Most of us work long hours: 40, 50 or even 60 hours each week. But
chances are, given distractions like online entertainment, office
snacking habits and ill-designed time management, we're only churning
out high-quality work a portion of each day.
Here are five practical steps to incorporate into any morning routine
to optimize your time at the office and maintain productivity all day
long:
7 minutes of exercise.
Why? It's short enough that it won't impact the rest of your morning
routine and long enough to shake off any residual sluggishness from the
night before -- including that extra glass of wine. There are endless fitness routines to turn to, but the one I like best is called the 7 Minute Workout (and yes, there's an app for that). In just seven minutes, it works all major muscle groups with 12 total exercises.
Start your day out green.
Sure, we've all been told
that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it's pretty
easy to reach for a bagel, bowl of cereal, egg sandwich or cup of yogurt
to get your metabolism going. While all of these options are fine choices once in a while, you'll
be shocked at the morning lift you can get from a green smoothie. And
healthy juicing requires less time in the morning than toasting a bagel
and slathering it with low fat cream cheese. I go quick and easy, blending (for about a minute): one apple, one
banana, one orange, a handful of spinach, half of a cucumber, any juice
or coconut water on hand, a few cubes of ice and some flax seed. It's
cheap, easy and energizing.
Pick 3 wins for the day.
While you're waiting for
that smoothie to blend, get ahead of the evening's conversation with
your significant other; you know, the one that starts, "How was your
day?"
Decide on the three things that you'd like to accomplish in the next
12 hours in order for you to feel like the day was a success. Sure, not
every day will be an epic win, but strategizing in this way will help to
move the ball forward.
Block your calendar to achieve wins.
One of the most
common mistakes people make at the office is not turning to-do lists
into time-bound, effective project lists. I've found that people who
have mastered this hack are far more likely to deliver tasks on time. It's simple: For each of the big things on your list, block off the
amount of time on your calendar that you estimate the task might take;
and then add 33% more time just to be sure. If a project is multi day or has dependencies, break it up into
digestible chunks. Use one block to plan and a second or third block to
accomplish. This simple method will help hold you accountable and immediately
help you refocus on the tasks you've prioritized when you do get
distracted. Too often, we let one distraction steamroll an entire
morning; now you don't have to let that client email derail you from
your winning plan for the day.
Power up after lunch. Take the 15 minutes
right after lunch to refocus on the day; a kind of professional
meditation. Get away from your computer, turn it off, go sit in a
conference room and determine what you have on tap for the rest of the
day. Think about how the list you set in the morning is shaping up. Are
you ahead of schedule? Behind schedule? You'll find that these 15
minutes help you identify how you got derailed, what's causing you
distractions and help you to rediscover a rhythm to be productive all
day long.
Give this simple formula a try for a week and I think you'll be pleased with the results.
(Source: entrepreneur)
No comments:
Post a Comment