The 5 minute miracle

We all do it, have our morning tea or coffee break, right? Well, at least once a week we can squeeze it in. Why not pair that morning habit with a new habit, one you want to keep. Is your desk a mess? Do you have heaps of mail to go through?

If it seems that you can never see the top of your desk or you are always behind on your bills, get a handle on it. Do this by setting aside 5-10 minutes a day when you know you have a couple minutes before things become too hectic.

If you make a commitment to just 5 minutes a day to working on clearing the pile on your desk, you will eventually get to the bottom of the pile. If you can start doing this on a daily or weekly basis (you may want to give yourself 20 minutes in that case) then you will start to notice the pile dwindling and it won't be so daunting. This is an easy routine to get into, especially if you pair it with something you enjoy doing.

Try not to skip over anything. You don't want to have to sort through that paper more than once. Take care of it right then; throw it away, file it or take action on it. It may be that in one day you only take care of one piece of paper, but with that paper you checked something off your imaginary TO DO list. Maybe it's that reminder to get your eyes checked or to take the dog for his annual shots. Don't set that paper to the side, call the doctor and make that appt. Then, after you do, you get to throw it away and get it out of your pile! One less thing cluttering up that desk of yours. Soon enough, your papers will be sorted and cleared out and you will find a momemt of peace every day at your desk because tackling that pile is now not so hard. Plus you have your cup of joe right there by your side to help see you through it.