Are you disorganized to the point of finding yourself spending more time trying to locate things rather than actually working? Typically at work there are probably two main areas that lead to a sense of complete disorganization: 1. Your deskIf you're the type of person who believes that how busy you are at work has a direct correlation to the amount of paper on your desk, you need to get this thought out of your head. Do you print out virtually everything that you come into contact with and then pop it onto a pile on your desk for future reference? Have you run out of space on your desk to actually create new piles? Start by figuring out the difference between things that need to be printed and things that don't. Then figure out what you have that should be kept, and what can be discarded. Organize the papers that need to be printed or kept on file. Put them into a file folder system that makes sense to you and allows you to easily and quickly find it in the future. Don't go crazy and simply take all the stuff on your desk and put it into folders. If you don't need it, don't keep it. 2. Your email In Box Are the type of person who keeps a copy of every email you've ever received and hasn't heard of the "delete" button? Do you have 300 folders set up in your email In Box to organize each email that you receive and now have trouble finding the folder you're looking for, let alone the contents of each? Email has become so pervasive especially when you add in spam so you really need to ensure your In Box doesn't swallow you up. If you don't need the email, delete it immediately after reading it. Leaving it in your In Box and expecting that you'll go back and delete it later on in the day most likely means it will still be sitting in your In Box in several months time taking up unnecessary space. Just like you have to manage your time, you need to manage your In Box too. What you might do in general terms to move from being disorganized to being organized is to take small steps. Start cleaning up your desk and discarding papers that you really don't need anymore. Get rid of emails that simply aren't needed anymore and that you won't be referring to in the future.Also, think twice before printing something. Do you really need to print it or can you simply keep a soft copy on your computer for future reference? Prioritize your daily tasks to ensure each gets done. Once you get into a routine, you'll most likely find you start doing things differently and more to the point more productively. |
