Whether you work from home or in an office, having a well-organized environment is key to getting your work done efficiently and effectively. Professional organizers often suggest following these tips when it comes to staying organized at work:
Write a to-do list each day
- Write a to-do list each day
- Review your list at the end of the day, and make sure you’ve done everything on it.
If you haven’t, then ask yourself why not. Is the task too big? Is it something you can delegate to someone else?
Professional organizers often suggest writing a to-do list for the following day before you leave work so you have a clear plan of action when the next workday begins.
It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind of life, especially when you have a lot on your plate. You may find yourself putting off tasks until later, or trying to take on too many things at once. This can lead to missed deadlines and rushed work, which can affect your reputation as a professional organizer.
Some experts suggest writing down what needs to be done before ending the workday so that you wake up ready for the next day. Writing a list is an easy way to give yourself guidance during your downtime so that when it comes time for business again, you’ll be prepared for any challenges that come your way.
Make lists
One of the most important things you can do to keep your professional organization on track is to make lists. Lists help you have a clear vision of what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, and by whom. They also allow you to prioritize tasks according as they are due first or later in time.
The best way to make a list is with a pen and paper—it’s quick and easy! But if you’re like me, sometimes those papers get lost in piles on my desk or get left at home after being shuffled around during the day (because who wants paper clutter?); it lets me create lists from anywhere so I always know where my priorities lie!
Keep track of all your tasks and duties by writing them down in one place. This could be a physical notebook or an electronic to-do list app on your phone or computer.
Keeping track of all your tasks and duties is the easiest way to stay on top of what needs to be done. This could be a physical notebook or an electronic to-do list app on your phone or computer. The key is to have one place where you write down everything that comes up during the day, so it doesn’t get lost in your mind as time goes by. When you’re trying to remember what’s left on your list when you come into work after an extended break, it can feel overwhelming and stressful because there’s no clear plan of action for getting through everything at once (or even for just one task).
A second benefit of having a written plan is that it provides more motivation when starting the next workday if everything isn’t already listed out in front of you—instead of wondering how many things need completing before lunchtime arrives again!
Keep similar things together
- The first thing to keep in mind is that organizing your professional tools and documents should be done in the same way you would organize a home office. For example, if you are storing items such as pens, paper clips, notebooks and other office materials at work, do not put them all in different drawers or cabinets. Instead try grouping similar items together so that they can be easily found when needed for use.
- Keep similar things together by storing them near each other when possible. For example: Do not store printer paper on one side of the desk while pens are on another side of the room because it will take too much time to find what you need when working quickly or under pressure during a meeting with clients or colleagues
Another effective way to help you get organized is to keep similar items together in one place. For example, don’t keep office supplies in one drawer and printer paper in another drawer.
Another effective way to help you get organized is to keep similar items together in one place. For example, don’t keep office supplies in one drawer and printer paper in another drawer. If you can, keep everything together and make sure all of your items are labeled so no one has any trouble finding what they need when they need it.
Break down big projects into smaller tasks
In order to be successful, you need to break down your big projects into smaller tasks. Smaller tasks are easier to manage, easier to start on, and easier to finish. There are many benefits of breaking down a big project into smaller tasks:
- Smaller tasks are easier to track and measure progress
- Smaller tasks can be delegated more easily
- It’s easy for team members and coworkers who want to help contribute their own knowledge
Large assignments or projects can seem daunting and overwhelming, leading you to procrastinate doing any of the work. Bender suggests breaking large projects down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
The key to tackling large assignments or projects is breaking them down into smaller tasks. “Breaking a large project into small parts makes it easier to manage, and make sure that you don’t get overwhelmed or bored with the repetitive nature of doing a lot of similar work,” Bender said.
An example of how this can work is if you are working on an assignment for a class, such as writing an essay or preparing for an exam. You could break each task down into separate steps:
- Write the introduction (this might be one paragraph)
- Write the body paragraphs (these might be four or five paragraphs)
- Write conclusion (one paragraph)
Create a designated space for everything
- Use a filing cabinet. If you have the space, an old-school metal filing cabinet can be a great place to keep your documents and binders. It’s sturdy and durable, so it’ll last for years without any trouble.
- Use a drawer. If you’re working on something small enough to fit in just one drawer (like receipts or business cards), that can also be great for organizing things into categories related to your job—and if you’re using plastic drawers instead of metal ones, they are likely to be less expensive than file cabinets as well!
- Use a shelf or basket system. Putting items like pens, pencils and erasers on display will allow them all to get used more often since they’re more visible; this technique also opens up more room on your desk surface itself so that there’s less clutter happening there too!
The more organized your home base is, the more productive you’ll be at work. Make sure you have designated spots for all your must-have supplies and tools, including important folders and documents.
A great way to make sure you’re organized at work is to organize your home base. The more organized your home base is, the more productive you’ll be at work. Make sure you have designated spots for all your must-have supplies and tools, including important folders and documents.
You should also keep a list of important phone numbers or email address details so that if an emergency comes up in the morning, you know exactly who to call and how do get in touch with them quickly.
Use time blocking for meetings and tasks
To be organized, you must first understand your priorities and what you need to accomplish. When it comes to being professional, you’ll want to make sure that your meetings and tasks are scheduled properly.
To begin:
- Schedule your meetings using a calendar app like Google Calendar or iCalendar. If any meetings are particularly important or last more than an hour, consider having them in person rather than over the phone.
- Use a task management app such as Trello or Asana for all of your tasks—no matter how big or small the task may be! As long as it’s something that has been assigned by another person within the company, then enter it into this app so everyone can see what needs to get done in order for their project/task/job/etcetera get finished successfully before deadline day arrives around December 25th… erm… I mean October 31st (Halloween).
Conclusion
Professional organizers often suggest using time blocking for meetings and tasks. This means reserving specific periods of time in your calendar for different activities. For example, you could schedule a 30-minute block each day to work on your blog posts or social media updates. Then, when you’re ready to start working on these projects, all you have to do is open up that particular section on your schedule and get started! If you don’t use Google Calendar already (which is free), sign up today so that all your appointments are synced across multiple devices automatically
