Organizing Your Desk

For example, let's say you think your desk needs to get organized. What would you do?

First, create a collection zone to collect stuff - a table, a space on the floor, etc. Set up your 4 Boxes as mentioned in the previous post.

Now clear everything off of your desk (except your computer or any stuff that is wired up or hard to move). If you're going to organize the whole desk, clear out all the drawers too.

As you clear off the desk, place each item you remove from the desk into one of the 4 boxes you set up.

Keep the Trash and Recycle boxes handy as you may want to add to them as you go through the other boxes.

In fact, you may want to use two Recycle boxes - one for paper and stuff to go to recycling and one for things you want to donate or give away.

Now, take a look at your Store Box. What might you find in it?

• outdated files - do you really need them? If not, trash them. If yes, file them in a storage space that you don't need to regularly acess.
• office supplies - extra packages of paper or enevelopes, for example, could be stored in a closet or file cabinet.
• Odds & sorts - consider how necessary these are. Can any be added to your Trash or Recycle boxes? For the things you really do need or want to keep, assign them a Storage "home" and put them there now.

As you go through the Use Box, consider how frequently you use the item. Remember to put the things you use most often closest to you, so that they are easy to access. Things like:

• your computer & keyboard
• phone
• pens
• papers
• current files

We'll take a look at filing in a future post, as it has a number of things to consider on its own.

But this should already give your desk a much cleaner appearance - and should make working there much easier for you.

Starting an Organizing Project

Okay, you've decided which of your organizing projects to start with. Now what?

Step One
Find yourself four boxes or containers to work with. Then label the boxes as follows:

• Trash - to throw away
• Recycle - to give away
• Store - to put away
• Use - anything you currently need or use

Step Two
Next, remove everything from the area that you want to organize. As you do that, make a choice about each item you remove - is it garbage, something to recycle or give away, something that you want to store somewhere or is it something you need access to now and/or frequently? Then place it in the appropriate box.

Step Three
Now deal with each of the boxes.

• Send the Trash Box stuff to the trash.
• For the Recycle Box, decide where or how to recycle this. Do you want to donate it somewhere? Are there certain items that you want to give to someone specific? Label or mark the boxes or items accordingly and leave them by the door to take with you when you leave.
• With the items in the Store Box, first take any items that already have a storage place in your office or home and put them away there. For any reamining items, decide on a place for them. If needed, find appropriate boxes or containers for them and then place them in their storage "home".
• Finally, with the Use Box, place the items in the place you are most likely to use them. Remember that the items you use most frequently should be placed as close as possible to where they can be easily accessed.

Getting Started With Your Organizing

In a recent survey I did with business owners one of the reasons they gave for thinking that organizing was a problem for them was that they didn't know where to start.

So let's take a look at that.

The first thing to do is to organize your organizing!  :)

Schedule a 10-15 minute time chunk to do some thinking and planning about your organizing project.

Now, grab a sheet of paper and list what needs to get organized.

Then think about which of those things need to get done first. Number your list in order of priority.

Next, think about what kind of time you can give to this. Could you set aside a couple of hours? Or is it something you will have to fit in as you can during the day or week?

If you can give a large chunk of time to this, then go ahead with your list as you have prioritized it.

If you can only do this in smaller time chunks, then you may need to go through your list and either break it down into smaller jobs or assign yourself a certain amount of time to work on a project at a time.

Try not to stop in the middle of an organizing project where you have lots of stuff laying around cluttering up your work space. That could just add stress and we don't want that. So think about which parts of the project you can do in the time you have available to you and work with that.

Picture Perfect vs Effective

I was talking with a friend today about organizing and she told me about a comment someone had made about her home space.

She said when the person left, she took a good look at her space. She realized that while it may not have met with this other person's approval, it was actually a very organized space. She knew where everything was - when she needed something she knew exactly where to go to get it.

Which brings up a good thought about organizing. Being well organized is not about having a picture-perfect space. It is about living effectively and without a lot of stress.

As my friend commented, this is her personal and creative space (and she is definitely a very creative person). For her, having things laying around is part of her creative process. The way she has things organized might not win any home beauty contests, but it serves her well - and that's what counts.

