Future-Proofing Your Business: Real-Life Strategies to Prepare Your Business for Tomorrow, Today

Chapter 12. Routine = Rhythm = Revenue

"I figured if I had routine then I was in a position to put rhythm into the business. And this might just be our opportunity to stop walking in circles with one foot nailed to the floor and learn how to run!"

For nearly 20 years, my alarm went off at 5 a.m. each morning. Every day, I'd drag my sorry backside out of bed and try and get some exercise for a half hour. (Most days I would fail; some days I'd manage it only while on the phone to the other side of the world.) I'd grab a coffee and a quick bite to eat, jump in the car for the short ride to work—and then launch into the day.

I'd sort through messages, take calls, catch planes, speak, meet, greet, deal with staff, talk to customers, deal with lawyers, accountants, suppliers, and advisors. I was constantly running from place to place, meeting to meeting, call to call. Some 12 to 14 (and sometimes more) hours later, I would head home, eat dinner, and go looking for a glass of wine and a quiet spot to slump into a chair and stare at the TV.

Then I'd get up and do it all again the next day.

Monday would morph into Tuesday, which would then morph into Wednesday, then into next week, into next month, and next quarter—until all of a sudden I would find myself scrambling to get as much done as I could before the country shut down over the Christmas break. Come December 24, I could feel my whole body exhale as I knew I could enjoy a week of rest before we launched into the New Year and did it all ...