50 Little Ways to Make Your Life So Much Easier

1. Create a “Tickler File”

A cluttered desk can seriously derail productivity and make you feel like things are out of control when you’re trying to focus.

“Most paper clutter comes from papers we need some time in the future,” explains Frank Buck, author of Get Organized!: Time Management for School Leaders. “The Tickler File is an age-old business tool. It makes paper disappear and then resurface exactly when you need it. Grab 31 hanging folders and label them 1 through 31. Each file represents a day of the month. Take papers one at a time and ask, ‘When do I need to see this item again?’ Drop the paper in the file for the appropriate day.”

Check your folders once a day and so you’re dealing with documents only when necessary. Gone totally digital? This concept works for email inboxes, too. Simply create a Tickler File folder and 31 subfolders inside. And for more amazing hacks, check out these 10 Genius Tricks for Falling Back Asleep in the Middle of the Night.