Do you ever have those days when you wonder where the heck the morning, or even the whole day went? Productivity is key. So, how do you make yourself productive? What should you do each morning to achieve greater productivity?
These suggestions are from a cross-section of folks I work with and some are mine. Take what you feel will work best for you.
- Adopt a morning routine. Every person I connected with on this emphasizes that, when they follow a routine, they are more productive. When they stray form their morning routine, they have less productive days.
- My routine has me getting up early and reviewing and responding to emails, checking Google Alerts, and understanding what has happened in the news (specifically associated to sponsorships, sport marketing, and fund raising). Then I check my social feeds and share, and then move on to my task list.
- Task lists are key. Have it mapped out already (lots of tools for this—tasks in Outlook, apps etc.) what you need to accomplish for the day and determine how you will tackle it. What are the big projects? Are there red flags and issues you need to deal with? What can you push ahead for later?
- The next key is when you get started. Close down your communication tools. Shut off social media. Close down email. These are distractions and will make you very unproductive. Focus on the work at hand, and then in an hour or three hours or whenever, check your Twitter feed, texts, and email. But close them down when you want to be productive!
- One person said to me, “I eat the frog first thing.” This is a reference to Mark Twain. The idea is to tackle your worst or biggest task first. Get it done and out of the way. Research has shown that you have more willpower to tackle tough tasks in the morning than at any other time of the day.
- Celebrate success and completion. When you complete a task, large or small, cherish the success. Stop, take a break, reward yourself then get back to work. The key is to recognize your accomplishments.
Have a great day and stay productive!
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