Simplify Your Workday with These 5 Productivity Resolutions

Most New Year’s resolutions don’t survive long enough to see March, and there are a myriad reasons as to why our ambitions fade away into the darkness. But, having a more productive year doesn’t require any life-changing revelations. Minor changes and adjustments to working habits that have often been ignored in the past can make a big difference. Here are five simple tips and tricks to make you are more productive in the office this year.

De-clutter Your Workspace

Clutter can really influence the way you think. Being too disorganized makes it difficult to work and can influence the perception of your professionalism. As Albert Einstein once said, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” Clutter is a killer when it comes to the way we do our work, but leaving an empty desk can work against your creativity and motivation. Reevaluate your workspace decorations. Ask yourself, does this have a purpose anymore? Do you even remember it was there? Are you motivated by different things? Keep your space filled with decor that inspires, but start the workday with a clean desk.

Give Everything a Flow

Organize your desk drawers by importance. The documents and information you use the most should be in the closest drawers and everything else gets filed in the drawers further away. Give your desk a left-to-right workflow – projects come in on the left, you work on them in the middle and they go out on the right.

Give Everything a Home

Everything that resides on your desk or in a drawer should have a home. If objects, products and unnecessary gadgets don’t have a home, your desk eventually becomes the residential space for everything. Use the breadbox test to help keep your desk tidy and clean. If it’s smaller than a breadbox, store it away in a drawer.

Make a To-do List 

Save yourself time and early morning stress by making a short-list of things you need to accomplish by the end of each day. This enables you to stay organized and get the most important projects finished and on time. At the end of each day, create a new list with your top 3-5 most important assignments for the following day.

Maximize Your Most Important Hour

Everyone has a time of day when they are the most productive. Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, complete the most critical work during that hour so that you can give your full attention and optimal work time to the assignment on hand.