Physical and mental clutter can create disarray that ultimately affects progress. There are a few simple ways to become more organized, both physically and mentally. Many distractions hit the typical work day making it hard to envision a long list of tasks getting accomplished. Not only do you have to focus on productivity functions and goals, you also have to manage emails, meeting requests, and other disruptions. Here are a couple tips to manage these disruptions and stay on track with productivity goals:

If you are a disorganized person, this does not need to be completed in one day. In fact, if your space is overly messy and the thought of organizing seems overwhelming, you should tackle the problem over several days or even weeks. Set a timer for 30 minutes each day and work on one specific area of your space.  Day by day, your workspace will become tidier, more organized, and your productivity will begin to increase as a result. Once you have created a clean and organized space, keep it tidy by cleaning up after each task or, at the very least, at the end of each day. Staying on top of a clean and organized physical space will encourage you to be mentally tidy as well. This will greatly help you in prioritization, time management, and multi-tasking.

By focusing on five to six tasks each day, you can remain on task and have a sense of accomplishment. Allow for flexibility, just in case a task takes longer than anticipated or something urgent arises. Plan to tackle challenging or time consuming tasks toward the beginning of the day.

Many times one person’s disorganization can affect an entire team. However, you can help minimize the effects by:

• Sharing feedback on how their disorganization is affecting the group.
• Offering to help with the delegation of tasks.
• Having a regularly scheduled planning meeting.
• Asking for clear expectations and deadlines.
• Creating a system of morning and evening check-ins or briefs to help create and refine daily task lists, as well as to provide updates on progress.

Use these tips to increase your and your teams productivity! Not only will you be more successful as an employee, but your company will become a well-oiled machine.

For more information about how to be more productive at work, check out this awesome article.