Use Rituals To Improve Your Effectiveness

Do  you have rituals you do everyday?  If you are like most people you do, but may not even know it.  I am so ingrained in my morning ‘getting ready for work’ ritual that if I do a step out of order I feel ‘off’ the rest of the day.  Reading Peter Bregman’s Harvard Business Review article,  An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day it struck me that establishing a ritual could help improve my effectiveness, not only at work, but at almost everything.  Sticking with work, Peter made it simple by establishing only three steps.

1. Set a plan for the day.  Start the day with a clear plan of action

2. Refocus.  Throughout the day you should refocus to ensure you have stayed on track to complete the plan you established.  Let’s face it, it’s very easy to get sidetracked.

3. Review.  At the end of the day reflect on what happened and make adjustments for the next day.

Peter goes into more depth and also has a great example of someone who has done this their entire life and been a huge success.  Check it out and let me know what you think.