The first few hours of the work day can have a significant effect on your level of productivity over the following eight—so it's important you have a morning routine that sets you up for success.
1. Arrive on time. This may be obvious to most people—but some don't realize that showing up late can not only leave a bad impression, but also throw off your entire day.
2. Take a deep breath. Do something to focus in on the here and now. Many people come into work harried because they don't leave enough time at home to deal with "home stuff," and then they've barely survived another horrendously stressful commute, and then they dive into the madness. Slowing down, taking a moment to pause, and creating a routine around centering yourself can work wonders.
3. Take five. After the deep breath, give yourself five minutes to get settled in. This is a good way to set the tone of the day. Don't allow yourself to be bum rushed by frantic co-workers lost in their own confusion. It's not unusual to wake up to a long backlog of e-mails just screaming for your attention, he adds. "The challenge is taking a moment for yourself before diving head first into your day."
4. Start each day with a clean slate. You may have to attend to projects or discussions that rolled over from the previous afternoon—but try to treat each day as a fresh one. Leave any crap from yesterday behind, tap into what's happening at the outset of the day, get organized and ready or hit the ground running, if that's what is needed.
5. Don't be moody. You'll want to pay attention to your mood and be aware of its effect on others. First and last thing in the day is when emotional intelligence can have the greatest impact. So if you're not a "morning person," try to suck it up and have a positive attitude when you arrive at the office. Grab a second or third cup of coffee, if that's what it takes.
6. Organize your day. The first hour of the work day is the best time to assess priorities and to focus on what you absolutely need to accomplish. Too many people get distracted first thing in the morning with unimportant activities such as diving right into their morass of e-mail, when there may be a whole host of more important issues that need dealing with. Make a to-do list, or update the one you made the previous day, and try to stick to it.
7. Be present. Even if you're not a morning person, you need to be awake when you get the office. Especially if you're in a leadership position, it's critical to be present, mentally and physically, and to communicate. One of the biggest office pet peeves I hear from employees is about how their immediate supervisor just blows by them in the morning without so much as a smile. Taking the time to connect with your team members is essential, and doing the seemingly small things–making eye contact, smiling, asking them about their night, and checking in on what they may need help with–helps you as a leader take the pulse of the team, and helps set the tone for all the employees.
8. Check in with your colleagues. A quick 5 to 10 minute team huddle can also be an effective way for many people to start their day. Make it a short meeting, with no chairs, have everyone share their top goal for the day, and share any critical information the rest of the team absolutely needs to know. Doing the huddles helps people focus and more importantly, connects everyone with the team. And by sharing your goals for the day publicly, the odds of achieving them rise substantially.
9. Ensure that your workspace is organized. Clearing off the desk and creating a neat workspace sets a tone for the rest of the day.It can also help avoid confusion. While most communications are through e-mails and texts, if your boss or co-worker stopped by looking for you and left a sticky note about a last-minute meeting occurring in ten minutes, and it's sitting on a mound of mail or papers, you're already behind the eight ball.
10. Don't be distracted by your inbox. This one is difficult for most people—but the experts agree that you shouldn't check your e-mail first thing in the morning. If you do, only read and respond to messages that are urgent. "Priority-scan your inbox."
11. Listen to your voice mail. Most people jump on the computer and ignore their phone. While office voice mail is indeed becoming antiquated as people rely more on personal cell phones, Blackberrys and e-mail, some people do leave voice messages, and if you ignore them, you could miss something important.
12. Place important calls and send urgent e-mails. [/b]If you know you need to get in touch with someone that day, place the call or send the e-mail first thing in the morning. If you wait until midday, there's a greater chance you won't hear back before you leave the
office.
[b]13. Take advantage of your cleared head. Many people feel that their brains function best in the morning, and that morning is when they are most creative and productive. Consider whether you are making the best use of your brainpower and plan 'high brain' activities in the morning.
14. Plan a mid-morning break. This is the time to assess where you and take time to revitalize yourself so that you can keep your momentum going. If you're stuck in a routine that doesn't include these must-dos, it may be worthwhile to re-examine your habits and make some changes for enhanced career development.
Source: Jacquelyn Smith's "14 Things You Should Do at the Start of Every Work Day"
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/08/24/14-things-you-should-do-at-the-start-of-every-work-day/
