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What exactly does being organized mean?  Does it mean that you remember everything you need to do for the day?  Does it mean that you have a place for every piece of paper that comes across your desk?  To me, being organized is being in control.  To be in control is to be proactive as opposed to being reactive.

Organization starts by having goals.  Goals for the hour, morning, day, month, year etc.  Once I have identified my goals, I write down what I need to do to accomplish them.  This helps me clarify where I am now and where I need to go.  Some experts suggest that you take it one step further and rate or number your tasks by priority. 

Now, how do you respond to the many events and circumstances that present themselves throughout the day?  For example, you are focused on a task that needs to be done today and the phone rings.  Do you: a) answer the phone or b) let it go to voicemail.  Before you answer think about this…..if you answer the phone you may lose your train of thought, get into a conversation that takes more time then is necessary, and you may even sacrifice getting your task completed.  If you let the call go to voicemail…..you stay on task, you may even finish your task, and you can call the person back with 100% focus on their question or concern.  Option B sounds like a Win-Win situation!

As one of our TTN course providers notes, there are a list of time wasters to be aware of throughout your day:

• Telephone interruptions
• Meetings
• Drop-in visitors
• Fatigue
• Inability to say “no”
• Poor delegation
• Lack of deadlines
• Poor filing system
• Socializing
• Gossip
• Unclear communication
• Poor instruction or unclear line of responsibility

 Did you nod your head while reading through this list thinking, “Yep, I encounter at least on of these every day!”? 

Try focusing on being proactive instead of reactive throughout your day. This will help manage your time and lower your stress level… and I’m sure we can all use that. Adding some specific organization to your day can help you feel in control and accomplish more on your list.

“The five essential entrepreneurial skills for success: Concentration, Discrimination, Organization, Innovation and Communication.”

                                                                          -Michael E. Gerber

Posted by Jenny Ellingen
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Tags: control, goals, organization, time wasters
Categories: Miscellaneous