Richard Templar specialises in taking a common sense approach to obvious subjects and making the commonplace seem revelatory. He lives a semi-virtual existence in rural Devon.

• Introduction
• You can and you can’t
• You have to want to be organised
• You don’t have to change your personality
• Know yourself
• Make time
• Have a routine
• Don’t tell yourself you’re bored
• Don’t get distracted
• Think about what you’re not thinking about
• Don’t panic!
• Do it little and often
• Think positive
• Steer clear of time sappers
• Know when the good times are
• Do the scary jobs
• Set yourself limits
• Invest now, save later
• Don’t do too much
• Don’t waste your down time
• Be reliable
• Don’t wait for people to change
• Write lists
• Get off to a flying start
• Visualise the finished thing
• Have less
• Sort it or bin it
• Ditch the eco-guilt
• Have a packing list
• Get into good habits
• Have a place for it
• File your week
• Keep a notebook
• Count your bags
• Streamline your workload
• Streamline your movements
• Multitask
• Build up a stockpile
• Double up
• Turn your toothbrush upside down
• Pin a note on the door
• Be decisive about mess
• Learn how to tidy
• Get the kids working
• Don’t do it yourself
• Give false deadlines
• Use a two-bin system
• Have a shopping list
• Read faster
• Keep time
• Get ahead of yourself
• Remember birthdays
• Make technology work for you
• Get Christmas wrapped up
• Treat yourself
• Find a sixpence
• Be decisive
• Lay the groundwork first
• Talk it through
• When you have to decide, do it
• Toss a coin
• Tell everyone what you’ve decided
• Hone your people skills
• Be assertive
• Learn to say no
• Stand your ground
• Understand thick skins
• Say what you mean
• Keep calm
• Count to ten
• See their point of view
• Feed it back
• Learn to delegate
• Know who's doing what
• Get the best out of people
• Know what really matters
• Prioritise
• Know what is urgent (and what isn’t)
• Organise your to-do list
• Clear some downtime
• Plan your life
• Don’t just firefight
• Have a thorough diary
• Know what makes a difference
• Get organised at work
• Know where you’re going
• Know what you’re doing
• First you must push the wheelbarrow and then you can sit down
• Don’t work a week behind
• Deal with it when it happens
• Don’t do things twice
• Organise your space
• Don’t read things you don’t need to
• Keep it together
• Make sure the boomerang comes back
• Keep your meetings on time
• Know what you’re aiming for
• Avoid unnecessary meetings
• Don’t get interrupted
• Don’t get caught by the phone
• Choose between email and phone
• Reduce your inbox
• Ditch the ping
• Stop playing games
• Get it over w