Recall the following every time you are faced with a task you are not obligated to complete right then and there.

Fuel up

Does your work start early in the day? Eat a proper breakfast. You need fuel to carry on till the afternoon.

The worst thing you can do: Not eat. Nutritionists have stated that this results in frequent, heavier snacking later in the day. People end up loading on sugary foods. That gives you an initial jolt of energy that quickly wears down resulting in drowsiness in the short term, and obesity and broken chair wheels in the long-term. Makes it difficult to slide gracefully across the office floor as you smash into the printer.

What you need to do: Eat a boiled egg and you will feel fuller, longer. Complement with fruits. 

Recharge with tea or coffee at your desk. Avoid the fizzy drinks. The former energises, the latter will bring you down faster than a good idea in a bureaucratic organisation.

De-clutter

A messy desk will call out your attention like a glass on a table edge does to a cat. My work desk at home was full of stuff I was working on. Model cars I am building, camera that needs photos downloaded, post-it notes reminding me of articles that need writing, a half-eaten Snickers bar that needs finishing. I moved to the dining table as a trial and work got done. There is nothing to look at other than the laptop screen. A clean desk will focus your mind on the task at hand.

Schedule your to-do list

A to-do list is pointless if you do not schedule. Otherwise it is just a list of reminders. And your mind is busy deciding which to ignore first.

Have a date and time set to each item. It will put realistic goals in place. You tasks will seem less daunting when they are broken up into separate chunks of time. This way you set your tasks according to the most efficient time slot and not go according to the serial it came to your head. Experts say if you do not allocate a set time frame for your doables, you are setting yourself up for failure.

Ehsanur Raza Ronny is Editor of the career, tech and automobile publications of The Daily Star. He is also an entrepreneur of a baby clothing business and previously worked in advertising as a Senior Copywriter.