From 6:15 A.M. to 8:30 A.M.: In my ideal workday, I wake up at 6:15 a.m., cuddle for a while with Sandy, get out of bed, dress in sneakers, shorts, and a T-shirt, do some push-ups and sit-ups, stretch. and go for a 30-minute jog. I run along the streets of my town, stopping to say hello to my neighbors and pet their dog. I return to my house and make and drink a banana milkshake while I brew a cup of coffee for Sandy and a cup for myself, and listen to the morning news on NPR. I take coffee to Sandy in bed, shave, take a shower, get dressed, eat some cereal and yogurt, read the paper, and get out the door by 8:00 A.M.

I dress in stylish, well-made, professional-looking clothes. I walk 20 minutes to work in the sunshine and a cool breeze, stopping off at the coffee shop on the ground floor of the building my office is in to fill my Thermos with coffee for the first half of the day, and maybe grab a toasted bagel.

I have my own office just off the main work area on our floor, surrounded by the cubicles of the six people—two designers, two copywriters, and a creative director—who report to me. My office has a frosted-glass-and-copper desk, a window, good lighting, a chair that's good for my posture, a couple of chairs for guests, a few plants, an original modern art painting by my friend on the wall, a metal bookshelf, a few photos, and a laptop connected to a large flat-panel monitor.

From 8:30 A.M. to 8:55 A.M.: I review my plans for the day and week, read and respond to e-mail from my team, customers, and other senior management, and make any phone calls I need to. I check on ongoing projects; provide feedback, guidance, and motivation to my team; and help out colleagues or customers who are turning to me as a subject-matter expert. Once an hour during the day, I walk from my desk to the water cooler near the front desk for a stretch, a glass of water, and to look out in the distance over the city.

From 9:00 A.M. to 9:50 A.M.: I have a conference call with the United Kingdom office to help plan their weekly presentations and schedule a few meetings with strategic account prospects. I squeeze in some conversation about traveling in the United Kingdom, as Sandy will be flying over at the start of her break in classes, and we'll be seeing friends of mine in England for three days before traveling for two weeks in Ireland.

From 10:00 A.M. to 10:50 A.M.: I work on my presentation. I'm preparing notes from conversations I've had with customers about the headaches and challenges of creating solutions like this, and demonstrating how we can make the headaches and challenges go away. I'm incorporating a new type of software, so I'm practicing working with it, using it to add some flash and drama to the presentation. I e-mail the presentation to our account executives, asking them to let me know their reactions and any questions that come up.

From 11:00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.: I participate in a conference call with one of our national account managers. He is working with a client who has extensive marketing needs, and wants to be reassured that our company has sufficient expertise to help them. Our account executive and I have prepared in advance for this meeting, and I have supplied him with a likely set of questions the client will ask based on my prior experience. In addition, I've got our designer in the office with me, because he can help and he wants to learn more about the sales process.

As our national account manager leads the meeting, I have the speakerphone muted and am running a commentary on what he's saying, the techniques he's using, and the way he guides the meeting to the conclusion he's looking for. He successfully answers four out of five of the potential client's questions, and when he asks me about the last one, I make a joke out of thanking him for letting me feel useful, and answer the question to everyone's satisfaction. The call ends, and I debrief with our designer to answer any remaining questions and wrap up the session.

From 12:00 noon to 12:30 P.M.: I walk from the office to the park, enjoying the sunshine and the sights and sounds of the city (while eating the sandwich Sandy made and packed for me while I was out jogging).

From 12:30 P.M. to 12:45 P.M.: I stop in at the restaurant where a number of our clients are, and drink a cup of coffee while I welcome them into our organization, connect with them, and explain that if they have any ideas about the campaign they would like to see us incorporate, they should feel free to contact me, as I champion new ideas at our company.

From 12:45 P.M. to 1:15 P.M.: I run a brown-bag luncheon training class for the staff on creative selling techniques and doing powerful presentations.

From 1:15 P.M. to 1:30 P.M.: I respond to e-mails and recheck my progress on the day. I'm doing well, accomplishing what I want to accomplish.

From 1:30 P.M. to 2:15 P.M.: I talk with our national account director about the tools and skills that will enable our sales force to achieve maximum productivity and present the most polished image to our current and prospective clients. We also review a demonstration reel I developed for one of our new accounts, and I make some notes on feedback that salespeople have provided about the demo, as well as feedback clients and prospects have provided. I make a note in my calendar to work with one of our designers to update the reel tomorrow.

From 2:00 P.M. to 2:45 P.M.: I meet with my designers, copywriters, and creative director. We talk about creative concepts and brainstorm ideas about how we can use any new techniques to our advantage, either to maintain a cutting-edge image for our agency, or to incorporate into our presentations.

From 2:45 P.M. to 3:30 P.M.: I work on a small design assignment that is pro bono. Although we won't make adimeonit, it just may help us win a significant deal with another organization. I complete it and then forward it on to my creative director for his input. Tomorrow, I'll put together a 10-slide presentation that will be shown to the nonprofit client some time next week via Web Ex and teleconference.

From 3:30 P.M. to 4:45 P.M.: I write and respond to e-mails, make a few phone calls, and do a final check on my progress for the day. I did well. I accomplished nearly everything I wanted to, and the things that remain are things I'm looking forward to doing tomorrow.

4:45 P.M.: I leave the office and walk home. I've got a real sense of accomplishment and a story or two I can tell Sandy about my day in a way that will interest her. I'm looking forward to giving her a solid idea of what I did today and how I enjoyed it.

Now that you've seen a good example of the Ideal Workday exercise, it's time for you to try it! Remember to provide as much detail as you possibly can in designing your ideal workday. Use your imagination, and have fun with this one.