Changing morning work routine ✍️
I think of myself as pretty organized and on top of things at work. My email inbox is under control. I have a system for capturing meeting notes with easy retrieval. Everything I need to do is captured and directly accessible.
Every Monday, I start my week with a 2-week preparation. For the running week, I'll look at all my meetings and everything I need to do for them. For the upcoming week, I'll log all meetings by day, distill tasks and plan them.
I've been doing this for a few years, and it works great. I'm aware of what is to come and what I need to do.
However, I often struggled with how I got started in the morning. What should I do today?
I could easily distill and work on the tasks for a given day, but what about those without a clear deadline? Like creating training material, doing investigations,...
I always learned that every task needs a deadline, so that is what I did. But if a task collided with other tasks, or I had limited time, it would end up in the backlog. Sometimes forgotten.
Also, when thinking about what to do, I open my inbox, only to get caught up on emails, to restart the action of planning later.
Overall, there wasn't an issue with my system. The problem was when I planned.
When I wake up, I should start working immediately, without distractions.
Following this epiphany, I changed how I approach my work planning.
During a working day, I list 1 big, 1 medium & 1 small task that I would need or want to do the next day. The following day, I revisit that list, put it at the top of my current day log and start working. As the day progresses, I get an understanding of what I should be doing next, and list that. Repeat.
This is such a small change, but it has meant a world of difference in how I start my working day and what I get done. I feel even more in control, and I generate more output. It also adds a sense of satisfaction each day when I complete all tasks, and even more when I complete them early.
An extract from my notes & tasks tool Tana, with a clear view of my 3 tasks for the day, notes I take during the day of calls, people, ideas,... and the 3 tasks I need to work on the next day.
Who knew that such a small change could make such a difference?
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