How Your Weekly Routine Can Maximize Your Potential
It was startling to find out Linda doesn’t use email. Not only that, her office assistants are instructed not to take messages but to send callers to voicemail. When they get there, they’ll hear this message: “Thank you for your call. I only check and return messages on Mondays. If your call is urgent, please call…”
Linda also tells me that she never schedules meetings on Thursdays and Fridays. Her first meeting time available on the other days is 9 a.m., and her final meeting time is 4 p.m. Never sounding self-important or rigid, she says warmly, “I hope we can find a time that works for both of us!”
Before you decide something similar would never work for you, let’s think about this.
For three decades my father ran a business while coaching and consulting leaders across multiple industries. I had the chance to work for him, and he consistently told me, “Matt, what you need is a system. Develop the routines and structure to your work that will lead to your desired outcomes. And relentlessly work that system.”
The Elements of a Solid Work System
And there began a journey over the past 15 years of my life to adjust and hone a system that gets me to where I want to be. Even if it’s hard for others to understand. The results don’t guarantee success; they just maximize my potential. My life is as busy and demanding as it has ever been. And yet, I’m as optimized and well-balanced as I’ve ever been. The system has so much to do with it.
Here are the highlights of the system:
- Sundays, I do no work and disconnect from technology as much as possible. No email. Only activities that restore my psyche, connect me with others, and remind me who I am.
- Monday mornings I curate lists — who needs to hear from me, where do I see opportunities, what important efforts need my attention. Monday afternoons, after our weekly leadership team meeting, I do outreach — calls, emails, cards, and direct social media communication.
- Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, I only schedule meetings for new business development. That’s the easiest work for me to rationalize away or procrastinate on, so I give it an entire day. Getting projects done and serving clients comes to me without me usually looking for it. But I have to proactively pursue networking and development.
- Meetings are scheduled in 90-minute blocks starting with an 8:30 meeting. With some exceptions, meetings shouldn’t run longer than 60 minutes. In fact, they should be scheduled for 60 minutes, with attempts made to finish in 45 so we can give people time back. That leaves 30-45 minutes in the 90-minute block to regroup (record notes, send a thank you note, schedule follow-up, etc.) and manage logistics (travel, technology setup, etc.). So, meetings start at 8:30, 10:00, 11:30, 1:00, 2:30, and 4:00. The 10:00 and 1:00 get filled first whenever possible. The 2:30 next. Finally, the 8:30 and then the 4:00. This all has to do with the science of timing — both timing how your brain works and how traffic patterns flow.
- Fridays, I write, work on big-picture initiatives, and meet individually with people on my team.
It’s a system, just like Linda has a system. The system keeps me efficient, healthy, and focused on what’s most important. Instead of thinking about what to do when, I’m free to just do what should be done.
What’s your system?
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