When there’s no clear plan for maximizing productivity, so many things can snatch away your precious time. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to share info with you on those productivity killers. Each of these will kill your productivity if you let it. No matter how much any of them may be present in your environment, there are solutions to conquering these productivity killers.
Clutter is a big culprit when it comes to both home and office spaces. It shows up in the form of paper, email and things to do. Paper is the#1 culprit in homes and offices and it’s necessary to keep it under control.
Keep a handle on what comes into your inbox every day. There are three stages for the paper you see every day: it comes in, you’re working on it, or it’s going out. Go through your incoming items every day and determine what needs to happen to each thing. Here, the 3 Ds apply: Discard, Delegate, Do it Now. Discard it if it’s irrelevant , if you don’t need it any longer or if you can get it again. Throwing away something that you don’t need is one of the bets things that you can do. It’s a small step, but keeps the clutter away. If you come across something that someone else can do, then delegate it, but be sure you give it to the right person with clear instruction and a completion date. If you decide that it’s something that you need to do, then place it on your to-do list or into your calendar if it’s going to take longer than 15 minutes to complete. Be sure to prioritize what you add to your list and be sure to schedule enough time to do each.
Paper can take over in just a short time and have you confused as to which way to go and what to do next. this, needless to say, is not productive at all. If you keep the paper under control, you can keep control over your inbox, how you’re spending your time and you’ll be more productive.