Friday, Jul 1, 2011Getting Organized – Tips To Be More Productive

Are you one of those people who appear to be effortlessly organized or are you someone who is always talking about “getting organized” and being more productive? The organized aren’t necessarily organized but they are disciplined.  They have chosen a way – a manner – in which they want to experience life and they do whatever it takes in a disciplined way to make that happen.

I’ll give you an example: the role of an administrative assistants is to help her boss in getting organized and being more productive. She does this through the discipline of organization; the strict adherence to tools (such as reminders on a calendar) and the keeping of notes for substantiation and documentation.  With systems in place which she follows without exception, she can easily put her hands on what is required with very little effort and both she and her boss are successful because of this organization.

It would be embarrassing and uncalled for if she had to spend time hunting for missing files, searching for emails, scrambling through stacks of paper.  But many people try to function like this.  They struggle with disorganization.  They frequently say “I know I put if someplace important” and cannot for the life of them, remember where.  The time wasted in searching jut five minutes in one day multiplied by all 365 of them is crushing! This is a high price to pay.

Disorganization can keep you from keeping a job; from getting a promotion; from holding on to a spouse even! It will teach your children wrong ideas. It can work as a mental block – how can you possibly do x when it means sorting through piles of stuff before you can even begin.  Organization, on the other hand, allows things to function smoothly, smooth out the chaos, calm down the stress and enhance our productivity.  The more you like getting organized, the more productive you’ll be.

Here are some practical tips to help you on the path toward greater organization.

• Write things down with regularity.  Use one notebook (vs. lots of sticky notes) so you only have one place to go hunt for information.  You CAN put the sticky notes into the notebook. Jot down notes from phone conversations. It takes no mental energy to try to remember what’s written down. Date the pages.
• Sketch out your day during the first minutes working. Write down the things you hope to accomplish. Prioritize the list. Stick with the list unless it’s a really important excuse not to.
• Keep your desktop cleared.  Use an InBox for pending items.  When you’re finished, file everything away.  You do have organized files, right? Tidy up at the end of each day. Let one section of your desk hold those things requiring some action.
• Organize your supplies and tools on your desktop.  If you don’t use paperclips regularly, put them inside the desk drawers, for example.
• Use online tools.  My admin uses her Outlook calendar as a reminder and for scheduling tasks. She seldom forgets anything.  Calendars can be color coded. She also uses a spreadsheet to track Action Items.

If you can implement these five tips, you should be well on your way toward getting organized and being more productive.

“Plan your progress carefully; hour-by hour, day-by-day, month-by-month. Organized activity and maintained enthusiasm are the wellsprings of your power.” ~ Paul J. Meyer