It’s no secret that we’re all trying to slow down. With most of this decade dedicated to how to do more or be more productive, I’m beyond happy to see the shift of doing less when it comes to your home or work life. And for me, one area that I can definitely stand to simplify is work. You too? Great! Read on for some of my best tips, and don’t be shy when sharing yours in the comment section!

1. Create canned emails. If you end up sending similar pitches or responses, creating canned ones will save you the time of writing and editing each one.
2. Designate 3x a day for emails. That’s it!
3. If you’re able to, only take meetings and calls on certain days. This lets you stay in meeting/project management/collab mode vs. trying to switch out of mindsets.
4. Eat the same thing for lunch for one week, then pick something new the next.
5. Stay off social media. It wastes time, which adds to complications of getting work finished.
6. Keep one water bottle at your desk that you don’t take home. Same with a coffee cup. One less cup to find each day.
7. Do not get involved with office gossip. Ever.
8. Update your computer and phone once a week, and go through any lingering emails, documents, folders, work texts, etc.
9. When sending a meeting invite, include talking points along with it. Ask other people joining to do the same so you know what the meeting is about before entering the conference room.
10. Keep a physical ‘to do’ list on your desk. If you have a thought in between working on a task, jot it down and touch base with the list to end each day.
11. Use the Pomodoro Technique.
12. Do things in advance. This way, you never have the stress of whether you’ll hit a deadline. Plus, for the days when motivation is lacking, you had too many margs the night before or aren’t on your A game, you’ll be happy you prepped.
13. Turn off iMessage on your computer unless it’s crucial for your job. Turn your phone on Airplane Mode to avoid other distractions.
14. Offer solutions. To cut down on back-and-forth emails, don’t send one without offering a solution to the question you’re proposing. Make it easier on everyone—people will appreciate it.
15. Keep a personal 911 bag at work. This doesn’t need to contain everything for an earthquake, but having common medicine on hand, a scarf if you get cold often, etc., keeps you from making frequent trips to the store.
16. Clean your desk once a week—I personally like to do this Friday afternoons.
17. Instead of searching for playlists to listen to every day, utilize Noisili.com or Spotify radio after finding what works for you. They take the thinking out of it.
18. When asking someone for a meeting and before asking when they’re available, offer 3 times that you are—then let them pick. Chances are one will work.
19. Download Grammarly. If you’re not the best with punctuation or words—or even if you are and want to take editing out of the equation—this app is genius. You’re welcome!
20. Say no! If you don’t have time to help with a project this week, don’t offer. If you need to prioritize sleep, skip happy hour.

K your turn!

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