I ate lunch yesterday at 10:40 a.m. CT. I have plenty of reasons, but I’m not going to go into them. Tried to voiceover a few with the cafeteria cashier after she said, “Woah-hooo, pretty early one for ya today”, but she wasn’t buying ‘em. Engines need fuel. Simple as that. Especially freight train engines dedicated to transporting their clients to Profit Town.
Eating lunch at at 10:40 a.m. is good for business. Here’s why:

You’re the Champion of Last Second Requests
What’s the worst email to receive at work? One that comes in after 3:30 p.m. with a request that’s needed by COB. If you eat an early lunch, hungry will probably strike again around 3: 00, which means you’ll grab a snack and be a COB monster while your colleagues are hangrily pissing and moaning about how unreasonable Bob is being while dreaming about Chipotle bowls.

You’re in the Mood to Dictate Terms
If you’re eating at 10:40 a.m., you’re the first person at your office eating lunch. You’re grabbing the bull by the horns and taking what you need. Ball’s in your court. King of the Jungle. That’s going to have an impact on you. You’re going to step up in meetings. You’re going to speak your mind. You’re going to delegate flawlessly while negotiating better deals. You’re going to drop “table stakes” at least 5 times. The early bird gets the worm. That saying’s wrong. Have you ever been outside on an early dew-slicked morning? The early bird doesn’t get the worm. The early bird gets all the worms.

Networking Never has to Die
As mentioned earlier, getting that snack in around 3: 00 will have additional benefits beyond dominated end of day requests. Your networking never has to stop for dinner. Everyone’s been there. We’re all having a great time drinking Manhattans after work, Jerry’s finally coming out of his shell and then boom, Denease jumps in from off the top buzzkill ropes with, “When are we gonna get some food? We have to go to a bar with good food. Can we get the bill please? I know the Blackhawks playoff game is going on, but can we find a place nearby that has great food and where we can all sit?” Ugh.

You Don’t Have to Eat with Anyone
This sounds a little anti-social on the surface, but there isn’t room for two people on a ladder to the top. And what do most people do when they go out to lunch with a co-worker? Complain about other co-workers. You don’t need that negativity in your life.

You’ll Have an Anchor

The Rock is a wise, successful man. People should listen to him. In a recent Instagram post, he says he wakes up at 4 a.m. every day to work out because he knows his competitors aren’t paying that price and sacrificing to that degree – and that gives him an edge and anchor for an opportunity for success.

No way I’m getting up at 4 a.m. to work out. Way too early. That’s not my anchor. My anchor sits in my stomach at 10:40. No one else is sacrificing like that. No one else has the fuel I have at 11:45. Smell what I’m cookin’? Nope. You’re not near the microwave as early as me.

I don’t blame the cashier for making fun of me for eating early. If she read this, I think she’d get it. We laughed about my unique eating behavior and exchanged names after three years of me seeing her there. It was a nice, human moment. And if I ever have to take a client to this cafeteria for a power business lunch, I’m going to call her by her name, say it’s great to see her again and seem like the nicest, most personable fellow on planet Earth. No way my client isn’t impressed.

ROI never rests.