There are a couple of things (well, 4-5 actually) I have been making into habits over the years when it comes to my work life, so I thought I might just as well share them with others here, as they should be generic enough for any working person, regardless of title, role, employer etc. They will not come in order of importance, but in order of a work day, so let’s start with this one:
1. Plan your day on your way in to work.
“On your way in to work” could of course be “whilst having your morning shower” or “whilst eating breakfast“. Whatever works for you, as long as you make it a part of your morning ritual before you reach your work place, by which time it will be too late.
Having a plan is rarely a bad thing. The only thing better than having a plan is Being Prepared, to avoid (nasty) surprises. However, “having a plan” and “being prepared” are tightly related: it is tricky to be prepared unless you have a plan, and have given the different possible outcomes (of today) some thought. You should obviously always try to plan for success, but if that doesn’t happen in the way you hoped, for whatever reason, it is good to have identified where it possibly could go wrong and how you should tackle that, before it happens.
Remember that you should be doing this for your sake, not for the sake of the project/boss/company/client, all of who will benefit from it too, but you are doing this exercise for You, not for them.
Don’t worry. Be happy.
If you just do a couple of “what if today gives me…?” to yourself you will have thought about possible problems and their possible answers before they are presented to you, you will be able to answer quickly and without wavering on your voice, and you will come across as really knowledge-able and competent (mainly because you are).
Remember though: this exercise is meant to make you work less, and more focused, not to worry more. It is also meant to cater for the smaller things; the big things you should have sorted, and planned for, already. The ideal situation is that you think of things, quickly followed by a memory of having sorted it out already, and to prepare yourself for the unknown in the remit of how you will handle a colleague being ill and similar.
The less you will have to “think on your feet” when presented with a problem, which is rarely under forgiving circumstances and even more rarely delivered by someone who is understanding and helpful, is a good thing.
Shit happens, you’d better be prepared, as that is a part of every day, at least on average, at least on all work places I have ever had.
