Successful female business leaders understand how you spend the first hour of your work day can dictate the productivity level for the the rest of the day. Before chaos ensues and your brain is here, there and everywhere in between, use that crucial bucket of time to shift your focus and prepare yourself to crush your to-do list and end your day feeling like the strong woman you are.
Start a gratitude journal
Gratitude journals are recognized by some of the most prestigious institutions in the world (including Harvard and Yale) as a productivity booster. But don’t take our word for it. A certain inspirational female leader worth just a mere $3 billion begins each day journaling in her own gratitude journal: Oprah! The science behind it is pretty simple. Writing down what you are grateful for brings happiness and positivity and this leads to productivity. Spending just five-minutes at the beginning of the day can make you happier, less stressed and give you a clear mind for a more productive day.
Set aside time to visualize success
Set your intentions for success by visualizing it. If you can’t see the end goal, you are unlikely to accomplish it. Create a vision board and hang it near your desk to remind yourself of your intentions and be clear on how you are going to achieve your goal. Vision boards allow you to organize your intentions and focus clearly on them. Your vision board can be for a specific task, the month, the year, however you want to see your intentions laid out before you. Visualization opens the door to transformation. We can help you create your vision board at your next women’s initiative workshop!
Practice the power of positive affirmations
You have to believe in yourself before anyone will believe in you. Your thoughts have a direct impact on the outcome of your goals. Words have power. Negative words turns into negative thoughts and then negative outcomes. Creating a positive affirmation provides the opportunity to hear true and empowering statements that ground you and bring you back to your core values. It can be as simple as, “I am worthy,” or more specifically, “My promotion is possible. I have enough nerve to ask.” Whatever you affirmation is, go get in front of a mirror and pump yourself up!
Connect with your colleagues
Put down your phone and step away from your email first thing in the morning. Get up and walk around the office and CONNECT. Make time for the people with whom you share workspace and goals! Brief chats with your colleagues and mentors opens the door for continued conversations throughout the day, eliminating confusion and frustration. You spend a lot of time with the people in your office, it’s important to relate to each other as human beings and not robots at a desk. A simple smile and “hello” to start the day will surprise you how much happier you and your colleagues will be.
Habits are created over time. The start of your day is the perfect time to introduce small changes that will drastically improve your perspective and productivity for the remainder of the day. Take the first hour of each work day to be positive, be happy, be productive and take charge of your day.