It's nice to wake up without an alarm clock. I have no boss and I have decided that: I sleep as long as I need in the morning.
I'm a big fan of comfort-suits, you know these jogging suits in soft materials, like fleece or velvet. I love to dress in such a suit when in the morning. Nothing feels tight, a perfect start for a new day.
In the summer I have my breakfast in the garden where I have the most beautiful view over the lake. If it's extra hot in the water, I can even have a quick bath. I am a bit squeamish, and it must be pretty hot for me to do that. One of my long-term goal is to take a daily morning swim, no matter the weather. I have heard that it's very healthy.
After a good breakfast and some fresh air, it is time to take a walk in the office. My office is located on the first floor with views of the same lake. If it's nice weather I can bring the office all the way out to the porch if I want.
The first thing I do in the office is to sign onto the "back office" or web-office, if you will. It is exciting to see what has happened since I "went home" from the office yesterday.
Here I can see all the movements in the online store. I can see who has been shopping and for how much. The customers has already paid for the goods with a Visa card or bank transfer and the item will be sent directly from the warehouse. The other exciting thing to see is what sales my distributors have had in the last hours. This way I can keep track of whether I can expect any "pay rise" this month.
Now it is time to look at today's e-mail. Typically I will respond to questions from customers, send recommendations on which products are suitable for them and send out information to a new candidate who wishes to become a distributor. Perhaps I have received a mail about new products, a regional meeting or other important things that is okay to pass on to others.
A couple times a week, I will, after I have checked my e-mails, sit down and write some new content to my blog, or create new e-mail templates. I've found that my creative abilities are best at lunchtime, and that it is the best time for me to let my fingers take a run on the keyboard.
I eat lunch with my boyfriend and we are taking our time to small talk and enjoy our meal. Unlike me, my boyfriend is an early bird. He often begins the day with physical work. He thinks it is good to use up some energy before he starts his office work. There is always something to fix, paint or cut when you own an old house in the countryside, in addition to several acer of land that needs maintenance.
After lunch I take a look at the list of current tasks and at the calendar to see if I have some call agreements for the day. Then I sign on to Skype and take the calls that I have on my list. It can be a customer who want information, a partner who deserves praise or a new distributor who need a little encouragement.
Since I am my own boss, I make no deals before 1 o'clock. I feel that the routines I have in the morning gives me so much, that I do not want to be interrupt. It happens that the phone rings before that time, and if I'm extra firm, I send the calls directly to my voice mail, and take care of them afterwards. Some people are quite distressed when I tell them this. Don't you pick up the phone once it rings? Don't you answer a text message in the same moment it is ticking in with you? No, not always.
I don't want to feel stressed in the morning. I know I can achieve much more in the afternoon and evening if I've had a quiet start to the day. I need to yawn and stretch, smell the flowers and cuddle with my animals, drink coffee and read my mail, and then, there are almost no limits to how much energy I have in the afternoon, talking on the phone, follow up with my distributors and so on.
During the evening I try to add at least 30 minutes with, what I call, new learning. I believe in life-long learning and that it is important for the brain to constantly absorb new knowledge. This new learning may be that I read a book, listen to a sound recording or watching a video.
Before I "close" the office at night, I am careful to write down all small and big things I'm planning for tomorrow. In addition, I take a glance at my appointment book to make sure that I don't have appointments "out of the house" the next day.
When I finish my work for the day, I try not to be without pen and paper next to me. It is strange how things can pop up in my head at the strangest times. There may be things I have forgotten to put on my to-do list, new ideas or a name I have tried to remember earlier in the day. I write it down and look at it again when I go through the next day's tasks. I have to write it down so I can forget it for the rest of the evening and night :-)
This is a typical work day for me. Sometimes we are traveling to different cities and other countries, other days we take some time off and go to visit friends or enjoying us otherwise. I can tell you more about that another time.