Habit-Propelled

Momentum for your day, and momentum for your mission, all start with the right habits

Momentum for your day, and momentum for your mission, all start with the right habits

Short-term Momentum

I had reached a point in my Microsoft career where my day demanded a lot out of me. From managing my team to supporting our partners, along with driving several independent initiatives, it was important that I was "all on" and "all in" every work day.

The earlier years of my career were plagued with irregularity in my own execution. Reflecting back on my journey from unpredictability to dialed in delivery, the single biggest performance improvement came from building and honing a morning routine that energized my "whole self"¹.

The in-the-moment demands for my time began at 9am, which was when most people arrived at the office and when the rhythm of meetings usually started. I treated my role from 9am on as supporting my team and my partners, which meant that whatever time I wanted for my own agenda had to come before 9am. At peak performance, this is what my morning routine looked like:

• 6:00 10min stretch

• 6:10 10min shower & get ready

• 6:20 10min drive to work, listen to news

• 6:30 60min write

• 7:30 30min check email and dashboards

• 8:00 60min morning project block

By 9am, I had furthered my writing, caught up on all mail and status, and knocked out at least a couple of items from my to-do list. I had found my groove, I had already accomplished something on my own, and I was now at the ready for whatever others needed from me.