Organizational Resilience Tip: The Power of Routines & Deep Work
I woke up today not ready for the week. I felt off. My heart, mind, and body were not present in my work. It wasn’t until I participated in my workplace’s weekly routine, that I felt elevated again.
Our team does 2.75 hours of deep work to start the week. We call into a conference phone line, each say what most important tasks we are going to do get done in the coming 2.75 hours, and then we plug in and go. We then call back in to say what we did. We currently do this on Monday afternoons and Wednesday mornings.
Such a seemingly mundane and simple process had such a big impact on my day. I ended today feeling positive and refreshed. I feel accomplished.
Why isn’t this power taught to everyone and instilled in our minds? Routine provides a floor for which performance can not dip below.
Look for chances to build routines. If you’re not getting the outcome you wish to see, that may be a sign that you’re lacking the right routine.
Here are some helpful steps to begin to build a sustainable routine:
1. Write the tasks you must do down
Get the ideas out of your head. Writing things down helps you clear your mind and organize your ideas.
2. Optimize and improve
Once you have ideas written down, you can start to move them around to test out different combinations to figure out what works best for you.
3. Remove friction:
Work to simplify and remove the barriers that are blocking you from doing whatever it is you need to be doing.
4. Reflect:
Create trip wires, reminders that force you to reflect and improve your routine
Life is but a constant work in progress. Take one step at a time. And keep going.
