How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life

by Caroline Webb

BEFORE WORK Set your intentions - Think about the day ahead—maybe in the shower, maybe on the way to work. Ask yourself: “What matters most today? What does that mean for my attitude, attention, and actions? What specific goals should I set for the day?” Visualize the ideal - Take a moment to imagine the most important thing you’re doing today. Picture yourself doing it and being at your best. Notice what you’re doing and saying. Plan a peak - Decide what you’re most looking forward to today, however small. Small becomes bigger when you think about it. AS YOU GET STARTED Batch your tasks - Plan a block of uninterrupted thinking time to work on your most complex task. - Create another slot (or two) for reading and responding to all your messages. - Batch other similar tasks together—you’ll get them done more quickly. Prime yourself - Decide what mental attributes you most need in your thinking today, and create whatever cues might help prompt that—an image, a song, a change in your workspace setup. DURING THE DAY Set the tone - Decide what behavior you want from other people and how you can project that tone yourself. They will mirror it back at you, whether either of you realizes it or not. Express random appreciation - Do a random act of kindness. Compliment someone for something, ideally unprompted. Be unexpectedly helpful or generous in some way. Notice the effect on both of you. Protect your thinking time - In your block of focused thinking time, divert/switch off your...