WEBVTT
00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:09.839
Are you ready to finally break free from overwhelm, procrastination, and burnout?
00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:20.960
If you're ready to focus on what truly matters and create momentum to reach and exceed your goals in business and in life, then this podcast is for you.
00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:30.160
Welcome to the Efficiency Advantage, the podcast where clarity meets action and purpose that fuels your progress.
00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:37.920
So here's world-class productivity expert and your host, Coach Julie.
00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:48.240
Welcome back to the Efficiency Advantage.
00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:54.240
I'm Julie Shulem and today I want to share one of the simplest productivity strategies I teach.
00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:58.079
In fact, I teach it to nearly every coaching client I work with.
00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:06.319
It takes less than about 10 minutes, it costs absolutely nothing, and it can completely change how your mornings play out and feel.
00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:07.840
So here it is.
00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:11.280
Don't start your day by deciding your day.
00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:13.519
Think about that for just a moment.
00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:18.319
Because that's exactly what millions of people do every single morning.
00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:30.079
They sit down at their desk, open their laptop, take a sip of coffee, stare at their inbox, look at their task list, and then begin asking themselves, okay, what should I work on first?
00:01:30.319 --> 00:01:34.719
That single question may be costing you far more than you realize.
00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:38.000
So how can you avoid the morning decision trap?
00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:39.439
Let me ask you something.
00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:43.280
When you begin your workday without a plan, what actually happens?
00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:48.719
When I ask my coaching clients this question, I hear the same answers over and over again.
00:01:49.040 --> 00:02:05.359
Either I check my email or I do whatever looks easiest, I work on what I'm in the mood for, I knock out a few quick wins, I spend 30 minutes trying to figure out where to start, or I get completely overwhelmed looking at everything that needs to be done.
00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:06.560
Sound familiar?
00:02:06.879 --> 00:02:08.000
Notice something?
00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:12.400
Almost none of those experiences involve choosing the highest priority work.
00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:15.919
Instead, they're choosing the most emotionally comfortable work.
00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:17.439
There's a difference.
00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:22.960
Since the brain likes easy, it naturally looks for the path of least resistance.
00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:29.120
If your day begins with 25 tasks staring back at you, your brain is going to start negotiating.
00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:34.080
Maybe I'll answer a few emails first, or this one only takes five minutes.
00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:35.280
I'll get it done.
00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:38.159
I'll just organize my files before I start.
00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.479
Let me check Slack really quickly.
00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:43.439
Before you know it, an hour has disappeared.
00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:48.800
Not because you were lazy, because you started your day making decisions your brain wasn't prepared to make.
00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:53.120
Decision fatigue starts earlier than you think.
00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:55.919
You've heard me talk about decision fatigue.
00:02:56.639 --> 00:03:00.400
Every decision costs us a little bit of mental energy.
00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:01.759
What should I wear?
00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:02.719
What should I eat?
00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:04.240
Which email should I answer?
00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:06.479
What project step comes first?
00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:08.879
Should I call this client an hour later?
00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:13.520
None of those decisions seem significant by themselves, but they accumulate.
00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:15.759
And here's what I find fascinating.
00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:23.919
Many people unnecessarily use valuable mental energy deciding what to do instead of actually doing the thing.
00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:27.360
So when should you plan?
00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:31.599
My answer is almost always before your workday begins.
00:03:31.840 --> 00:03:34.159
Ideally, the evening before.
00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:41.199
Now, before you think, but I'm exhausted by the end of the day, that's actually one of the reasons it works so well.
00:03:41.919 --> 00:03:46.000
At the end of today, you know exactly where everything stands, right?
00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:53.280
You know what got finished and what didn't, who you're waiting on, what meeting is first thing in the morning, what deadline is approaching.
00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:54.639
You have context.
00:03:54.960 --> 00:03:57.039
Tomorrow morning, you may not.
00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:04.719
You'll have interruptions and notifications, phone calls, a whole bunch of emails sitting there that came through and you were not there.
00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:11.280
People asking questions, and your brain will immediately be reacting instead of directing.
00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:17.600
Planning the night before means tomorrow morning requires almost no thinking, no planning.
00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:23.040
You look at your nicely prioritized list and you simply begin.
00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:27.759
You've already decided and you've prioritized, you've made the choice.
00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:33.920
Instead of making 25 decisions, you make one and you start.
00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:35.439
That's it.
00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:39.439
And momentum kicks in, which is incredibly powerful.
00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:42.319
There is even an unexpected benefit.
00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:48.160
One of the things my clients mentioned that most surprises them is they sleep better.
00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:48.959
Why?
00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:52.240
Because their brain stops rehearsing the next day.
