I receve an online newsletter from a company related website that focuses on work related issues. I thought this would be helpful to some of you and that hopefully you would be able to use at least one or two of the tips. Feel free to add a few of your own.


GETTING ORGANIZED AT WORK

When your work life is organized, you’re able to be more productive. But getting organized at work takes time and energy. Papers pile up, meetings and deadlines eat up large chunks of your day, and phone calls, co-workers, and e-mail all compete for your time. Here are some tips on managing your time and on getting and staying organized at work.

-Keep your desk clear of all but current projects and the items you use on a daily basis. A desk clear of all but a few essentials will help you feel in control of your space and make it easier to focus on the task at hand. If you have nearby shelf or cabinet space, place your plants, knick-knacks, and photographs there.

- Clean out your files, shelves, and drawers regularly. Discard or
archive anything that is outdated or unnecessary or that you haven’t used in two or more years.

- Check e-mail just two or three times a day. Checking e-mail too
frequently interrupts your work flow and eats into your productivity. Try checking e-mail when you arrive at work, at lunchtime, and toward the end of the day.

- Prioritize e-mail. Respond to urgent messages right away, but create electronic files on your computer or in your e-mail program for all others. Categorize these according to the name of the project or person who sent the mail, the follow-up required, and the time-frame for your reply.

ORGANZING, MESSAGES, DEADLINES AND TASKS

- During busy or rushed times, let your voice mail pick up messages if possible. Check your voicemail two or three times each day and return calls.

- Don’t use e-mail as a substitute for conversation. A brief phone call may accomplish what might take several rounds of e-mails.

ORGANIZING YOUR TIME

- Arrive at work early or leave late. If possible, arrange to get work done when others aren’t around.

- Avoid multitasking. It may seem like you’re accomplishing more if you do two or three things at once, but you will be more productive and produce higher quality work if you give your undivided attention to one task at a time.

- Just say “no.” Avoid taking on extra work during busy times. Only attend meetings that are essential or mandatory.

- Do your part to keep meetings productive. Be on time. Come to the meeting prepared for the topics at hand.

- Confirm appointments the day before. This will head off problems due to miscommunications or scheduling conflicts.

- Set priorities and deadlines. Determine which tasks are most
important and do these first. Be sure to give yourself enough time to get the work done, but not so much that you don’t feel a sense of urgency about it. Be prepared to reprioritize tasks as circumstances change.

- Cut back on other commitments in your life when you are in a period of work overload. A general rule of thumb is that when you take on a new commitment, you should drop an old one.

- Schedule in extra time each day. Give yourself extra time traveling to and from work so that you don’t feel rushed. Try to find a few extra minutes in your schedule each day to organize your thoughts and your things.

STAYING ORGANIZED

- Keep your workspace supplied with the things you need to do your job.

-Use your free time wisely. When on “hold” on the telephone, sort the papers on your desk.

- Do a quick pickup at the end of each workday. You’ll feel better
coming in to an orderly workspace and you’ll feel more ready for work.


When you organize your work place and adopt efficient work habits you’ll find that over time, the steps you take to maintain order will become second nature.

Copyright 2003 Ceridian Corporation. All rights reserved.

Wow, that's great Energizer....job hunting right now in my chosen career path, that's very helpful, thanks....:)

When I read this I think of all the piles I have around my desk! There are some good points. Such as checking you email less often. I check it the instant I see it come in and I get a lot of email each day. It is a constant interruption and very hard to resist as I am in email-centric company. I can go some days only getting two to five calls. But EMAIL... it floods in. Then I also check my personal Yahoo email, which is most of the time just junk.

That Arrive at work early would be a good thing for me...It seems I always feel behind. Even if it was 10 minutes early, that would help me to collect my thoughts, maybe make a list, and just feel on the ball. Ususally I get in about 10 minutes late, I am on salary, I usually don't leave until about 10 or 15 minutes after I am supposed to.....that early thing, and the email thing, I am going to try both of those out.

