Start the day as you mean to go on: being kind to yourself
Morning energy is a strange thing. Some of us take a while to warm up to being in the office, while others are raring to go from the moment they arrive. But whether you’re blanking out the neighbors, utilizing your morning get-up-and-go, or just feeling the pressure to get stuck in, chances are you aren’t too kind to yourself in those first zealous minutes in the workplace.
Turning the pace up to ‘eleven’ the moment you reach your desk is a false economy. It impacts negatively on your productivity. More importantly, it has a negative impact on how good you feel. Of course, the two things are closely related.
Use that first ten minutes at work mindfully, and you will find the rest of the day passes much more gently yet productively. Use that time to draw yourself out of your bad habits and unconscious routines. Stay ‘logged off’ for as long as possible, and engage with your imagination instead of your email. Plan your day carefully, express your hopes and fears, and consider your surroundings.
Experts suggest that you should delay a while before sitting down at work. Try to work standing, and you will build your confidence and maintain your energy.
And try to find somewhere sunny to sit. Office life isn’t a magical space that exempts you from your natural rhythms: good light is essential to regulate your internal clock.
Naturally, a mindful morning routine begins long before you arrive at the office. You should breakfast well, choose the most pleasant – rather than most efficient – route to work, and pay attention to your environment and neighbors as you travel.
But a fabulous new visual guide to the first ten minutes of the work day offers fresh insights on how it’s all-too-easy to slip from a mindful commute into the thoughtless slog of office culture. Tune in, log off, and chill out!
Here’s more info in one handy graphic.
This post was written by G. John Cole. John writes on behalf of NeoMam Studios. A digital nomad specializing in leadership, digital media, and personal growth topics, his passions include world cinema and biscuits. A native Englishman, he is always on the move, but can most commonly be spotted in the UK, Norway, and the Balkans. Find him online: Website, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
