5 tips for a 10-minute boost
Randstad Singapore staffing director Anna Clark-Hall. CAREER
What do you do in the first and final 10 minutes of your workday? Do you loiter around the coffee
machine chattingwith colleagues in the morning? Does the end of the day signal that it’s time to plan activities for the evening ahead? These moments can have a big impact on your productivity. By using this time wisely you can significantly improve your ability to get through your workload – and achieve better results and impress yourmanager. There are simple changes you can
make to your routine to take advantage of this time.Here are five tips to help you get the most out of your workday...
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Switch to “work mode”. It can be helpful to identify a point in your commute where
you switch to “workmode” and focus on the day ahead. This might be a certain metro station or landmark you pass on your way to work. It will help you to get into the work mindset before sitting down at your desk. It can also work the opposite way. We can often leave work churning the day’s activities around in our mind, so it can be equally beneficial to
Start and end each working day in a useful way, urges
identify a point on your way homewhere you “switch off”. This practice can help those who mentally take work home with them,meaning they can return to the office feeling refreshed and recharged.
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Be prepared. A simple but effective way to start your day well is to have a
clear, prioritised to-do list. It helps to prepare this at the end of the workday while the work is fresh in your mind. Ask yourself which tasks you could not complete and what deadlines lay ahead, and in which order you should tackle them. Having clarity on your tasks and deadlines as soon as you sit down at your desk in themorning will help give you a strong start – and help you stay on track throughout the day.
Know your body clock. We have an internal body clock, whichmeans there will be certain
times throughout the day when we are most productive and alert. For some it is mornings, while others find themselves energised after lunch. The important thing to knowiswhen you are you at your
best. Schedule your tasks in line with this, from those that need the most concen- tration to easier ones.
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should be comfortable and clean. At the end of each day, spend a couple of minutes filing documents and throwing out unnecessary items. You will also find thismeans spending less of your valuable time looking for misplaced items. Ten minutes at the beginning and the
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end of the daymay sound like a short and insignificant amount of time. But by spending these moments your produc- tivity at work can improve. E
Diarise your achievements and progress.
By keeping a brief note on what
you have achieved and where you are at with the tasks willmake it easier for you to track your work
progress.And you can use this diary of achievements to back yourself up when negotiating for a pay increase or for a promotion during your performance review.
Organise your workspace. Wecan spend as long as 40 hours a week at our desks, so they
The important thing is to know when you are at your best
50 AUGUST/OCTOBER 2013 |
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