The first few minutes of our workday are critical to our productivity over the next eight hours. Being late to the office or checking emails throws us off track and makes it harder to focus on the rest of the day. Here are 9 of the most common traps that you should never fall into in the first 10 minutes of your workday.
9 morning habits that can harm our productivity later in the day:
Being late
A recent study revealed that bosses often see employees who are late as less conscientious workers and give them lower performance ratings, even if the employees leave the office later.
Ignoring coworkers
The atmosphere can be much more pleasant if you take a few minutes for your colleagues and have a little chat with them. If you're in a leadership position and you don't greet employees, your lack of people skills can make you question your competence, says Lynn Taylor, work expert and author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive and Your Job”.
Drinking coffee
If you don't manage to drink your coffee first thing in the morning, you certainly drink it as soon as you get to the office. Research shows that the best time to drink coffee is at 9:30 a.m., due to the stress hormone cortisol, which regulates energy and usually peaks between 8 and 9 a.m. If you drink coffee during this time, the body starts to produce less cortisol and is more dependent on caffeine.
Responding to every email
When you sit down in your office chair, you may be tempted to dive straight into the pile of emails waiting for you in your inbox. Michael Kerr, internationally renowned speaker and author of "You Can't be Serious" Putting Humor to Work, says you should spend the first 10 minutes of your workday quickly scanning and sorting through your email. This way we can see what is urgent and create a plan to respond.
READ MORE: That's how you should spend your first hour of work
Starting work without a rough plan in mind
Before we start work, we should already have an idea in our head of what our working day will be like - this includes notes on priorities and things we need to do today, and an overview of the calendar. This way we can prepare for possible meetings, calls or conferences.
Let's tackle the easiest tasks first
Research shows that our energy and willpower wanes throughout the day. Therefore, it is crucial that important and difficult tasks are completed in the shortest possible time.
Multitasking
Because we have so much more energy in the morning, we may feel like we can do a million different things at once. But research shows that multitasking can hurt our performance on the primary task, so it's better to focus on just one task at a time.
Overthinking negative thoughts
Maybe we had a slightly hostile encounter on the way to work, or we had an argument with our partner. Let's not let these things distract us from the tasks we have set ourselves for today.
A meeting
Laura Vanderkam, author of "What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast," says early mornings should be reserved for tasks that require more focus and concentration. And the best time for meetings? Around half past 12, when the energy is more 'on the ground'. Of course, it can be different if the meeting requires more mental energy.
