Yesterday, I got an email from a new newsletter subscriber asking me how I spend my day. Like most productive folks, much of my workday hinges on routine, but I do a few things differently than most traditional office workers. Here's a day in my Ridiculously Efficient life.
My Schedule for Most Weekdays
- 6:50 a.m.: If the sun is up, I pop out of bed. If it's cloudy or the sun isn't up yet, I turn on my second alarm for 7:30 a.m. (I have a rough time getting going when it's gloomy out.)
- 7:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.: These are my power hours. I scan my Twitter feed and RSS reader for good articles to cover or share on social media, crank out articles for clients and map out the rest of my workday. This block of time is intensely focused, so there's no email, phone or Facebooking. If I'm really firing on all cylinders, I can get just about a whole day's worth of work done here.
- 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.: Breakfast, email and phone calls. I check email via my iPad and try to stand and/or walk around during my phone calls.
- 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: Another work period. Again, very intense.
- 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Lunch and the day's errands. I also schedule any non-work appointments during this time block to stay productive while I mentally recharge.
- 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.: Glance at email for time-sensitive messages. Workout time! I'll dive into my specific workout routine in a future post, but during this period I lift, do some HIIT for cardio, practice an hour of yoga and shower.
- 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.: Respond to all unanswered emails, wrap up my workday and do some preliminary prep on the next day's projects.
- 7:00 p.m. on: Me time! The only rule for this part of my day is that there are no rules. Most nights, I'm asleep by 11 p.m. or so.
Caveats
Sometimes I take a weekday off or need to clear my schedule. In that case, I typically work ahead the evening before from 6 p.m. until I'm finished, and then use as much of my morning as I can to tie up loose ends.
Errands may also bleed into my workout time (like today, for example). When this happens, I crank out work and exercise as soon as I'm able and forget about the time. These days are rare exceptions to the rule, though.
Got any burning productivity questions? Send 'em to me here.
Member discussion