The Best Way to Spend the First 10 Minutes of Your Workday

How you deal with the initial 10 minutes of the workday largely can determine how effective and productive you will be the remainder of the day.

Below is a list of 10 things the most successful individuals do within the initial 10 minutes of the workday:

1. They reflect.

Accomplishing your top goals will require you to reflect upon where you have been, where you are, as well as where you are going. Successful individuals build quiet time in and use solitude to do this first thing in the morning. They’ll ask themselves: What did I achieve toward my goals thus far this week–or the past week?What’s the status of my present projects? What will I have to achieve today in light of this?

2. They make themselves comfortable.

Successful individuals take time at the start of the workday to be certain their chair is properly adjusted and the objects they access frequently–phone, keyboard, computer mouse–are all within comfortable reach. Make sure you have the right lighting. Your day is going to go well if you create an ergonomic environment that is functional.

3. They review their to-do list and make necessary adjustments.

This assists them in remembering the necessity of sticking with the plan and concentrating on the tasks that are truly important, not just urgent. Taking a mental note of the day also assists successful people in visualizing success, tremendously boosting confidence levels. Also, it can help you see where potential challenges might lie with how you have scheduled the day, in order for you to make the needed changes.

4. They prioritize.

A positive result of some big-picture reflection includes the capability of better prioritizing your to-do tasks. Go above and beyond merely creating a list and challenge yourself to develop a realistic hierarchy for your tasks.

5. They take the time to greet the team.

This is especially crucial if you’re a leader. However, no matter what role you are in, it is critical. Checking in and visiting with your team and boss will assist you and other people in kickstarting their day. In order to advance your career, you cannot skimp on people skills. You may be the most technically savvy individual inside the room, yet your attitude might amplify or chip away at your technical skills value. Being friendly the first thing in your morning will make the work environment more pleasant for everybody–and that humanistic approach is going to be contagious.

6. They’ll take a temperature read of co-workers/staff.

A strong manager takes a minute in the morning to briefly talk to his or her staff to make sure they seem motivated and engaged. At one glance, these savvy experts often can get a cursory reading of the job satisfaction and energy level of their team. If things seem awry, they’re better dealt with later in the day.

7. They’ll organize their workspace.

Not having the ability to locate things is a big office time waster. Therefore, while you might pride yourself on hopping into the fray without any down time, clutter is going to catch up to you. Facing a clean slate on your desktop is going to better clear your mind for that day’s projects.

8. They strategically check their email.

The emphasis is on “strategically,” because email can quickly become a time-wasting distraction. Checking your email may become one of those activities which makes it feel like you’re achieving things, but it creates the risk that you aren’t attending to priority items and are allowing other people to set your schedule.

9. They avoid and anticipate distractions.

All of us face some of the exact same distractions at the beginning of the day. Successful business people know how they can mitigate these distractions to maximize their initial minutes at their office. The distractions might involve unneeded meetings, low-priority calls, chatty co-workers, social media, incoming texts or emails, or other unimportant alerts–all of which will challenge you to concentrate on your day’s strategy.

10. They take time to be grateful.

One excellent way that successful individuals begin their day includes identifying something they are grateful for, and it might be business-related or personal. It is motivational and will remind them to put small tasks in perspective.

By Murray Newlands

Originally published 04/15/2015

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