26 Things You Should Do Beginning And Ending Each Workday

 

26 Things You Should Do Beginning And Ending Each Workday13 things you should do beginning each working day

The first hours of a working day influence greatly the whole day. Here are some tips that will help you to start your work days better to achieve better results. Good beginning of a day has crucial importance for the achievement of good results in work, and in the long term in career. The way you start your work day influences its ending. Useful morning habits and actions will let you spend more effective day, week, month and so on.

Our creative professional resumes service publishes a list of 13 things to start working day, created with the help of best career experts’ recommendations: Lynn Taylor, David Schindler, Michael Kerr, Alexandra Levit and Michael Woodward.

1. Do not be late

It sounds obvious, doesn’t it? However, not so many people realize that lateness not only damages your reputation, but also may ruin all your working day. Coming to work in time or a little bit earlier, you will have time to get prepared morally for the work and collect your thoughts, instead of getting bogged down in endless work.

2. Take a deep breath

Literally. And also focus on what is going on right here and right now. Kerr claims that many people come to work with head filled with domestic concerns, because of this all tasks seem more difficult than they are in reality. Just because their attention is occupied with something else. Slow down, take a break, turn your attention to something you can handle now, and put aside all the rest for later.

Woodward says that he has worked with employees, who every morning used to spend 10 minutes on meditation before start working. It is important to tune into the right mood and gather your thoughts. This is a great way to start your day.

3. Have a good breakfast

Breakfast, in fact, is the most important meal of the day. It will help you not only to feel better physically, but also will set correct psychological mood for the day.

4. Start each day with a clean slate

You mind can be filled with the events of yesterday meeting, but you need to discard them and concentrate on today. Forget everything what happened yesterday. What is important is present day. You have to be at your best today.

5. Set the mood

Pay attention to your emotional state and how it influences other people. Schindler says that the mood you have in the morning influences all your day, that is why you need to try not to despond in the morning. Set the mood in a way that works on you before starting to work.

Kerr agrees with him: “The first hour at work can set the tone for the whole day. If you are angry or sad, then failures will chase you even after the work day”.

6. Plan your day

If you did not manage to plan your day yesterday, then beginning of the day is a perfect time to do it. When you have a list of at least the main tasks for a day, it will be easier to cope with them for you. Prioritize correctly, sort tasks, divide them into smaller ones, and thus you will know for sure what task in what period of time you should do.

7. Do not retire into your shell

Having collected your thoughts, you need to concentrate and correct your task list, it is strongly forbidden to retire into yourself and be fully immersed in your work. Kerr advises: “Spend some time on communication with your colleagues, discuss your businesses, ask for advice on something, suggest your help and services to others, and be aware of what is happening around”.

8. Put things in order in the workspace

Alexandra Levit gives the following advice: “Put to rights the items on your desktop. It is always more pleasant to work in clean surrounding”.

Taylor also claims that for many people it becomes difficult to think clear, when there are many unnecessary documents, notes and other things on their desktop and around them. Having cleaned your desktop, you will clean your mind as well.

9. Remind yourself the main goal of your work

“Whatever strangely it may sound, I advise you to remember the main aim of your work each morning”, – Kerr says. “To direct your energy into the right way, do not forget what for you do what you do. It will help you to focus on the right things”.

10. Do not be distracted by e-mail

For many people this is an impossible task, and they begin their morning with checking their e-mail box. Taylor advises: “If you can not quit this ritual, then at least look through the titles and senders only to get the general idea, but not more than that”.

11. Make important contacts

“If you know that today you have to meet someone and discuss important issues, contact these people in the morning, call them or send a letter. But only in the case if it is really important. It will help you to plan your day”, – Taylor says.

12. Take advantage of the morning clear mind

Many people show much productivity in the morning hours. Use it with benefit, try to do all the important task in the beginning of the day. Do not let this time be wasted. This is Kerr’s advice.

13. Do not forget about variety

“Some people like order and measured pace, other like to change something constantly. For such people I advise small shake-ups in the usual routine. Not huge, but small ones, not to veer off the plan, but to feel diversity. Go the other way to your work, buy a cup of coffee on your way, get up one hour earlier and dedicate this time to your personal affairs, do not check your e-mail box and so on. You know it better what fits you”, – Schindler advises.

