Ah, the start of a new year. Isn't it true that a fresh outlook, new beginnings, and a happy, lighthearted attitude are driving most of us as we embark on the wonders and promise 2011 brings?

Unfortunately, around this time in January, reality starts to take hold once again. Our email inbox is rapidly filling to the brim, even though we so diligently cleaned and organized it over the holidays. The phone begins to ring, and on the other end are all of those people who said "Let's just wait till after Christmas.". They are through with waiting.

It's also around about this time that we start to forget all those new year's resolutions we made to work smarter. Your beautifully cleaned and sorted desk falls victim to clutter as chaos creeps back in.

For most of us, working from home or working remotely is the only way to work. We are happily independent, flexible, and productive. But even the best workshifters can fall victim to bad habits. So let's explore a few ways you can continue to ride high on the wave of freedom that is workshifting.

You take it out, you put it back.

Remember a few days after Christmas, when your turkey hangover subsided, and you got motivated to clean your office? You organized and filed. You dusted under the printer. You donated old books to the library. You bought new storage containers and promptly filled them. You felt somehow lighter and freer.

Now, the day to day chaos has re-ensued, and you find that your spotless desk is once again filling up with papers, books, coffee rings, and junk. Before you know it, you're drowning in a sea of clutter once again.

 

There's a really, really simple way to solve this. I use a simple mantra, "Everything in its place." It serves to remind me that when I take something out to use, I put it back when I'm done with it. That goes for everything...staplers, papers, books, you name it. If I take something out, I use it, then I put it back, and do it consistently, then it only stands to reason that my work space will stay clear, right?

Same goes for electronic clutter.

Over the holidays probably did the same thing with your email inbox, your Evernote files, your bookmarks, and your to-do list, right? Tidied them all up, filed, categorized, and deleted the junk. Baseline=0. Again, you feel free, and lighter (for about 20 minutes) until it all starts to fill up again. Soon, you're right back where you started. 500 unread emails, a list of untagged bookmarks as long as your leg, and a to do list with completed tasks on it that are 6 weeks old.

The thing is, by implementing the same mantra: "Everything in its place.", you can get the same results. Look at an email, deal with it, file it. Create filters to filter out all those email newsletters, Twitter follow notifications, and anything else that doesn't deserve to take up space in your main inbox. Suddenly your 500 emails are 300, or even 100. Seriously, it's that simple. Do the same with your note taking app. Build folders. Write your files directly to those folders, and you'll never feel cluttered again and it will be so much easier to find things. Don't just check things off your to-do list, archive them (or delete them).

The new year is all about developing and maintaining good habits. Start the habit today of saying "Everything in its place.". Trust me, it works. It's the only way I stay on top of the organized chaos that is my life. It's a surefire way of reducing stress, increasing productivity and improving our workshifting lifestyle.

Photo Credit: Tomas Carrillo