7 Motivating Tips to Reboot Your Work Routine - Pt 2

Nancy Author

"The big things that come our way are ... the fruit of seeds planted in the daily routine of our work." 

— William Feather

In part one of the 7 Tips to Reboot Your Work Routine After a Break blog post, we  covered:

1. Reconnect with Purpose and Goals

2. Gradual Reintroduction to Work

Here is part two with the rest of the tips.

5. Use Time-Blocking and Task Batching

Break the day into specific time blocks where you focus on particular types of tasks. 

For example:

• Focused Work Blocks: Dedicate 90-minute blocks to deep, uninterrupted work on important projects.

• Meetings: Schedule meetings in clusters to avoid breaking up your workflow throughout the day. This prevents switching between tasks, which can waste mental energy, and ensures every type of work has its place in the schedule.

• Emails & Admin: Many years ago, I realized that checking emails first thing in the morning is starting the day with other people's agendas. That's why I believe in getting some focused work first, even though it doesn't always go that way... Emails are a huge source of time-sucking stress if we don't tame the inbox. Now, I admire people who have less than 500 unread emails. That will probably never happen in my lifetime. I have multiple accounts, and each has more than 500, but I've learned to be OK with that because an empty inbox is currently not my priority. Speaking of priorities, it leads is to the next tip.

6. Prioritize Your Well-Being and Energy Management

There's more to healthy high performance than strategies and discipline, I believe in holistic well-being that takes care of the spirit, soul, and body.  Starting the day with stretching, prayer, or your preferred mindfulness practice sets a positive tone for the rest of the day and provides a sense of ease instead of stress. 

Prioritizing energy management by practicing self-care can reset your focus and energy levels. Some energy management ideas include integrating regular breaks, doing some movement instead of sitting for hours on end, and eating a healthy meal or snack away from your desk at lunchtime. 

One energizing thing we sometimes overlook is adequate sleep—something many of us struggle with. A healthy sleep routine is essential for staying sharp and motivated throughout the day.  I don't know about you, but irregular bedtimes come with vacation mode. We enjoy staying up late on hot summer nights or dancing into the wee hours of the morning and then sleeping in late. Add jet lag, and our Circadian rhythms can be thrown off balance when we're on holiday. 

Reestablishing routines can take a few days or weeks, and there are some hacks that can help; that's why one of my planned upcoming blog posts is about sleep hygiene. So, if you're interested in that, be sure to subscribe to my blog and newsletter. 

7. Plan Tomorrow Today

At the end of each workday, reflect on how the day went. I like to journal some things I'm grateful about, but if journaling is not your thing, acknowledge your wins and what you can do differently next time. Take 10-15 minutes to tidy up your workspace and organize your schedule for the next day. Identify the top 3-5 priorities for the next day's focused work and block time for them, as suggested in tip #4. Read on to see why this works.

According to Forbes, Mary Kay Inc. is one of the largest direct sellers of skincare and cosmetics. The founder Mary Kay Ash, wrote about planning for the next day and a “$35,000 list” 

Here's an excerpt from her book Miracles Happen.

Early in my sales career, I heard a story that had a lasting effect on me and the way I work. The subject was time management, and the story concerned Ivy Lee, a leading efficiency expert, and Charles Schwab, president of a then-small company called Bethlehem Steel. Ivy Lee called on Charles Schwab and said to him, “I can increase your efficiency and your sales if you will allow me to spend 15 minutes with each of your executives.”

Naturally, Schwab asked, “What will it cost me?”

“Nothing,” Lee said, “unless it works. In three months, you can send me a check for whatever you think it’s worth to you. Fair enough?”

Schwab agreed, so Lee spent 15 minutes with executives from the struggling young steel company and asked them to complete a single task. Every evening for the next three months, each executive was to make a list of the six most important things he had to do the next day. Finally, the executive was to rank the items in the order of importance.

“Each morning, begin with the first item on the list and scratch it when it’s finished. Just work your way right down those six items. If you don’t get something finished, it goes to the next day’s list.”

At the end of the three-month trial, efficiency and sales had increased to such an extent that Schwab sent Lee a check for $35,000. Now, that’s still a lot of cash for such a small amount of work, but in today’s money, $35,000 would probably be the equivalent of $350,000. I was very impressed with the story, so I pondered the moral. I took an old envelope out of my purse and wrote down the six most important things I had to do the next day. And I have continued making that “$35,000 list” every single day of my life.

Today, Mary Kay's products are sold in more than 40 markets worldwide, and its global independent sales force exceeds 3.5 million. Making that list the night before paid off. If you don't already, I invite you to do a little experiment and see what happens.

This simple practice of planning ahead brings clarity to the upcoming day, reduces decision fatigue, and ensures you begin each day with focus and intention rather than scrambling to figure out where to start. It also helps with procrastination and starting the day with email. Yikes! I'm guilty. When I don't have a plan, by default, I'll go to emails or, worse, scroll social media. 

But the social media rabbit hole is a whole other topic for another day.

In conclusion

These practical tips help create a structured daily routine that prioritizes high-value tasks, eliminates chaos, and effectively manages overwhelming workloads while supporting your well-being. Experiment with them and see what supports your best work routine as we go from vacation mode and back to productivity and healthy high performance. 

Thanks for being here. If you enjoyed this post, consider supporting me by engaging and subscribing so you never miss a new one. 

Whew! And with this post, I'm officially back to blogging; let me go have a cup of tea and see if my cat is up for some petting :-) 

Happy back-to-working!

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