Whether it’s a messy desk or a messy head, clutter gives us too many stimuli, draws our attention away from what we need to focus on, gets in the way of us relaxing, makes us feel guilty and suggests to our brains that our work is never finished. In other words it makes us feel stress and that is never good.

 

1. Clean up your desk/office

This is the perfect time to go over all the finished pens, unused tools and scribbled notes that have become irrelevant months.

• Go through that pile of receipts you have accumulated. Scan, file on computer and throw.
• This goes the same for paperwork – check, scan, file, throw out the physical copy
• Clean up and see if your current organisational system has been working for you long term or if you may need a visit to IKEA.

2. Your desk includes your computer

• Go through your computer and see that all documents are in the right files. New Year is halfway through your financial year so it’s a great time to make sure your financials are so far up to order with plenty of time to question or revisit any questionable totals.

3. Your mind requires a cleanse just as much as your desk

Aside from the correlations found between messy working stations and stressed minds, you had a long year of work and potential stressors. The festive season offers a chance to declutter your mind and focus on setting goals, making lists and creating a plan of how to improve this year’s habits.

• Make decisions. An action is better than procrastination. Sometimes, taking a chunk of time to knock off the small niggling jobs can help kick-start the process and give you the clear space you need to start tackling the items that cause you the most stress.
• Do one task at a time.  For most people multi-tasking is just stressful. Ticking achievements off one at a time from your list as you go helps with motivation.
• Discuss. You don’t want to start your new year harbouring concerns or challenges from the past. So, in the spirit of decluttering, if there is something that has been troubling you for some time, make a point of trying to address it.

4. Set yourself up for success.

Now is the time to create next year’s goals and get all your tools and resources ready so you can hit the ground running.

• If you haven’t already, purchase a diary for 2019
• Plot your key dates and a potential timetable. Make sure dedicate some weekly your time.
• Write up your budget and set goals.

Now, just do it. Look for ways to put these steps into action. It doesn’t matter if you can’t get around to them all – any bit of preparation will help ensure your return to work in 2019 is smooth and stress-free.

With that last note, we wish you a Happy New Year!