Hi Rick,

I have found a secret productivity tool! A dog. Yes, a puppy! In November of 2009, I went and got a puppy, and named him Red. It was something I had wanted for years, to get a dog again.

So puppies like to get up early … and I really welcome him greeting me in the morning so I can care for him. So there I am at 5:40 every morning after taking care of Red, wondering what to do with this early morning time. Well, I remembered your program and went back to your Day 4, the List. I realized this was my chance to get a couple of the most important tasks of the day done. So I started following the list perfectly. I would fill in the five things in the evening, and go to bed knowing that by 8 a.m., I would be way ahead on my day.

Sure enough, 5:30 I’m up, and 5:40 with a total mindset to start cranking out these five things as soon as I can. I like to take on what I call my hardest thing on my list first. It always gets done, and usually the second one as well. You are right when you say it feels like you’ve accomplished a whole day’s work by 10 a.m., I totally have that.

And as I say, as a little residual, it makes me look at Red in a different way. You know, somebody easily could look at him and say, “aw come on man, why you waking me up, I want to sleep,” but I look at it like Red is the guy that gets me started and gets my day going for me. And I already love him to death, but I love him even more because of that.

— (Pen E)   Lena, Chicago, Illinois