When it comes to the amount of minutes in each hour, all hours are created equal. What’s not equal is what we accomplish with each passing hour. The greatest impact on what we achieve in each hour is simple: energy!

When our energy starts to drop, so does our willpower. As our willpower weakens, instead of getting things done, we start to negotiate with ourselves, putting things off and getting drawn to more pleasurable activities. Have you ever noticed what you plan for the morning gets done, but fulfilling your plans for later in the day, after your energy has dropped, is a greater challenge?

One of our primary objectives in our coaching program is to improve our clients’ performance and dramatically increase productivity – the ultimate goal being greater results in less time. One of the methods we promote to achieve this is setting appointments with yourself – whether it be prospecting for new business, lead follow-up, exercising, reading, working on your skills, writing blogs, studying your market, or business planning – in the morning, and setting appointments with others in the afternoon.

How does this method increase production of salespeople by 20%? When you have an appointment with someone else, you almost always show, regardless of how much energy you have. On the other hand, it’s easy to cancel appointments with ourselves, because nobody but ourselves will know if we break them.

If you’re a salesperson, you may be asking “shouldn’t my clients come first?” Providing outstanding service is essential to your success, but it’s the appointments with yourself that ultimately allows you to serve them the best.

Why not give this method a try and reap the same benefits as our coaching clients? Schedule appointments with yourself in the morning, show up prepared, and stay for the entire appointment. Dedicate the most valuable time to your most valuable asset – yourself!

If you are interested in understanding the relationship between energy and willpower, pick up a copy of Willpower: Rediscovering The Greatest Human Strength by Roy Baumeister & John Tierney.

I’d love to know what you do to stay productive. Share in the comments below.