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The First Question to Ask Yourself When You Sit Down to Work
What would you get done if you only had until 10:30 a.m. to work today? Do that first.
A few weeks ago I stumbled upon an incredibly useful thought exercise I’m calling “the 10:30 a.m. question.” It occurred to me when my part of Pennsylvania got hit with a heavy winter storm one Wednesday. The forecast called for snow, heavy winds, and ice, and the power company warned of potential outages. I worried I’d only have until mid-morning, 10:30 or so, to work.
Like most people who work from home, I rely on my internet connection. So, knowing I might be sitting unplugged and in the dark on Thursday, I approached my Wednesday with a razor-sharp sense of purpose.
I asked myself: “How can I plan my workday around a power outage?” I looked ahead and noted anything that had to happen over the next two days. I shuffled my calendar around to finish those tasks by quitting time on Wednesday. The pace was swift but — to be honest — not terrible. I spent less time in my inbox. I fended off distractions.
Then, miraculously, the power never went out. Thursday became a relaxed day with extra time for sledding with my kids. I realized that I could actually plan my days this way even when there’s not a snowstorm — and you can too.
