The first few hours of the work day can have a significant effect on your level of productivity over the following eight—so it’s important you have a morning routine that sets you up for success.

1. Arrive on time. This may be obvious to most people—but some don’t realize that showing up late can not only leave a bad impression, but also throw off your entire day.

2. Take a deep breath. Do something to focus in on the here and now. Many people come into work harried because they don’t leave enough time at home to deal with “home stuff,” and then they’ve barely survived another horrendously stressful commute, and then they dive into the madness. Slowing down, taking a moment to pause, and creating a routine around centering yourself can work wonders.

3. Take five. After the deep breath, give yourself five minutes to get settled in. This is a good way to set the tone of the day. Don’t allow yourself to be bum rushed by frantic co-workers lost in their own confusion. It’s not unusual to wake up to a long backlog of e-mails just screaming for your attention, he adds. “The challenge is taking a moment for yourself before diving head first into your day.”

4. Start each day with a clean slate. You may have to attend to projects or discussions that rolled over from the previous afternoon—but try to treat each day as a fresh one. Leave any crap from yesterday behind, tap into what’s happening at the outset of the day, get organized and ready or hit the ground running, if that’s what is needed.

5. Don’t be moody. You’ll want to pay attention to your mood and be aware of its effect on others. First and last thing in the day is when emotional intelligence can have the greatest impact. So if you’re not a “morning person,” try to suck it up and have a positive attitude when you arrive at the office. Grab a second or third cup of coffee, if that’s what it takes.

6. Organize your day. The first hour of the work day is the best time to assess priorities and to focus on what you absolutely need to accomplish. Too many people get distracted first thing in the morning with unimportant activities such as diving right into their morass of e-mail, when there may be a whole host of more important issues that need dealing with. Make a to-do list, or update the one you made the previous day, and try to stick to it.

7. Be present. Even if you’re not a morning person, you need to be awake when you get the office. Especially if you’re in a leadership position, it’s critical to be present, mentally and physically, and to communicate. One of the biggest office pet peeves I hear from employees is about how their immediate supervisor just blows by them in the morning without so much as a smile. Taking the time to connect with your team members is essential, and doing the seemingly small things–making eye contact, smiling, asking them about their night, and checking in on what they may need help with–helps you as a leader take the pulse of the team, and helps set the tone for all the employees.

8. Check in with your colleagues. A quick 5 to 10 minute team huddle can also be an effective way for many people to start their day. Make it a short meeting, with no chairs, have everyone share their top goal for the day, and share any critical information the rest of the team absolutely needs to know. Doing the huddles helps people focus and more importantly, connects everyone with the team. And by sharing your goals for the day publicly, the odds of achieving them rise substantially.

9. Ensure that your workspace is organized. Clearing off the desk and creating a neat workspace sets a tone for the rest of the day.It can also help avoid confusion. While most communications are through e-mails and texts, if your boss or co-worker stopped by looking for you and left a sticky note about a last-minute meeting occurring in ten minutes, and it’s sitting on a mound of mail or papers, you’re already behind the eight ball.

10. Don’t be distracted by your inbox. This one is difficult for most people—but the experts agree that you shouldn’t check your e-mail first thing in the morning. If you do, only read and respond to messages that are urgent. “Priority-scan your inbox.”

11. Listen to your voice mail. Most people jump on the computer and ignore their phone. While office voice mail is indeed becoming antiquated as people rely more on personal cell phones, Blackberrys and e-mail, some people do leave voice messages, and if you ignore them, you could miss something important.

12. Place important calls and send urgent e-mails. [/b]If you know you need to get in touch with someone that day, place the call or send the e-mail first thing in the morning. If you wait until midday, there’s a greater chance you won’t hear back before you leave the
office.

[b]13. Take advantage of your cleared head. Many people feel that their brains function best in the morning, and that morning is when they are most creative and productive. Consider whether you are making the best use of your brainpower and plan ‘high brain’ activities in the morning.

14. Plan a mid-morning break. This is the time to assess where you and take time to revitalize yourself so that you can keep your momentum going. If you’re stuck in a routine that doesn’t include these must-dos, it may be worthwhile to re-examine your habits and make some changes for enhanced career development.

Source: Jacquelyn Smith's "14 Things You Should Do at the Start of Every Work Day"

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/08/24/14-things-you-should-do-at-the-start-of-every-work-day/

Thanks a lot

Gr8 Tips. Tnks.

If your schedule is usually sent to your inbox. I guess your inbox should come first

That's good dear

Na wa o!... No prayer?

How would you overcome the mood part if you`ve just left a nagging wife at home.

Emylexray: Na wa o!... No prayer?

I`m sure you can see it`s from forbes. OYINBO no dey pray like you were taught in MFM.

By the time you're done with 2 & 3 the day's almost over! Anyways, I do my own meditation/focus while driving 2 the office. Once @ work na str8 2 work.

femi4: If your schedule is usually sent to your inbox. I guess your inbox should come first

My former MD said if you do not read your inbox first thing in the morning, you could be working for free as you could have been fired by close of work the previous day. I read my inbox first. Everything else follows.

Another personal tip that has worked for me is to drink a beer down the road after work and articulate the unfinished business of the day and then itemize the things i need to do upon resumption the next day, it hasnt failed as yet.

