Get More Done at Work
If you want your workday to be the most productive possible, carefully plan what you will do during the first hour at your desk. Fast Company reports that this is your best opportunity to do these three things: See everything clearly. Get one real task accomplished. Focus on the human side of work instead of your to-do list. If you’re shaking your head, knowing your schedule is too hectic for such a productive first hour, you need to schedule an adult homeroom on your calendar –just like you had in high school. This is what you do in your grown-up homeroom period:
1. Do not check e-mail.
After all, if someone needs your attention urgently, you’ll get a phone call or text. This frees up your time for the next two tasks below.
2. Be aware and be grateful.
Spend the first 10 minutes of your workday thinking about everything for which you are grateful. This includes gratitude for yourself, family, friends, your career, your life passions and more. Then visualize everything you want in your life–as if you already had it today.
3. Do the worst first.
Before you open your email, buckle down and get one task accomplished. It’s even better if that one task can be something difficult or something you have dreaded doing. Just jump in and do it. (Think how great you’ll feel when you leave work at the end of the day knowing that it’s done!)
Tip: Before you leave work each day, write down the task you want to accomplish in that first hour of the next day. Gather necessary materials so they are waiting for you.