5 Tips to Simplify Your Work Life

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TIDY YOUR DESK(TOP)

There’s a link between clutter and anxiety. Time you spend looking for a lost document or apologizing for a missed email is time you spend anxiously not doing the rest of your job.

Princeton University researchers have found that our brains prefer order and that visual reminders of disorganization can zap our energy and reduce our focus. At the end of each workday, try setting aside a few minutes to close documents and tabs and flag important emails to address the next morning. Then clear the surface of your workstation, suggests Becker. This routine can also serve as a boundary, marking the end of the workday and helping you shift out of work mode.

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SCHEDULE ROUTINE TASKS

Creating workplace routines can preserve your energy and free your bandwidth for creative work, explains Georgetown University computer science professor Cal Newport, PhD, in his book Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout. Try answering emails only at designated times during the day. Save busywork for Fridays, when you’re likely to be out of creative gas.

Whatever the routine, the goal is to reduce unnecessary chaos and make your overall efforts as seamless as possible.

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FOCUS ON ONE THING AT A TIME 

Setting more goals than you can reasonably accomplish in a day is not just exhausting — it’s counterproductive. “Our brains work better when we’re not rushing,” Newport explains.

He suggests focusing on one major task per day, working at a comfortable pace with a focus on quality over quantity. If your job involves doing multiple tasks in a day, try setting aside time blocks in which you work solely on one project before moving on to the next. This protects against burnout and makes your efforts more sustainable over time. (Try these tips for doing one thing at a time.)

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MIND YOUR BOUNDARIES

It can be tempting to overperform at work, but we’re far more effective when we take care of ourselves. “Just because you’re at work doesn’t mean you can’t set limits,” explains therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab, MSW, LCSW, in her book Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself.

Here are some boundary practices: Arrive and leave on time. Take your lunch break away from your desk or workstation. Heed your body’s call for a walk outside in the fresh air. If your contract says 40 hours per week, there’s no need to put in 45 — you’ll do better work if you’re rested.

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USE YOUR PTO

Half of all American employees don’t use all their time off; most of that segment reported feeling too busy to go on vacation. But we all require time away for rest and relaxation — and to regain our perspective. Cleveland Clinic experts argue that vacations help reset your brain, broaden your thinking, and leave you more creative, focused, and decisive. (Explore these ideas to help you learn how to take time off — guilt free.)