Things to Do Every Day at Work
Not that you don’t already have plenty to do every day, but there are lists galore of other things you might want to include. So many, in fact, that one of the items on your list of things to do each day ought to be to review your list of things to do each day.
One professional's daily list, for example, includes reading something related to business development, having a short conversation—not concerning work—with each employee, and taking time to appreciate what you have and how far you’ve come. This last item seems especially important because the busier you are, the less time you have to acknowledge what you’ve actually accomplished.
Another list focuses on things to do every day that will make the day as satisfying as possible. For example, use your commute to get pumped up for your day, such as by listening to music rather than making calls or answering email messages. When you get to work, do what’s most important first; that is, the 20 percent of activities that are going to produce 80 percent of your day’s results. In addition, express a positive mood in response to social greetings, and avoid negative people, which admittedly can be a challenge if you have to deal with jerks or whiners.
This list also includes starting the day with fifteen minutes of positive input and ending it with fifteen minutes of gratitude. If thirty minutes a day is more than you can spare, try ten minutes, or five, or even one. It’s doing it—not how much of it you do—that counts.
Some lists focus on things to do at the start of each workday. For example, take a moment to pause and center yourself, especially if you’re already harried from a frantic morning of getting the kids and yourself up and out. Another suggestion is to start each day with a clean slate. This doesn’t mean that nothing has carried over from the day before; obviously it has. But it can help your mindset to treat each day as a fresh one. Leave yesterday behind and focus on today.
Consider, also, the things you can do to make your day peaceful and relaxed (or as peaceful and relaxed as possible). For example, begin with some morning exercise, clear your work area of clutter, turn off the distractions, focus on a single task at a time (stop multi-tasking!), take breaks and stretch, and do mini-meditations.
And stop going to meetings. Most are a waste of time. OK, you probably can’t stop going to all meetings, but attend as few as possible, and don’t schedule any yourself if you can accomplish an equally good outcome some other way.
What would you add to these lists?
