Your Daily Productivity And Efficiency Checklist
By Workplace

As busy admin professionals, your day-to-day responsibilities can vary greatly. That’s why having a dependable system with a daily checklist is crucial to ensure you stay on top of things.

Drawing from our collective experience as former career admin professionals, we believe that the key to success lies in the daily tasks that you perform.

To help you take control of your day and concentrate on essential tasks that will allow you to perform at the level you’re expected to, we’ve put together this daily checklist for you.

1. Establish a 15 minute morning routine that jumpstarts your productivity. This is to ensure a positive and focused start to your day and sets the tone right for the day ahead. Here are some suggestions that we do:

  • Begin your day by preparing your preferred energy-boosting beverage, whether it be coffee, tea, chai, or another drink, to provide you with the required kickstart and start your day right
  • Organise your workspace so it’s tidy and serene. This fosters concentration and productivity for the day ahead
  • Have a full jug of water on your desk so that you stay hydrated throughout the day

2. Start your day by reviewing your emails to see what urgent priorities or changes need to be actioned. Once you have established what your priorities are, map them out in a to-do list based on importance and urgency, starting with the most challenging tasks.  As our concentration often diminishes as the day goes on, it’s wise to utilise the morning hours to focus on more significant tasks and projects. Whether it’s preparing a meeting agenda, booking travel or creating a presentation, prioritise them during the first few hours of your workday.

3. Check emails and respond to urgent messages. Try to limit email checking to specific times throughout the day to avoid distraction. Some tips for handling email are:

  • Prioritise emails based on urgency and importance
  • Use email filters and labels to organise your inbox
  • Use email templates to save time on common responses
  • Practice email hygiene by unsubscribing from unnecessary newsletters and deleting old emails regularly

4. Take breaks throughout the day to recharge and refocus. Consider using the Pomodoro technique, which is a time management strategy that involves breaking down work into 25-minute intervals, known as “Pomodoros,” separated by short breaks. The technique involves selecting a task, setting the timer for 25 minutes, and working on the task without any distractions or interruptions. After the timer goes off, take a short 5-minute break to rest and recharge. After completing four Pomodoros, take a longer break of around 15-30 minutes. This technique helps to increase productivity by breaking down work into manageable chunks and minimising distractions during work intervals. It can also help to increase focus and reduce burnout by encouraging frequent breaks to rest and recharge

5. Use tools such as task management apps and calendar reminders to keep yourself on track and ensure deadlines are met. You can have a look at our list of task management, systems, tools and useful apps for admins via our FREE membership portal HERE.

6. End the day by reviewing your progress and preparing for the next day’s tasks. This can help you start the next day with a clear plan and sense of purpose. Taking just a few minutes at the end of the day to review your progress and plan for the next day can be an effective way to improve productivity and reduce stress. Use this time to reflect on what you accomplished during the day, what tasks still need to be completed, and what can be prioritised for the following day.

You can make a to-do list for the next day, review your calendar and schedule any appointments or meetings you need to prepare for. This can help you start the next day with a clear plan of action and a sense of purpose, rather than potentially feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to begin if you have an interruption or late start to your morning.

By reviewing your progress and planning ahead, you can also identify any challenges or roadblocks that you encountered during the day and come up with strategies to overcome them. This can help you work more efficiently and effectively, ultimately leading to greater success in your role.

To help stay organised, click HERE to enjoy our templates and checklist downloadables from our FREE members area. Feel free to share them too!