There’s something about Daylight Savings Time that makes us anticipate spring. Losing an hour isn’t so bad as long as we know that spring is on the way. However, what if while turning the clocks ahead you also make a plan to change the way you work? With spring on the way you can be urged clean up, simplify, and to adjust your working style. Here are 5 tips to help you increase your productivity:

Spring Cleaning
February is one of the busiest months when it comes to planning and executing events. So, how did you fare? How is your desk holding up?  If you find yourself drowning in post-it notes, you might need to do a little spring cleaning, and what a perfect time to do it. With spring on the way, take the opportunity to clean out your working area – get rid of pens that no longer write, organize your notes, folders, and your binders (if you still do the binder thing). Shred those beo’s that have been hanging around for years. Just clean. You’ll find when things are cleaner, you can think a little clearer.

Simplify
Cleaning is one thing, and simplifying is another. Cleaning is the first and major step to simplification. When you simplify you want to find a better, simpler way to do certain things. This is to help prevent you from getting into the same place again. Look at the way in which you work and try to find new, simpler ways to do what you do. For example, look at the planning meetings on your calendar, do you need to have them? Could you do fewer, yet more productive meetings? This is an example of thinking more simply.

Automate
Along the lines of simplification is automation. What do you do on a regular basis that can be automated? Look at the work that is coming in, and what your response to that work is, and you can identify areas to automate your work. This can be as simple as setting specific rules for your Outlook mailbox, thus saving you time. Do you get the same email everyday that you manually move to another folder? Why not setup a rule in Outlook to simply move that email once it comes in, into the select folder. That can saves you 4 seconds of your life! Think of how many of these rules you can setup to save yourself some time.

Delegate
It’s always hard to delegate, especially when it is the busiest time for you. Sometimes delegating can mean that you need to teach a fellow associate before you can even hand them what you need them to do. Although teaching someone the ropes might seem to take up your time, try to see the silver lining – they will be able to help you many times over in the future.

Look Ahead
It’s a busy time and we all have our heads in the trenches, trying to get events out the door. Even though you are juggling many tasks, take the time to look ahead to some future events and do something to move the event forward. It may seem too early to plan, but springing ahead a bit can work work wonders in the long run.

Spring hasn’t sprung yet, but setting our clocks ahead gives us the opportunity to think spring and prepare ourselves for the season ahead. Do you have any productivity tips that you would like to share? Would love to hear them in the comments!