20 THINGS YOU SHOULD DO AT WORK EVERY DAY

Monday. You stumble into work after a great weekend, and it seems like the Sahara Desert of a week is stretching out between now and Friday afternoon. So how do you get by day-to-day without losing momentum (and your sanity)?

Forbes.com has some helpful tips to try every morning, afternoon, and evening to improve your productivity and mental fortitude. We’ve compiled our favourite suggestions (and added a few of our own) to share with you here!

Morning
The first couple of hours can be crucial to how the rest of your day pans out, so give yourself a great start. To ensure a good level of productivity, try to create a morning routine guaranteed to help you succeed every day of the week!

Arrive on time. “Well, duh,” right? You’ve probably already figured out that showing up late to work leaves a bad impression on your fellow co-workers (and your boss), but have you realized that tardiness also throws the rest of your day off-kilter? Starting off behind schedule engenders a perpetual game of “catch-up” throughout the rest of your day, so try arriving a few minutes early for a head start. Rather than feeling harried and stressed-out, you’ll feel accomplished and ready for the next challenge.
Take a deep breath. No, seriously. Breathing slowly and mindfully triggers the hypothalamus (the portion of the brain that links the nervous and endocrine systems together via the pituitary gland) to send out neurohormones that inhibit stress-causing hormones, inducing a relaxation response throughout the body. So literally breathe deeply and take a moment to compose yourself once you step into the workplace. Forget about all the “at home” stuff—you can deal with that later. Focus on the here and now. What do you need to do first? When scheduling your daily routine, be sure to include yourself at its centre, since ultimately you are the one in control.
Eat a proper breakfast. You’ve probably heard this a thousand times before, but breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. Not only does it kick-start your metabolism, but it also revs up your brain and mental processes—sounds like caffeine, right? But unlike a double shot of espresso, a good breakfast will fuel your powerhouse longer, enabling you to concentrate for greater lengths of time.
Start each day with a clean slate. Whatever happened the day before, forget about it. Well, obviously not if it’s an important project that’s ongoing. But little dramas? You don’t need to hang onto them. When you start work each day, do a little mental mopping—get rid of the trivial stuff so you have room for more important things. On a similar note: you should also make sure your workspace is clean and tidy, too. Not only will your mindset improve, but also you won’t have to worry about losing important memos in the morass!
Don’t be a grump. Pay attention to the mood you’re in, since it directly affects your co-workers. Mornings are rough, but power through and at least pretend to be cheery—or civil, even. The first hour or two sets the mood standard for the rest of your day, so if you arrive at work feeling angry at the world, well… don’t expect your outlook to be any better come quittin’ time.
Organise, organise, ORGANISE. This should be a fundamental aspect of your daily routine. Before doing anything else, immediately assess your priorities and focus on the most urgent tasks at hand. Make a to-do list and keep it updated, allowing yourself enough leeway for the inevitable emergency situation. Try not to get distracted by e-mails or other miscellaneous correspondence, even though it’s easy to pretend that they are urgent—they’re not. Unless it’s a red-flagged missive from the higher-ups, it can wait. Otherwise, you’re simply procrastinating and wasting time you could be using on the really important issues.
Be present. That means more than just physically showing up for work. You have to bring your brain with you, too. Make sure you’re awake before you get to the office. You need to be able to communicate and function, especially if you’re in a leadership role. Being alert will also help brighten the overall office mood, which (as mentioned before) is crucial to a productive, pleasant work day. Greet your co-workers, or at least offer them a smile. If you’re a leader, go one step further and make your employees feel special: ask them how their weekend was, or what their plans are for next weekend. You’d be surprised how far these little gestures can go to boost morale!
Touch base with your colleagues. Have a quick meeting (5-10 minutes, tops) to find out how everyone is doing, task and goal-wise. Ask everyone to share their top goal for the day and any other critical information relevant to the rest of the team. Not only will these little “stand-up” meetings keep everyone on track, but they will also encourage team bonding. But most importantly, having everyone’s individual goals aired in front of the group creates accountability, so don’t be surprised if you see a general increase in goal achievement.
Mix things up. While it’s important to have a good routine, it’s okay to put a little variety into your morning, too. If you’re one of those people who like order and dislike change, then keep on keeping on, but if you’re the type who gets antsy, try mixing up the monotony with little changes here and there—nothing drastic, just maybe go for a walk or take a detour through a section of your workplace that you seldom visit. Schedule a mid-morning break to step back and assess your progress thus far. Stretch. Dance “Gangnam Style” in the bathroom. (Just make sure the bathroom’s empty first.) Do whatever helps you stay positive and focused.

Lunch Break: You’re Doing It Wrong
You probably look forward to lunch break, but are you making the most of it? It may be surprising how much that free time can negatively impact your workflow when not used properly. Why not try implementing the following tips into your routine?

