Clutter can be one of the greatest enemies of efficiency and stealers of time.
Here are some of my major tips to help you spend your time doing what you do best.
TIDY UP
Keep your place tidy or at least wherever you're working so that it's one less thing to think about. The environment you work in can either set you up or deter you from your success. Having a place for important things can be helpful too. Whether it's keeping all my receipts for business expenses in a designated folder to having a specific spot for my keys can cut down the confusion and make more time for the things that truly matter. AGENDAS ARE MY LIFE
There's something very powerful about documenting what you're doing whether it's physically in an agenda or digitally. It also helps to retain information. I have always loved using a hand-written agenda and have been regularly using a blackboard. The portable agenda has been wonderful for to-do lists and keeping track of invoicing, and all other tasks on a day-to-day basis. The blackboard has been helpful for events but also to see the overall "big picture" of the month onward.
Would you be proud of the things you're accomplishing if you took a moment to reflect?
GOOGLE CALENDAR FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
It's truly incredible what happens when you track what you do with your time. Would you be proud of the things you're accomplishing if you took a moment to reflect? The Google Calendar has been a great resource on-the-go and to help keep others accountable. Transparency is one of the biggest values I work on and this allows my clients to have a glimpse into what I'm doing and prioritizing on their projects. MESSAGE CLEARING
I always actually like to start my day with my text messages and emails since it helps me set my intentions and prioritize my to-do lists. By the end of each day, I always have a clean inbox of messages. The most common thing I do is to have either sent a response back if the answer is quick and known, otherwise I'll draft something up as a response so it's ready to go upon a final deliverable or factor. COMPUTER ORGANIZATION
Whether you want to name your files by numbers, dates or name of the subject - keep the naming conventions consistent. Same for photos, I like to be really descriptive when naming (usually who the client is-description-year-output) for ex. ClientName-MediaKit-2018-Email.jpg This consistency will make it so much easier for you to reference and search in the future if you need a file. I like to also go through my trash bin and downloads folder in order to keep that clear and organized so things don't build up on my computer. This will combat files taking up unnecessary storage. BACK IT UP
I use a hard drive and a backup of my backup for all of my files. Paying a small fee for additional storage on Google Drive has allowed me to invest in additional space that's safe and accessible. No matter where I'm working, I'm not worrying! ----- Let's get social!
Follow CL Designs via Facebook and Instagram Like what you’ve read? Subscribe to my email newsletter, "Permission to Envision." It's your quarterly dose of actionable tips and inspiration to connect with the people most important to you.