Happy autumn! It’s hard to believe that summer is coming to an end. As the leaves change color, you might want to consider which habits you can change to help you be more productive and efficient, both at home and at work. To help inspire you, I’ve noted some common challenges that you may be facing, and some ways to overcome them:
Receiving too much paper
Call 1-888-567-8688 or go to https://www.optoutprescreen.com to opt out of unsolicited credit card offers.
Sign up free at http://www.catalogchoice.org/ to decline paper catalogs you no longer wish to receive.
Cancel subscriptions to magazines and other periodicals that you don’t have time to read or don’t find useful.
Not planning your day
Use a calendar or planner to record not only appointments, but things you have to do each day.
Plan and schedule your day the day before, identifying the most important thing you need to accomplish that day.
Review each upcoming week to see what’s coming up so you can adequately prepare. Use your planner to schedule related phone calls, remind yourself to complete necessary paperwork, purchase necessary supplies, etc.
Not emptying your in-box regularly
Make a decision about the next step for each piece of paper you touch, each email you read, and each voice mail to which you listen.
Do something purposeful with each of the above items to move them along on their journey.
Having too much clutter on your desk
Keep only the items you use every day out on your desk.
Stop wasting time looking for things by having a place for everything.
Having more than one day’s work on your desk at one time
Use the center work surface of your desk only for the papers on which you’re currently working.
Set up a desktop filing system so you can put away active projects, but feel confident that they won’t be out of sight, out of mind.
Letting interruptions get you off track
Don’t let urgent items (e.g., ringing phone, new email messages) get in the way of getting important things done.
Schedule time every hour or so to check email so that you can concentrate on the task at hand, yet know that you’ll get to your messages in a reasonable amount of time.
Wasting time in meetings
Make sure proposed meetings have a stated goal. If not, ask what it is before you agree to attend.
Volunteer to be the meeting timekeeper to help keep things on track.

Author's Bio: 

Internationally known professional organizer, author, and speaker Sue Becker is the founder and owner of From Piles to Smiles®. She enjoys helping people from around the world live better lives by creating customized systems to overcome their overwhelming paperwork, clutter, and schedules. She specializes in helping people who are chronically disorganized - those for whom disorganization has been a lifelong struggle that negatively impacts every aspect of their life, especially people with AD/HD. Her hands-on help, as well as her presentations, have helped thousands of individuals create substantial change in their lives.

Sue is Illinois’ first Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization. She co-authored the book Conversations on Success, and has appeared as an organizational expert on NBC News and the national TV show, Starting Over. A CPA, Sue has an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.