Let me start by saying that I know you may not have a daily routine when it comes to getting things done. You probably have things that you do in the morning as you start your day, like making breakfast. If you have children you’re getting them ready and maybe off to school. Maybe you include mediation or a workout. It’s a given that you have something you do every day, even if it’s general, like eating and getting showered and dressed.
Your morning sets the tone for your day, so you want to purposely structure it and you also want to purposely structure your work day. Now some see structure as a bad thing, I know that my creative people out there may not even be able to hear anything about structure, but trust me you can do this.
Once you get to your office, whether it’s inside or outside of your home what do you do? Do you sit down and dive right in? If so, what are you diving into and how? If you’re jumping into your inbox first thing, stop it. Let today be the last day that you did that. If your start isn’t intentional you’ve have to revamp the way you start your work day. If you’re on top of things, you will have all of your to-dos and calendar items in place, so you don’t have to think about it, you just have to review it.
The first part of your routine for the day should include getting present to what you want your experience to be that day and how you want to serve or have your clients experience you. You should also make time to review your agenda and see if you’re led to change something. Maybe something doesn’t fit or something has to shift. Make the changes and then step into your first task.
Continue with your day based upon your to-do items and your calendar making any adjustments you have to make along the way. Determine when in your day you’re going to check email and stop leaving it open all day and set a time for making and returning. Neither of these should be happening during your prime time. Use your prime time to focus on your priority tasks. Get in at least two quick breaks into your day and time to refuel your productivity. Finally, determine how you’re going to end your day, making sure to include looking at your list and calendar for the coming day so that you know what’s up.
The idea here is to create a routine with regular habits that work for you, make your day work and help you get it done. What do you need to make standard in your day? Look at the trouble you have every day and that will give you an idea of where the gaps are and what you need to make customary. This keeps you focused, on point and on purpose instead of floundering endlessly day after day.