It’s hard to concentrate on work when you’re overwhelmed. Clutter and a long to-do list increase stress and reduce productivity.
One Source Services, Inc. dba Sherman Oaks Accounting & Bookkeeping came up with 10 tips to help you restore order when you are feeling overwhelmed:
1- Break It Up. For some of us, it’s hard to concentrate on one big task at a time. Especially when it’s a job you don’t really want to do. Instead, try doing it in pieces. Set a timer for 15 minutes and stay on-task until your time’s up. You can always reset the timer if you want to keep going. Otherwise, come back to it later for another 15 minutes and so on until it’s done.
2- Set The Table. Clutter builds up FAST. It accumulates on desks, tables and shelves making work spaces uncomfortable for us and uninviting to others. “Set the table” by decorating work surfaces with a few photos or keepsakes to make the areas look nice and therefore eliminate them as spaces to be cluttered. Just don’t go overboard with the knick-knacks.
3- Handle Papers Once. Prevent paper pile-ups by immediately dealing with paper and mail. Touch paper only once; do not pick it up, analyze it and then put it in a pile today only to pick it up, analyze it and put in another pile tomorrow. Instead, file it, delegate it to someone else or recycle it so you will not be needlessly touching the same papers everyday. Even better, go paperless (see #10)!
4- Organize Supplies. Keep related items together and frequently-used supplies close at hand. Then you won’t have to run around looking for things you need to do a job. Plus, you’ll reduce office supply costs when you stop buying duplicates because you can’t find what you need when you need it. For example, keep packing tape, shipping boxes and carrier labels in the same closet so you’ll have everything you need when you’re ready to ship a package.
5- Label Stuff. When packing items for storage, put similar items (holiday decorations, for example) together in the same box. Then write a list of the contents on an index card and tape it to the side of the outer carton. Update the index card contents list as needed. Make sure the card is facing out when the container is stored or you won’t be able to read what’s inside.
6- Have A Junk Drawer. It may seem counter productive, but having a designated spot for things that don’t have a place can actually help keep work spaces de-cluttered. It takes time to find a home for random items like unlabeled CDs or screws. To prevent this, have a junk drawer or box in your office where homeless items should go, put them in there and then once it is full, quickly sort through it. Keep what you can use and discard the rest. Then start the process all over again. If you have a hard time tossing things, then enlist a buddy to help push you along.
7- Control Your Subscriptions. If you’re unable to keep up the magazines, newspapers or other periodicals that you subscribe to then cancel the subscriptions and read them online. For the ones you must have in-hand, keep unread issues in a small basket or container if they tend to pile up. When the basket is full, go through them and get rid of the ones you can’t get to reading. Recycle or donate the discards to a shelter or hospital.
8- Toss Old Technology. Electronic devices are the new clutter for many people. They become obsolete so quickly and consequently we upgrade often. Make sure the old devices are recycled properly and the cords are either recycled or labeled and stored away. Don’t let them fill your junk drawer (see #6).
9- Hide-And-Seek. When an area is so cluttered that you don’t know where to start, drape a blanket or towel over most of the clutter so that only a small amount shows at a time. Deal with the visible clutter and then slide the blanket or towel over and expose another bit of clutter to deal with. Eventually, you’ll get to it all.
10- Go Paperless. This tip can be life-changing. Sign up for online banking and pay as many bills as possible online. You may even be able to receive electronic invoices from vendors instead of paper ones. Use an app like Hubdoc to scan expense receipts and then shred or file them right away (see #3). Sherman Oaks Accounting & Bookkeeping powered One Source Services, Inc. is a paperless business because all of our processes occur in the cloud.