How to Begin Your Business Day

Time does have a habit of slipping away. Wouldn't it be great if you had an easy, time-saving way to energize the start to your day? One that would improve productivity and your attitude? Just follow these steps to begin experiencing a more productive work day!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Something to write with
• A colored marker or highlighter
• Paper

Making the List

1. When you get to work, do not check voice mail, email or snail mail.
2. Write down everything you think you need to do today. You may make this list as detailed or high level as necessary. Be sure to include these three key areas: lunch, morning break, afternoon break.
3. Review your list to be sure you have included your necessary tasks. You'll get better at this over time.
4. Take the highlighter and use it to mark tasks that you find difficult or unpleasant.
5. Do one of the highlighted tasks. Yes, one of the hard or difficult ones. It is best to tackle these tasks when your energy, or at least your caffeine, is highest.
6. Now check email and voice mail. Work on emails and voice mails that directly apply to your list. Unless it is from the boss or a client, the email or voice mail probably is not as important as items on the list.
7. At lunch, review your list and see how much work you have actually completed! You will find more productivity as this beginning action becomes a habit.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to find a comic, story, picture or conversation that makes you laugh out loud sometime early in the day. I read Dilbert at breakfast.
• Make a new list each day and transfer uncompleted tasks to the new day's list if necessary

Who Can Help:

• Earn an Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's Degree from the University of Phoenix
• University of Phoenix, degree Programs to Fit Your Life.