Getting started in the morning can be a titanic struggle, distraction is abundant all around us.
Here are my rules for getting started amidst the morning fog.
Rule number 1 is:
Start by deciding the 3 goals that you plan to complete that day.
We’ve all had days where we just can’t seem to get started, time is streaking by and we seem to be cornered on all sides by distraction.
When working from home we want to be proactive like a good general in the mold of Subutai or Hannibal. We must have a plan!
The problem most people have is they are reactive to the extreme, they switch on their computer and get swept along by emails and meetings or worse jump on social media.
We must! I repeat must do our planning away from screens and think it through, planning is invaluable.
This doesn’t have to take long but it is crucial, this sets the frame for the day in our mind.
The three goals we identify of course should work in symphony with our larger frame as set out in my previous article.
Suffice it to say that Hannibal would not have successfully marched elephants over the alps to battle the romans if he was reactive in his command.
Identify the 3 most impactful goals for today and get them done.
Rule number 2:
Run a simulation of the day going as planned in your head before you start.
This is the opposite of most people, do you jump onto your computer and start grinding?
We want to be proactive as much as possible, we want an idea of how we want things to go.
Many people do the opposite and ask themselves, what if this, and what if that happens.
Contingency is fine but, we also want to be clear of what the best case scenario looks like and, have a vision of ourselves achieving this to a high level.
To make the simulation real use imagery not just visualization. Imagery as taught in performance psychology uses all the senses, giving us a more immersive experience.
When you nail that presentation or land that new client in your mind, feel the sense of satisfaction from a job well done.
Hear your client being pleased and singing your praises as your boss looks on with a beaming smile.
This can be done in a short amount of time but can have a huge effect on performance and focus throughout the day.
The desire to get going on the first task of the day will be amplified, instead of seeing it as an obstacle it’s an opportunity to shine.
Go take it!
rule number 3:
Start on your highest priority task first, not by opening your inbox.
Do you know what J. D Rockefeller, Henry Ford and Winston Churchill all had in common?
None of them spent their day answering emails.
People feel they can jump from one task to another with no slow down in performance, this is not true.
Attention residue is when you switch from an uncompleted task to a new task but find some of your attention is still clinging to the first.
Have you experienced that? Do you spend much of your working week doing that? I have!
Just having your inbox open but minimized can still cause this, close it down and limit yourself to checking it at most, 3 times a day.
Clearing your inbox is rarely accomplished and will not allow you to focus on the really important, and or, urgent tasks needed to be completed today.
When scanning your inbox separate out the diamonds from the rough, make a note and then close it down.
Lots of people today worry that if they miss an important email it will mean a crisis.
When there is a crisis you will know it, solving it will take focus not worry, build up your ability to stay focused and your work performance will sky rocket!
Well that is my top 3 tips for getting started in the morning whilst working from home.
What’s yours? how many of these do you do? how much more could you get done if you applied these to your routine?