Rights13 Tips for Working Smarter, Not Harder

Tips for Working Smarter, Not Harder

1) Aim for effectiveness, not neatness. Neatness as an end in itself can even be risky: Putting things away just to clear off your desk can cause you to lose or forget them.

2) Clutter is rarely caused by insufficient space or time. The culprit is usually indecisiveness. So be selective about what you bring into your office and home. If you know what you value and what your goals are, being selective is not hard.

3) Have a place for everything. Open your mail in the same place everyday so it doesn't get strewn everywhere. Put unpaid bills together, separate from paid bills. Store all office supplies together to prevent duplicate purchases.

4) Do not use your entire desk surface as a giant In-box. Instead, determine your next action on every piece of paper and file accordingly. Tasks to be done soon (phone calls to make, questions to ask business associates) and current projects go into your "Action Files," which should not be mixed with Reference Files. Action Files must be kept close at hand.

5) That maxim, "Handle each piece of paper only once," is too extreme to be realistic. But it contains a grain of truth. Do try to take the next action that's required each time you handle a piece of paper. How about that seminar advertisement you left on your desk, as a reminder to decide whether to sign up -- you know, that paper you've shuffled ten times today already? Either call right now to get the information you need, or make a note in your appointment book to call later. Then you're that much closer to being done with it.

6) Don't save paper that you're not willing to spend time filing. If you don't file it properly, you either will forget you have it, or you won't be able to find it when you need it. It does you no good, and the result is the same as if you'd thrown it out in the first place. If you are set up to scan information into your computer, be selective. If you cannot imagine a specific situation when you'd need to refer to the information again, don't scan it. Most of us save a great deal of paper we'll never use again.

7) Use your day planner to help clear your desk. If you avoid filing things out of fear you'll forget to follow up, jot down a reminder in your appointment book or computer software.

8) Often we are own worst enemies, interrupting ourselves by jumping from one half-finished task to another. Stop doing "the desktop shuffle" - moving papers aimlessly around on your desk. Every time you handle an item, take an action towards completing it.

9) Learn to say "No." You