Good article, thanks for submitting it.

Your welcome all. I just to be a late person, an thanks to the help of someone I now arrive to work about 30 minutes early. Of course I have to finish getting dressed since I get there at about 6:30 am. But I find that I am at my best early in the morning and towards the end of the day I get less focused and more anxious. Also getting there early allows me to get settled, get my coffee or coke, my breakfast and put my things away and even stop and chit chat with a few early arrivals without disrupting the flow of the rest of the office.

My supervisor at work is always checking is e-mail. You can walk up to him and ask him question, and in the middle of the question, he checks his email. But he gets so many and yes some of them relate to us and need immediate responses.

So energizer, how do you feel about the fact that when you go up to your supervisor and ask him a question and in the middle of his answer, he checks his e-mail?:) Does that bug you?

Yes actually it does. To me it is no different than when you walk up to a co-worker for a work related situation and they are on the phone on a private phone coversation.

But I have to admit, that my supervisor is a really great guy.....so putting it into that perspective, it is the least of my worries. He has even gotten upset over emails before and said a few choice words and will come back around to me and apologize for his behavior. I could not have a better supervisor than I do now.

From your mouth to God's ears....may I get a supervisor as good as yours in my first job...wow you have one that apologizes for his wrongdoings...what a concept!.......it's good to hear a "good boss" story....generally all I ever hear about are not so great bosses.....Let's see this is a work related thread...I'd like to hear what else you like about him....or what he does to make his employees feel appreciated? If anything?

For Christmas, he gave each of us this soft stuffed animal. They are so squeezablly lovable. I got this mouse and it is round and fat and makes a great pillow or even something to hold on to when you sleep.

He learned that sometimes in order for me to understand something that he is explaining, he has to take a piece of paper and draw it out for me. He realized that I am a visual learner. He is even patient and makes humor of the fact that sometimes I miss part of the directions.

He has a great sense of humor and is fun. He is very laid back.

If I need to have a gripe session about something or a concern, he listens and most of the time agrees.

The thing I like most about him is we think alike on most work related issues even our boss who we don't understand.

well I think you should print out these comment you have made about your boss and give them to him to let him know how much you respect him for respecting you and your disadvantage in the work force.

Good for you for have what it takes to relize and respect the privalage of having a understanding supervisor

Ill bet you go to great efforts to do your job as well as you can for yourself and for him.

Energizer: I agree with everything Garry has said...totally...:)

Stuffed animals from a boss?? for a Christmas present?? How unique and creative....and thoughtful....:)

I seem to have a problem. I know that this job really isn't a good job fit for me... but I don't really feel like I have a choice. Organization has been a problem- and though I have strived to achieve as much as I can... it's hard. Mostly I find myself getting frustrated because I have to do so much. I work for a dental insurance company processing claims. Right now I'm not meeting up to their "standards" I have to answer phone inquiries from insureds- check my email- process claims/adjustments- go through necessary reports- send information on to other departments for review-

The company feels smart because they send out emails telling everyone if something has changed with guidelines or policies... I'm a visual person dam***! I cannot read something without trying to figure out what it means! I've tried to ask my lead - but she always seems too busy & when I do ask her a question, she seems overwhelmed herself. I used to be very confident that I could do the job. However, my confidence has slipped to the point where I'm afraid I'm going to get fired if I don't improve. Plus I'm paranoid that no one there likes me anyway- so what would it matter. The company seems to like to let go of people.. and I'm the only one employed between my husband and I. I've know people who have been without jobs for over a year before finding something because the job market is just that tough these days!!!

So ... long story short....

Even if I dislike my job & don't feel like it's a good job fit, I can't give up because I could hurt myself & my family more. I've been continuing to look for other opportunities.. but it seems people are more likely to say ... Sorry but we're looking for someone with more experience or what have you.

Well, that's all for now.. thanks for the organizational ideas though.. I'll try to do some of those at work. See what I can incorporate in my day.

Janet