5 Minute Planning, Daily
Research shows that the first five minutes of your workday are critical to how effective the rest of your day is. When you first arrive at your office, what do you do?
A strong start to the work day includes 5 minutes of planning the day ahead. Even if your schedule is set well in advance, it can be helpful to take a few minutes when you fist sit down at your desk to plan and anticipate the rest of your day. Think about key decisions you need to take, and organize a priorities list for the day. Rearrange any meetings that aren’t critical. Build in preparation time to key meetings. If there is blank space, how can you use that time strategically? What else do you need to factor into the day?
The simple step of reviewing and planning your day sets you up to succeed and accomplish more. Try it this week.
*The same exercise can be helpful for the week ahead, taking a larger view of the next 5 days.