9 Efficiency Enemy Mistakes We Unwittingly Make at the Start of the Day

Dilara Avlupınar

Dilara Avlupınar

Boğaziçi Ekonomi

Although it may seem like we have almost no time in the morning, the first 10 minutes of the day are actually extremely important. Here’s what you do in the first 10 minutes of a day. Are you making coffee? Are you surfing social media? You may be doing a lot of things every day without realizing it, that harms your productivity. So, what are the mistakes to avoid?

1) Drinking coffee between 08:00 and 10:00

According to research, drinking coffee to start the day with high energy is a pretty bad idea. Because the caffeine you take with coffee increases stress by acting when the stress hormone cortisol is at its highest level. You should drink coffee between 10:00 and 12:00, or between 14:00 and 17:00, when your cortisol levels are at their lowest in the body.




2) Not to empty your mind before starting your work that needs to be done.

David Allen says having too many thoughts in your head makes you feel like you’re in control, even though you’re not. In order not to get lost in your thoughts and to-do list, you can get a notebook where you can jot these things down.


3) Checking emails first thing

New York University professor Adam Alter says it takes 25 minutes to reach your maximum productivity level after checking your email. Don’t let your e-mails steal the time you need to organize your day. When you come to work, keep your mailbox closed for the first 30 minutes and turn off your phone notifications.




4) Going into a meeting as soon as you get to work

Studies show that we spend 23 hours a week, almost a full day, on meetings. You should avoid this before you waste your time with another meeting. Fill what seems to be meeting-possible in the morning with other things and accept only the most inevitable meetings.


5) Sitting in a chair

A very strange title, isn’t it? However, a study conducted by Harvard & Columbia Universities revealed that standing rather than sitting gives you more power and control over events. Of course, we cannot stand all day. So you can try a short 10-minute walk or at least 10 minutes standing at a high desk before you start work in the morning.




6) Working away from natural light

A study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicines shows that exposure to daylight in the early hours of the morning improves your metabolism and mood, and keeps you more awake. If your desk is close to the window, open the curtains in the morning. If you do not have such an opportunity, you may consider purchasing SAD Lamps designed for seasonal affective disorder.


7) Assigning deadlines that only you know to tasks on your to-do list

Research has revealed that for an effective and productive work life, you need to share your deadlines with your colleagues. There are many applications that allow you to share your to-do list and deadlines with your friends. By using one of these, you can be clear with your colleagues and make daily work easier to follow.




8) Opening your internet browser

A survey by Webtrate showed that 36% of employees spend at least an hour each day checking their personal emails and social media. You don’t want to start the day with such a bad habit. Block your browser when you start work. You can use Nanny for Chrome, LeechBlock for Firefox, Stayfocused for Safari, and FocalFilter for Explorer.


9) Starting many jobs at the same time

Multitasking, in other words, multitasking… I think years later, this will be explained as the longest-running discussion topic of the 2000s. ☺ However, recent research has revealed that multitasking has a strong and negative relationship with productivity. Plan your day by setting 40-minute work times for each job.

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Kategoriler: Life

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