Productivity Knowledge Base: Open and Close Your Day Smartly

Seventy Minutes That Will Make Your Day

How you spend the first sixty minutes and the last ten minutes of your day will affect your productivity and achievements–every day.

Most people launch into the day without a second thought. We arrive at the office, unbundle our bags, grab a coffee, and start responding to telephones, emails and colleagues–often all at the same time. It’s hardly surprising that most people feel like their days are out of control as they fly from one task to the next. When there is a lull in the excitement, they wonder what to do.

It’s an exhausting, unsatisfying and unproductive way to work. Even if you are in a position where you need to respond to many demands, investing in the first 60-minutes will pay dividends all day long and just ten minutes at the end of the day will set you up for the next. If you’ve ever left the office wondering where the day went or how you could be so busy without achieving anything, try this…

The first 60-minutes of your day

Ignore the ringing in your ears! Switch your mobile phone off or to silent mode, and set your desk phone to voicemail. We have become far too contactable. Between telephones, mobiles, SMS, voicemail, and email--it is possible to spend your entire day responding to other people.

Are you one of those people who cannot bear the thought of not answering a ringing phone? The phone is a tool for your convenience. Use and respond to it when it suits you. Try thinking of a ringing phone as question, not a command. It’s someone asking you if you are available to speak. And it’s your choice whether it suits you to speak now, or to let the call go through to voicemail and respond later.

You’ll be more productive, allowing yourself a clear head to focus on what needs to be achieved without breaking your train of thought every time the phone rings. And it’s more considerate on your caller. We’ve all had the experience when someone who is clearly busy, distracted, frustrated, or in a rush answers our call. It puts both people in an uncomfortable position–it would have been more fair for them to allow us to leave a message they can respond at a more convenient time.

Be sure to develop good practices for calling people back. This means determining the urgency and importance of the callback and making sure you respond appropriately. Over time, people will learn that you are not always available. They’ll respect the way you manage your time and trust you to get back to them.

Hang a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign. If you have an actual office with a door, this one is easy. But many workplaces today are "open plan" and it’s difficult to alert people to the fact that you don’t wish to be interrupted.

However, there are ways around it. I know one workplace where each person has an item (in this case, a toy frog) which ,when placed on top of his/her computer, means that s/he is not available. It means s/he is trying to concentrate on something. When the frog comes down, everyone knows s/he is available again. With the agreement of everyone in the team, this system works particularly well for an open plan environment.

Another technique is to use headphones. When people see you have headphones on, they know you are not tuned-in to what’s happening around you. You don’t even have to be listening to anything if you find that too distracting–just put your headphones on to signal your "do not disturb" request.

If you can, complete your first 60-minutes off-site–perhaps at home or at a local café where you can find a quiet, comfortable corner. Thus when you arrive at the office, you are ready to face the challenges and opportunities of the day with a clear plan.

Book a meeting with yourself. Block-out the first 60-minutes in your diary or calendar. Treat it as a standing commitment and protect it from being eaten into by other people’s meeting requests. Over time, people will learn that you are not available until a certain time (which will vary depending on when you schedule your 60-minutes) and they’ll work around you.

Tell everyone. Whatever system you do use, it’s important to let your team know what you’re doing and why. This way, they will learn to understand and respect your quiet time--and work around it. Encourage others to also use the first 60-minutes practice. With the benefit of planning and thinking time, everyone’s results will improve.

Prepare for the day ahead. Use your 60-minutes to review your schedule for the day: block out meeting times, including travel time to-and-from appointments, and a lunch break (yes, you do need to eat and take a break away from your desk, if only for a few minutes).

Now look at how much time is left to "do work," then schedule tasks realistically. Remember that, on average, things take two-to-three times longer than we expect them to. Most people’s "to d"’ lists end up being impossibly long. We’re not likely to get through them in a month, let alone one day.

So it’s important to prioritize your daily tasks. Ask yourself, "If I could accomplish only three things on my list today, which would deliver the best results?" Your answer to this question gives you your "A" priorities--where you need to focus your efforts. Allocate the remaining items on your list "B" or "C" ratings. The "B"s can wait until they become "A"s another day. Ask yourself whether the "C"s really need to be done at all.

Your day may not end up looking as chaotic and jam-packed as you’re used to, but you will find you achieve more and are more in-control of your time. The bonus is you’ll feel better and produce a higher quality of work.

The last 10-minutes of your day

Quitting time. Schedule time at the end of your day. Block out the last 10-minutes of your day to make time for your end-of-day routine.

Look ahead. Start your "to do" list for the next day. The best time to do this is at the end of the day when your job needs are still fresh in your mind. It’s far more difficult to do in the morning when you’re wondering where you left off the day before.

Carry over incomplete tasks from your current day’s list. Add new priorities, as needed. It helps to clear your head and put thoughts into text. You’ll be amazed at how much more effective you can be when your brain power is being put to problem-solving rather than trying to remember everything you need to do!

It also helps to give you a clearer picture of what you should do yourself and what you can delegate. And, there’s enormous satisfaction in being able to tick-off completed items and review your achievements as you close each day!

What’s in store? Check your schedule for the following day and be aware of what’s coming up, where you need to be and what preparation, tasks, and projects you need to focus on.

Leave it clean. Prepare yourself for tomorrow's e-mails: clean out your sent folder and clean out your inbox. Also, clean up your physical space: clear and tidy your desk, throw rubbish in the bin, and put away any paper you may have encountered. By clearing your electronic and physical workspace, you also clear your mind. If you find this task takes too much time at the close of the day, then make a daily appointment mid-day with yourself to take a break to handle some of this housekeeping. You will find you return from that break with renewed powers of concentration.

Wash up. Clean your coffee cup, empty your water bottle, wash any leftover dishes or containers from lunch, and start each day afresh.

Carry your reading. Put your reading file in your briefcase. If you don’t already have one, start a reading file and carry it with you on your way home. You can get through a surprising amount of reading while on public transport to and from work and while waiting in queues.

Shut down. Switch your phone to voicemail, remembering to change your message if you’re not going to be in the next day, or if you’re going to be in late. For security purposes, don't announce that you are out of town. And never leave a message that you are "On the phone or away from my desk." If you think about what this message is actually saying, you realize you belittle yourself by leaving such a message. Simply thank the caller for contacting you, and add something to personalize the message. Log off of your computer before leaving the office (you should log off any time you are not in front of your computer, for security purposes). Place your computer into hibernate mode for fast start-up the next day (Shift + Standby), or shut it off completely.