Like many people, I have a “To Do List” every day.  My list consists of everything from putting out the garbage to booking an airline ticket to helping a client solve a critical problem in his business.  It may seem silly to mix no-brainer chores with urgent and important challenges, but there is a method to my viewpoint, and maybe the insight will help you, too.

I believe in momentum.  Anyone familiar with football, or sports in general, knows how important momentum can be in a hard-earned victory.  Creating a continuous sense of positive energy is a strategy that most successful people employ.  If you try to start your day with an attempt to deal with your most challenging issue, it can blow hours without accomplishing anything.  You can get bogged down very quickly and go nowhere fast.  Worse yet, you can get side-tracked and lose your momentum for the whole day.

Don’t believe me?  Think about the amount of time you waste when you get upset at a colleague, frustrated with a botched sales call, or caught up in a meaningless discussion that goes nowhere.  Such issues linger, drag you down, and cause you to lose all momentum in the day, if you were ever able to get it going in the first place.

Instead, starting the day by answering a phone call, returning some emails, or having a short meeting with key staff can help get your day going and build the needed momentum to tackle the most pressing issues of your day.  The principle, of course, is that small things take little time to complete, and get your day rolling quickly, building momentum.  Small successes always lead to bigger successes and make harder tasks easier.

I know, everyone’s work day is different, and there are often many unexpected fires to put out.  But if you can start your day with good momentum, and sustain it through the day, it will make even the hardest tasks and most important decisions come easier and faster.

Let me know if this works for you.  It does for me.

Tags: Business, Business Development, Business Tips, Crisis Management, Developing Leaders, Drive, Leadership, Leadership Excellence, Leadership Problems, Leadership Skills, Management, Motivation, People Leaders, Project Leaders, Responsibility, Success, The Mind of a Leader, Vision