You dey mad! Dis advice na for people wey dey carry cement and mold block? People wey dey fry garri & people wey dey sweep street?
Driver go 1st wash car, buy bread & akara for junction na!

That list is BOLLOCKS! see her mouth like "Take advantage of your cleared head", "Plan a mid-morning break", "Listen to your voice mail", "Take five". .

As for me, i get to work. Stay in my car pinging, get upstairs, fart in the lift, eat my meat-pie/egg-roll/sandwich and my tea, coffee or yoghurt.
Then i read newspapers: Vanguard, Businessday, Bloomberg & NY Times. Then i come on Nairaland. . .

This strategy proves effective, and our Balance Sheet is 10/10!

chipmunkey: How would you overcome the mood part if you`ve just left a nagging wife at home.
I`m sure you can see it`s from forbes. OYINBO no dey pray like you were taught in MFM.

i hear!... What's wrong in the poster modifying it. Well, people differ in thier daily routine, without prayer for me, i can't start..

Make ppl get job first then you can talk abt this
And besides this applies to office Job

Emylexray:
i hear!... What's wrong in the poster modifying it. Well, people differ in thier daily routine, without prayer for me, i can't start..

Fine!! You stated how you would start. I feel its better not to boss your preference on people. Besides, didn't you pray at home? You are the Kind of people who become bosses and impose a daily Christian prayer routine even when you have Muslims in your dept or team.

So called experts giving advice on how to relate at work is so boring. Most have never lifted a finger to do a decent job
Besides, article like this are just posted to drive traffic to their blogs or make you listen to them at their next speaking engagement

In the real wiorld $ motivates you to work. All this one na theory

PRAY AND TAKE THE NATIONAL ATHEM

Ok....tnx a lot,.make i get work first.

yuzedo:
As for me, i get to work. Stay in my car pinging, get upstairs, fart in the lift, eat my meat-pie/egg-roll/sandwich and my tea, coffee or yoghurt.
Then i read newspapers: Vanguard, Businessday, Bloomberg & NY Times. Then i come on Nairaland. . .

This strategy proves effective, and our Balance Sheet is 10/10!

LMAO , Do you do this everyday?

Nice post but could still be adjusted or modified for the Naija sector. After battling through the Lagos traffic to work, every other thing on that list becomes an after thought.

Guess some of the points do not apply in Nigerian settings.

how many u wan remember just commit everyday in God's hand

ezme:

Fine!! You stated how you would start. I feel its better not to boss your preference on people. Besides, didn't you pray at home? You are the Kind of people who become bosses and impose a daily Christian prayer routine even when you have Muslims in your dept or team.

i didn't mandate it as a must, its optional though, and point of correction, you don't know me, so its not wise to say those things you highlighted above. The point is, the poster failed to realise that this is Nigeria, he should have done better to modify the article to suit the Nigeria setting. The above tips are only suitable or comes into play only in white collar jobs. Nice job notwithstanding.

ezme:

Fine!! You stated how you would start. I feel its better not to boss your preference on people. Besides, didn't you pray at home? You are the Kind of people who become bosses and impose a daily Christian prayer routine even when you have Muslims in your dept or team.

i didn't mandate it as a must, its optional though, and point of correction, you don't know me, so its not wise to say those things you highlighted above. The point is, the poster failed to realise that this is Nigeria, he should have done better to modify the article to suit the Nigerian setting. The above tips are only suitable or comes into play only in white collar jobs. Nice job notwithstanding.

Emylexray: Na wa o!... No prayer?

You suppose to pray when you wake in the morning, commit your ways before GOD before leaving for work. If I don't pray when I wake, I pray in my car before and after leaving or work.

Nigerian are so outwardly religious! So you need a list to tell you to pray? What about people who do not believe in prayer, what should they do? The advice is practical and can be applied regardless of religious affiliations.

Anyway, the list is too long. At work, I turn on my PC, as it boots up, I go and get tea. I reply to emails and then make a small list of what needs doing for the day. Catch up with manager if necessary. Shikena.

akinmusi:
11. Listen to your voice mail. Most people jump on the computer and ignore their phone. While office voice mail is indeed becoming antiquated as people rely more on personal cell phones, Blackberrys and e-mail, some people do leave voice messages, and if you ignore them, you could miss something important.

Thanks for this. I usually check my voicemail at the end of the day. I deal with emails first but I'm now g'wan start with this.

lurkee: Nigerian are so outwardly religious! So you need a list to tell you to pray? What about people who do not believe in prayer, what should they do? The advice is practical and can be applied regardless of religious affiliations.

Anyway, the list is too long. At work, I turn on my PC, as it boots up, I go and get tea. I reply to emails and then make a small list of what needs doing for the day. Catch up with manager if necessary. Shikena.

And the poster expects us to take a deep breath because? I'm not asthmatic joo
This one na for oyinbo. Make I reach work five minutes earlier...where I go log that time put? . Unless say I wan beat traffic sha.

Thks

Guý e b like say na ecankan you dey worship?no prayer not even tea or cofe 2mek ur system juvineir

Thanks, expecially that number 9 on the list.

Mehn good one thou, but I just let shit happens naturally