We all know that how a person starts the day will impact what they achieve for the rest of the day. Getting off to a good start sets the stage for a very productive day while a slow start can mean not achieving your objectives.
If you want to boost your productivity, you need to get off to a good start. Follow the steps below and you should experience a noticeable increase in productivity throughout the day by, ensuring your mornings are focused on your most important objectives.
1. Create a To-Do List the Day Before
One of the best ways to get a good start on the day is to take the last 30 minutes or so of the previous day to plan ahead. Simply put, creating a to-do list before you go home establishes your plans for the following day. The list will immediately put you on track when you arrive for work the next morning.
Arrange your tasks in order of priority for a more concise and productive plan. This will save additional time by not requiring you to organize your priorities first thing in the morning. You can walk in and get right to work.
2. Do Not Open Your E-Mail First Thing
Checking email in the morning constitutes the biggest productivity destroyer at all levels of business. According to an Accountemps survey of 2,100 CFOs, 58% started the day reading e-mail rather than working on projects. Doing so harms productivity because the vast majority of e-mails are routine and do not require immediate attention, yet workers are distracted by these routine issues instead of concentrating on more important tasks.
Do not open your e-mail inbox when you first arrive at work. Instead, spend the first hour or so of your day working on the most important task on your to-do list. Only when you have made significant progress or completed the task altogether, should you even think about checking your e-mail.
The problem with e-mail is that your inbox is essentially an electronic can of worms. Once you start reading e-mail, you end up dealing with insignificant things that only hinder your productivity. You may believe you need to check your e-mail first thing in the morning, especially if you work with external clients, but for most, it is unnecessary. Anything that requires urgent attention will instigate a phone call from your client rather than an e-mail message. If you do have clients sending urgent requests via e-mail, you might want to communicate to them that the telephone is a more effective way of making you aware of anything urgent.
3. Do Not Attempt to Multitask
Contrary to popular belief, multitasking is not the best way to achieve maximum productivity. Multitasking takes longer, reduces productivity, and increases the likelihood of making mistakes. One need only step back and observe someone trying to walk down the street and text at the same time. Multitasking does not work well. By contrast, a single task focus is the best way to ensure your work meets high standards and make maximum use of your time.
Believe it or not, your co-workers make multitasking necessary by approaching you and asking for assistance while you are in the middle of something. You might be requested to join a meeting just getting under way, or having to stop what you are doing in order to solve a problem a co-worker deems a higher priority. In either case, you need to learn to say no.
Block out specific times on your schedule, based on your daily to-do list, when you will be unavailable to your co-workers. Share your schedule with them so there is no temptation on their part to interrupt your productivity. Then stick to that schedule. If they see you working hard and making good use of your time, they will be less likely to distract you.
4. Turn Off or Mute Notifications
The mobile age has exposed us to all sorts of notifications that constantly distract us from the tasks at hand. Notifications may seem helpful, but they actually destroy productivity. Turn them off or mute them; do not allow notifications to continue to hinder performance.
Like controlling e-mail, turning off or muting your notifications does not disconnect you from your co-workers and the outside world. It merely allows you to control when you are exposed to incoming messages. Make a point of checking your e-mail and notifications during your breaks. This will keep you up-to-date with what’s going on without distracting you when you are working on important tasks.
Productivity is everything in the modern workplace. You can increase yours by getting off to a good start first thing in the morning and then sticking to the steps outlined above throughout the day.
Featured photo credit: Nolan Issac via unsplash.com
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