Easy Ways to Manage Work Stress

Tidy Your Desk

Messy workspaces can leave you feeling overwhelmed and disorganized. Clean up your cubicle for a less stressful workday.

Try these expert tips for keeping your area organized:

• Use a color-coordinated filing system. "Make sure you have a good filing system. That way, you don't come into an messy office the next day, and you can hit the ground running," says Ben Dattner, Ph.D.
• Keep just what you need. Don't hold onto papers or pamphlets that are no longer useful-they'll just clutter your desk. "If I want to improve focus and clarity, I need to clean my desk, and that often means throwing stuff out. It gives me a sense of accomplishment," says Debbie Mandel, author of Addicted to Stress (Wiley, 2008).
• Prioritize your tasks. "Write down what you really need to do," says Gabriela Cora, M.D. "Attach a ranking to what is important. Make a top 10 list for each day. Can you let go? Delegate? Ask your boss to help you prioritize things."
• Keep a calendar. "Use one calendar for everything," Cora says. "When people ask you to do something, look at your calendar--it'll help you organize your list of priorities. Otherwise, you might find yourself saying 'yes' to too many things."