1.    Make a List

First, write down everything you need to get done daily, both in your personal life and at work. Do yourself a favor and don’t worry about how you organize this list. This is not a to-do list it’s a task brain dump. Take 30 minutes with a notebook to jot down everything you have to do today; down to “brush my teeth.”

2. Structure your Day

Early birds do their best most productive work before lunchtime whereas night owls perform best in the evenings. Know yourself. Think about when you do your BEST work, have the most energy, and are the most creative. Group your tasks into that specific time frame when you know you’ll perform at your best.

Tweet us! What will you do better to schedule your day?

Mornings tend to be about getting out of the door and your day started. Make time to eat breakfast, let your pets out if you have pets, get your lunch packed for work, leave on time for work… once you’ve got all of that out of the way, take on the tasks the require the most critical thinking.

Midday is a tricky time of the day because this is where things start to slow down. You’ve had lunch and now all you want to do is take a nap. NOPE! Time to zap the energy levels. Be proactive and pack a snack, something to fuel your body for the afternoon. Do a recap of your task list and your schedule.

Ask yourself, “Am I on schedule for the day?”

Evenings are the most productive when you use them to proactively plan for the next day. Lay out your work clothes for tomorrow. Take a look at what you already have on the schedule for tomorrow. If you know you’re not going to want to make lunch in the morning pack what you can at night. Pre plan to plan.

3. Schedule in Time for Flexibility

In a perfect world, everything would all go to plan down to the second. Well this isn’t a perfect world and things AREN’T always going to go as planned. The point is to focus on what you can control and let go of the things that you can’t. Use your most productive times for your most challenging tasks and your least productive times for mundane tasks. There might be times when life gets in the way, but practicing the art of having a daily routine will help things to flow despite any “fires” that may pop up.

A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time.

Annie Dillard

4. Try it out!

Take it for a test drive. You wouldn’t buy a car without taking it for a ride first, right? Test drive your routine.. how does it feel? How is it working? How is it impacting your life? Do you like the way it feels? Do you need to adjust things? Tweak anything that ISN’T working one thing at a time. If you change too many things at once you won’t know what is and what isn’t working. Whenever you try something new you have to give it time to work.

Name: Matthew Swan 

School/Major: MBA Finance, Lincoln memorial university 

Hometown: Newport, Wales 

Why did you start with the company?

J.W. Business Acquisitions provided an opportunity like no other which is a management training program that will teach me the ins and outs of sales and marketing which can lead me to owning my own company.

What is your favorite part about working with the company?

The people I work with. It is all about connecting with fellow employees to create a fun environment.

If you can travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

I would love to go to Australia 

Who would you want to have dinner with, dead/alive/real/fictional? 

George Best, he’s simple the BEST!

What are some of your favorite hobbies?  

Soccer, gym, reading, socializing with friends

How did you get into these hobbies?

I started playing soccer from a young age and just being part of a team 

Do you play any sports?

soccer

How do you relax after a stressful work week?

Team night with the best crew around

What is your advice for new leaders on the team?

Stay focused and continuing to stick to the systems they will teach you everything you need to know.

What is your favorite book and why?

The power of positive thinking by: Norman Vincent Peale 

Who is your favorite sports team and why?

Manchester United because my grandad forced me too 

Do you have a secret talent?

I can speak welsh 

Do you have a favorite color and why?

Purple, not sure why.

If you could be any animal in the world what would you be and why?

An eagle because I would be able to fly anywhere i want when I want. 

Hope you enjoyed our interview with Matt, make sure to stop by our team page to learn more about the J.W. squad!