How to start your work day when you can't get going
The first hour sets the tone for the day. If it goes to checking messages and news, the rest often follows. You don't need a perfect morning routine, just a first task that's already decided.
Your first step
Write down the one thing that would make today a good day, then open whatever you need for it.
Do only this, for two minutes. When the timer ends you can stop, and it still counts. If even this feels like too much, do half.
Why your work day is so hard to start
At the start of the day everything is possible, which means nothing is chosen. Deciding what to do first is a task in itself, and it's easy to put that off by checking email.
Messages and notifications are also easy wins. They feel like work, they're quick, and they never end, so they quietly fill the first hour.
After the first two minutes
- Protect the first hour. Keep email and chat closed until you've done one block of real work. Most messages can wait an hour.
- End the day with a 'next' note. Before you finish, write the first small step for tomorrow. Then tomorrow's start is already decided.
- Plan just three things. A list of three priorities is much easier to start than a list of twenty.
If you're still stuck
- Change where you're sitting for the first task. A new spot can help you break the habit.
- Join a co-working call or online focus session where everyone works quietly together.
- If you're very tired, start with a task that needs little thinking, then move to the hard one once you're moving.
