<ol><li>Use the morning commute to clear out your emails and prepare for your meetings that day.</li><li>Turn the morning coffee run as a time to check in with colleagues and chase up outstanding work face to face.</li><li>Change lunchtime into exercise time and burn some calories. Then you don't have to go to the gym in the evening.</li><li>Finally, use the evening commute to meal plan, message friends and family and catch up on the latest podcast. </li></ol>

Maximise These 4 Parts Of Your Day

productivity

Productivity

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Recent articles have focused on how to use your <a href="https://spurplanners.com/take-control-of-your-inbox/">inbox </a>or your <a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-do-i-organize-my-calendar/">calendar </a>more effectively but what small things can you do to maximise your workday? Each day we let small blocks of time slip by without realising we can use them to multi-task and get ahead of the game.

Multi-tasking is not for every occasion or task but I have carefully selected the below because you can multi-task with these. The great thing about these pockets of time is that they are often set and predictable. That means you can use these pockets of time to create ongoing good habits.

The morning commute is often lamented. Sat on a bus or train, or even in your car fighting through traffic and delays. How often do you sit on the bus just staring out of the window? This is the perfect time to get a jump start on your day. If you have a work mobile phone or tablet you can start by;

<ul><li>Sorting out your emails and filing them so when you get into the office you are clear on the emails that need dealing with to add value. If you don’t know how to organise your emails you really should read my article on this <a href="https://spurplanners.com/take-control-of-your-inbox/">here </a>. </li><li>Review your calendar for the day. You will then know what meetings you need to prepare for and those you don’t. </li><li>If the thought of diving into your emails before you step into the office is too much then consider some relevant market reading that normally you might not get to in the office. </li> </ul>

If you are driving you can’t be checking your calendar but you can still get off to a productive start to maximise your workday. You can;

<ul><li>Listen to an industry podcast. </li><li>Listen to motivational talks. </li> </ul>

The average commute is now up to 59 minutes according to <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/average-commute-time-59-minutes-record-work-tuc-a9204031.html">The Independent </a>. Each way 5 days a week, that is 10 hours of time. 10 hours! Don’t waste it staring out of the window.

Coffee is a constant in many of our days and the mid morning coffee run is an institution in some work places. In others it may be the mid morning snack run. Whatever it is, this is an ideal opportunity to maximise your workday in some very specific and linked ways.

<ul><li>Asking colleagues if they want a coffee (or whatever the item is) is a great way to connect with them. It places you in their eye line and for a good reason rather than turning up to ask them a difficult work question. Perhaps you are eyeing up a new role in a team close by or know you will need a favour soon. Striking up regular easy conversation with that person will only be helpful in the future. </li><li>If you have been getting the brush off from a colleague over something it will be impossible for them not to talk to you when you are offering to go get coffee. You can start the conversation casually then work up to getting an answer to that work question. </li> </ul>

Never underestimate the importance of taking a lunch break and fresh air. You can still be productive sat in a nearby park

Typical lunch breaks are an hour long. Sometimes this may not be possible due to a busy work schedule but you should always aim for some form of break. Most important is eating of course, but this rarely takes an hour so here are some great ways to spend your hour;

<ul><li>Go to a gym. All cities have gyms in the centre, industrial parks often have them. Some offices even have them. You have no excuse to avoid the gym. 30 minutes in the gym and 30 minutes for getting showered and eating your lunch. </li><li>Not a gym bunny? Go for a long walk. Try to avoid the shops as they distract you and you don’t end up walking far. </li><li>Read a book in a park. You can use your brain in a different way, get some fresh air and some time to relax. </li><li>If books aren’t your thing you can listen to podcasts or meditate out in the fresh air. Mediating in the park doesn’t have to be obvious either if you are self conscious. Just close your eyes, listen to something relaxing or a meditation podcast. </li><li>Use the time for catching up on life admin tasks like buying birthday cards, paying money into banks and picking up that coffee you love from the small coffee shop near the office. </li> </ul>

A lunchtime can easily be lost staring into shop windows as you wander aimlessly. Swap that for either something good for your physical/mental wellbeing or to tick tasks off your to do list.

Try not to use your lunchtime to do extra work. There is a temptation to do this but you and your brain need a break.

The evening commute is very much like the morning, More time spent staring out of the window. You can make this work for you in other ways though. Yes, you can replicate what you did in your new productive morning commute but you may have had enough of work by this point. Other options include;

<ul><li>Meal planning is so useful if you are trying to be healthy, save money or both. When we don’t plan our meal in advance we often find we don’t have anything in the house to eat so we order a takeaway or buy something over priced from a local shop. Plan your meals in advance and you always know what you will eat. </li><li>Do your food order online. Off the back of your meal plan you can jump to your favourite supermarkets site and set up your weekly food shop. </li><li>Connect with friends. Call them, message them, send them memes. We get so busy that sometimes we can forget to stay in touch even though it’s never been easier. </li><li>Work on your side hustle. You could be messaging people, setting up posts, writing material, literally anything. </li> </ul>

That’s how you maximise your workday. Taking regular everyday periods of time which you might think of as dead time and using them productively.

<ul><li>The morning commute can get you ahead of your workday by working through your emails and calendar. </li><li>A morning coffee run can be used to connect with colleagues and chase up answers to questions. </li><li>Lunchtime offers the chance to boost your physical and/or mental health. </li><li>The evening commute can be used to tick off some life admin tasks and connect with friends. </li> </ul>

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<ul><li><a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-to-maximise-your-workday/">How To Maximise Your Workday </a> </li><li><a href="https://spurplanners.com/what-is-productive-flexible-working/">What Is Productive Flexible Working? </a> </li><li><a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-do-i-organize-my-calendar/">How Do I Organize My Calendar? </a> </li><li><a href="https://spurplanners.com/take-control-of-your-inbox/">Take Control Of Your Inbox </a> </li><li><a href="https://spurplanners.com/how-to-be-more-efficient-at-work/">How To Be More Efficient At Work </a> </li> </ul>

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Maximise These 4 Parts Of Your Day

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