On the typical day I can be on a number of different tasks or assignments. It can be difficult to fall into a groove of just getting a single large task complete. But over the past couple of months I’ve been paying attention to the impact the start of my day has had on my productivity. When I start the day with my normal process it typically goes smoother, I feel less stressed and I generally get through things easier.
It’s not a painstaking ritual: 1) Answer any urgent emails that came in from the night before (only the urgent ones, it isn’t a start to the day). 2) Read through all unread news in my Feedly RSS feeds (20 to 45 minutes). 3) Brew a cup of tea and eat breakfast in the kitchen with my wife as she gets ready to leave. All told it only takes between 35 and 60 minutes.
But there’s something about the process that gets my mind right before the day starts. The clutter clears itself from my head and makes room for me to focus on the priorities that need to get done. There’s less hectic and more thought.