Julie, a partner in a small law firm, found herself in the office way past dinner time, again. Most evenings, when the phones finally quieted down, she’d reflect on her day, realize that she hadn’t accomplished enough and try to make up for it by staying late, even though she was a morning person by nature. Around 10pm, Julie would often find herself staring into space, too tired to think then have trouble falling asleep when she finally got home.
Her boyfriend, Harry asked her to go away with him for the weekend to unwind.
After describing her week, (which sounded just like the week before), Harry asked what an ideal day might look like. It seemed like a silly idea, but she decided to indulge him.
Julie had actually put the pieces together in her mind before. If she could have 3 or 4 hours of quiet, focused time each day, she could accomplish a lot, especially if half of it were early in the morning. Julie knew that she usually had 3 or 4 client meetings each week, needed time to check in with her staff daily, a weekly partner meeting and of course, ample (but not excessive) time each day to check and respond to email, voice-mail and take calls. She desperately needed exercise and wanted to eat a healthy lunch, if possible away from the office.
They mapped it out, plugging in the times that seemed optimal for each activity. It took a while to become habit, but after a month or so and a few false starts, things fell into place. A simple exercise, but one that’s helped Julie be more productive and energized.
What’s your ideal day look like?
Susan Martin, Time Management