Eat. While this fundamental point of a lunch break may seem obvious, most people fail miserably at this simple task. Don’t be an overachiever and skip out on eating for the sake of getting ahead, because in the long run, that idea won’t pan out. Eating lunch refuels you physically and mentally, so you’ll get more done in the latter half of the day. Can you really concentrate with a rumbling tummy, light-headedness, and a headache?
Take a REAL break. The temptation to scarf down your food at your desk is strong, but it’s neither healthy nor relaxing. After all, it’s supposed to be a lunch break. Get away from your desk, even if it’s just to pop outside for a few minutes. This is very important to the overall success of your day: like taking a power nap, a true lunch break can revitalize you and give you that extra energy spurt to push through to the end.
Run some errands. Do what you can’t do in the morning or evening. Make that trip to the post office or bank. Pick up a few non-perishable groceries. Taking care of the little things on your to-do list will prevent a backlog of miscellaneous tasks. Just be careful not to cram too many personal errands into your lunch break, or you’ll just be adding more stress to your plate. Keep your lunch break leisurely!
Chat with friends and co-workers. Okay, so sometimes you just need to get away from it all—including the people you work with. But it’s a good idea to catch up with your friends in the office (or outside the office, if you know someone who works close by). Or, if you work in a large company with lots of employees, your lunch could be a good opportunity to meet new people and network within the corporation. Really get to know some of the people you work with; that way, you’re less likely to take them for granted and vice versa.
Avoid all screens! This includes your smartphone or personal laptop. Your eyes need a break, too, you know. If you absolutely have to check your personal e-mail or Facebook, make it quick and save your replies for after work.
Don’t take too long (or too short) of a break. Think like Goldilocks and find the happy medium. If you’re given an hour for lunch, by all means, take it and use it all. You don’t have to do this every day, but try to take advantage of your extensive free time whenever you can (you know, to do those personal errands we talked about earlier, or to just enjoy an nice, relaxing meal at your favourite restaurant). But regardless of how long you’re out, let your co-workers know when you’ll be back and have a system set up for reaching you in the event of a work-related emergency—especially if you’re the supervisor.

Quittin’ Time
You’ve done it. You made it through yet another busy day, and if you’ve tried some of the aforementioned steps, maybe you’re feeling pretty accomplished. But you’re not quite done yet. There are still some key things you need to do before you head home.

Evaluate your to-do list. Are you where you need to be as far as tasks are concerned? If you aren’t, adjust your action plan so that you can get caught up and avoid falling further behind. If there is something that you can wrap up quickly before leaving work for the day, go ahead and do it. Then you won’t have to take care of it in the morning, saving that time for tasks on tomorrow’s agenda. And speaking of tomorrow’s agenda…
Review your schedule for the next day. Familiarise yourself with any important meetings or follow-ups that need to be taken care of, so that there aren’t any surprises. Looking ahead will also help you to leave behind the trivial events of today, allowing you a clean wrap-up to your work day.
Check in with your boss and colleagues. Let your co-workers know how you’re progressing with your projects, what you’ve accomplished, and what you still need to do. If your boss is the type who likes to be super-involved, you may also want to spend a few minutes debriefing him or her about your work. If you are the boss, have a chat with your employees. Be sure to double-check deadlines and confirm that you’re all on the same page. (It might even be a good idea to have a second “stand-up” meeting at the end of the day—just a quick, five-minute follow-up on the day’s activities and events.)
Pause and reflect. Don’t just rush home! Take a moment to think about your biggest success—and maybe your biggest failure. If something went really wrong during the work day, reflect on how you handled it. Could you have done it better? How can you prevent something similar from occurring in the future? Remember, though: don’t take it home with you, and always conclude your end-of-the-day rumination with positive thoughts. What did you do right today? In what areas did you excel? You’ll be in a much more buoyant mood leaving the office if you close the day on a positive note.
Disconnect and GO HOME. Shut down your computer. Tidy up your desk. Say goodbye to everyone… and leave! Don’t be tempted to hang around ‘til everyone else is gone just to earn extra brownie points as the employee who closes up every day. You can do it maybe once or twice a week, but staying late every day will wear you out really quickly, and the quality of your work will suffer. Rather than being the resident workaholic, it’s better to get the rest you need to be clear-headed and functional the next day.

And one more thing: Leave any lingering work stress at work! You’ve got enough to deal with at home, right? Why add unnecessary complications to the equation?

While these suggestions aren’t fool-proof, they can definitely provide a basis for you as you figure out the best plan to fit your needs. Have you tried any of these steps before, and have they worked for you? What are some tips you’ve found that have led you to a successful, productive (and relatively stress-free) day? Let us know in the comments!

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