{"id":781,"date":"2017-01-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-05T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/how-to-declutter-your-work-life-this-new-year\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T05:31:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T10:31:52","slug":"how-to-declutter-your-work-life-this-new-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/how-to-declutter-your-work-life-this-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"How to declutter your work life this new year"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to declutter your work life this new year\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2017-01-05T00:00:00-05:00\">January 5, 2017<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How to declutter your work life this new year\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/how-to-declutter-your-work-life-this-new-year\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/author\/debcarpenterbeck\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/04\/CRE-Deb-Carpenter-Beck.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"CRE Deb Carpenter-Beck\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Deb Carpenter-Beck<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Here we are again. Another year and another round of New Year\u2019s resolutions. For many of us, this is the year to declutter. We want to, once and for all, clean out our closets and get rid of the things we don\u2019t need at home. But why stop there? What about decluttering at work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all, the workplace is generally where you have to deal with the most \u201cstuff.\u201d How often are you bogged down with the mundane details of your job and wonder why you didn\u2019t accomplish what you really wanted? For most of you who work in construction, things will naturally be chaotic. But are there ways to control the chaos so you see the best results for your hard work? Many experts say yes. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus on what matters most.<\/strong> Business executive consultant and author S. Chris Edmonds recommends you \u201ccreate space for ideas and actions that matter.\u201d* That means carving out time each day or week to identify and act upon what truly drives success in your career and for the construction company you work for. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are a good place to start zeroing in on what\u2019s important. Tim Wilson of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bkd.com\/\">BKD<\/a>, in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/importance-of-using-key-performance-indicators-in-construction\/\">recent blog<\/a>, suggests keeping your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/importance-of-using-key-performance-indicators-in-construction\/\">list of construction KPIs<\/a> short and continually challenging them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Slim down meetings<\/strong>. If you\u2019re finding it hard to find time to think and act more strategically, look no further than your meeting calendar. Granted, some meetings are a must. But chances are most of the meetings you attend are either not necessary, don\u2019t require your participation, or could be conducted in much less time. Reserve your meetings to those that require strategic discussion and decision making. Information sharing itself isn\u2019t a good reason for holding a meeting and can often be handled more efficiently through email, social tools, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/products\/sage-construction-project-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">project collaboration software<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Throw out unnecessary steps<\/strong>. Many of us fall into the trap of \u201cthis is how we\u2019ve always \u201d This year, take a fresh look at how you work, what you should stop doing, and what you can automate. Join others to reevaluate your company\u2019s broader practices by conducting a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/na\/~\/media\/sage-job-ready\/assets\/Walk_The_Process_Walk.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">process walk<\/a>. You might be surprised at how much of your current responsibilities can be streamlined, giving you time to focus on more meaningful work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Get rid of the paper<\/strong>. You can\u2019t declutter without mastering the tons of paper that comes across your desk. Look for ways to manage the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/us\/na\/~\/media\/site\/Sage%20300%20Construction%20and%20Real%20Estate\/documents\/Sage-Paperless-Construction-Sheet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">storage, routing, and retrieval<\/a> of invoices, lien waivers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/products\/sage-construction-project-center\/\">RFIs<\/a>, and other construction documents.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, only eight percent of us will accomplish our New Year\u2019s resolutions. But there are ways for you to keep your promise to declutter your work life, as well as achieve any other work goal. A recent article on fastcompany.com provides \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/3066648\/the-secrets-to-keeping-your-new-years-resolutions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The secrets to keeping your New Year\u2019s resolutions<\/a>.\u201d While focused more on achieving personal goals, the article\u2019s advice can be easily translated to work:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Break your resolution into smaller goals set throughout the year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Start every morning by reviewing your goals to keep them front-of-mind.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learn from people who\u2019ve already achieved your goal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create a plan for dealing with setbacks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have an accountability partner (most likely your manager) and send regular progress reports.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s to the New Year and getting the most from life, both personally and professionally!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>*Twitter, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/scedmonds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@scedmonds<\/a>, March 2016<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Sage Sessions X3<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We are looking forward to welcoming you to\u00a0<b>Sage Sessions X3 <\/b>\u2013 live (and online) from Orlando, Florida this November 15-17, 2021.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/events.sage.com\/profile\/web\/8342?utm_source=website&#038;utm_medium=website&#038;utm_campaign=NPS_21Q4_OT_US_SageSessionsX3andCRE&#038;utm_term=SaveTheDate&#038;utm_content=SageAdvice\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tid=\"cta-id-1422\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-button-location=\"cta_box\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Learn more<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"412\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/05\/Gaylord-Palms-scaled-1440x412.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/05\/Gaylord-Palms-scaled-1440x412.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to our Sage Advice Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get our latest business advice delivered directly to your inbox.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-ab515c6e-7e90-4c2f-a67e-113872516e8b\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"Working from home with tea in hand\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here we are again. Another year and another round of New Year\u2019s resolutions. For many of us, this is the year to declutter. We want to, once and for all, clean out our closets and get rid of the things we don\u2019t need at home. But why stop there? What about decluttering at work? After [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[170,192,188,187],"business_type":[],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[50],"persona":[],"imagine_tag":[246],"coauthors":[522],"class_list":["post-781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-money-matters","tag-business-strategy","tag-construction","tag-construction-business-development","tag-construction-collaboration","industry-construction-and-real-estate"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-us","author_name":"Deb Carpenter-Beck","featured_image":"","imagine_tags":{"246":"Construction"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice US","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=781"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=781"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=781"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=781"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=781"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=781"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=781"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}