Success At Work: Planning Makes Perfect!

A well planned work week will set you up for success. From getting good rest to staying well organized, planning plays a key role in improving productivity and effectiveness in the office. In today's post we'll highlight 5 great ways to plan properly. Enjoy!

1.) Plan Rest

Don't stay up all night watching movies and eating junk food. This bad habit is a recipe for an unsuccessful work day. Instead, plan a good sleep schedule that ensures you receive your full 8 hours. Leave the late nights for the weekend! Go to bed early enough that you wake up feeling refreshed instead of slow and groggy. In the long run, a solid work week starts with a good nights rest!

2.) Plan Breakfast

Most of us skip breakfast because of common excuses like "I'm in too much of a hurry". That being said, if you make breakfast part of your weekly plan, you'll be healthier and more productive for it. The key is to get your metabolism working and your body energized. Even a piece of fruit, multi grain bar, or bowl of cereal will get the job done. If you're too busy to eat at home, make sure you give yourself 15 minutes in the morning to get something in your tummy. Eating breakfast will help wake you up, and provide you with a solid foundation for your work day. Plan for breakfast each week. You'll be glad you did!

3.) Plan Daily Goals

While you're at your desk enjoying your morning breakfast, take the time to write down a list of goals for your day. Next to each goal, write an estimated time of completion. Your goals can be anything form responding to emails, preparing for a presentation, and making sales calls. As simple as your goals may be, planning them out on paper will help you stay on task throughout the day. Don't fly through your workday with no plan. This is sure hinder your effectiveness. As you cross your daily goals off the list, you'll no doubt enjoy little boosts of motivation.

4.) Plan Lunch

If you fail to plan lunch properly, you'll likely find yourself in line at a fast food restaurant ordering the dreaded bacon cheeseburger and french fries. Take the time to plan out your meals each week. If eating healthy is a chore for you, make Friday a cheat day and treat yourself for being good all week. On Sunday night, sit down and come up with ideas for what to eat for lunch. Literally, millions of ideas are available online for easy lunches that won't leave you wanting to take a nap in your office chair when you're finished eating them! If you don't like bringing your lunch to work, you'll likely be visiting a local restaurant. Check out their menu before arriving and make a selection in advance. This will help you avoid making an impulsive food choice with little to no nutritional benefits!

5.) Plan To Organize

If you want to operate a peak performance levels, you'll need to allot a little time each day for organizing. If you clear the days post it notes off your desk and reorganize your file cabinet at the end of each day, you'll be set up for success the following morning. Creating an organizational plan for your workspace is really quite simple. Make a little checklist of tasks to complete before rushing out of the office. Tasks may include taking out the trash, cleaning off your desk surface, reorganizing files, and logging out of password protected accounts on your computer for security. Go down the list and check them off each day. Avoid leaving the office and remembering you forgot to send an important email once your halfway home. This will leave you feeling anxious and stressed out until the next morning. They say, a little organization goes a long way. And we couldn't agree more!