6 simple tips to help you bring some clarity to your day

My old law firm, Allens, is currently celebrating its 200th birthday – congratulations!

When I joined Allens as a grad in 1999, their slogan was “Clear thinking”. It really resonated for me, and I still bring it to mind when I am feeling overwhelmed or muddled with work tasks or a difficult decision. What do I need to do to bring clear thinking? It helps me strip away the clutter and focus on what matters.

One aspect of enabling clear thinking is removing unnecessary clutter from your workday.

In 1999, when email was nascent and accessing the internet meant going to the specially connected computer in the library, that meant keeping on top of the movement of physical paper and files. These days it’s digital clutter that can cloud the mind and get in the way of clear thinking.

Here are 6 simple tips to help you bring some clarity to your day.

  1. Take a few moments to organise which apps open automatically when you log in each morning. That way you’re not getting pinged by a heap of unnecessary programs

  2. Mute or leave message conversations or boards that don’t add value

  3. Create rules to send unnecessary emails straight to a filing folder or the trash

  4. Work on one thing at a time – task switch, don’t multitask

  5. Review your to-do list at least weekly. What’s on there that, realistically, will never get done? Delete it. If that’s not an option – delegate or defer it. Set up a reminder so you can pick it up at the right time in the future, and delete it from your current list.

  6. Build in thinking and breathing time to your schedule and stick to it. Allowing a pause gives your body and brain a chance to re-set and refocus.

Enjoy, and let me know what tips work for you.

Until next week,

Take care of yourself and others

Madeleine

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Madeleine Shaworganisation, Time Management, scheduling, work life