00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:56.319
Have you ever laid in bed mentally running through everything you have to do?
00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:59.839
Oh, I can't forget to start that report and I need to call Sarah.
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:01.920
I have to finish that proposal.
00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:04.800
That invoice needs to get out before 10 in the morning.
00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:09.360
Your brain keeps reminding you because it doesn't trust you're going to remember.
00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:14.319
When you already have written tomorrow's plan, your brain can let go.
00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:16.800
It says, okay, we've got this.
00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:20.800
Researchers call this the Ziggarnik effect.
00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:22.639
I've spoken about this before.
00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:29.199
As our brains tend to hold on to unfinished tasks and keep bringing them back into our awareness.
00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:39.759
Creating a concrete plan for those tasks gives your brain a sense that they won't be forgotten, making it easier to disengage and re- and actually rest.
00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:44.480
So what does planning in advance actually look like?
00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:47.439
It's way easier and faster than you might think.
00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:49.839
Be careful not to overcomplicate this.
00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:54.000
I'm not talking about spending 45 minutes creating color-coded spreadsheets.
00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:57.040
I'm talking about five to ten intentional minutes.
00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:05.439
The clients who are successful at this, they block a few minutes at the end of each day to schedule the next day.
00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:08.480
Start by noticing what meetings do you have tomorrow?
00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:12.079
How much time is actually left for tasks to be done?
00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:15.759
Ask yourself what absolutely must happen tomorrow?
00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:17.680
What's the most important task?
00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:21.199
Have you allocated preparation time for the meetings?
00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:24.560
What's realistic, not optimistic, realistic?
00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:31.279
Then identify where you'll begin, not what you'll eventually do, what you'll do first.
00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.920
Because success right at the beginning just might determine the rest of the day.
00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:41.120
Whenever someone tells me I'm stuck all the time, I just can't seem to get started.
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:42.639
I ask them one question.
00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:44.959
Well, what did you decide yesterday?
00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:48.800
Usually, nothing is the answer.
00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:51.839
They're trying to make today's decisions today.
00:06:52.079 --> 00:07:00.079
Imagine if an airline pilot climbed into the cockpit and said, Let's figure out where we're going after we take off.
00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:02.079
We'd all get off that plane.
00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:05.600
Yet that's exactly how many people approach every workday.
00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:09.120
Here's what happens when you consistently plan the night before.
00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:11.519
First of all, you're going to start faster.
00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:14.240
You're going to procrastinate way less.
00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:29.839
You reduce overwhelm, make fewer emotional decisions, you're going to protect your highest energy hours, you're going to gain momentum way earlier, and perhaps most importantly, you stop confusing motion with progress.
00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:31.920
Being busy isn't difficult.
00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:33.839
Being intentional is.
00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:37.199
So here's your challenge this week.
00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:41.759
Before you shut down work today, take five to ten minutes.
00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:45.040
Not 30, not an hour, just five to ten minutes.
00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:47.519
Write down tomorrow's priorities.
00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:49.199
Choose your first task.
00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:50.480
Look at your calendar.
00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:53.040
Identify anything that needs preparation.
00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:54.959
Then close your calendar and be done.
00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:58.879
Tomorrow morning, don't begin by asking, what should I work on?
00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:08.879
Begin by just looking at the wonderful list you just created or you had created the night before and enjoy the relief of realizing that you've already decided.
00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:13.040
Maybe real productivity isn't one in the first hour of your day.
00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:16.879
Perhaps it's one in the last 10 minutes of the day before.
00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:20.319
Until next time, be intentional and be productive.
00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:24.879
And remember, don't start your day by deciding your day.
00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:28.560
A productive morning starts the night before.
00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:30.319
Thank you for listening.
00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:36.639
And if this episode encouraged you, inspired you, or made you think a bit differently, let me know.
00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:39.120
Please subscribe, share, and comment.
00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:42.639
And as always, have a productive day.
00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:49.440
So that's it for today's episode of the Efficiency Advantage.
00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:55.200
Head on over to Apple Podcasts iTunes or wherever you listen and subscribe to the show.
00:08:55.440 --> 00:09:08.720
One lucky listener every single week that posts a review on Apple Podcasts or iTunes will win a chance in the grand prize drawing to win a private VIP day with Coach Julie herself.
00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:16.480
Be sure to head on over to the EfficiencyAdvantage.com and pick up a free copy of Coach Julie's gift.
00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:19.679
And join us on the next episode.
00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:09.839
Are you ready to finally break free from overwhelm, procrastination, and burnout?
00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:20.960
If you're ready to focus on what truly matters and create momentum to reach and exceed your goals in business and in life, then this podcast is for you.
