We all know the saying that it’s better to Work Smarter NOT Harder. One of the easiest ways to maximize your results is to get more organized at the office. Enjoy these useful strategies for maximizing your time and becoming more effective.
Set Goals for Your Life: In the grand scheme of your life, what do you want to achieve? Put together a bucket list of things you want to do in this lifetime. Do you want to travel to certain places? Jump out of a plane? Write a book? Start a family? Rise up the Corporate Ladder? Get a vacation house on the beach? Think about what would make you happy, and write those ideas down. Then pick ONE thing to start focusing on. Once you achieve that, pick a new one.
Set Business Goals: On a yearly basis, think about what you want to achieve at work. Are there big projects you want to tackle? Are you interested in getting a promotion or earning more money? Write down your big picture ideas. On a monthly basis, set some targets for what you want to achieve and write them down, along with a plan on how to achieve them. Pick one of those targets to focus on each week to ensure that they get done.
Plan out Your To-Do List in Advance: Always write tomorrow’s To-Do list at the end of each work day. You’re in a groove at the end of your day, so it’s really clear what tasks need to be done tomorrow. Write them down, then go back and check your goals/action plan list for the week and add in anything that you haven’t gotten to yet. Cross things off as you finish. What a great feeling!
Remove Clutter From Your Desk Area: If you have clutter in your view, you’ll have clutter in your mind. Take 5 minutes everyday to organize your desk. Go through some papers, put things away, toss things you don’t need. Make your space feel good.
Make a Simple System for Organizing Papers: Piles of papers on your desk lead to things being missed. Separate them into 3 piles: To do, To Read, and To File. Toss or shred the rest! File everything in one swoop. Then tackle the To do pile. Pick one thing from the To Read pile to read each day. The pile will be gone in no time!
Prioritize What’s Important: Figure out what your most important tasks are for the day, and work on them first. The rest can wait. Put due dates next to your daily tasks so that it’s easy to prioritize them.
Schedule Regular Breaks into Your Day: In order to stay focused, it’s essential to take regular breaks during the day. The problem is that we get “too busy” to do it. When you get up and walk away from your desk, you get the opportunity to clear your head and let go of mental fog. When you sit back down you’re actually MUCH more productive. So add the breaks into your calendar and work around them. Make them a priority.
Switch off Pop-up Notifications: One simple way to stay on track with your daily plan is to shut off the pop-up notifications on our phone and computer. Those pop-ups serve the function of derailing your concentration and attention. Shut them off and enjoy more focused time.
