5 Tips to Keep Your Desk Clean

One of the easiest things to do to improve your productivity is to keep your desk clean. I know many people who have messy desks say they know exactly where everything is within the piles of paper. I don’t buy it. You might be able to find what you need, but it will take longer than if it was put where it was supposed to go. And even if you can find everything, I believe a messy desk adds stress to your work life. A clean desk can have a calming effect.

OfficeMax conducted a survey a few years ago and found that 90% of Americans report that clutter and a lack of organization negatively impacted their lives.

Power Conference Autonomy Will Cause More Problems

In a widely anticipated outcome, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors is expected today to approve additional autonomy measures for the Power 5 athletic conferences: ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12, and SEC (update: The vote passed 16-2).  The new governance measures will enable these institutions to set more of their own rules and governance.  The spin during the lead up to the vote has been about including student athletes in decisions and providing better athlete benefits.  The Power 5 have touted better health benefits and covering the full cost of attendance.  These would be welcomed changes.  However, let me be clear.  This legislation is nothing more than a power grab by the Power 5.  It will only continue the damaging trend of escalating athletics expenses.

Photo credit: Jay Denney

The changes will continue the recent NCAA trend of protecting the few dozen major athletic programs.  At the end of the day, the NCAA couldn’t risk the possibility of those universities leaving and taking much of the revenue with them.

Finish Your Project Early

When was the last time you finished a project early? It seems everywhere we look that we can find someone scrambling to finish a project. And those are the luck ones. More often, everything in our world is late. Most people don’t finish their work early. Want to stand out in a crowd? Want to reduce your stress level? Want to freak out your friends and colleagues? Finish your project early.

Photo credit: Flickr Jayneandd

I’ve taken several flights recently that have left late. This is nothing new as it seems the airline industry is constantly running behind schedule.

However, I’ve started noticing something new. Even though we leave late, we arrive on time or early.

How is it possible to leave late and still arrive early?