Ali Younus
Most people do not consider morning as their favorite part of the day, especially the night owls. But starting off a morning can affect your whole day. A good morning routine sets you up for success and makes the first few hours of your work day the most productive ones. Because of a good start, you get greater control over the following eight working hours of the day.
But there are a few mistakes most people make before starting. These activities derail or direct the focus making people fall prey to feeling unproductive and completely distracted throughout the day.
A little research has been done in order to identify the mistakes that people usually make within the first 10 minutes of their day. Workers can avoid these mistakes to use their peak time every morning and perform the most important tasks.
Arriving Late:
Showing up late in the office not only leaves a bad impression on the employer but also fills the worker with a feeling of idleness for the entire day. Even working late cannot get employers to rate their workers on a better level. So instead of throwing off the whole day by starting late, it is better to get on time and set your mind before work.
Get the habit of Smiling and Greeting:
If you start your work with your eyes down and shoulders slumped, then most of your co-workers will also ignore you. Beginning your shift by showing a little courtesy to your colleagues can thaw the frosty workplace relationships. Take a few minutes to greet your co-workers to remind them you are a person first and then an employee.
Drinking tea or coffee:
Drinking tea or coffee is most employees’ favorite part of the morning time, just when they start their work. But according to research, the best time to drink coffee or tea is after 9:30 am. This is because the energy-regulating stress hormone cortisol usually peaks between 8 and 9 am. By drinking tea or coffee at that time, the human body reduces the production of cortisol and becomes dependent on caffeine. So coffee should be taken once the cortisol levels start declining naturally and this happens after 9:30 am.
Sticking to the inbox:
The first ten minutes of the workday must be spent just quickly analyzing the emails and should not be wasted in responding to each and every email. Answering just urgent emails would be fine but the rest should be left for later. Although checking and replying to every email makes one feel that he/she has accomplished a lot but this activity can consume your entire day without letting to prioritize the real important tasks.
Starting without a plan:
It is better to start off a day with a proper schedule every time. It gives the idea to the worker where they are heading towards. Reviewing the calendar can help remember important meetings, make calls, attend conferences, and prepare ahead of the events.
Delaying difficult or complicated tasks for later:
A person’s energy is usually at its peak at the start of the day, it is the time that can be well spent on a bit complicated tasks. You can think about all the possibilities for finding solutions to problems. But this energy tends to decline throughout the day therefore it is best to work on important tasks first and leave the easy ones for later.
Multitasking:
Your first ten minutes should be focused on setting a positive tone for the rest of the day. With so much high energy levels in the morning, one feels to accomplish as much as he can. But this multitasking can result in extreme frustration in the end. Therefore it is better to focus on one task in the first ten minutes of your workday.
Stay away from negative thinking:
It is better not to allow negative thoughts to enter your mind at the start of the day. Forget about anything bad that happened to you earlier or delete all the grudges that you hold in your heart about any person you met on your way to work. These things can distract you from performing important tasks of the day.
Morning meetings:
For a good start to the day, morning meetings should be avoided as much as possible. The first few moments of the day must be spent on writings or doing other important work. Meetings should be scheduled for low-energy times such as afternoons.
Via: Business Insider
