The Rudder of the Day

The Rudder(ˈrədər) of the Day

By Steve Pavlina

It’s been said that the first hour is the rudder of the day. I’ve found this to be very true in my own life. If I’m lazy or haphazard(ˌhapˈhazərd) in my actions during the first hour after I wake up, I tend to have a fairly lazy and unfocused day. This kind of day might begin by lingering(ˈliNGg(ə)riNG) in bed to cuddle(ˈkədl) the wife, being pounced(pouns) by my daughter, stretching(streCH) a bit, getting dressed, shaving, having a leisurely(ˈleZHər-,ˈlēZHərlē) breakfast(ˈbrekfəst) (the kind that takes me 20 minutes to prepare and another 20 minutes to eat), unloading the dishwasher(ˈdiSHˌwôSHər), discussing the day’s plans with my wife (we both work at home), etc. Then I might start the workday by checking email, writing a blog entry, and doing a few other minor(ˈmīnər) tasks. By this time I’ve usually been up for several hours, and by that time those early(ˈərlē) hours have already predisposed(ˌprēdiˈspōz) me to having an uninspired day. On a scale(skāl) of 1-10, my overall energy(ˈenərjē) level rarely(ˈre(ə)rlē) tops a 7 on this kind of day.

But if I strive(strīv) to make that first hour optimally productive, the rest of the day tends to follow suit. This day begins by waking up at 5am and physically(ˈfizikəl) getting up the instant my alarm(əˈlärm) goes off — no lingering or thinking about sleeping in. I quickly get dressed but skip the shaving. I make a cup of herbal(ˈ(h)ərbəl) tea (no caffeine(kaˈfēn,ˈkafˌēn)) and then go straight(strāt) to my desk in my home office. No checking email. By 5:10am, I’ve begun work on my #1 project. After 60-90 minutes, I’ll take a break to go shave, acknowledge my family, then make a quick 5-minute breakfast and eat it in my office while I continue working. That productive first hour propels(prəˈpel) me forward, and by 11am, I’ve usually completed the equivalent(əˈkwiv(ə)lənt) of a full day’s work under the previous(ˈprēvēəs) model. And normally my energy level will be at least an 8 or 9 through the rest of the day.

What surprised me was that the second version, although it seems harder, was actually easier once I got used to it. Getting the most important work done early in the day is energizing(ˈenərˌjīz), and when you have a few weeks of highly productive days, it adds even more energy and momentum(mōˈmentəm,mə-).

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http://www.gutenberg.org/files/219/219-h/219-h.htm