The secret to handling work is…

Do it right Now.

The best way to cut your work in half is not to have to do it twice. And the best way to get really overworked is to do the same work twice.

Here’s a perfect example of how you double the work.

You get a new email or memo. You look it over and put it aside to do later. Then pick it up later look it over again and only then do you decide to do it.

Most successful people are successful because they do the work that comes up when it comes up.

They don’t put it off until tomorrow.

Remember the age old adage “why leave for tomorrow what you can do today?”

If you happen to be checking your email or in basket… Do what you find there now; don’t put it off till tomorrow or an hour from now.

This is how you get loads of free time to do other more interesting things.

Develop the mindset “I want as much time to loaf as I can possibly get. “

I’m not saying you should slack off on the job. There’s really no need to act and look busy when you have nothing to do. Plus, there’s enough work to go around without you trying to hold onto the work you already have.

So do it NOW!

Handle every email, memo or request that shows up when it shows up. Don’t put it off till later. Always take the initiative and action, and do not refer it to someone else.

You will never get any unnecessary traffic back unless you are dealing with incompetent fools on the other end.

Basically, the way to buy time to loaf is to do it right now. Don’t refer it to anyone else.

Anything that’s referred has to be read again by you when it comes back to you. You’ll have to think it over again, and come up with a new solution.

So never ever refer it to someone else unless it’s absolutely necessary!

If you are the kind of person who loves the easy life and who enjoys putting your feet up on the desk.

And your true and only ambition is to enjoy the sunshine and long lunches then you’ll take this advice and handle every email, memo and task in your job when it shows up.

Not later, not tomorrow, but now.

Never ever refer anything to anyone that you can do right now by yourself.

Do it now!

Tasks will start to pile up if you don’t. You can fool yourself into believing you’ll get to it later. But "later" never comes. Either you will never do it or you’ll leave it till it becomes an emergency!

So do it now!

This is the easiest and stress free way to do many things. If you have it in your hand or you can see it - and you know what it is and what it's about. There is no better time than right now.

Organizing is very simply about handling the things that are thrown at you.

We all have tasks to do, and more will come. These tasks need organizing or they will just pile up, and back you up later, by demanding that you give them instant attention.

You need to organize them now.

There are basically four actions one can take:

1. Complete it

2. Delegate it – Get someone else to do it.

3. File it

4. Trash it

These actions apply to business situations, to one's personal affairs, and generally as a practical way of dealing with life.

Any task involves a cycle of action, the 3 C's:

1. Commence

2. Continue

3. Complete.

Ideally you would do the task right away: make the decision now, resolve it, finish it, and answer it.

Complete it, then it's done and out of the way. If it's a letter, then answer it now. If it's a bill, then pay it now. If you need to decide what present you'll buy, decide right now.

If you can, complete the task when you first put your attention on it. Make the decision what to do there and then, and do it. Even if it is not perfect, you will have achieved something, rather than leave it till it becomes an emergency.

You could also get somebody else to do it. Of course, you don't just hope somebody else will take care of it - you pass the item on to them and get their clear commitment to do it, by the due time. Also, you might file the item.

When you file something you give it a definite future-time slot. And you put it on your to-do list, or in your diary, so it doesn't get forgotten.

Filing doesn't mean avoiding the task. It means that although no action is possible or necessary now, the job needs to get done when you have completed other jobs of higher priority.

Or when you have gotten the necessary information or resources to finish it. Or, if you need to keep the information for later use.

But before you can file something, you have to decide what to do with it now.

Examples of filing include putting letters into:

* Your in-tray and doing them in order of importance
* Your pending-tray if you need to get more information to complete it (but you need to add getting that information to your to-do-list)

* Appropriate files, if they don't need answering.

Throw away what isn't genuinely useful to you. Make the decision now. If you really do need it - but not this second - file it! If you don't need it right now, then dump it.

If you think it might possibly be useful in the future, dump it. Everything might be useful at some time.

But if in doubt, throw it out! Junk clouds your freedom. Don't keep a hundred things because one might be useful!

So right now, handle the items on your desk until it is all clear. Feel that great feeling of having done what you needed to do and enjoy the present moment.

Be ready to face whatever comes up next. Go through your personal area and handle everything that needs doing.

1. Do it now,

2. Get someone else to do it,

3. File it, or