My Working Day – Mike King – CEO and Founder of iPullRank

As the leader of a company, you are there to set an example and to lead and inspire a team of individuals to achieve a series of business goals. But how do these business leaders go about their daily routine? We spoke to Mike King, CEO and Founder of iPullRank, about his working day.

What time do you wake up?

I’ve tried the 5am club, but it’s not really for me because I naturally am more productive from the afternoon through the evening. That said I typically wake up between 6:30 and 7am depending on when I went to sleep or if one of my kids jumps in the bed early in the morning.

What do you typically have for breakfast?

It’s usually a bowl of oatmeal with raisins, a banana, and two sausages. If I’m in a rush, it’s plain Cheerios with raisins.

What is the rest of your morning routine?

I wake up, eat breakfast, and either go to the gym in my building or ride my bike to the gym. Then I work out with my trainer Chris Olsen. Then I head back, take a shower, get dressed and start the day between 9:30 and 10.

What is the first thing you do at the start of your working day?

I thoughtfully plan out my day in this high-performance planner book. It asks a lot of questions to get me in the mindset of tackling key challenges for the day. After that, I take a look at my email to see if anything is urgent.

How do you prioritise your day’s work?

If there’s a deadline that day and I’m not ready, I will work on that first. If there’s not then I try to knock out a few small important tasks to get the momentum going for the day. I usually save the bigger tasks for later in the day.

Do you plan meetings or are they a waste of time?

On the iPullRank side, we’re an agency; it’s impossible to avoid meetings because I’m doing sales, giving direction to our team, I’m working with my direct reports, and sometimes I’m working directly with clients.

On the AIPRM side, we work more asynchronously, so meetings are rare. Either way, I try to plan all my meetings before 2pm because I’m less productive in the morning anyway.

Do you have a working lunch or do you take a break?

I rarely take a break. When we were in the office, I was more inclined to take a break because it’s just what you do when you “go” to work. At home, all time is pretty much the same, so I don’t have a lunch “break.”

When does your working day finish?

It doesn’t really. I have a lot of projects going on so most nights I’m catching up on things I couldn’t get done if it was a high meeting day. There are also a lot of fires, so task lists can get derailed. However, my kids’ nanny heads out at 6pm, so I stop working between then and when they go to sleep. I’ll typically do another hour or two between 9 and 11.

How do you prepare for the next day’s work?

My planner has an evening journal so it helps with offloading things for the day. I also jot down a few things that I want to work on the following day so my subconscious can work through them while I’m sleeping.

By the time I get to the shower, I usually have an idea and write it on the glass so I can remember it. By the time I get to my desk, I’ll have a few things that will steer my day. It’s a bigger problem when the new idea is unrelated to the priorities and I feel overcome by the opportunity.

What’s your favourite piece of technology?

My laptop. There’s nothing I can’t do with it. I prefer it over my phone because it’s easier to eliminate distractions.

How do you switch off?

I’ll watch a TV show in bed and just let my thoughts wander.

What is the best piece of advice you have received?

You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.