Time management

Q: Are you usually on time? A: Pretty much, yes — it's one of the few things I'm slightly obsessive about. I'd rather arrive fifteen minutes early and wait than risk being the person who holds everyone up. I think it comes from a slightly anxious streak more than any real virtue, if I'm being honest. Q: Do you make lists or plans? A: Constantly, and I've become someone who genuinely enjoys crossing things off once they're done. I keep a running list for the day and a looser one for the week, so I'm not relying on memory for anything important. Without it I know I'd forget half of what actually needs doing. Q: When are you most productive? A: Early morning, before anyone else is really awake and before my inbox has had a chance to fill up. There's a window of maybe two hours where my head is clearest, and I've learned to protect it fairly fiercely now. By mid-afternoon I'm mostly just getting through things rather than doing my best work. Q: How do you deal with a busy week? A: I try to work out what actually matters and let the rest slide a bit, rather than pretending I can do everything equally well. It sounds obvious, but I used to treat every task as equally urgent, which just meant I was constantly stressed and not particularly effective at any of it. Now I'll quite deliberately say no to things, or at least push them back.