Clean slate

iStock.com/PrathanChorruangsak

Oftentimes, my clients’ desks are covered with post-it notes and pages upon pages of notes and pens and paper clips and binder clips and important documents and unopened mail - plus their laptop or desktop computer and possibly even a printer - which translates to so much clutter. And all of the clutter distracts the brain and makes it difficult to focus on the task at hand, whatever it might be.

Here’s a trick I like to share with clients to help them focus.

I encourage them to clear off their desk space so that all that remains is their computer and then choose one task to complete, whether it’s calling their doctor’s office about a bill or signing up for e-billing or paperless statements, or checking an account balance.

Eliminating those distractions helps the client to focus on whatever the task may be, which makes them more efficient at what needs to get accomplished and helps them to build momentum to keep working on those to-dos.