The first few hours of the work day can have a significant effect on your level of productivity over the following eight—so it’s important you have a morning routine that sets you up for success. There is a list of 13 things all workers should do when they get to work each morning.

This may be obvious to most people—but some don’t realize that showing up late can not only leave a bad impression, but also throw off your entire day. Getting in on time or a little early helps your mindset for the day and helps promote a feeling of accomplishment.

Many people come into work harried because they don’t leave enough time at home to deal with “home stuff” and then they’ve barely survived another horrendously stressful commute, and then they dive into the madness. Slowing down, taking a moment to pause, and creating a routine around centering yourself can work wonders.

After the deep breath, give yourself five minutes to get settled in. This is a good way to set the tone of the day. Don’t allow yourself to be bum rushed by frantic co-workers lost in their own confusion. It’s not unusual to wake up to a long backlog of e-mails just screaming for your attention. The challenge is taking a moment for yourself before diving head first into your day.

You may have to attend to projects or discussions that rolled over from the previous afternoon—but try to treat each day as a fresh one. Leave any crap from yesterday behind, tap into what’s happening at the outset of the day, get organized and ready or hit the ground running, if that’s what is needed.

You’ll want to pay attention to your mood and be aware of its effect on others. First and last thing in the day is when emotional intelligence can have the greatest impact. Your first hour at work can set your ‘a(chǎn)ttitude barometer’ for the rest of the day, so from a purely emotional point of view, it’s an important part of the day. One morning grump can infect an entire team and put everyone on the wrong footing.

The first hour of the work day is the best time to assess priorities and to focus on what you absolutely need to accomplish. Too many people get distracted first thing in the morning with unimportant activities such as diving right into their morass of e-mail, when there may be a whole host of more important issues that need dealing with. Make a to-do list, or update the one you made the previous day, and try to stick to it. However, if your boss has an urgent need, then it’s OK re-shuffle your priorities within reason. When you prepare your morning to-do list, determine what must be done today and what can be completed tomorrow, and prioritize accordingly. Also determine your peak working time and plan your schedule accordingly. Use your peak time each morning to do the most important tasks.

Even if you’re not a morning person, you need to be awake when you get the office. Especially if you’re in a leadership position, it’s critical to be present, mentally and physically, and to communicate. Taking the time to connect with your team members is essential, and doing the seemingly small things--making eye contact, smiling, asking them about their night, and checking in on what they may need help with--helps you as a leader take the pulse of the team, and helps set the tone for all the employees.

A quick 5 to 10 minute team huddle can also be an effective way for many people to start their day. Make it a short meeting, with no chairs, have everyone share their top goal for the day, and share any critical information the rest of the team absolutely needs to know. Doing the huddles helps people focus and more importantly, connects everyone with the team. And by sharing your goals for the day publicly, the odds of achieving them rise substantially.

This one is difficult for most people—but the experts agree that you shouldn’t check your e-mail first thing in the morning. If you do, only read and respond to messages that are urgent. Only respond immediately to the urgent messages so that you control your morning activities. There will be time during the day to respond to the less urgent e-mails.

Clearing off the desk and creating a neat workspace sets a tone for the rest of the day. It can also help avoid confusion. Ideally, you’d clear whatever you can out the night before so you can have a fresh start before you even turn on your computer in the morning. But if not, make sure clearing your desk takes precedence over things like checking e-mails and chatting with co-workers in the morning.

If you know you need to get in touch with someone that day, place the call or send the e-mail first thing in the morning. If you wait until midday, there’s a greater chance you won’t hear back before you leave the office. If you have your questions ready and your e-mails fired off during early peak hours, by the end of the day you should have what you need.

Many people feel that their brains function best in the morning, and that morning is when they are most creative and productive. Consider whether you are making the best use of your brainpower and plan ‘high brain’ activities in the morning.

This is the time to assess where you and take time to revitalize yourself so that you can keep your momentum going.