Let’s face it, there comes a time in your life when you get so caught up with day to day tasks that you start to lose focus on staying organized. It’s especially easy to fall into this trap at work. With so many different projects, deadlines, phone calls and emails- it becomes difficult to take a step back and come up with the right game plan to get tasks completed throughout the day. If you don’t get organized, it will just end up leading to more unnecessary chaos that YOU have the ability to control. Here are a few tips to help you stay organized in the workplace!
Organize Your Paperwork
Look at your desk right now. What is it mostly covered by? Did you say “paperwork?” We get it, the papers begin to pile up and then slowly but surely become scattered all over the place. Try to keep your desk and workspace clear of all but recent assignments and items you use daily. By doing so, this allows your desk to be clean of all but a few essentials which makes it easier to concentrate on the task at hand. Make use of any shelves and filing cabinets to sort the wild papers taking over your space. If those are not options, just use basic folders and label them.
Organize Your Time
Time management is something most people have trouble dealing with. Have you ever said to yourself that there aren’t enough hours in the day? Most of us have at some point or another. Establish deadlines and set priorities on which tasks need to get done. Complete them in order of importance. Give yourself the right amount of time to get the work done and don’t rush. Avoid procrastination. One of the easiest things you can do is waste time with distractions. The more you waste time, the harder it will be to organize your time and responsibilities throughout the day. Don’t put any assignments off – take the bull by the horns and dive right in!
Write a To-Do List
With the amount of work emails, assignments, calls, follow ups and everything else that goes along with your daily routine, it’s pretty much impossible to remember everything you have to do solely by memory. It’s so easy to forget what has to be done if you don’t write it down or keep it documented. Write a to-do list of your assignments and things you have to do. This will keep you on track with what has to be done versus what has been completed and helps you stay on top of everything in a timely matter. Think of it as a systematic way to accomplish what you have to do. Whether you fill it in in your weekly calendar, your agenda, and planner or have daily reminders- creating some sort of to do list will make all the difference. Give it a try!
Continue to Stay Organized
After you’ve taken all the right steps to get organized, how do you keep it that way? Try to keep the above tips in mind on a daily basis. These helpful reminders are so basic, yet really make a difference. Put things away or return them back to their appropriate place to avoid clutter and a messy work space, prioritize your time efficiently, and write everything you have to do down so you can keep track of tasks. The more structured you are, the more productive you’ll be. There are other methods to help keep you organized of course, but these tips are a great place to start.
