Ready, set, work!
Three easy tips to help your productivity at work each morning:
- Prepare everything on your desk before you leave work the previous night so your desk is ready for your work first thing the next morning. Have all the materials you need set and ready to go.
- Avoid the break room. This might mean you need to bring your coffee with you in a thermos, but sitting down and getting started working right away will set the whole tone for the day. You can be collegial at lunch or in the afternoon when your energy levels are naturally waning.
- Have a clear plan for the day. The clearer your action items and schedule, the easier it is to successfully manage your day. Even if your day doesn’t go exactly as planned, you’ll still get more done than not having any direction at all.
I also do something a little silly each morning that I find helps to get me motivated for the work day. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and say to myself, “Ready, set, go!” Again, it’s totally silly, but it motivates me.
4 comments posted
Posted by Sarah Graff - 04/20/2011
What really helped me be motivated was looking forward to my Rescue Time Report from http://www.rescuetime.com/. Every morning I would fire up the application and track how much time I actually spent being productive. It is a wonderful feeling at the end of the day to look at the report, which provided a detailed account of how and where my time was spent. Also, using an online task manager, such as ToodleDo, helps prioritize important items without any paper clutter on my desk. Since it is online, I could access the calendar from any computer, and even my smart phone.
Posted by Ella - 04/20/2011
I jump-start myself with a short task of known duration – something I can complete within the first 10 or 15 minutes of my day. I set a timer and go! With that task accomplished, the momentum carries me forward. Oh, and I don’t check my email until later in the morning!
Posted by customic - 04/20/2011
Hello Erin, thanks for the post and some useful tips, I’ll use them tomorrow to have a productive day.
No, saying to yourself “Ready, set, go!” is not silly at all, I do it too and it does really help! I guess I would feel really silly if I said after that “No, on second thoughts, maybe not yet”!
Posted by momoboys - 04/21/2011
I do the same self-pep talk! Except my phrase is the old Dunkin’ Donuts commercial from the 80′s: TIME TO MAKE THE DONUTS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwfrBbNo5Jg
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