If you are having difficulties starting productive into your day, wasting time checking emails or facebook, reading news or watching videos, then this might be the cure for you.
Honestly, this is the simplest and best productivity habit I know of. Since I have implemented it into my own working day my productivity doubled — at least!
I call this killer productivity habit:
Start with #1.
Start into your working day with your #1 priority. This is your most important task. [Tweet this!]
Don’t read emails, don’t call your friend, don’t check for news, don’t update facebook or twitter at the beginning of the day. Hold back and control this urge. Give yourself a little space. Start directly with your most important task.
If you manage to do this, I’m sure your productivity will get a boost. Mine did.
Build Positive Momentum
The reason why this works so well is twofold.
First you are actually starting with what is most important for you. You don’t wast time — and your precious willpower — to get sidetracked. You won’t start procrastinating. Instead you are really doing exactly what you want to do. Isn’t that beautiful?
The second reason is:
When you start the day with your #1 priority, you’re building positive momentum right from the start. [Tweet this!]
This is setting yourself up for success. It is uplifting and therefore energizing.
And exactly the opposite of procrastinating into the day and then feeling bad about it later on.
Work-Satisfaction Guaranteed
When you actually work on your highest priorities you will notice that you’re not only highly productive during the day, but you will also be much more satisfied with your working day.
When you end your day and you made real progress towards what really matters to you, you will be proud of what you did and of yourself.
Make it a Habit
In order to really profit from starting with #1 you want to make it a habit.
You want to start every working day with your highest priority.
Sooner than later you will notice how easy it is to start with what is most important for you. You will actually become an extremely productive person, who gets the important things done.
So… What is Your #1?
In order to start with #1 you have to know what your number one priority really is.
It is not necessarily what is on top of your to-do list. And it is also not what is most pressing right now. It is what is most important to you. This is the definition of your priority.
So set some time aside to figure out what you really want to create and what will give you the most return on your time. You can start with learning time-management basics and scheduling what is important into your week.
Give starting with #1 a test-drive tomorrow and see how productive and satisfied you will be! Let me know how it went in the comments.
Exactly, @Wan Muhammad Zulfikri.
Nice one Myrko.
It’s easy to think that we need to relax a bit during the morning thinking that that ‚relaxation‘ can prime us to be more productive in the weekend.
By doing the most important things early, we can develop the momentum early in the day.
Right @Becky, the sense of achievement and the excitement that comes from it outweighs the urge. That’s the perfect situation really! :-)
I think this is very true Myrko…..I often wake ready to start my ay writing and when I get to the computer I am waylaid by emails and if I even sneak a peak at the internet then hours can roll on by!
the trick is to ignore the phone, steer clear of the emails altogether and the internet.
I try to focus on the task in hand and for me the sense of achievement outweighs the sense of need to check those emails etc.
Technology is great and an can lead us to some truly wonderful knowledge finding moments, but it can also eat away at the precious moments within our days.
Now to stop sitting staring at my new 10 week od puppy!
@Myrko Thum: Ah, for those cases I set them aside for later, but I see your point. It’s easy to get sucked in. :)
Vincent, what if there is an email taking your attention away for longer than you would like to?
I think it has something whole to it when you don’t read emails etc. in the morning and get right to the point.
It’s like coming to the task with a clear and focused mind, still full of it’s power for the day :-)
I could definitely vouch for this, Myrko. Although I still check emails and all that, I quickly get into the meat of what I need to do each morning. It sets the tone for the rest of the work day.
Yes Dan, I enjoyed Stephen Covey’s: „The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.“
„So set some time aside to figure out what you really want to create and what will give you the most return on your time.“
Great advice. The step above is the one that we often won’t take the time to do. It is definitely critical.
Dan
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