If only I was more organised …………….

How much time do you waste during your day as a result of disorganization?

Perhaps you spend 5 minutes searching for a misplaced file, or searching for an email.  Are there piles of paperwork on your desk instead of a to-do list.   Time flies and an hour can easily have passed.  If that happens every day then multiply that hour by days in the week, month or year.   Imagine that number of hours lost!!!!

If only I was more organised ………..

Many of us struggle with disorganization.  Its like a virus- once it gets hold its difficult to shake it off.  We also have a tendency to believe we can manage amongst the chaos, but often it holds a high price. Disorganization can get in the way of that promotion. It can create stress and stop creativity, let alone stop  us from being as productive and effective as we could be.

Why not try my top tips:

• Use a notebook– Make it a small one that will easily fit into a pocket or a handbag.  Use it as a “catch-all” for your thoughts, ideas and things to remember during the day. By capturing all of your thoughts, conversations, and ideas in one place you don’t have to waste mental energy trying to remember everything!Perhaps start a new, dated page every day. This way, you can easily go back when you need certain information.
• Take time at the start of the day – just 15 minutes to get organised  – When you start work, spend your first 15 minutes looking at what you need to do.  Consider outstanding actions and make a to-do list starting with the highest priority.  Consider at what time of the day you are most productive.

• Clear your workspace – Your workspace  can often become a dumping ground for anything.  Are there old papers and future projects in one pile awaiting further action or filing?  Cluttered environments can be counter productive and you can waste time  searching for that particular piece of paper or even miss a deadline on an action because you’d forgotten you needed to deal with it.  If its a big task schedule some time to do it.

• Create an “action file”  – Whether this is a tray, box or file it should contain anything that you are working on today – everything else should be filed away and as soon as it is done with – file it away.

• Use digital calendars or planners– These are not just for meetings.  They are great for scheduling tasks in the future and can have reminders that pop up in advance.

• Use a spreadsheet – You can build action plans – the colour formatting allows you to highlight priorities and identify items that may be past deadline.  You can move items easily and sort by priority or deadline.

• Reward Yourself at the right time – Reward for completing items off your to-do list or simply don’t allow yourself that coffee break until you have achieved a certain amount in your day.  Its all too easy to take a break when things get tough this is just a form of procrastination.