How to Wrap Up Your Day for Higher Productivity

05 Jun, 2017

Beth Braccio Hering 

Writer, Freelance Jobs

Want to get more work done tomorrow and aim for higher productivity? The time to start, literally, is today.

“How you prepare for your day the day before will have the biggest impact on your daily production,” says Mitzi Weinman, author of It’s About Time! Transforming Chaos into Calm, A to Z. “Because you just ‘lived’ your day, it’s still fresh in your head. If you wait and plan in the morning, there’s a better chance that distractions will end up preventing you to plan, and you’ll be in reactive mode throughout the day.”

Set yourself up for higher productivity by completing these productivity-promoting tasks before calling it a day:

Revisit your to-do list.

Deal with the entries on today’s to-do list that haven’t been crossed off. Transfer each item either to tomorrow’s agenda or to a time slot at a later date. Include appropriate notes, such as where you left off or who you need to contact before resuming. Break projects into smaller, more doable pieces if necessary.

Before tossing today’s list, take a moment to reflect on what you accomplished. Too often, workers focus on what they did not get done instead of taking pride in strides made. Feeling good ends the day on a positive note and boosts motivation for tomorrow.

Check your calendar.

Get a heads-up on what to expect tomorrow by looking at the upcoming day on your calendar. This action will put you in the proper frame of mind and enable preparation for what’s coming, such as securing data before a meeting.

Glancing a few more days ahead can be a good idea, too. Maura Thomas, author of Work Without Walls: An Executive’s Guide to Attention Management, Productivity, and the Future of Work, suggests color coding your calendar appointments according to type to get a quick sense of what is coming up without having to read every entry.

Prioritize tomorrow’s tasks.

With all items you’d like to accomplish tomorrow jotted in one place, begin ranking them in order of importance. You’ll be able to dive in head first instead of wasting time wondering where to start. Prioritization will increase your productivity tenfold.

Tidy up.

“Clean off your desk. Coming into a space that is clutter-free can be energizing!” Weinman says.

Since energy and time left are often low near day’s end, this also can be a good opportunity to complete mundane tasks such as refilling the printer, filing papers, or ordering supplies. You’ll prevent delays during “quality” time.

And don’t forget your email inbox while cleaning your office. Take action on each message, such as deleting, responding, filing, or marking for future attention. New emails will likely arrive before the next time you check, so dealing with what you can now will limit clutter and stress tomorrow.

Photo Credit: bigstockphoto.com

 

Posted on July 5, 2017 .