We’ve all had our“oh sh*t” moments at work. You know, those moments of forgetting to schedule an appointment with a client or turning a piece in on time. We’re only human, we will make mistakes. And the truth is, wewill continue to make mistakes throughout ourcareers.
Transitioning from college to a new full-time position can be a hectic time. To help yourself out early on in your career, it’s essential to develop strong baseline habits to help you keep your responsibilities under control.
The problem starts when those mistakes come habitual–that’s when you know you need to get your sh*t together. If you’re struggling with focusing and organizing your priorities at work, you’re not the only one. Take a deep breath, pull yourself together, and tune into these five ways to get your sh*t together at work:
1.Stop looking at your phone every 5 minutes.
We’re all addicted to our phones. Whether it be checking our social accounts or banking app, having the phone in our hand is a habit. This habit needs to stop or at least come to a happy medium betweenwork and play. If you need to, place your phone face down or even keep it in your purse. Out of sight, out of mind.
If your job requires you to be on your phone such as a Social Media Coordinator or PR guru, you’ll want to make sure you’re focused on why you’re on your phone.
At the end of the day, if your phone still has a charge of 80% or more you will know you’ve had a successful day of staying off your phone!
2.Organize your thoughts.
Just like in college, keeping a notebook or online task manager will be your lifesaver. If you’re someone that likes to write stuff down, grab yourself a couple notebooks for notes and a cute agenda book. Having these two items will enable you to keep track of what you need to do, what has been completed, and who you’re going to visit with coming up.
For those who like to keep everything digital, there are so many task apps and notebooks to choose from. You can utilize the freebies on your computer too! Here are a couple that will help:
- Notepad (on your computer)
- Word (different layouts such as notes, calendar, lists, etc.)
- Trello (share notes and assign tasks between co-workers)
- 24me (smart personal assistant to keep everything in one place)
- Asana(digital project management)
- Evernote(organized notes and notebooks)
Try one of these organizational methods and you’ll be guaranteed to have your priorities straight.
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3.Clean your desk and decorateit.
Having an organized desk at the beginning of your work day is very refreshing and can support productivity with being able to find everything.
Along with a clean and organized area, it’s always good to have a workspace that is decorated with pictures, inspirational messages, and flowers or plants. Having pretty items and people that you love around your workspace will comfort you and keep you in a positive mood.
Don’t allow a disorganized workspace lower your productivity!
[clickToTweet tweet=”Add flowers or a plant to your desk at work–they bring in life and energy!” quote=”Add flowers or a plant to your desk at work–they bring in life and energy!”]
4.Have healthy snack options on hand.
It’s very easy to want to snack all day while sitting at a desk. If you love tosnack at work(guilty ?? ), make sure you’re consuming healthy options that will provide energy throughout the day.
These foods will provide the body with the right amount of nutrients without the extra ingredients that promotes sleepiness:
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Yogurt
- String Cheese
- Granola
- Protein Bar
- Popcorn (plain, no butter or salt)
- Peanut butter or almond butter with crackers or rice cakes
Healthy snacking during the day is actually really good for you. Whether you’re curbing your appetite for later on or are an active person, these snack options will satisfy your stomach and help speed up the metabolism. Rather than grab for that bag of chips, try these healthy alternatives for a more productive work day.
5. Hydrate.
About 36% of adults were reported drinking only 1-3 cups of water a day, which is only one-third of what your body’s supposed to consume. Keep calm and stay hydrated! Most of us will want to continuously drink caffeine throughout the day, but you can’t neglect the water. It’s important to drink water throughout the day because it provides many health benefits such as:
- Helpingorgans and cells in the bodytofunction properly
- Regulating body temperature
- Helping food pass through system
Hydrating your bodyeven when you’re sitting at a desk is vital. Why? It will help with yoursugary junk food cravings and will keep your body hydrated and alert for a long work day.
Incorporating these couple of strategies into your work routine will help get your sh*t together at work and back on track.
Whether you look at your phone too often or have a messy desk filled with papers, notebooks and sticky notes, it’s time to clean up and put the phone away. Try one of these tips and see your productivity, focus, and organization improve. Are you ready to get your sh*t together at work?
[clickToTweet tweet=”5 Ways to Get Your sh*t Together At Work” quote=”5 Ways to Get Your sh*t Together At Work”]
About the Author
Karli is a West Virginia University graduate with a B.S. in Public Relations and a minor in Business Administration. She is a content writer and public relations specialist at a web design company in Oklahoma. In her free time, you can find her blogging, watching sports, drinking wine and coffee, working out, and loving floral everything. She hopes to own a small business one day.
Website: www.madambeautymark.com/
