Like probably most sports fans …

If I had choose, I would always want to win the second half. That’s the team that has the momentum. That’s the team that goes on to win.

(As fellow followers of the England’s Gallagher Rugby Premiership will know. This season, 100% of comeback turnarounds have resulted in the win.)

There’s some useful learning here, to apply to our working days. Because we focus a lot on our “first half”. The first part of our day gets the most attention. We’re well-rested. We have powerful morning routines. We “eat the frog, first”. There’s a momentum, there.

And all that’s great and to be encouraged and deepened.

But a potential and unintended consequence is we’re not nearly as focused or attentive on the second half of our day or our end of day routines. We don’t rest and reset. We don’t prioritise. It’s not excited forward-momentum, but just getting through it. And it’s not a powerful finish.

And aside from a good portion of the day being less productive than it could be, we then carry that status and mood into our evening. It’s the only thing we think of, dismissing any good work of the morning.

We then carry all that into our sleep, too! And our non-conscious can’t get to work on our projects and goals because our mind is a mass of nothing but problems and issues.

Architect the second half of your day JUST AS CAREFULLY AS THE FIRST! Create a plan to win the second half. And focus on finishing the day STRONG.

3 ideas you might like to incorporate into your day:

#1 LUNCHTIME RESETS: Create a ritual to reset your energy and focus, partway through your day.

#2 AFTERNOON FROGS: Take 5-minutes post-lunch to assess where you’re at. Then prioritise your afternoon frogs – eat those first.

#3 END-OF-DAY ROUTINES: Don’t drift into your end of day or simply finish when you’re too tired to continue. Set a reminder 30-mins before your scheduled EOD. Tidy-up or write down any loose ends. Acknowledge and celebrate wins from the day. And set a plan for tomorrow.

That last step is especially important. To finish the day (any day!) with the feeling of a WIN.

Thanks for reading!

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