So, as you think about organizing your home or office space, yes, it can be nice to have a neat and nicely decorated space. But if that interferes with being able to live and work comfortably and productively in that space, then maybe that's not the best goal to aim for.

Each Project is Unique

One of things I really enjoy about helping others get organized is that each project and each person is unique.

Yes, there are some things that are fairly standard - like using lists and daily to-do's and so on. But even then, there are lots of variations to that too. Some like to use pen and paper, some use notebooks or daily journals, others use online systems.

But where it gets fun for me is sitting down with someone and listening to what it is that they do, what it is that they need, and what is unique or special about their situation. Then I get to come up with ideas that are custom created just for that person and that situation.

For example, I met with someone recently who gets lots of prospects from trade shows and so on. This means lots of ballot entries with names of potential clients and things they might be interested in learning more about.

The only problem was what to do with all those slips of paper. So I created a sheet for her that gave a place to attach the ballot slip, plus places for all the details she needed to know and work with. I'm hoping it will simplify her life considerably by having all that information in one place and giving her a system for doing effective follow-up.

So what is unique about you and your situation? Where do you need help getting organized?

Of course you are welcome to contact me for help and ideas, but sometimes just asking around to see what other business owners or professionals do might net you some good ideas to try out.

Rabbit Trail Organizing

Do you find yourself doing this when you try to organize?

You start with one thing, then it prompts a reminder about something else. So you head off to do that thing.

On the way to do that, you go past something else and think, oh, I'll just quickly do this.

Except that it gets you thinking of this other thing that you really should do and so you go and start on that thing.

And before you know it, hours or even the whole day has gone by and it seems like nothing much got accomplished.

I call this Rabiit Trail Organizing because it looks like a meandering path of half-done jobs.

So how do you deal with that?

Actually, there is a simple answer.

Remember the post I did recently on using a Master List? Here's a really good use for that.

Say you start on the first item on your list of things to do. Suddenly you remember this other thing that needs to get done.

Now - instead of jumping up to go do that thing, just grab your Master List and write it down. Then finish the first job you started with.

Now, if, and only if, this other item is really urgent, then go and do it next. Otherwise, leave it on your Master List and the next time you go through the list to plan your Daily List, then decide how important it really is and when to schedule a time to do it.

Get into the habit of writing all these "Oh-I-need-to-do-this" ideas on your Master List and then taking the time to think through when it would best suit you to do them.  You will find yourself accomplishing much more and feeling a lot better about yourself at the end of the day too.

Tickle File Labels - A Gift for You

Thought today I would give you a gift.

In an earlier post on creating a Tickle File, I mentioned that it consists of files for 31 days, for the 12 months, and for future years.

I recently created a set of labels for myself, which I have also shared with some of my clients. So I thought, why not share them with you as well?

Please feel free to download and use the following Label documents:

• Labels - Days 1-30
• Labels - Day 31, Months, Years

These fit on the 1" x 2 13/16" labels that come 30 per sheet.

Since they are documents, you can go in and change the fonts and font colors to suit yourself. If you do change the font, you may have to change some of the font sizes as well.

Enjoy!

Discipline - the Freedom to Fly

I may from time to time give you links to articles written by others when I feel they are appropriate. This is one of them.

As a final post this week to this series on Master Lists, Daily Lists, Priorities and Goals, I want to share the following article by Harvey Mackay on Discipline.

No matter how many books we read, courses we take, knowledge we gain, etc, unless we discipline ourselves to do what needs to be done, we miss out.

I admit that like many others that he mentions, I have tended to think of discipline as a dreary chore.

However after reading this quote by Julie Andrews, I think I am going to revise my opinion of discipline:

"Some people regard discipline as a chore.  For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly."

What do you think? Worth reconsidering?

Read the rest of Harvey's article here: Discipline is the order of the day.

 

Goals, Dreams and Purpose

How do you most effectively plan your Daily things-to-do?

We've talked in the past several posts about Master Lists, Daily Lists, and Priorities. Those are all important steps in the process of planning your daily tasks.

