Good organisational skills are vital for getting ahead in your career. How often have you had a great idea but been unable to articulate it well in the meeting because you haven’t got your thoughts in order?
Being organised at work means that not only can you handle your workload in an efficient manner, but you present yourself professionally and hence are more promotable.
Here are five easy tips to keep on top of everything and impress your peers:
TIME MANAGEMENT
One of the classic symptoms of disorganisation is constantly running late or missing deadlines and appointments. Not only does this hit you in the wallet (think of the last minute taxis and booking charges) but negatively affects your stress level. Retain focus, don’t get side tracked and stick to the O.H.I.O principle, Only Handle It Once. Complete work to the best of your ability and file it away out of sight instead of procrastinating and repeatedly going over the same work.
COMMUNICATIONS
Your mobile telephone is probably one of your lifelines, but what about that the office telephone? If you’re right handed, place the handset on the left side of your desk so that you can free up your right hand for note taking to achieve more.
PROJECTS AND EXPENSES
Are you a piler, where you create piles of paperwork in chronological order instead of by alphabet? You hate to move the stacks because you do know that somewhere in the 2010 pile there’s a piece of paper you need for a current project.
How to avoid an overflowing pending tray? If you really do have multiple projects on the go and just can’t file the papers away, invest in a simple concertina file with 31 numbered pockets. Staple the pending documents together and drop it into the pocket with the date when you next need to follow up on the project. This system means you just check the pocket each day for what needs be done plus have the relevant paperwork to hand.
Insert all receipts for expense claims two days before the submission deadline.
PAPER TRAIL
Adopt the F.A.S.T system.
Forward or delegate to someone else.
Action it now – and move to S.
Store or file for reference.
Trash it when it’s completed, if junk mail or has not been used for 6 months.
EMAIL
If you’re inundated with emails that clog up your inbox, set up auto-filters that will direct e-mail to specific project folders will allow you to focus on one project at a time. You can spot which division sent new messages, but it will be less daunting than see all mail jamming up an unwieldy inbox.
The above tips are contributed as part of the first Extra Space Singapore National Organising Week from 3rd-9th September 2012. The primary objective of the Extra Space Singapore NOW campaign is to raise awareness in the local community about the benefits of being organised and secondly to introduce professional services and affiliated product providers to help do the job.
To discover how you can take part in the practical workshops, demos and competitions: www.asianprofessionalorganisers.com/NOW2012
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5 ways to stay on top of work
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