How You Start Your Day is So Important

The reason focusing on strategy and planning in the morning can be so important is, often if we don’t get to it in the morning it just never happens. Many of us start the day with checking emails. Then we move on to the first problem to fix and so forth.

Change your habits and start each day with a predetermined amount of time to focus on items or projects that grow your revenue. The new logo or business cards can wait. Focus on revenue. Start with 30 minutes a day and be diligent with this practice. If you think this doesn’t sound like much time, that’s almost eleven ours of strategy planning in a month only using Monday through Friday!

Are the dishes in the sink bothering you as you get ready to work? Then tackle that task before you start your strategy session. Sometimes things we need to do linger in our brains and distract us from proper brainstorming. Ask a decluttering expert how much chaos can affect your brainstorming.

Strategy in Communication

The average middle manager in an organization receives between 100 and 120 emails a day. It’s easy to fire off emails that of course lead to email strings where others are trying to understand what you are saying. This leads to more wasted time.

Before replying to a challenging message, ask yourself would a quick real time conversation with this person be more efficient. Often the answer is yes BECAUSE you are communicating in real time.

If you don’t have the luxury of taking this approach, take note of your desired outcome. Is it to explain the task? Provide clarity? Get their input?

If someone is asking you specific questions, make sure you answer those questions. People get wrapped up in the complexity of tasks and often don’t answer the original questions asked of them.

Focus on the outcome and be brief. Define the goal, work towards that. And don’t send a group email without specifically stating who you want feedback from! Otherwise no one may respond to the specific questions. It helps to color code the question or the most important point in your emails.

Strategy in Business Tools and Services

Before investing in tools and services for your business, ask yourself will it save time or generate more revenue within three months? Even if it’s replacing another tool or services, the same ROI filter should apply.

Strategy for Your Well Being

Don’t treat your personal well-being as less important than everything else. Your health and mental acuity are just as important. Schedule these things like you do your business planning. Put workouts and breaks on your calendar along with meetings. Sustainability in business is all about a healthy mindy and body.

Strategy in Delegating

Start identifying tasks you should never have in your to do list and assign them to others. Ask yourself “is this moving the business forward quickly or can I assign this to someone else?” Define repeatable tasks once and create templates.

Strategy in Learning New Things

Instead of randomly listening to blogs or reading business books, decide one skill area you want to improve upon and focus on that for a defined time period. Stay focused on that skill set for your learning for say, a quarter. You’ll find the focus and absorbing content from a variety of sources is a very effective technique to use for learning because you are looking for answers regarding that topic.

Choose something to learn that has nothing to do with your business. You’ll find that those cognitive skills can help in everything you take on.

Strategy in Problem Solving

Before taking a wrecking ball to a problem, diagnose the situation. Can the situation be solved by better processes? If you have a personality issue with two employees, make sure you hear both sides of the conflict or argument before making decisions. Don’t assume you have to jump in to fix things either. Sometimes by hearing both sides of the argument and talking to each person individually, you may decide to let them work out the issue on their own. That leads to team growth and positive learning moments.

If your kids are arguing, instead of immediately jumping in, take a breath and see if they work out the problem by themselves. If you have to intervene, do it in a way that allows them to be participants in the solution.

Strategy in Relationships

Find wonderful people you can bounce ideas off of and share your challenges with. Look for those relationships that are mutually beneficial where you help each other.

Strategy in Environments

Do you have challenges actually getting to the gym? Prep your gym clothes ahead of time and put them front and center where you’d be able to grab them in the morning. If you are in deep planning mode, turn off the computer and TV and opt for some light classical music and a warm cup of tea.

Wrapping Up

Strategy isn’t always a 60-page planning document. It can also be as simple as the habit of choosing with intention instead of reacting by default. By choosing strategy in your personal life it becomes a natural extension in your business instead of a challenging discipline.

Summary

The article argues that strategy isn’t a grand, formal exercise but a consistent habit of intentional choice woven into daily routines. It emphasizes starting each day with focused, revenue-oriented planning before distractions arise; communicating strategically by choosing clarity, brevity, and the right medium; and evaluating business tools based on near-term ROI. It encourages prioritizing personal well-being, delegating repeatable tasks, learning with focused purpose, diagnosing problems thoughtfully, and cultivating supportive relationships. By shaping environments to reduce friction and approaching decisions with intention rather than reaction, strategy becomes a natural, sustainable part of both personal life and business.

FAQ: Is Strategy a Lost Art?

1. What is the main idea of the article?
The article argues that strategy isn’t a complex document but a daily habit of intentional choices that help business owners stay focused, efficient, and aligned with long-term goals.

2. Why is morning strategy time emphasized?
Because mornings are typically less chaotic. If strategic work isn’t done early, it often gets buried under emails, tasks, and unexpected issues throughout the day.

3. How can I build better morning strategy habits?
Set aside 30 minutes each morning to focus solely on growth-oriented work. Remove distractions—like chores or clutter—before starting your session.

4. What is “strategic communication,” and why does it matter?
Strategic communication means choosing the most effective medium (often a real-time conversation), staying focused on the desired outcome, answering questions directly, and being concise to reduce unnecessary email chains.

5. How should I evaluate new business tools or services?
Ask whether the tool will save time or generate revenue within three months. Apply the same ROI test even when replacing an existing tool.

6. Why is personal well-being included as a strategy topic?
Because sustainable business performance requires a healthy mind and body. Scheduling workouts and breaks just like meetings ensures they aren’t neglected.

7. What’s the strategic approach to delegation?
Identify tasks that don’t require your direct involvement, assign them to others, and create templates for recurring tasks to streamline processes.

8. How can I learn more effectively according to the article?
Choose one skill to focus on for a set time period, such as a quarter, instead of consuming random content. This allows deeper, more coherent learning.

9. What does strategic problem-solving look like?
Before reacting, diagnose the issue. Determine whether it’s a process or interpersonal problem, listen to all sides, and intervene only when necessary to encourage growth and ownership.

10. Why are relationships important for strategy?
Supportive, reciprocal relationships provide valuable perspectives, accountability, and shared problem-solving.

11. How can your environment support strategic habits?
Reduce friction by preparing in advance—like laying out gym clothes—or creating a calming workspace when you need to think deeply.

12. What is the article’s final takeaway?
Strategy doesn’t need to be complicated. It’s about choosing intentionally, not reacting automatically. Making strategic choices in daily life naturally strengthens strategic thinking in business.