Becoming successful does not necessarily mean making six figures, success can also mean feeling good about yourself and your job. Of course, more money is always good--perhaps feeling better about what you do and how you do it can help you get that raise.

You've heard it before, "Plan your work and work your plan", but where do you start?

One of the first things you can do is to get enough sleep. Be good to your body and get to bed early--no television playing all through the night. If you must watch TV or read, give yourself one-half hour to 45 minutes, then lights out. Plan to get up early enough to have a sit-down breakfast. If you normally skip breakfast, start allowing yourself that luxury. If you will find that you have more energy during the day.

Start your day with a clean desk. Take some time to clear your work area before you leave your work place. Always leave a pad and pen on your desk, this is particularly important if people start reaching out to you the minute you step in the door.

If you use an online calendar, it is helpful if you print the schedule for the next day and place it on your desk. Is your calendar confidential? Lock the schedule in your desk drawer, and then check it as soon as you arrive. You will be able to answer scheduling questions quickly and efficiently.

If you do not get a chance to copy your letter before you leave at 5:00 P.M, do so the first thing in the morning and get them out in the first call for mail, otherwise the date becomes stale. If a letter is dated December 10, it should be mailed no later than that next day in the a.m., [i]for legal purposes, a postmark may be more important than the typed date[/i]. Take advantage of your computer’s mail system. Most programs hold the mailing address and can prepare an envelope much faster than you can type it on your typewriter. When you photocopy the letter, copy the envelope also. An extra measure never hurts. If you can't get your mail out in the morning, it should definitely go out in that days last mail call.

Opening mail should be more than removing letters from an envelope and putting them in the in box. Take time to quickly read incoming mail and attach backup copy, telephone numbers, files, etc. This will save your manager's time and yours as well.

Be sure to take a lunch break. A lunch break does not mean eating a sandwich while sitting at your desk. Have you ever felt that you were too busy to take lunch, and then watched as your boss walked past you to have lunch with his or her peers? Your stress level rises when you become annoyed or feel put-upon. You are more likely to make mistakes or become less productive when that happens. Management realizes the importance of getting away from the office for a short time, so should you.

Becoming successful in this case simply means creating more time by managing the time you have. The bonus is that you won’t take office stress home to your family.