Tips for Prioritizing your Work Day
The dreaded Monday morning; when all the "zombies" head back to work after a relaxing weekend. No one likes Mondays, and it is even worse when every work day feels like Monday! If you suffer from a constant Monday feeling, then you probably should consider organizing your work days. You will find work goes more smoothly when you know exactly what has to be done and which tasks are higherprioritythan others.
- Little things first
Yes, the little things actually do count. An example of a little thing is your morning coffee. If you happen to miss your morning coffee, it can seem to throw the entire morning off track. Solution: get your coffee ready the night before and let it brew while you are in the shower, getting dressed, feeding the cat or whatever things you do before you start your work day. Another little thing is to set out your clothes for the following day, before you go to bed. This will save you time and hassle each morning.
- Most important projects/tasks first
Once you arrive at your desk, you need to have a game plan already in place. Sometimes the most difficult tasks are also the most important and therefore should be done first thing. By tackling the pain-in-the-neck projects first, you are actually doing yourself a favor. People dread those difficult tasks and will often procrastinate for as long as possible and then have to rush to get them done at the last minute. Doing them first will give you more time, less pressure and therefore less stress.
- One thing at a time
Multi-tasking is way overrated, to say the least. By consistently doing more than one thing at a time, you are dividing your attention and have a greater chance of making a mistake. Multi-tasking is a skill that should be honed, just not in certain situations. There are times when you try to juggle more than one task at a time and can become overwhelmed. Besides, there is nothing like the feeling of completing a task and knowing you did your absolute best work. For example, start with research and note-taking, write a rough draft, then edit and prepare your final presentation.
- Write it down
Some people might benefit from making a list of things they have to do during their work day. Seeing it on paper helps you remember, plus it is nice to be able to cross things off after they are completed. Making a workday list is a great way to put tasks in proper order of importance. Another tip about writing things down is during department/company meetings, take notes! You are absolutely fabulous but give your brain a break and stop trying to remember every little detail about meetings and projects. Just write it down and guard those notes.
The biggest thing to remember when trying to prioritize your workday is to breathe. That's right, take a deep breath and slow yourself down so you can actually think. When you are already worked up because you have a mountain of tasks swimming around in your head, you cannot see the project for the papers (forest for the trees, choose your favorite analogy). In other words, without organizing your tasks, all you see is one big mess.
