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1-Page Summary of How to Have A Good Day

Overview

Most of us have great days at work, where we’re very productive and even get along with a coworker who usually makes trouble. However, not every day is like that. If you follow the advice in these points, you can have more good days than bad. You’ll feel better about yourself because you get things done and don’t procrastinate as much.

Additionally, you’ll feel confident around your peers and will be a better communicator. In these key points, we’ll learn why thinking about a past catastrophe can boost our confidence today; how the schedules of top violinists, master chess players and elite athletes are alike; and why your interest in sports could earn you a job in a totally unrelated field.

Big Idea #1: To have a more productive day, start by clearly laying out your intentions and goals.

A lot of people feel like they’re wasting their day if they don’t get enough done. It’s important to make the most out of your days and not let them slip by without accomplishing anything. Here are some tips for doing just that:

First, decide what you want to accomplish each day and eliminate anything that might distract you from doing so.

For example, one of the author’s clients is Martin, who works for an airline company. He noticed that when he was overwhelmed with work and felt like procrastinating, he would turn to news websites instead of doing his job.

To improve productivity, identify what distracts you and eliminate those distractions. Also, keep your focus on the day’s goals and frame them in positive terms.

Research has shown that students who have approach goals do better than those with avoidance goals.

Third, you should make a plan for how to deal with obstacles that could get in your way of achieving your goals.

The author was not naturally an early bird, but she had to get up at the same time as her employees when she started her own business.

So, she decided to come up with a plan. She said to herself, “When I wake up in the morning, I’ll walk for 10 minutes and then check my e-mail.” This little rule helps her get out of bed and face each day positively.

Big Idea #2: Manage overload, beat procrastination and stay focused by making a plan and scheduling enough breaks.

When you’re busy, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. There are many ways to deal with this. First, take some time for yourself and breathe deeply until you calm down enough to think clearly.

To get organized, make a list of everything you need to do in the next few days or weeks. Mark the most important tasks and take one step toward completing that task today.

Angela was an attorney who wanted to run for a post in her company. However, she felt like the task of “start election prep” was too much and kept procrastinating.

What eventually worked for her was breaking down the task into smaller steps and making it seem less overwhelming. She would tell herself that she needed to have a talk with her boss about her idea, which made it easier to accomplish.

To stay focused for long periods of time, it’s important to schedule breaks every hour and a half. Our brains get tired after 90 minutes and we start playing with our phones or doodling because we’re bored. Researchers have found that the best musicians, athletes, chess players, etc., practice in blocks of 90 minutes with short breaks between them.

Big Idea #3: Surround yourself with pleasant relationships by building rapport with the people you meet and resolving tensions directly.

Getting along with the people around you is important. The first thing to do when meeting someone at work is to build rapport by asking questions like, “how are you spending your holidays?” You can also find commonalities and shared areas of interest in order to develop a sense of trust that will help create a culture of collaboration.