By Holly Uverity CPO®, Office Organizers
Organization may not come naturally to you but that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn. Everyone who truly wants to become better organized can. Use the words STAY FOCUSED as a guideline to start you on your path to organization, keep you on your path, or validate where you are.
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Start each day with a plan. Never underestimate the time you spend planning. Each week you should allot about 15 minutes to planning your days, weeks, and months. Plans are what allow you to reach your goals.
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Tweak your systems. Very often, successful people use the same systems over and over again even if those systems have stopped being effective. As your life, your business and your priorities change, it’s important that your methods of staying organized change along with them.
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Ask for help. No one person can do everything and it’s a mistake to try. Asking others for help not only gives you insights into what others can do but it also gives you the space and time to do what you do best.
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Yes or no. Learn to make decisions about all the information that comes into your office. Clutter is the physical manifestation of indecision; decision making is a skill and it can be learned, practiced, and perfected.
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Fix only what’s broken. Regardless of how disorganized you are, there are things you’re doing that are working and systems you’re using that aren’t broken. Spend your time fixing what doesn’t work for you and not on trying to change a system that’s doing its job.
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Outsource what you don’t like to do, don’t know how to do, or what is not the best use of your time. In today’s business world, it’s more important than ever that you only spend your time, energy, and talents on high payoff activities.
C
Create time each day, week, and month to work through your list. Saying “I’ll do it when I have time” is a sure way to make sure it never gets done. Keep a Master List which captures everything and a list of daily tasks; stick to the list and your tasks will get completed.
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Understand your personal style. Work with your own body rhythms and your work style. Keep track of how you feel; pay attention to when you feel the most creative, when you feel the most tired, and when you feel the most energetic. Plan your work around those cycles.
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Start small. Small, incremental changes over time can have an enormous impact. Begin by keeping one area of your desk clean or keeping your In Box cleared out. Continuing to make small changes will keep you from feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed into inaction.
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Enter into an agreement with yourself as well as with others. Have a buddy check in with you regularly to keep you on track and give you support when you need it. Keep your agreements – with others and with yourself.
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Don’t let distractions pull you off course. If you find yourself getting distracted, recognize it, regroup, and then get back on track. Everyone falls down sometimes but the professionals always get back up. Getting distracted happens automatically; getting beyond your distractions is something you need to learn.
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Office Organizers is The Entrepreneur’s Organizer. Founded in 1993, they work with business people to create solutions to their organizational challenges. Contact them at 281.655.5022, www.OfficeOrganizers.com, or www.fb.com/OfficeOrganizers.
