Nothing is more annoying than feeling like I’ve wasted time–

On the other hand, there is great satisfaction in getting through tough work efficiently, or taking real advantage of time off.

We’re always looking for insights and tips on how to do our best work in the best way.

Here’s some tips from a pro (the article is linked below):

So what’s the trick to overcoming our resistance to pushing ourselves really hard, even for short periods?

The answer is fierce prioritization in the form of rituals.  …Prioritizing itself turns out to require time. Part of my evening ritual is to take five to 30 minutes before I leave my office every day to sort through what I’ve done that day, and decide what makes most sense to begin with the next day.

If I try to do that the next morning, I learned long ago that I get distracted by competing possibilities, and end up simply responding to whatever feels most urgent. Likewise, if I don’t get to my highest and most challenging priority first thing in the morning, by the time I do, at the end of the day, I’m usually too tired to do it.  Tony Schwartz (The Energy Project) for NYT’s DealBook, JULY 19, 2013

Build early morning momentum. Reconcile and plan before leaving work.