Aspire to Be Organized

Do you think of becoming and staying organized as sheer and utter drudgery? If so, you’re not alone! You don’t see people shooting movies, writing Broadway plays, or producing hard rock albums on the topic (though I might be on to something here…). Yet it’s an unheralded key to being productive. From pack rat to Jack Sprat to Jack Black, when you’re in control of your surroundings, you have a better chance of staying focused, efficient and effective.

Everything you’ve ever filed presumably has future value if only enabling you to cover your ample derriere. People often avoid filing because they don’t see the connection between filing and its future impact on their careers and lives. Simply organizing materials, hard copy or on disk, putting them into smaller file folders, stapling them, or rearranging the order of things often represents a good, pre-emptive move in the battle against procrastination.

File, smile and work in style. For each item that crosses your desk or hard drive, ask these fundamental questions:

 What’s the issue behind the document?
 What does it represent?
 Why did I receive it? (This one is biggie)
 Why keep this? (Is it important? If it will be replaced soon, I don’t need it.)
 Should I have received this?
 How else can this be handled?
 Can I delegate it?
 Can I file it under “Review in six month?”
 Can I shred it with glee?
 What will happen if I don’t handle this?

Next, create a folder on your computer “desktop” and establish a physical drawer
(make it a big drawer) where you can temporarily house what you want out of sight. Many people have inbox folder, which they label with months and weeks. It’s a place to park things when you can’t figure out what else to do with them.

You may ask, “Aren’t I postponing my ability to deal with an over accumulation of information? Aren’t I throwing this in with the files I’m going to have to deal with in another three weeks?” No way, Jose and here’s why: When those three weeks roll around and you find the information you filed, the answer may take care of itself. You know it can be sent to the recycle bin or that it is more important than you first thought. Often, you get a definitive answer in a short period of time. You’re reviewing it at a better time. Out of sight, but not out of mind.

Eliminate clutter without shudder. Then when you’re in control of your information and files, you’re able to retrieve items easily and use them, as opposed to having them buried and inaccessible for all eternity. In the meantime, you are not visually bogged down by such things, and you are also more prone to initiate action on the task at hand. Let’s face it, we all know people with dozens – no, make that hundreds – of electronic file folders, housing thousands of e-mail messages. Likewise, we all know people with desks and file cabinets that are packed to the gills with over-stuffed file folders. Is this any way to manage your career? I think not!

One of the familiar laments among those who put off getting organized is, “I have never been food at organizing.” All is forgiven. Start now, and you can do as good of a job as the next person. The only difference between people who are “good at organizing” and people who think they are “not good at organizing” is that people who are organized recognize that it takes some effort to maintain the organization. The people who are “not good at organizing” think they missed out at birth (or is that at conception?) on the “organizing gene”.

Those who are “not good at organizing” further believe that somehow things mysteriously get out of order or become lost. Many people even think that there are forces in the universe operating in opposition to them and conspiring to keep them disorganized. Get it off – you can maintain control of what crosses your desk and how it is handled. And I have news for you – your dog did not eat your homework, and that important document did not just sprout legs and walk away.



Regards,


Timben