Clean Up Regularly

Not every meeting can be done in 15 minutes, but for general day-to-day things, 15 minutes is ideal.

• Work expands to the time you schedule for it. If you plan a 2-hour meeting, it will likely fill two hours and waste valuable work time.
• If a meeting ...

Schedule a “buffer zone” — say, 15 to 30 minutes before and after each significant task.

This builds in the breaks you need to be effective and acknowledges that all tasks require some kind of mental and physical transition time. It also helps you tend to unexpected items t...

Your environment affects your productivity and quality of work. Don't let yourself get distracted by clutter.

To help you stay focused, take the time to clean up your work environment, both physical and digital.