7 Things You Need To Do To Have Consistently Effective Workdays
What no one’s ever told you about having a great workday
This summer I started my first full time job. You can imagine the shock and awe that immediately ensued. Every job I had before then involved either working for myself, freelancing, part time coaching, part time ministry work, or being a private contractor tutor who worked when and where I wanted to. Needless to say, it’s been a crazy transition.
“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” — Jim Rohn
I wish someone had sat me down and given me some of the suggestions and information that I’ll be including below. Working a full-time job is a whole new ballgame. Your relationship with your co-workers is more important, your communication with your boss is more constant, and your need for stamina and consistent performance is higher than ever.
But believe me when I say that having consistently incredible workdays is possible. It’s all about your mindset, proper preparation, making the most of the time that you have, and showing up each and everyday with whatever you got with the goal of having a great day. It won’t be amazing everyday, but it’s possible to be happy with how you showed up, satisfied with the work you got done, and in good spirits with your coworkers and bosses.
1 || Eat the ideal amount (and type) of food that day
One thing that I’ve found essential to making it through the day in one piece, while also managing to get some real work done, that I need to make sure I’m eating well. I know that I need to drink only about half a cup of coffee at work, and that I only need to consume a small snack if we’re on track to take a lunch break at 11:30.
“If you keep good food in your fridge, you will eat good food.” — Errick McAdams
There have been many a days where I haven’t eaten well at lunch, and gotten back to work and been almost completely out of commission for the next four hours. Not only does this feel awful, but it doesn’t help me contribute all that much as an employee, which doesn’t feel good either.
However, on days where I’m in tune with my body and drink coffee first thing, suppressing my hunger cues for a while, and then eat a small snack after my morning meeting, which ends about 9:30–9:45, then I’m on track to be good until lunch — at which I’m hungry and ready to consume what I would call a “hearty meal.” Then, I’m good through the afternoon, where I can eat a small snack, and be ready for dinner at 5:30.
2 || Arrive at work 10 minutes early
Whenever you have to be there, be 10 minutes early. This gives you a chance to say hello to people, have your bag unpacked by the time you need to get to work or meet with the boss, deal with any issues with your space or projects or coworkers, and just gives you some breathing room instead of walking in right on the dot or a few moments after, which can cost you respect, the margin time you need to make the transition to work mode, and more.
“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”
– Meister Eckhart, German philosopher
This gives you time to adjust, to look over anything, settle now that you’re in a new environment and transitioning into work mode, and maybe finishing anything that you left behind in your morning routine. For me, this often means reading over my affirmations again, scrolling through one of my Pinterest boards, saying a quick prayer, or looking up an interesting quote or scripture to reflect on during the day.
3 || Learn to find the value in the little things
One of the most entertaining tasks I’ve been given since working at a church has been cleaning out our “junky room”. This room is exactly as it sounds. This was the task of a lifetime — cleaning out an insanely disorganized and cluttered room, full of everything from sports equipment, to old curriculum, to costumes for skits.
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” — Vincent Van Gogh
This, at first, was easy to see as a meaningless task meant to haze and season us as interns. It was an interesting experience, to say the least. However, as we began work on it and I committed to doing it the best I could, I realized that the organization of this room was essential to us being able to do ministry effectively, efficiently, and as cheaply as possible.
Instead of having to buy new materials, supplies, and decorations, we could know where our stock piles already were. This also saves time, effort, and leads to a much more smoothly running ministry overall. This changing mindset was amazing — and allowed for much heartier work. Link your task to a higher purpose, and it’ll be much better to get the job done.
4 || Acknowledge and celebrate every person you encounter
I’ve had to interact with co-workers of various kinds since I was sixteen — but it was still a culture shock to see the same group of people every week day. There was also the realization that there’s a lot of people who I wasn’t going to be directly working with, but were those who I would regularly encounter and need to interact with.
Trying to build a positive relationship with every single one of those people has probably been the best decision I’ve made this summer. From people who we’re meeting at the events we host, to the people I work alongside and see on a daily basis.
“A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.” — Eeyore
This is also something that will help you do work so much better. I know that because of my good relationship with our receptionist, administrative assistant, and kitchen crew, that I can comfortably and easily ask for what I need, or ask any questions I have, for that matter, and be accommodated and supported because of the good working relationships I have with these people.
5 || Keep a label-to-label organization system
Vicki Norris, professional organizer writing for Restoring Order, says thi about organizing with labels: “Labeling solidifies the organizing system you have established.” I think this is a great way to frame labeling as a crucial practice when it comes to organizing.
“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.”
– Anonymous
What’s great is that this works for digital organization too. The way this works is that you label the time/box/file/document for what it is. This can be the name of the project and what it is exactly, the name of the person it pertains to, the part of the business it pertains to, etc. Then, you label the place it goes with the same thing. That way, the goal when you’re cleaning up or putting something away, is to put the box/file/item in the location that is labeled with the same thing.
Your novel documents go in your novel folder, your HR paperwork goes in your HR paperwork bin under your desk, and your meeting notes go in your desk drawer labeled meeting notes. It’s the perfect way to bring to the reality the idea of “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Whether you work for yourself or at an office, helping yourself and others implement this type of organization system can improve your work flow many times over.
6 || Understand the humanity of your co-workers
Going back to acknowledging and celebrating people, I want to add a note about paying attention to the humanity of different people. This includes your bosses. Everyone you interact with is a human. They have things going on in their life, things that are hard, difficult, and emotional. Seeing them for the real people they are can make work so much better.
“If you don’t have peace, it isn’t because someone took it from you; you gave it away. You cannot always control what happens to you, but you can control what happens in you.”― John C. Maxwell, Be a People Person
Everyone’s a person and is trying to do the best they can with the resources they have at the time. this has been one of my favorite things to include in my new affirmations for the summer. The people around me, for the most part, are not out to get me or make my life miserable. They’re trying to figure things out, just like I am.
7 || Take initiative, professionally and personally
When I started my job as an intern at a church, one of the first lessons we learned is that we’re supposed to take initiative — which is totally fair, and something I really leaned into given different leadership experiences I’ve had.
Professionally, this looks like getting ahead on projects so I don’t find myself overburdened later, if at all possible. It also involves asking questions ahead of time, rethinking things often and on a regular basis, and making sure that I’m ready for what’s happening next.
“A man who has to be convinced to act before he acts is not a man of action. You must act as you breathe.” — Georges Clemmanceau
Personally, this often involves making plans ahead of time just in case I get off work early and manage to have energy left. Leaving work and having people to go see, dinner to eat, or an activity to participate in is always so, so great. This is intentionally crafting a great social life outside of my job — and something that wouldn’t simply happen by accident.
If you’re working for yourself, it might involve going ahead and making things easier for yourself in the future. When I would tutor all through this past year, I knew that I’d need to do my notes immediately after meeting with a kid so that I didn’t have to play catch up and struggle to remember the next week when we were working together again. It was a small change that made a heck of a lot of a difference in my life and made my work much more enjoyable.
