On days when I have no appointments, or days like today when my last call ended at 10:30 and I have the rest of the day to work on projects, my stress hits an all-time low and my creativity skyrockets. One of the primary reasons is that I don’t have to be on time for anything. I’m not rushing to the airport, jumping from call to call, or scrambling to meet someone in the hotel lobby at 7:30. I’m just working and creating … and my best content is generated during these times.
About four years ago, I realized this dynamic, and I decided to analyze how I could keep myself in that stress-free, creative mode more often. From my analysis, I learned that it wasn’t just the deadlines that added stress but being behind on email also kept me from performing at my peak. Like a looming boarding time that used to force me to panic while waiting in the airport security line, three days of emails that haven’t been addressed would hover over me like a gray cloud ready to downpour. No matter how empty my calendar, if my inbox was full, I was useless.
I don’t think I’m that unique in this regard. Aren’t these two of the largest sources of stress for most professionals: rushing to appointments and managing email? Well, I decided to fix both challenges with one solution: show up early for everything.
Yep, that’s right, show up early for every call, appointment, flight, etc. To be fair, I was rarely ever late for anything, but I was never early either. I pushed my schedule to the last second, maximizing my minutes, and then rushing to make it on time. I thought being early was wasting time. Oh my, what a huge error in judgment that was. Today, I never stress about being on time. Because I’m not stressed, I can dive into creative mode within seconds.
Ok, so what about email management? Guess what I do while I’m waiting for an appointment or a flight? That’s right … I use my smartphone to check and manage my email, so it never gets out of hand. While I used to spend time at the end of the day catching up on email, it’s rarely necessary today.
So, that’s it. Be early, and check email while you wait, and watch the quality of your enjoyment and work go through the roof.
