I have a work ritual. It helps sharpen my productivity and set the stage for a day of beating my to-do list into a bloody pulp. Take THAT.
The checkboxes make me feel like I'm doing something.
Give or take a few steps, here are the questions I ask myself before I start the workday:
- Have I eaten breakfast this morning?
- Is my cup of coffee on the coaster to my right?
- Do I have a glass of water on the other coaster to my right?
- Do I have a pen (Sharpie) and paper (Action Method) near by?
- Are the power, USB, and scanner cords plugged into my laptop?
- Is the phone off of DND (do not disturb) mode?
- Is my seat back in the locked position (to promote good posture)?
- Is the area around my desk clean and free of clutter?
- Is my work area well-lit?
- Do I have the right music playing? Does the mood of the music fit the time of day? (e.g., morning = warm, upbeat; afternoon = hard, upbeat, etc.)
- Are my calendar appointment notifications properly set?
- Do I have a lunch/off-site meeting today?
- Is my iPhone out of my pocket and visible on the desktop?
- Is my screen desktop completely clear of clutter? (See below for my desktop when clean.)
The stunning thing is that these 14 questions take less than 30 seconds to answer. Isn’t that wild?
I bet if you stopped and thought about the ritual that you go through, you’d find a list of subconscious checkboxes that you cross off intuitively. It’s amazing how the brain works. AMAZING.
Speaking of amazing, here’s my clean, minimalist desktop before the start of the workday:
Blank. Like my soul.
What are the steps that I’m missing? What does your workflow checkbox look like? Share in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
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Here is something that I do out of habit every morning.
Pick up my iPhone and do my best to clear all notifications before sitting down at my computer to start diving through my email inbox.
That’s a good one. An impossible task, but a good one nonetheless
I think you have a great list.
If I were to add to your list it might include a series of daily affirmations that you read, internalize, and prompt you to think about throughout your day.
These might actually be scrolling across your minimalist desk top at the start of your day along with some inspiring music. I hear Baroque music is great for pairing with affirmations.
Thanks for allowing me to share.
Great checklist. I like listening to upbeat music in the morning, I find it to encourage and motivate me. I also make sure I develop myself in some way during the day.