Most managers I observe are modestly-to-poorly organized. And, I see hundreds every year. The highly successful managers I know are normally very organized themselves, or they have well-organized staff running around after them to ensure good order is preserved. So, you can be extremely successful and not organized, but then you better be able to attract and retain a supporting cleanup crew!
Being organized takes serious effort. If you want to excel in any role and move up the ladder you need to get results and bring value to the organization. Inevitably, being well-organized usually becomes a requirement for all professionals.
Oddly, most people I know believe they already have great personal organization skills. Yet a casual glance often suggests they do not. As a result they tend to add to problems causing:
- Diminishing personal time
- Issues with meeting schedules. Both quality and quantity of deliverables often suffers
- Inability to take on or avoid surprise events. These seem to occur regularly
- Health issues
- Professional image challenges
- Damaged relationships. Poor personal interactions
- etc.
Sound familiar? The work environment has become increasingly challenging as economic pressures have continued and work-place competition has increased. Given the downside of all the issues listed (above) why wouldn’t you invest in tuning up your personal level of organization? By definition, the very significant opposites of those items listed above become the upside, as you improve!
Let’s take a practical view of areas we should consider when upgrading our level of personal organization:
Personal Discipline
Anyone can learn to be organized; this is a skill and behavior, not a genetic attribute. However, upgrades must be planned and scheduled with improvements prioritized. Focus must be only upon critical issues and real results.
Targeting Problem Areas
Look for observable and/or reported disorder (paper stacks or piles, complaints, expressions of un-serviced needs from others, etc.). Similarly, consider disruptive events that upset productive work as target areas for improvement. Be sure that data flow through you (and your organization) is processed with convenient and appropriate timing. Consider new or existing systems that will better organize projects, workspace, your routine and yourself.
Organizing the Workspace
Just apply two rules, ”out of sight, out of mind” and, “use it or lose it.” Regularly used items should be readily accessible and those rarely used should be stored. Example: typically you would have pens accessible and scissors in a drawer! The same principle equally applies to electronic equivalents. Desks and walls should have low occupancy and no clutter. Again, apply this same rule for electronic systems and information in their setup and displays.
Development of New Systems
The world is built from interrelated systems. Our own systems should be well-defined, effectively planned, while simultaneously being efficient, maintainable and simple. Information and data should flow easily from one place to the next and discarded when future usage is minimal. When a routine or activity can be improved or automated, it should be. Get a good return on your investment (ROI) for all such improvements!
Integrating the Workspace with Electronic Systems
Process information where it is best suited. This may be in paper form on the desk, data in electronic databases, or e-mails/texts on mobile computing devices, and so on. Stationary and mobile electronic systems should work seamlessly with one another in individually and collectively functional systems; make only cost effective repairs and improvements to optimize such systems. Rapid evolution and emergence of new products offer huge potential for system improvements, so keep an open mind/eye/ear for practical opportunities.
Leveraging Travel and Commuting
Always pack like a minimalist: carry only extras for likely circumstances, and leave the rest behind! If you work in transit, make realistic plans for when work can occur that is convenient and achievable. Use hands-free, voice-based tools where practical, safe and efficient; only carry (often heavy, space-consuming) hardware setups when there is real certainty for convenient use while in transit.
New Gadgets and Applications
There is a constant stream of new tools. Make sure your selections integrate well with the way you do operate now or are prepared to work, in the future. Think hard before you adopt a new tool or application; many products turn out to be toys rather than useful tools suitable for your personal systems. If their value is not clear, avoid altogether or toss them away quickly.
Getting better organized is not an occasional event; rather it’s an ongoing lifetime of discipline. So, it’s wiser to invest systematically and keep making progress as the march of time (and your career!) will inevitably dictate; change is both necessary and certain.
Most personal forward progress is made by investment. So, are you going to invest your time to figure out opportunities for improvement? Let’s face it, if there’s a march we all must eventually make anyway, then surely it’s better you proactively organize your steps!