In her book l’infiniment peu (“the infinitely little”), Dominique Loreau shares advice on being more efficient day to day and learning to focus on the essentials. She tells us: “Getting organised is an art: the art of managing your time intelligently with a minimum of energy” Here are the 15 habits she suggests for decluttering your daily life: managing papers and emails, channelling your energy, structuring your tasks and your goals.
The 15 habits at a glance
| Habit | In brief |
|---|---|
| 1. Avoid working tools that are too numerous or too complicated | A small notebook rather than a bulky diary, to write everything down. |
| 2. Set up a stationery box | A dedicated box for papers, sorted straight away. |
| 3. Don’t let emails take over your life | Unsubscribe, keep replies short, favour talking in person. |
| 4. Empty your bag every day | A daily sort so useless things don’t pile up. |
| 5. Get to the essentials and group your tasks in batches | Group similar tasks (calls, emails) to stay efficient. |
| 6. Learn to say no, kindly but firmly | Say no gently, offer an alternative. |
| 7. Keep phone conversations short | Brief exchanges, and a meeting for the rest. |
| 8. A short nap or a 10-minute break | A daily break to reduce stress. |
| 9. Don’t waste your energy — act on the spot | Do straight away whatever can be done straight away. |
| 10. Focus on one task at a time | Avoid multitasking to stay productive. |
| 11. Keep your projects within a set time frame | One or two projects at most, with a deadline. |
| 12. Visualise every day | A few minutes of visualisation to keep yourself motivated. |
| 13. Few goals, but measurable and precise ones | Precise goals, broken down into concrete tasks. |
| 14. Change only one bad habit at a time | One habit at a time, each month. |
| 15. Schedule the moment you start acting on a goal | A start time planned in the diary, to get yourself going. |
The habits for getting to the essentials
Avoid working tools that are too numerous or too complicated
Banish bulky diaries in favour of small notebooks that fit into a handbag. Use them to jot down to-do lists, thoughts, quotations, appointments, and so on.
Set up a stationery box
Set aside a small corner of your home for your papers. Take a small box and place it in that discreet little corner. When you get home, empty into it all the papers you're carrying: bills, papers brought home by the children, receipts from your bag… Sort the contents of the box straight away: throw advertising leaflets in the bin, pay your bills online, answer your letters.
Don’t let emails take over your life
Unsubscribe from the newsletters you never open. Delete the emails you don’t read. Reply quickly to the emails you receive (5 lines). Prefer talking face to face to long emails. Arrange a meeting for that.
Empty your bag every day
Empty your bag every day so that useless things don’t pile up inside it (out-of-date notes and memos, flyers, card receipts, used tissues, and so on).
Get to the essentials and group your tasks in batches
The brain works better when it sticks to one kind of task at a time. So organise yourself to group your phone calls together, answer all your emails at once, and so on.
Learn to say no, kindly but firmly
Some people give no thought to how you've organised your time and don't realise that their requests are disruptive. Learn to tell them no, kindly: “I don’t have time right now, I’ll do what you’re asking in xx minutes.” Or else think of alternative solutions: “See with xxxx whether she could do it.”
Keep phone conversations short
Get into the habit of politely cutting your phone conversations short. Arrange a meeting to talk in person. Don’t let people get used to you always being available. To avoid giving in to temptation, put your mobile away in a drawer after a certain hour, or during set periods.
A short nap or a 10-minute break
It is essential to take a short break during your day. Walk for 10 minutes in the open air, or allow yourself a 10-minute nap. You'll be all the more efficient for it, with lower stress and clearer thoughts.
Don’t waste your energy — act on the spot
Do everything you can do without delay. Putting off a “chore” is a source of stress and needlessly overloads your memory.
Focus on one task at a time
Multitasking scatters your attention. You become less productive. Focus on one thing after another instead.
Keep your projects within a set time frame
Have one or two projects on the go at most. Set a precise deadline. This helps you make better progress. You will feel motivated by the results you achieve.
Visualise every day
“Spending a few minutes on visualisations is not a waste of time. It is said that those who do these exercises succeed better in life than others. Picture yourself, for instance, 10 kilos lighter. Give that person an exact image (outfit, shoes, hairstyle), then go about your day with that image in mind. Nurturing too many ambitions clouds the mind, scatters it and stops it focusing on what motivates it to act.”
Get to the essentials: few goals, but measurable and precise ones
It is better to set yourself measurable, precise goals. To do that, visualise the result you want and break your goal down into concrete, effective tasks.
Change only one bad habit at a time
According to Dominique Loreau, it is better to set about changing only one habit a month. It is the surest path to success. And good habits save a considerable amount of time, because the unconscious then works on automatic.
Schedule the moment you start acting on a goal
The start matters more than anything in reaching a goal. So schedule that start in your diary, and get going.