But what criteria do you use for choosing your priorities?

I think one key component of that is to have a clear sense of your own dreams and goals. What do you want to accomplish with your life? What is your purpose in life?

I've sometimes heard the phrase "you can do anything you want". No, I don't think so. We all have a finite amount of time to work with. I've sometimes said to people that if there were twenty of me, there still wouldn't be enough to do all the things I would like to do.

So it becomes important to get clear about what you do really want for your life. What matters most to you? What do you really value? What do you want to leave as your legacy?

I won't get into the how-to's of figuring those things out here, but once you are clear about your purpose, your dreams and your goals, then it becomes much easier to plan your days.

Then part of what will end up on your Master List will be the projects and goals that will lead you toward your dreams.

The thing is that sometimes these things won't be the "urgent" things that can so easily fill up your time and your days. But if you are clear about what you really want, then you will find ways to include those steps and actions in your daily planning too.

Knowing what you want also makes it easier to say no to the things that don't fit for you. You don't have to make excuses or explain to others who have their own agendas for your time and energy. Sometimes you just need to politely and firmly say No, I already have something else scheduled for that time.

If you don't already have a written statement of your life purpose and your dreams and goals, I'd like to encourage you to take the time to do that soon. Even if it's just to get started thinking about it. It can be amazing what a difference that can make to your productivity, effectiveness and to your life in general.

Choosing Your Priorites

Part of what makes people successful is the ability to choose their priorities.

In the last two posts we've looked at creating Master and Daily Lists as a way of helping one to become more productive with their time.

Part of that process includes choosing which items to make your priorities for the day.

Some things will need to be on those lists because they just need to be done that day. Certain projects with deadlines, appointments that have been scheduled, and so on.

But it can be very easy to fill up a day with things that seem to be important when perhaps they're really not. Sometimes it's worth the time now and again to take a good look at what you are doing and why. Are all these things really necessary? Do they help to move you forward to the goals and dreams you have for your life?

Sometimes there are things that need to be deleted from your lists. Sometimes you need to learn to say NO to yourself and to others.

The best way to plan your Daily List is by being clear about your own Goals & Dreams (see next post).

The Daily List

In the last post we looked at creating a weekly Master List. So now what do you do with this Master List?

From your Master List you now create your Daily Lists.

Daily lists can take whatever form best suits you. I happen to like a physical list, so I have a daily planner I write in. It could be a notebook or a computer program or app or whatever works best for you.

Doing your Daily List is usually best done at the end of the day (or work day) before. That way you still have the day fresh in your mind and know what needs to be done the next day.

So at the end of the day, check through your master list and choose 2-3 high priority items to schedule in for the next day. Then choose several other items that would be good to get done as well. Don't overfill your Daily List so that you just get yourself frustrated because you can never get it all done.

If you get a project done in less time than you had scheduled for it, you can always get out your Master List and choose some item that you could do in the extra time you now have available.

The Master List

One way to become better organized and more effective in your time management is to use a Master List.

What is a Master List?

It is a weekly list of all your things to do or to remember. It can be as simple as a lined page or notebook, or some computer program or electronic device, or you can make up a list of your own. Following is one I designed for myself after a sample from the book "Organized for Success" by Kenneth Zeigler.

Make the list something simple enough so that you can easily use it or take it with you.

Then use your Master List to record everything you need or want to do, from appointments to working on projects, from reminders to do the laundry or getting groceries to making calls, writing e-mails, fillling out applications, wish items like where you want to go on vacation, and everything and anything else.

The benefit of using a Master List is that it clears out your mind. When you try to rely on your mind to keep all your stuff "in mind", it keeps your mind subconsciously busy when it doesn't really need to be. In fact, for most of us these days, it probably keeps your subconscious mind overbusy - which may well be why we feel tired and overwhelmed.

But, if you get all that "stuff" down on a Master List, your mind can start to relax, knowing that those items are now "remembered".

It's best to keep this as a weekly list. Longer than that and it becomes too long and complicated.

