I love my mornings at work – it’s my favorite time of the day. It’s when I’m most productive, when I can accomplish the large tasks and when I have the best focus.  I’ve noticed in the past that when I plan my days in advance, limit interruptions and schedule around my best productivity that I accomplish more and feel better.  I encourage you to make changes to be more productive and efficient each morning – and all day – while you are at work.

Picture the plan before you get to work.

Each night before I leave, clean my desk and write the items I need to accomplish on my task list.  I designate the highest priority items and anything that has a defined deadline.  When I come in each morning, I am welcomed to a fresh start and I know exactly what needs to be done that day and my highest priority items.  It saves me time in the morning to have a plan in place right when I arrive.

I encourage you to develop a system to give yourself a great head start.  It could be a few minutes at the end of your day, it could be developing your task list, or it could be another system that works for you.  You’ll be more productive if you set yourself up for success in advance.

Limit interruptions as much as you can.

In my last job, my office was the first one as you’d walk in the door.  Everyone came right into my office and I’d get interrupted all of the time.  I wanted them to feel important, so I’d stop what I was doing to listen to them and help them with what they needed. Some days I felt like I didn’t accomplish anything.

When I started my current job, I was able to pick my office.  I picked the highest floor and the farthest office from entrance.  Now if someone is coming to see me, they have to make an intentional effort (and climb lots of stairs) so my interruptions our minimal.  I enjoy the solitude because I’m able to really dig in and get tons of projects done, with limited interruptions.

I encourage you to find a way to minimize interruptions to boost productivity – maybe it’s closing your door, wearing headphones or moving your office.  Whatever it takes to improve your work flow.

Schedule your day around your most productive times.

I schedule all of my meetings in the afternoon (if I can) and give myself time for the big projects each morning. I’m more focused in the morning and can really dig into the biggest (and sometimes the worst) thing first – and get it accomplished.  Then, in the afternoon, when I’m a little less focused, I can spend my time in meetings and discussion to keep me engaged and interested.

You may need a few hours to be ready to work on projects – if so, schedule your meetings first.  Or you may be someone that likes to move around a lot – I encourage you to take the breaks you need. If you know how you work most productively and schedule your day around your best productivity, you’ll notice that you become more focused, more successful and ultimately more productive.

You can have a efficient morning – and productive day – every day at work. Focus your time and attention on your priorities and being your best self. The more you practice having your best day, the more often your best work days will start to appear.