Small business owners and entrepreneurs must be productive. We need to squeeze value out of every minute. For most of us, our most energetic and constructive time is first thing in the morning. Do we use those precious morning hours well?
I recently asked readers of my free monthly small business tips newsletter, PlanningShop Report, to share how they best use their hours before 9 a.m.
Here’s how a few make the most of that precious time:
1. Plan the day
Margaret Menotti of Kel and Partners in Boston writes: “The most productive part of my business day is seven a.m. to nine a.m. I start early: write, prioritize my day, and get ball rolling before it runs over me first!”
Kenneth Freeman of Yuba City, Calif., sets “…the day’s plan the night before and identifies the one to two things that must be completed … Then, first thing in the morning, I get started on them, before the interruptions start around nine a.m.”
2. Exercise
Consultant Brenda Coleman-Beattie of 2Thrive4 in Austin, Texas, gets up around 6 a.m. and goes for “… a three-to-five mile walk (with my FitBit on) so I can accomplish all or the majority of my 10,000 daily steps before my day begins. That sense of accomplishment sets the tone for my day … Also, these walks have produced clearer thinking and great ideas.”
Sandi Larson of Duluth, Minn., goes hiking “… with my dog on the hiking trails near my house. It’s beautiful, gets my blood pumping, and helps me think through priorities for the day.”
Brenda Dillon-Cavette, founder of FashionistaTea in New York City, says she works out in the morning first thing. “It’s important to do at least one thing for yourself each day and getting it done early is a big personal accomplishment that sets the tone for the day. You are able to clear your head and focus on what needs to be done.”
3. Take care of family
Several readers mentioned family time takes up much of their mornings. Angie Higa, owner of SkyDreams in Mililani, Hawaii, juggles the difficult work-life balancing act. “Since my daughter is on her third military deployment, I am caring for my two grand-daughters ages seven and four…With two little ones who are vying for my attention, grabbing my phone and reading my emails in the bathroom seems to work…sometimes.”
Amy Clairmont, a designer in Austin, Texas, acknowledges the tug-of-war when you run a home-based business. “A home office requires self-discipline. The lines between personal and professional time compete for attention and it is up to me to set clear boundaries….From seven a.m. to nine a.m. is family time. My family has access to me for questions, rides, or requests…whatever is not done before nine can wait until my lunch break. When I walk in my office at nine a.m., I am mentally prepared to focus on the task at hand.”
4. Clear the mind
I have a spiritual group of readers. Many respondents said they read their Bible or affirmations, meditate or practice mindfulness to start the day. Writer Danyell Taylor ofWashington, D.C., begins by reading the Bible and affirmations. She says this practice “calms me, centers me, and prepares me for greatness.”
Similarly, Kurt Huffman of Las Vegas finds that reading daily devotions “help to remind me that business is just one aspect of the day.”
“Mindfulness is my thing to do before nine a.m.,” said Carlos Leira of Buenos Aires. “To get focus and minimize the stress.”
5. Read email and move on
Lauren Theirry of Independence Day Clothing of Madison, Conn., begins her business day at 6:38 once her kids are on the bus. “Non-essential emails are dispensed with quickly. Then no going back to them! My first phone call is placed at 8:58 a.m. I like to be that ‘first caller’ of the day.”
Others recognize that email can be a time sink. Ray Ann Kilen, Dickenson Regional Director of the North Dakota Small Business Development Center, first checks to “identify anything new: contacts, opportunities, experiences. This can be a distraction however, and I try to save e-mails that are not urgent for later action.”
Bill Elward of Castle Ink in Greenlawn, N.Y., wins the best early morning emailer award: “Every day I focus on sending one positive or thankful email to either an employee, customer or affiliate. Not only does this set the tone for my day, I’ve found that the positivity it generates is contagious and its impact is long lasting.”
Copyright, Rhonda Abrams, 2015
This article originally ran in USA Today on July 10, 2015
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