We compared notes with numerous deal professionals over the years to identify commonalities in how one successfully schedules breaks in order to maintain the full court press. Here are the commonalities from the high performers we interviewed.

They pick one thing and protect it. For some its dinner with their kids, a Pilates class, bible study, or marathon training. Whatever it is, pick the one thing and they carve out a define time for it. They know they can’t do it all and call their shot accordingly.

They highlight, instead of hiding, when they are out of pocket. Giving visibility and consistency allows folks to plan around the short time you are unavailable. It also gives you something to look forward to in your day or week.

They remain flexible with the competing priorities and schedules around their deal team. Sometimes the management team is only available for a call at 7PM. Sometimes your MD needs to see a cut of the customer data before they hop on a flight. When you can meet the demands of the team and show you are not rigid, good teammates tend to give you the flexibility to find space elsewhere.

They document and park their work. As a general rule, we try to work towards a hit by a bus scenario. That is to say, when leaving for a few hours, overnight, or the several days, document your workflows, where they stand, and what is needed. That way, if God for bid, you were hit by a bus, the deal team could pour some out desk side and keep going. As crass sounding and hyperbolic as it maybe, such rigor helps the boat     consistently go faster.

They have a strong project management process to document all their workflows. This allows them to stay on top of the information flow, prioritize their tasks, and log requests as they come on and offline.

They get clear on priorities and goals of the team to maximize their impact. Their personal compass points to creating value for their team and set their sights on this before they get into the work. This allows them to better allocate their time and attention accordingly.

Strong understanding of process and what comes next. They use this to set priorities, as well as give visibility to others ahead of their dark period to ensure their downtime does not impede progress of others.

They set rules in place on how to be reached if there is an emergency and they immediately need to plug back in. For example, we know folks who have allow text or calls from the same coworkers get through on the second or third ping when there phone is in work or workout focus mode.