Launch a Calmer, More Productive Workday

How you start your day makes all the difference.

Begin Your Day on the Right Foot

The way you begin your workday sets the tone for the rest of the day, not only at work but also at home. A few simple measures taken at the start of the day can make all the difference to how it ends. We've compiled the following tips to help you get off to the right -- and healthy -- start.

1. Limit your work-starting routine to 15 minutes. That is, don't spend more than 15 minutes getting coffee, settling in, reading e-mails, checking messages, or looking at newspapers. You are often at your freshest and most productive at the beginning of the day. A prolonged morning routine takes the positive edge off you and makes your afternoon more stressful. Better that you jump into the important work quickly, and read the nonessential e-mails after you've covered lots of ground.

2. Write two to-do lists. The first should contain everything that you need to get done soon. It should be a comprehensive list of short-, medium-, and long-term projects and work, and you should constantly adjust it. The second to-do list should be what you can reasonably expect to get done today, and today only. Be fair to yourself. Factor in the disruptions, meetings, phone calls, and travel hassles that are interwoven in our days. Make the tasks as specific as possible (i.e., conduct online research for ostrich meat market) and assign a time you plan to devote to it (20 minutes). Print the list out on brightly colored paper; this keeps it from getting lost on your desk. By prioritizing your work and slicing it down to small, achievable pieces, you greatly increase the chances that you will be satisfied with your day's accomplishments.

3. Take a few moments to assess the day's emotional challenges. Almost as important as your to-do list is a "be prepared for" list. Inventory the tough phone calls, boring meetings, challenging customers, frustrating red tape, infuriating rush-hour drives, droning detail work, and other mental challenges you are likely to face. Then accept that they are inevitable, and prepare yourself to get through them without anger, frustration, or impatience. Remember: It's usually not our work that gets us down -- we all should enjoy our work! -- but rather the challenges that lie along the periphery of the job.

4. Visualize your day. Taking that last point further, you might wish to start each day by closing your eyes for 10 or 20 seconds and visualizing how you want it to go. See yourself making a stellar presentation at the board meeting. Experience the great feeling you're going to have when you finally make the sale or deliver the goods or get that report off your desk. Hear yourself providing positive feedback to your employee, or even your boss. If you are religious, make this a prayer.

5. Schedule some social time come midmorning. Most likely, you work with people whom you like and know rather intimately. In fact, camaraderie is what makes many jobs great. So build into each morning a ritual in which you can spend a few moments of social time with colleagues. Make it short, at an appropriate time, and don't let a day go by without getting to it. Avoid phone calls if you can; they can unexpectedly turn into big time-eaters.

6. Likewise, schedule some reading time. There's not a job that doesn't require at least some reading, be it about the company, the industry, the marketplace, the economy, the price of tomatoes. Create a ritual that gives you 15 minutes or so to review newspapers, electronic newsletters, industry magazines, company memos, and other reading. Be disciplined -- this is not the time to read the funnies or do online shopping! You'll find that being up-to-date on your business has many advantages, just one of them being a sense of control about your own situation.

7. Keep essentials nearby. If you have storage space for private stuff where you work, stock up on the following:

• A case of low-fat granola bars (the perfect snack or substitute breakfast)


• A case of bottled water (keeps you away from the soda machine)


• Bags of slow-dissolving mints or candy (helps prevent needless snacking)


• Supplements, including a multivitamin, B-complex, C and E vitamins, and echinacea (good for when cold season hits or you forget to take vitamins at home)


• A box of tissues (always handy)


• At least five family photos (which always lift the spirits)


• A snack pack (an array of nutritious snacks).

8. Make sure you have the right equipment for a healthy day in the office. If you're deskbound, that means:

• Headphones for the telephone so you're not leaning your neck to one side when you talk on the phone.


• An antiglare filter on your computer screen to reduce vision problems. One study on filter screens found they improved the quality of the screen image and significantly reduced the percentage of people with tired eyes, fatigue, itchy or watery eyes, dry eyes, and headaches.


• A wrist rest for your computer so that you keep your wrists elevated, thus avoiding pressure on the nerves that go through your wrist, which can cause carpal tunnel syndrome.
  
  If you are in sales or service, you are likely to be on your feet much of the day. Comfortable, supportive shoes are just a start. Good socks and underwear, a steady supply of breath mints, and braces or other support for your back, knees, or any other problematic joints are also important. Finally, establish a safe place to keep your keys, cell phone, and other pocket stuff. Full pockets can affect your posture and movement.
  
  
  

  Prevent Fatigue

  9. Set your watch or computer alarm to go off every hour. This will be your signal throughout the day to take a break, get up and stretch, walk around the building, etc.
  
  10. Sit up straight. One common cause of fatigue, carpal tunnel syndrome, and back pain is our tendency to slump while we're typing or sitting. Every time your alarm beeps or your phone rings, consider it a reminder to straighten that back, throw back those shoulders, and lift up that neck.
  
  11. Loosen your tie (if you're wearing one). Researchers at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary found that tighter ties increased eye pressure, a risk factor for glaucoma.
  
  12. Spend a few moments sparking your creativity. Here's a good way if you have a computer. Each morning, pick a random word or name. It could be "Eduardo," or "shad roe," or "aquamarine." Spend five minutes exploring the word on the Internet. (Is there an "aquamarine.com" Web site? Yes -- it's all about a modern fish farm.) Don't have a computer? Then pick up a dictionary, open it to a random page, and look for interesting words. Creative exercises like these blow the night's cobwebs from your mind and set your brain up to embrace new information -- even in a job you've been doing for years.
  
  13. Record your message for the day. Effective use of voice mail "can eliminate many inefficiencies concerning business communications," says Marilyn Chalupa, a business education and office administration professor at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Her advice: Change your message each day, and make it specific and useful. For instance, you might leave a message saying that you're in the office, but in meetings most of the day, and so won't be returning calls until the next morning. Or you could leave a message saying that you're in the office, but working on a major project all day, and will only be checking messages at lunch and 4 p.m. You can even leave a voice mail for one person if you know someone is calling for specific information. Some phone mail systems enable you to leave this information in a separate place on your voice mail.
  
  14. Plug in your cell phone as soon as you get to work. That way, it's fully charged and ready to go regardless of what happens the rest of your day.
  
  15. Start your day with a cup of hot cocoa while you tackle your most creative work. Research finds that one cup of cocoa a day for five days can increase blood flow in the brain, hands, and legs, and helps regulate blood pressure. Choose a brand that isn't loaded with sugar or hydrogenated oil, such as Ghirardelli's.
  
  16. Get to work an hour before everyone else. That precious hour of calm -- before the e-mails start pouring in, the phone starts ringing, and the problems start piling up -- is more valuable than diamonds in terms of your overall work performance and accomplishments. An added bonus: You'll get to leave early.
  
  17. Find a compliment you've received from a coworker, boss, or client via e-mail, print it out, and tape it inside your top drawer. Whenever you're feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, or useless, open the drawer and take a peek to remind you of what others think of your abilities.
  
  18. Keep fresh flowers or plants at work. A study from Texas A&M University found that live plants increased creative thinking.
  
  19. Block off 30 minutes on your calendar at the end of the day. This might seem like a strange thing to do when you're ending your day, but this is your time to begin your transition from work to home. During this last half hour of your day, you'll finish answering any e-mail, update your to-do list for the next day, and clean off your desk.