Whether you work out of an open-concept cubicle, an office with a door, or a home office, interruptions, and an unorganized workday will leave you frustrated, fatigued, and unsatisfied by the end of it. When you take charge of your environment and stop tolerating the things that hold you back from your goals you will expand the time available to you and give you more time for fun.
Top 10 Steps to a Perfect Day at the Office
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- First, plan the whole week taking into consideration when you have your high-energy time each day.
- Schedule all your activities, including your own tasks, travel time, quiet time, cushions for breaks and emergencies as well as appointments with others.
- Group similar activities into their own time blocks: e.g. calls out; memo-writing; mail handling and answering, etc.
- Select the biggest, most important job and do it first.
- Break up very large projects into manageable chunks; stop and do something different at the end of each chunk.
- Select mini-rewards for jobs completed: e.g. coffee, bagel, fruit, short stretch or walk.
- Make adjustments to your schedule as required, and be flexible.
- Delegate every task that someone else can do.
- Find something complimentary to say to everyone who speaks to you and move on quickly.
- At the end of the day: clean off your desk; update the next day’s plan; and take no projects home.
