Holly Uverity CPO®, Office Organizers
The consequences of a disorganized office can be far reaching; no longer is a messy desk the sign of a brilliant mind but is more likely the cause of lost time and productivity and a feeling of being overwhelmed and out of control. Statistics show that two-thirds of business managers surveyed reported tension with colleagues, loss of job satisfaction and strained personal relationships as a result of being disorganized.
The phrase “getting organized” often brings up negative feelings. The papers piled on your desk and stacked on your floor are reminders of work you haven’t done and calls you haven’t made so instead of seeing paper, you begin to see obstacles and issues. As a result, you get stuck, make no changes and the clutter continues to accumulate. It can be debilitating and even paralyzing to begin to work through those stacks, and those feelings, but if you are truly committed to making meaningful changes in your life, you can absolutely get and stay organized.
It’s never too late to begin; spring is the perfect time to assess your office and your feelings about your office. By doing things differently now, you are guaranteeing greater success throughout the rest of the year.
Below are listed some of the most common excuses people have for not getting organized; I challenge you to see if any of these excuses are yours and to see if you can eliminate that obstacle and begin the process of ‘getting organized’.
I don’t know how or where to begin; I’m absolutely overwhelmed by my piles.
It’s understandable to feel out of control when your desk and floor are covered with papers. Start small (e.g., work in 15 minute increments, work through only one paper at a time, organize one desk drawer at a time) and attack only one area. Take your time – you don’t have to do everything all at once. One of the biggest mistakes people make is to pull everything out and try to organize the entire office at once. If you do that, you will get overwhelmed, bored, and end up worse off than you were before you started.
I’ve tried organizing before and I always go back to my old habits.
Organization must be learned. It’s unrealistic and self-defeating to believe that you will IMMEDIATELY remember all the new organizing techniques and not periodically slide back into old habits. Make incremental changes one at a time so the new behaviors have time to sink in; a success can be keeping the floor clear of piles or keeping track of phone messages. It takes time, trust, and a commitment to the process. Every person who truly wants to get better organized does.
My business is paper intensive.
Being organized does not mean you have no paper, it means you can find the paper you need when the need arises. Your business may be paper intensive, but it’s still critical that you are selective about what you keep and where. Organization is not measured by how much paper you toss; it’s measured by how quickly you can find what you need when you need.
I don’t have time to get organized.
It’s true that getting organized requires an investment of both time and money, so it’s critical that you schedule time in your calendar to work on it or it will never get done. Assess your schedule, plan accordingly and remember that it doesn’t have to be done in one or two days.
I’m afraid it will stifle my creativity.
Organization frees your mind and allows you to tap into your creativity. When you have a simple, effective system for your working files, project files and reference materials, you waste no time looking for them, thereby creating time. Systematizing the routine parts of your day allows your mind to work on the fun parts of your job – solving problems, coming up with new ideas and looking at old things in new ways.
Holly Uverity, CPO® is the owner of Office Organizers – The Entrepreneur’s Organizer. She can be reached at 281.655.5022, www.OfficeOrganizers.com or www.FB.com/OfficeOrganizers