00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:30.160
Welcome to the Efficiency Advantage, the podcast where clarity meets action and purpose that fuels your progress.
00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:37.920
So here's world-class productivity expert and your host, Coach Julie.
00:00:45.600 --> 00:00:48.240
Welcome back to the Efficiency Advantage.
00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:54.240
I'm Julie Shulem and today I want to share one of the simplest productivity strategies I teach.
00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:58.079
In fact, I teach it to nearly every coaching client I work with.
00:00:58.320 --> 00:01:06.319
It takes less than about 10 minutes, it costs absolutely nothing, and it can completely change how your mornings play out and feel.
00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:07.840
So here it is.
00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:11.280
Don't start your day by deciding your day.
00:01:11.519 --> 00:01:13.519
Think about that for just a moment.
00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:18.319
Because that's exactly what millions of people do every single morning.
00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:30.079
They sit down at their desk, open their laptop, take a sip of coffee, stare at their inbox, look at their task list, and then begin asking themselves, okay, what should I work on first?
00:01:30.319 --> 00:01:34.719
That single question may be costing you far more than you realize.
00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:38.000
So how can you avoid the morning decision trap?
00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:39.439
Let me ask you something.
00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:43.280
When you begin your workday without a plan, what actually happens?
00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:48.719
When I ask my coaching clients this question, I hear the same answers over and over again.
00:01:49.040 --> 00:02:05.359
Either I check my email or I do whatever looks easiest, I work on what I'm in the mood for, I knock out a few quick wins, I spend 30 minutes trying to figure out where to start, or I get completely overwhelmed looking at everything that needs to be done.
00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:06.560
Sound familiar?
00:02:06.879 --> 00:02:08.000
Notice something?
00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:12.400
Almost none of those experiences involve choosing the highest priority work.
00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:15.919
Instead, they're choosing the most emotionally comfortable work.
00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:17.439
There's a difference.
00:02:17.919 --> 00:02:22.960
Since the brain likes easy, it naturally looks for the path of least resistance.
00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:29.120
If your day begins with 25 tasks staring back at you, your brain is going to start negotiating.
00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:34.080
Maybe I'll answer a few emails first, or this one only takes five minutes.
00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:35.280
I'll get it done.
00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:38.159
I'll just organize my files before I start.
00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:40.479
Let me check Slack really quickly.
00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:43.439
Before you know it, an hour has disappeared.
00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:48.800
Not because you were lazy, because you started your day making decisions your brain wasn't prepared to make.
00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:53.120
Decision fatigue starts earlier than you think.
00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:55.919
You've heard me talk about decision fatigue.
00:02:56.639 --> 00:03:00.400
Every decision costs us a little bit of mental energy.
00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:01.759
What should I wear?
00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:02.719
What should I eat?
00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:04.240
Which email should I answer?
00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:06.479
What project step comes first?
00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:08.879
Should I call this client an hour later?
00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:13.520
None of those decisions seem significant by themselves, but they accumulate.
00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:15.759
And here's what I find fascinating.
00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:23.919
Many people unnecessarily use valuable mental energy deciding what to do instead of actually doing the thing.
00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:27.360
So when should you plan?
00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:31.599
My answer is almost always before your workday begins.
00:03:31.840 --> 00:03:34.159
Ideally, the evening before.
00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:41.199
Now, before you think, but I'm exhausted by the end of the day, that's actually one of the reasons it works so well.
00:03:41.919 --> 00:03:46.000
At the end of today, you know exactly where everything stands, right?
00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:53.280
You know what got finished and what didn't, who you're waiting on, what meeting is first thing in the morning, what deadline is approaching.
00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:54.639
You have context.
00:03:54.960 --> 00:03:57.039
Tomorrow morning, you may not.
00:03:57.439 --> 00:04:04.719
You'll have interruptions and notifications, phone calls, a whole bunch of emails sitting there that came through and you were not there.
00:04:04.960 --> 00:04:11.280
People asking questions, and your brain will immediately be reacting instead of directing.
00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:17.600
Planning the night before means tomorrow morning requires almost no thinking, no planning.
00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:23.040
You look at your nicely prioritized list and you simply begin.
00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:27.759
You've already decided and you've prioritized, you've made the choice.
00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:33.920
Instead of making 25 decisions, you make one and you start.
00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:35.439
That's it.
00:04:35.920 --> 00:04:39.439
And momentum kicks in, which is incredibly powerful.
00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:42.319
There is even an unexpected benefit.
00:04:42.560 --> 00:04:48.160
One of the things my clients mentioned that most surprises them is they sleep better.
00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:48.959
Why?
00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:52.240
Because their brain stops rehearsing the next day.
