In a tweet directed at its relatively few followers last September, Ninja Infographic shared an interesting list of 9 must-do things to to stay productive. Few people are able to follow this entire set of rules on a daily basis, but I would like to highlight one of them as the cornerstone of office work (in my opinion, at least).

People get stuff done in various ways. Some delegate their assistants to do all the legwork, while others prefer to take the bull by the horns and tackle the most important matters themselves. Regardless of the methodology, it’s easy to see that the people who succeed in fulfilling their daily duties have one thing in common – they don’t procrastinate. Which brings me to the one golden rule I’d like to highlight from Ninja‘s cool infographic: tackling your challenging tasks before lunch.

Research has shown that getting the biggest challenges out of the way fast makes carrying out other duties much easier and even more pleasant. Working with a relaxed mind knowing that the hardest nuts to crack are now behind you is the best thing you can teach yourself to do every day.

It’s also important to point out that the mind works faster when your body isn’t forced to use up extra oxygen to digest food. So do yourself a favor and leave the easiest tasks for after lunch, when your stomach is busy drawing more blood and making you drowsy.

The rest of the tips are perhaps just as valuable, but I personally herald #5 as a cornerstone of productivity in any office environment. See the full infographic below. Enjoy!