Now why is it that starting work at home at 6:00am and getting into the office at 11:00am is so different from getting into the office at 8:30?  Well, for one thing, I was able to use that early office time to get myself organized before the phones start ringing and team members start popping in and asking questions. You see, I figured out that even if I had been working at home for 3 hours before I got to the office, once I did get in there was always an onslaught.  Messages and people waiting.  And so I would start right in answering questions, problem solving, approving projects – I didn’t really have time in that physical space to take a moment and get acclimated to the day.

And, if I’m being honest, before – the likelihood that my routine of checking eMail and voicemail at home, would plunge me into a rabbit hole, was pretty high. So more often than not, my day in the office wouldn’t start until 11.

And by the time I had addressed the issues that came up during my commute from home to work, it would be noon or later.  So then half the day would be gone before I could begin to tackle the big three tasks I had for myself for the day.

And sure, I worked later, both at the office and at home – but I’m not sure that time was as effective – from either a creative or productivity standpoint.

So, I decided to dedicate myself to a big shift.  Now, oddly I’m still getting up at the same time – around 6:00am.  But instead of making coffee, diving right into eMail, and setting my tasks for the day – I just do something personal for 30 minutes (maybe reading, listening to a podcast, or writing), get ready for the day, and commit to waiting until I get into the office to look at eMail.  I’ve found that’s the secret – I have to avoid eMail until I’m actually ready to dive into the day.  So, no more home viewing.

Then once I get to work, I can go for it.  And it’s early enough that things aren’t in full swing as much as they would be later in the morning.