00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:56.319
Have you ever laid in bed mentally running through everything you have to do?
00:04:56.560 --> 00:04:59.839
Oh, I can't forget to start that report and I need to call Sarah.
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:01.920
I have to finish that proposal.
00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:04.800
That invoice needs to get out before 10 in the morning.
00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:09.360
Your brain keeps reminding you because it doesn't trust you're going to remember.
00:05:09.680 --> 00:05:14.319
When you already have written tomorrow's plan, your brain can let go.
00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:16.800
It says, okay, we've got this.
00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:20.800
Researchers call this the Ziggarnik effect.
00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:22.639
I've spoken about this before.
00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:29.199
As our brains tend to hold on to unfinished tasks and keep bringing them back into our awareness.
00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:39.759
Creating a concrete plan for those tasks gives your brain a sense that they won't be forgotten, making it easier to disengage and re- and actually rest.
00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:44.480
So what does planning in advance actually look like?
00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:47.439
It's way easier and faster than you might think.
00:05:47.600 --> 00:05:49.839
Be careful not to overcomplicate this.
00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:54.000
I'm not talking about spending 45 minutes creating color-coded spreadsheets.
00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:57.040
I'm talking about five to ten intentional minutes.
00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:05.439
The clients who are successful at this, they block a few minutes at the end of each day to schedule the next day.
00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:08.480
Start by noticing what meetings do you have tomorrow?
00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:12.079
How much time is actually left for tasks to be done?
00:06:12.319 --> 00:06:15.759
Ask yourself what absolutely must happen tomorrow?
00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:17.680
What's the most important task?
00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:21.199
Have you allocated preparation time for the meetings?
00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:24.560
What's realistic, not optimistic, realistic?
00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:31.279
Then identify where you'll begin, not what you'll eventually do, what you'll do first.
00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.920
Because success right at the beginning just might determine the rest of the day.
00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:41.120
Whenever someone tells me I'm stuck all the time, I just can't seem to get started.
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:42.639
I ask them one question.
00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:44.959
Well, what did you decide yesterday?
00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:48.800
Usually, nothing is the answer.
00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:51.839
They're trying to make today's decisions today.
00:06:52.079 --> 00:07:00.079
Imagine if an airline pilot climbed into the cockpit and said, Let's figure out where we're going after we take off.
00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:02.079
We'd all get off that plane.
00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:05.600
Yet that's exactly how many people approach every workday.
00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:09.120
Here's what happens when you consistently plan the night before.
00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:11.519
First of all, you're going to start faster.
00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:14.240
You're going to procrastinate way less.
00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:29.839
You reduce overwhelm, make fewer emotional decisions, you're going to protect your highest energy hours, you're going to gain momentum way earlier, and perhaps most importantly, you stop confusing motion with progress.
00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:31.920
Being busy isn't difficult.
00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:33.839
Being intentional is.
00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:37.199
So here's your challenge this week.
00:07:37.439 --> 00:07:41.759
Before you shut down work today, take five to ten minutes.
00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:45.040
Not 30, not an hour, just five to ten minutes.
00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:47.519
Write down tomorrow's priorities.
00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:49.199
Choose your first task.
00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:50.480
Look at your calendar.
00:07:50.720 --> 00:07:53.040
Identify anything that needs preparation.
00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:54.959
Then close your calendar and be done.
00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:58.879
Tomorrow morning, don't begin by asking, what should I work on?
00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:08.879
Begin by just looking at the wonderful list you just created or you had created the night before and enjoy the relief of realizing that you've already decided.
00:08:09.439 --> 00:08:13.040
Maybe real productivity isn't one in the first hour of your day.
00:08:13.199 --> 00:08:16.879
Perhaps it's one in the last 10 minutes of the day before.
00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:20.319
Until next time, be intentional and be productive.
00:08:20.480 --> 00:08:24.879
And remember, don't start your day by deciding your day.
00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:28.560
A productive morning starts the night before.
00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:30.319
Thank you for listening.
00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:36.639
And if this episode encouraged you, inspired you, or made you think a bit differently, let me know.
00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:39.120
Please subscribe, share, and comment.
00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:42.639
And as always, have a productive day.
00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:49.440
So that's it for today's episode of the Efficiency Advantage.
00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:55.200
Head on over to Apple Podcasts iTunes or wherever you listen and subscribe to the show.
00:08:55.440 --> 00:09:08.720
One lucky listener every single week that posts a review on Apple Podcasts or iTunes will win a chance in the grand prize drawing to win a private VIP day with Coach Julie herself.
00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:16.480
Be sure to head on over to the EfficiencyAdvantage.com and pick up a free copy of Coach Julie's gift.
00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:19.679
And join us on the next episode.
