One of the cornerstones of my daily routine is spending 30-40 minutes each weekday morning reviewing my notes from the previous day and writing a page or so with key highlights and incremental ideas. I’ve dubbed this practice my “AM Doc” – a nod to its early morning execution and its role as a document of reflection and growth.
During the hustle of the day, particularly in meetings, I rely on my spiral notebook for making notes. This analog approach keeps me present and focused, free from the distractions of digital devices. At the top of each page, I list immediate actionables from the meeting, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks of memory. This system allows me to keep my mind uncluttered, delegating the task of remembering to paper rather than taxing my mental bandwidth.
However, while this method excels at capturing information in the moment, it leaves a gap in terms of reflection and connecting the dots across various interactions and ideas. This is where the AM Doc steps in, bridging that crucial gap.
For me, the early morning hours are a wellspring of productivity. Rising with the sun, I carve out time from about 5 am for my read-write-think routine. As I revisit my notes from the previous day with fresh eyes and the benefit of some distance, I often uncover threads that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. It could be recurring phrases, intriguing references, or thought-provoking questions that warrant deeper consideration. In the whirlwind of back-to-back meetings that often characterise our workdays, this dedicated time to see the bigger picture is invaluable.
As leaders, one of our primary responsibilities is to peer into the future and make informed bets on differentiated strategies that will give us a competitive edge in tomorrow’s landscape. The AM Doc serves as a critical tool in this endeavour. It’s my personal laboratory for synthesising disparate ideas into a cohesive whole – some reinforcing existing mental models, others challenging and reshaping them.
The tranquillity of the morning, undisturbed by the constant pings of emails or the chatter of WhatsApp and Slack messages, provides the perfect environment for this deep work. It’s in these quiet moments that my most innovative ideas for both the business and this blog tend to surface. I’ve come to treasure this time – it’s a form of “Me time” that functions as a kaizen-like system of continuous improvement, allowing for incremental yet impactful progress day after day.
To further enhance the utility of this practice, I’ve incorporated an additional step. After accumulating a few weeks’ worth of AM Docs, I print them out and have them spirally bound. This physical compilation allows me to quickly scan through aggregated thoughts and insights much faster than rifling through multiple digital files. It’s a tangible record of my intellectual journey and often serves as a fountain for inspiration when I’m grappling with complex problems or seeking fresh perspectives.
Looking ahead, I can envision a future where AI might streamline this process – automatically summarising meeting notes, identifying patterns, and even suggesting connections that human cognition might miss. However, until that day arrives (and perhaps even after), I’ll continue to rely on my AM Doc.
