You don’t want to be deemed as the office airhead, do you? But, forgetting an important meeting (because you don’t maintain a calendar) or misplacing some important details (because you think sticky notes will really stick around) will make you look like one. Staying organized at work is not only about you, it’s how people perceive you.
So here are some brilliant organizing tips that may help you in staying organized at work, so that you are known for your work and not for your scattered mind.
Stop Multitasking
You may think that this advice is kind of counterproductive, but in fact, multitasking wastes a great deal of time and it also degrades the quality of your work. If you are focused on a single task at a time, you may complete it much faster.
Keep a Planner
You need to have a planner (or maybe two) to mention important meetings and deadlines that you need to remember. Some people prefer the old-school pen and paper while others prefer apps and software like Google Calendar. I use both, writing everything down helps me remember important things while Google Calendar sends me notifications, in case something slips my mind.
Take Breaks
People usually feel guilty about taking breaks during their work shift. They feel they are wasting their time by taking breaks when they have loads of work to finish. But utilizing break is really important to keep sane and maintain your focus. Taking breaks may actually make you more productive.
Chuck your Junk
You need to declutter to stay organized at work by segregating things – may it be documents or emails – into a “store” and “toss” pile. Found some expired vouchers, toss them. Came across an important report, store it. You should also try and add a third category to separate things that need to be handy.
Maintain Files and Folders
You can spare 10 to 15 minutes in each week to make sure that you store all of your work and required information in specific files and folders. You need to create folders for each project that you are working on or for each client that you are working for. You can also maintain different folders for different month – whatever makes sense for you. Once you are done with a project or task, discard all the unwanted files and folders.
What do you do for staying organized at work?