some two to three hours work out on the weekends. Apart from the health advantages of this, it also helps clear your mind and allows your brain to function properly. 3.Get a jump on email. If you think you're alone in feeling overwhelmed by emails, take comfort: even top CEOs and the most senior executives feel compelled to stay on top of their email, and most of them find time in the early morning to do so. Jump-start the day by doing your mail first thing when you get to office. This allows you to have a clear mind when you set priorities for the day. 4.Be informed. Much has been written about the demise of the newspaper, many have switched to online news. Yet most people maintain the morning newspaper as a central part of their routine. Whatever you prefer, make sure you stay on top of events and happenings. Your timing also matters. Be the first to know. Use reliable sources. Scoop around. Anything might just be useful! 5.Be creative with your morning routine. Despite all the discipline and structure described in the above best practices, it doesn't mean you can't be creative with your morning rituals. Be free to be you. The examples cited here have led me to reassess how I structure my early-morning time, and I hope they help you in making the most of your daily routine as well. Be sharp. Cut like a knife.
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It’s been a long and rather tiring week. I read a lot about the focus and lessons around the life and habits of locusts all the week. It was quite exciting and eye opening. I had thought I will write about the ‘’Lifestyle of Locusts’’ this week. You might be wondering what is there to learn from the lifestyle of locusts.My InC Account
Last InC Poll Results
In last week's poll, our poll takers were equally split between taking a vacation in Dubai, UAE and Paris, France.
Weekly Reflections
You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Zig Ziglar
