I've talked before about rebooting various areas of your life (Quicker Reboots, How To Do A Productivity Reboot and Quicker Life Reboots). Did you know that you can get a head start on your work productivity by rebooting your work area?
Rebooting the Computer
Let's start with the obvious part of rebooting your computer. Many people leave their computers on all the time until something goes horribly wrong and they are forced to restart.
As a computer programmer, I know how much junk gets left lying around in memory during the typical daily use of business software. By rebooting you clear out your memory and give yourself a fresh start.
In addition, you can also remind yourself of things you might have overlooked. For instance, let's say that right after lunch, during my email check, I have a response open to someone who wanted a file from me. But as I was in the process of sending the email, I was interrupted by my boss, who has finally been freed from meetings and is ready to see the demo of the new functionality in order to answer some questions. One thing leads to another, and that email sits unsent.
By closing windows in preparation for a reboot, I see the unfinished task and complete it before the end of the day. Otherwise it could sit in the background, covered by other windows, until the cows come home.
Rebooting the Desk
It is also possible to get a head start by doing the same sort of action on my desk. By gathering up my notes and papers and putting them in the correct places, I review those things one last time before I leave.
I also put away office supplies and start the day with a fresh desktop. It gives me a feeling of peace to see that first thing in the morning, rather than seeing a pile of paper with pens everywhere.
Besides getting rid of the scraps of paper that seem to breed on my desk, I also locate any specific reference material that I must hang on to for the work at hand. Most often thoughts occur to me, and I know I need to look into something the next day, or complete a task I had lost sight of during the rush of the day.
Making A Start Up List To Jump Start The Day
One of the powerful things you can do both for rebooting your computer and desk is to make a Start Up List. When you are closing things down, make a note of what you were doing, and the next thing you need to do. Do you need to return an email? Send a file? Work on a specific document? Write it down, and you will know where to start the next day.
By putting these techniques to use, you will find your mornings get started a little bit easier, since you have already planned what you will do with your clean slate.
Thanks to LJ Earnest / SimpleProductivityBlog
http://www.simpleproductivityblog.com/make-mornings-easier-with-a-nighttime-reboot/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Simpleproductivityblog+%28SimpleProductivityBlog.com%29#
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