High performing leaders tend to have routine characteristics in common. Why? Put simply, they work. These every day routines are full of men and women who are more productive, more disciplined and more successful than their peers.
Routines should not be a garbled mess that you only attempt on a Sunday night. They are habits that are practical, regular and frequent. Essentially, these routines are helpful because they are designed to be helpful.
The best leaders are defined by the routines they execute because the best leaders, provide the best management ensuring the wellbeing of their team and happy customers.
Get the best out of yourself today with these 5 simple steps:
Be an early riser
Start the day as you mean to go on with a good night’s sleep and by kicking off that duvet as early as you can.
Don’t be fooled by that extra snooze, if you’re not a morning person, adjust your alarm gradually by 15 minutes until you’re working at optimum. Otherwise, you’ll end up staring at the alarm angrily in a zombie-like state at 4am.
High-performing leaders will often be kicking it up a notch with between 4.00am and 5.30am starts in the morning. For managers however, they find fewer interruptions in the small hours, so they can be far more productive at this time.
Catch up on admin and prepare yourself for the day before packing yourself off to the office.
You need to be getting around 7 to 8 hours sleep. A complete REM cycle devoid of the infamous snooze button will nix fatigue, stress and simply make it easier for you to process problems and find solutions.
Tired and stressed leaders take their angst out on their team. Give yourself time to replenish your energy so you can then lead your team with it. These are the makings of an effective team led by an effective leader.
Eat the ‘frog’ BEFORE breakfast
Don’t go running to the local fishmongers for this delicacy, rather eating the “frog”, means getting your most difficult task done first. Before your brush your teeth, style your hair or rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, eat your most difficult “frog”.
The author of Eat That Frog argues that this is the best way to get a particularly difficult task done without the rush of the office or being immediacy of being on-site.
You’re more likely to complete the task and best of all, get that thrill from being so productive in such an unusual manner.
It could be work-related or not, but if the task is arduous or important enough, you will be amazed at how quickly you can get it done, in peace and quiet.
Energise with Exercise
Get up and get moving! Whether you work in fitness or not, make fitness one of the first things you do when you wake up. It boosts your mood, your metabolism and your brainpower.
Managers who’ve gotten at least 15 minutes of brisk exercise have found that their productivity has increased an average of 45 minutes.
But don’t stop there. Start small if you need to and try to get to an hour. The point of this is to create workable targets and goals. If an hour-long training session seems unworkable then stick to 15 minutes.
You are far more likely to complete a challenge, if you mould them around what you can handle, then ratchet up the pressure once you’ve gotten into it.
Making time for exercise goes further than just the exercise itself.
It’s an opportunity for you to devote time specifically to your personal well-being. Add in meditation or mindfulness after your cool down and these types of positive habits will encourage you to control your emotions and improve your efficacy. Don’t underestimate the power of a cool head in a stressful situation.
Cool heads make effective decisions and are leaders their employee’s trust.
Remember the 3 Ps: Planning, Prioritisation & Print?
Now it’s time for the real work. Remember the 3 P’s, ‘Planning, Prioritisation & Print’, because high performance leaders don’t forget.
Make use of productivity software because as your business gets bigger and more complex, flexibility and collaboration are built in. You can create a list of tasks and goals that need to be finished and you list them in order of priority.
Use a 1-5 scale that groups these tasks into priorities, 1 being the highest and 5 being the lowest, to keep yourself on track.
Make a note to take breaks too. Most people think if you miss breakfast or lunch, that it’s a sign of productivity. It isn’t because what it actually meant was that you were a tank running on empty for most of the day.
Breaks are never wasted and a little time away, can give leaders the type of insight that will help them make better decisions.
For many high performers, keeping up to date with the world news and industry news is their bread and butter. It allows them to make plans because they understand how what’s in ‘print’, effects them and their business.
Whether newsbeats, radio, TV or the actual printed word, high performance leadership is solidly linked to your awareness of the world around you.
Invest in lifelong learning
Invest in yourself. The modern world is evolving technologies, methods and processes that are constantly in flux. Don’t allow yourself to get comfortable in a rut, neglecting new technology and new ideas.
Get out of your comfort zone with books and classes that are designed to give you either better skills or a better idea of what those skills look like. In today’s world, it’s even easier to get self-paced learning either free or massively reduced.
Don’t think that you have to be sat with a book. Modify this activity to the way that is best for you and your learning method.
When you invest in yourself, you’ll be far more likely to invest in your team too. You understand where it benefitted you, so why not share it with those who are making your business a success!