Another 13 things you should do ending each working day

The first several hours of a work day has great influence on the following eight hours. However, the key for successful and productive beginning of the day is correct ending of the previous day. “The way you finish your work day has critical impact on the beginning of the next day”, – Taylor claims. “This is a half of a puzzle of your productivity and success. Morning and evening are responsible for the events that happen between them. The end of a work day prepares you for the next day, and morning prepares you for today”.

Completion of the day on a good note guarantees the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment, what will help you to wake up with more pleasure the next morning.

Michael Kerr claims that the work day ending has a great influence on the level of stress, dissatisfaction or joy, which we bring to home from work. It influences your health, marriage and relationships with the close ones, your sleep and general level of life enjoyment.

Continuing the post on things you have to do beginning your work day, our online resume writing service publishes a list of 13 things you should do in the end of each work day, composed by the career experts, whom we have already mentioned above.

14. Analyze the task list

Make sure that you have achieved the maximum of desired. If you are not satisfied with the results, plan what you need to do to fix the situation and not to fall behind in plans. If before going home you can do something quickly, do it. In such a way you will save time tomorrow in the morning.

15. Look through the schedule for the next day

Make sure that you are aware of all the tasks you need to do tomorrow. You can also correct your schedule basing on the tasks you have not finished today.

Some people like to imagine how they will start their next work day. Think about one thing, which is really important for you tomorrow. It will help you to leave the present day behind, to improve your mood and think about your future, not past.

16. Talk to your boss and colleagues

Taylor advises to talk a little bit to your boss to specify the tasks and also to learn the latest news from your colleagues. This is an excellent way to be aware of what is going on not to miss something important.

17. Put everything in order

No one likes when there is a mess around him. Before going home spend a couple of minutes to collect garbage accumulated during the day, organize papers, put things in order on the table. It will bring you the feeling of freshness when you come back to work in the morning.

Woodward notes that there is a need to clean up your computer as well: “Spend few minutes to put in order your e-mail box. Delete unnecessary letters, mark those letters that require response tomorrow, sort your personal and work letters”.

18. Finish the work that does not require personal contacts

The end of a work day is a perfect time to fulfill the tasks that do not requires participation of other people. Answer the letters, make reports, do the paperwork, do everything you can do on your own in calm atmosphere. Make the maximum of necessary contacts during the day, discuss all the issues on tasks that you will finish calmly by yourself in the evening. Also define whom you need to talk to tomorrow.

19. Complete all what you can catch

Before leaving, make sure that there are no quick incomplete tasks. There is nothing worse than some little thing that will not go out of your head. The experts advise to spend a couple of minutes to send a letter or prepare a document, or specify some important issue with a colleague.

20. Make a new task list

Make a plan for tomorrow. Probably you will make some changes in it in the morning, but thanks to this preliminary list you will have something to begin with.

21. Look back

Many people just escape from work at the end of the day. However, if you look back, remember what you have managed to do, remember something good, your way home will be much more pleasant.

22. Say goodbye

Kerr says it is important to create some work rituals, which can improve your mood. One of such rituals is saying goodbye to your friends and colleagues in the end of the day. Saying goodbye is as much important as saying good morning. Do not leave your workplace without saying a word. It is especially important for managing positions.

23. Finish the day on a positive note

Remember something good what has happened today, make a compliment to your colleague, thank someone and so on. It is necessary to find something positive in each work day, fix this thought in your head and only after that go home.

24. Offline

Do not be afraid to turn off your phone for the evening or to disable e-mail notifications. Tell about it to others. Let them know that you will not be in touch today. Arrange to discuss some questions tomorrow, but today dedicate time to yourself and your family.

25. Leave all the worries behind the door

It is useless and harmful habit to go home with working problems and worries. Your family needs you, and the thoughts about problems, which anyway you can not solve, being at home, will bring no use to anyone.

26. Go home

Do not try to linger on the job. Do not work without rest, it will harm your productivity and working results. It is better to plan well your next work day, have a rest and with renewed vigor start working in the morning. It is one thing when you need to finish a very important task, and absolutely another thing when you just try to seem a good worker. Do the right things and do them right.