It's also a good idea to make your list from Friday to Friday. That way you can finish off the week's list on Friday, transfer anything you want to move forward to the next list, and review and plan for the coming week. WIth that done, you are freer to relax and enjoy your weekend.

Okay. So now you have this long list of all these items. What do you do from there?

Now you bring in your Daily List - see the next post for that.

Organizing Books IV - Where to Put Them

What can you do with your books?

One of the most obvious things is to store them in bookcases or bookshelves. Those can range from the formal and elegant to something as basic as boards and bricks.

They can be as stand alone units or built ins. Bookshelves framing a window or a fireplace are welcoming.

Make a bookcase along a whole wall for a nice effect. It's rather nice to leave some breathing room in your bookshelves so you can display some other things as well. Or just leave some empty space. (Unless you're like me with books piled two deep, on top, or wherever they will fit. Not that I should ever admit to that, being an organizer and all, eh?)

Books can also be used as part of your home decor.

Find a lovely bookrack like this one to display your books. I use this one in my office to hold the books that I'm using for any current projects that I am working on.

Stacks of larger sized books can be used as side tables. A piece of glass on top to protect them might be a good idea.

I've used stacks of books at times as bases for lamps to raise them to the height I want them - by my bedside table for example. Or as part of the decor on a coffee table with a candle, decorative box or other display piece set on top of them.

Organizing Books III - Donating or Selling

Once you're sorted through your books, you may end up with some that you don't want to keep anymore.

So what do you do with them?

One suggestion is to donate them.

Where? There could be a number of options.

You could donate them to a local thrift or second hand shop. We have one in Cochrane that funds local programs, so it's a good choice. MCC or Value Village in Calgary are also options to consider.

You could donate them to your local library. I just donated at least a half a dozen boxes of books. Some will go into the library system and others will find their way into one of the library book sales.

You could also consider donating them to schools, prisons, hospitals or senior's centres.

Sometimes local groups or charities use book sales to raise funds. Our local animal shelter, the Cochrane Humane Society, does that.

You may want to sell the books. Check out local bookstores or second hand bookshops to see if they will buy them or take them in trade. Bentley's Books in Cochrane has new and used books.  I recently checked with a bookstore in Calgary called Fair's Fair and they gave me cash - or I could have taken double that amount as a fund to buy books from them. Not a bad deal.

If you have the time and ambition, you could try selling your books online too. E-bay and Amazon are two places you can check out.

Organizing Books II - What to do with them

How do you go about organizing or sorting through books?

If you only have a bookcase or several shelves worth, you can probably just do it by going through the shelves.

If you have a table that you can set close to the shelves, then it's easier to take the books out of the shelves (good excuse to give the shelves a cleaning while you're at it).

Check through the books. It might help to put them in piles or groups. Here are some choices you might want to consider for what to do with them.

• ones to keep
• ones to gift to someone else
• ones to donate or give away
• ones to sell
• ones to recycle
• ones to throw away

Organizing Books I - Categorizing

I've been doing a major sorting through of my books over the past month or so.

Anyone who knows me at all knows I love books. My favorite places to hang out are the library, bookstores, thrift shops, second hand bookstores or even the bookroom at our local recyclers.

I did a rough count before I started and I have a library of several thousand books. Mind you, I have put a dent of several hundred in that with the sorting I've done lately.

So, how do you organize books?

That turns out to be a pretty personal kind of thing.

Some get very detailed about it and set up systems like libraries with codes and all.

Some organize alphabetically.

Some even get creative and organize them by color! Might look interesting, but with all my books I'd be hopelessly lost trying to find what I want.

My choice? I organize them by categories. Some of my categories include business, arts, calligraphy, writing, financial, self-help, Christian, health and novels. I may organize within those categories as well. So for example, business books may be further organized into business planning, marketng, copywriting and so on.

With the categories, if I need a certain book, at least I have a good idea which bookcase and/or bookshelf to check out.

You can also choose to keep all your books more or less in one area or in several areas of your home or office.

My main library is in one room, but I have a couple of bookshelves in my office with books that are primarily business-related. Choose what works best for you.