Hell is morning calls

"no meetings" days boost productivity by 73%

There was a time when I had just started at Yendou and had this rule: No calls/emails before 1 pm! Others would protest: But what if customers wanted something? What if the email was from a potential client? What if, what if, what if...?

I stated, 'If it can't wait till 1 pm, they can call me.'

Months passed, and the rule eroded. In October, I opened my calendar from 10 am onward. A disastrous attack on productivity, and here is why:

1- Morning meetings are a mental harassment.

Morning meetings are anathema to mental health. They feel like stepping from a serene meditation room into a loud construction site—a jarring transition. I might need the whole call just to adapt to the disruption, resulting in unproductive calls that leave me feeling drained.

2- Morning meetings are a productivity killer.

Imagine planning to climb Everest after a restful night. A morning call equates to waking and leaping off a cliff as tall as Everest before starting the ascent. Utter madness, right?

Each 9 or 10 am call prompts this query: Why did I let a call so profoundly impact my and the company's productivity?

Henceforth, no calls before noon Berlin time.

Btw. An MIT study backs this sentiment, showing that a “No meeting day” boosts productivity by … 73%!!!!

---

Disclaimer: This might not apply to everyone. So for full transparency, here is how I work:

I am one of those horrible early birds :D I wake up at 4:55 am, usually with a racing thought in my head. A sharp wake-up. It's important not to touch the phone, not to let the thought slip away. (That's usually my biggest worry at 4:55 am.)

Between 5 am and 10 am, my mind operates at peak performance. It's a battleground, connecting dots, strategizing, and executing plans. I sketch plans, issue tasks to myself and the team, outline roadmaps... Then, calm prevails, refining systems and execution.

Around noon, I leave my head and revert to what most deem 'normal'.

My mornings are ideas-centric. My afternoons and evenings are people-centric. No one should talk to me before noon really.