I don’t know about you… But at the start of this week I was ready for another holiday.

It felt like I just couldn’t “get a handle” on things. My routine was shaken and my desk was a mess. All in all – I was feeling a bit stressed out.

But then I happened across a technique Eisenhower used to manage stress. And I have to say – it really works! That’s why I couldn’t wait to share it with you today. Here's how to use this extremely powerful technique to "get on top of your work"…
 
Divide an empty table into four areas (not your desk but a table near your desk or the floor). Then work through the mountain of papers on your desk consistently in a clockwise direction and put each paper into one of the four areas (as described below) until not one piece of paper is left. Make sure you stick to this task, don't get distracted.
 
The four areas are as follows:
 
1. Throwing away: This areas contains everything you can throw away (ideally you should put a large container here. Here's a list of unnecessary paper items, which should give you a good idea of what should be thrown away:

• Newspapers over one week old.
• Catalogues over six months old.
• Anything you have an electronic copy of (don't double up).

You'll be surprised how much stuff has passed its expiration date!
 
2. Forwarding: The second area is for everything that you can pass onto others to deal with. Of course it would be great if you were a US president with a team of White House staff… But, unfortunately you probably have so much stuff on your desk because you don't like to bother other people with things you feel you can do yourself.

Stop that! It's a bad habit that will cost you time and money! If you make the "Eisenhower Rule" a regular process you'll soon learn to become more rigorous with your delegating. It might not always be possible to delegate within your office - but when things become "too much" consider recruiting a freelance temp to help!

3. Important: The third area is for everything you have to do yourself soon.
 
4. Immediate action: The fourth area is special. It is for papers that you can deal with now - while you're tidying up, by taking one of the following instant actions:

• Telephone: Deal with the matter by phone even if you intended to do it in writing. If you can't get a hold of the person put the paper in quadrant 3.
• Fax: Fax the letter back to the sender with a handwritten comment.
• Filing: Put it immediately in the appropriate box/file.

This initial process might take you three hours - but when it's complete it frees you to take action. You have a clean desk in front of you. You have tackled the heaps. Now you have the strength to deal with the most important material on your plate. You're focused. Stress-free. And ready to go!