6 Ways To Make the Most of Your Workday

Being consistently productive during the workday is an ongoing challenge and conundrum. It requires a combination of ambition, focus, and consistency. Your drive to accomplish goals, your willingness to stay on task, and your perseverance (even when things get tough) are qualities that will move the needle toward long-term success. It's not always easy. To boost your capacity for constructive work, it's essential to establish and maintain habits that fuel creativity and enthusiasm. What are some of the most effective habits? Here are a few you can implement right now. 

1. Start the Day Right

Do you have the urge to turn over in bed and check your emails and texts on your phone? Resist it! It's a far better idea to do things that prepare your mind, body, and emotions for enjoyment and efficiency. This may take several forms, including quiet reading, a healthy breakfast, working out, or getting outside. Do what suits your unique personality. Employee engagement has everything to do with enthusiasm and a sense of connection. Start your day off right by making a strong connection with yourself and what matters to you.  

2. Prioritize Each Task

Making lists is an effective and time-honored way to get things done and feel great about it as you check off each item. Be sure that you prioritize each task as well. To keep it simple, think of your tasks as falling into one of three groups: what needs doing immediately, what needs doing in a few weeks, and what needs doing a month or more down the road. That way, you can easily see and tackle things that require your immediate attention. 

3. Organize Your Inbox

Likely, you receive a high volume of emails. It's crucial that you design a way to organize and keep track of them so that you don't get overwhelmed or miss anything important. Prioritization works here, as does organization. If you can, set a definite time to check your emails — one time a day is optimal — so you're not distracted by constant alerts and others' agendas. Automation is one way to go; tools like SaneBox can help you get control. Or, you might develop your own method. Whatever you decide, follow through! 

4. Prepare Well for Meetings

Every encounter in real-time you can consider a meeting. Taking time to prepare well will help you feel relaxed and calm. Once you know that you have a meeting coming up in the week, be proactive and write down key points you want to discuss, in-progress tasks that you're working on, and concerns you want to address. You'll then be able to enjoy and be fully present for the meeting. 

5. Adjust Your Timelines

When creating your timelines, be mindful not to set ones that are unrealistic or set you up for failure. This is where self-awareness and accurate knowledge of your skills are critical. Do your best to be faithful to your deadlines. If you find that you're having trouble meeting them, get better at seeing issues down the road so you can adjust your approach. A great byproduct of being timeline-wise is finding unexpected opportunities to do something completely different and innovative.

6. Prioritize Discipline

At the end of each workday, take a few minutes to map out your next day. Check off the tasks you accomplished (and reward yourself in some way), and list what needs to be done in the next few days or weeks. Check your calendar and make updates of events based on what you've accomplished and what needs to be done. This gives your day a sense of completion and helps you to relax so you can enjoy the rest of the day with a clear mind.  

Focusing on a few key work habits is a powerful way to feel a sense of accomplishment, jumpstart your imagination, and make real progress toward your goals. Try these suggestions to make the most of every workday.