Here's a list of quick tasks. Check off one or two when you find yourself with 15 minutes (and keep adding ideas):

1. Create a checklist for an upcoming project

2. Read a trade journal or newsletter (or magazine app! —Ed.)

3. Order office supplies

4. Write a thank-you note

5. Reserve a conference room or create an agenda for an upcoming meeting

6. Sort through e-mails; use that delete key

7. Mail a package

8. Sort through snail mail sitting on your desk

9. File or scan papers

10. Purge one inch of paper files

11. Pay a bill online

12. Make a personal appointment (hair/mechanic/dentist)

1. Establish a system for receiving, reviewing, and storing your daily mail. This may be a simple inbox on your desk.

2. I tell my clients, “You file to retrieve. You do not file to store.” Files exist to aid us, not to deter us. Designate a specific place for all items to be filed. (And if you despise filing, as I do, give yourself permission to file only about once every six weeks.)

3. Take a good look at your current files. Do you know all the contents? Could others retrieve items in your absence? Are they easily accessible with space for future growth? If you answered "no" to any of these questions, spend some time sorting and purging.

1. You check your e-mail messages regularly anyway, so turn off the bleeps and alerts so you avoid constant, unplanned interruptions, which substantially lower your productivity.

2. Create e-mail folders and use them. E-mail inboxes grow because users delay making decisions about messages as they come in. When you set up appropriate folders, those decisions are quick and easy. But be sure to look at these folders as temporary storage, and use them for messages related to current projects only.

Smartphones are great. The problem comes when we interact with them without thinking about whether it is appropriate for the time and place. In a survey of human resources managers from a few years back, the top unprofessional work behavior cited was “inappropriate appearance.” But wait: They weren’t talking about clothing. Instead, they were referring to employees checking smartphones and texting—behaviors that suggested these employees were not fully engaged at work. When you check your phone while in the presence of others, you are communicating, “This is more important than you.” Whether you do it during a boring staff meeting, a training session, or lunch with a co-worker, it’s rude.

It’s easy to lose track of time with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube. Here’s a way to integrate social media—including when using it for business purposes—productively: Begin by giving yourself permission to check in online with others. This allows time on your calendar without unnecessary guilt. Next, designate a set amount of time each day for online social sites. In 15 to 20 minutes, you can update your status or send a few tweets; the limit makes you more aware of your time and less apt to waste it.

You’re reliable and a team player. You hate the idea of disappointing others or leaving them in a position of need. But saying no is a healthy thing to do, and often necessary in order to make time for your own priorities. Here are some guidelines for saying no:

1. Rehearse. Keep it brief. Get comfortable saying the words.

2. Don’t feel pressure to provide an excuse or explanation. Whatever you do, don’t lie or make something up. Say no and then be quiet. If the other person asks for an explanation, keep it brief, as in, “I have other obligations that prevent me from taking this on.”

3. Remember that saying no provides an opportunity for someone else to take on the task.

4. Be kind with your words. Politeness, respect, and grace go a long way in delivering a rejection.

1. Write a descriptive and meaningful subject line.

2. Get to the point within the first two sentences.

3. Copy only those necessary.

4. Use a professional, standardized signature block.

5. Put requests in bulleted or numbered format, with deadlines.

6. Read and proof your e-mail messages before hitting send.

Here’s some advice for areas outside work that you might want to get under control:

1. Laundry: Get a laundry sorter—an organizing tool that contains three removable cloth bags. (I recommend a metal-framed unit.) Sort clothes as you fill the bags (whites, darks, colors). When one bag is full, throw its contents in the washer.

2. Mail: Create an area of your home designated for sorting the daily mail. Try a countertop filing system with a file for each family member.

3. Menus: Wondering at 3 p.m. what to throw together for dinner? Try to plan out your meals for at least one week. This will help you grocery shop more effectively (and you’ll be aware of planning more nutritiously balanced meals).

Audrey Thomas is a speaker, writer, and productivity expert. Her presentations range from big-picture, life-changing workshops on productivity and organization to little-detail, life-changing trainings on taming your ever-growing inbox. Find more at her Web site, organizedaudrey.com