How to Get Organized When You Do Not Have Time

by Odette Pollar

Do you find yourself shuffling through stacks of papers on your desk in search of a document you were holding only a moment ago? Are you at a loss to find a place to put all the memos, reports and correspondence that comes your way? And do you ever wonder where you filed that important letter? If the answer is yes to any of the above, it is time to organize your office.

Perhaps you have vowed to get things under control, but never actually gotten around to it. You are not alone. Most of us are too busy putting out fires to think about fire prevention. Yet, making the effort to set up a neat, well-organized work space saves time in the long run and makes work easier while reducing the stress associated with losing things.

Divide Work Areas

Putting your office in shape is easy if you have a plan of action, but it need not be accomplished in one day. Break cleaning and organizing into intervals so that they do not interfere with your work schedule. For example, you might set aside 20 or 30 minutes each day to work on files. When that is completed, go on to something else.

Before taking action, decide what information, materials and supplies you use most frequently. They should be closest to you, in your desk, while less-used items can be stored elsewhere.

Where to Start

Divide your work area into sections: your primary desk, your bookcase, credenza, second desk or computer work station, and your files. Organize one area at a time. Begin with the area furthest away, such as a bookcase. Items stored there are probably less current and will be easier to make decisions about. Then move on to the credenza and finally to your desk.

Begin by throwing out as much as possible. Materials to toss include outdated versions of manuals and catalogs, extra copies of documents, information you never use and papers you did not even know were there. If you use reference manuals infrequently, send them to a central resource area for your work unit. Move information you do not need now but that retains historical value to a central storage area. Be ruthless. Throw it out if:

• It is a duplicate.
• It is no longer relevant.
• The info is readily available elsewhere.
• You do not have time to read it.

Group Into Categories

Now it is time to organize the remaining items. In the credenza or bookcase, group together like items that fall into broad categories, such as reference manuals, company information, vendor catalogs and reports. This will enable you to go to one shelf and quickly find related items. Separate and put into binders:

• Telephone lists
• Meeting records, by subject or in chronological order
• Marketing prospect call sheets.

In a credenza drawer, place all office supplies, yellow note pads and so on. Put mailing envelopes in another. Your desk drawer does not need more than one week's supply of envelopes. Save one credenza drawer for items to read.

Sort your files by use. If you touch them every three to four weeks, they can remain. If you use them less, banish them to your unit's central filing system. Keep in mind that a study by Stanford University found that 87 percent of filed paper is never looked at again.

Label each file with a broad heading that covers all the papers inside. When you find more than one file with related information and it will not be too cumbersome, place all the materials in one folder. Use nouns for file headings. For example mailing list, budget, newsletters, printing. These are broad categories that allow for flexibility. Avoid starting a label with an adjective - the, or, an - or with a number.

Anything that stays on your desk must be used frequently. Place knickknacks, family photos, clocks and souvenirs on a shelf or side table instead of your desk, where they take up valuable space and create a visual distraction. Limit personal items such as toiletries, a spare pair of shoes or an umbrella to one special drawer. Such items as a calendar, paper clips, stapler, pens and pencils can also go into a drawer. By keeping the desk surface as free of clutter as possible, you lessen the probability of losing or misplacing papers and make it easier to focus on high-priority items.

Declare War on Paper

Launch your attack on paper by going through the stacks from top down and sort into five categories:

• Requires immediate action
• Low priority
• Reading material
• File
• Discard.

With each piece of paper, ask, "What's the worst thing that could happen if I threw this away?" Unless the outcome is critical, toss it! Keep the "immediate action" stack on your desk in front of you. Put all else in appropriately labeled files or with related materials.

Develop Good Habits

• At the end of each day, clear your desk except for a "To Do" list of tomorrow's work. Assign each task a priority: A - must do, B - should do and C - would be nice to do.
• Spend 15 minutes at the end of each day clearing your desk.
• When taking notes, write information on the correct document the first time, not on little pieces of paper, which are easily lost.
• Establish a standard format for recurring documents such as trip reports, staff meeting notes and memos.

Nationally renowned speaker, author, and consultant Odette Pollar founded and directs Time Management Systems, a management training firm based in Oakland, California. Author of Organizing Your Workspace: A Guide To Personal Productivity, and Dynamics of Diversity: Strategic Programs for Your Organization, she contributes frequently to various newspapers and magazines on related topics. For more information, Time Management Systems has a toll-free number, 1-800-599-TIME.

PULLQUOTE

"Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost a part of your life.

- Michael Le Boeuf, author of Working Smart

SIDEBARS:

Five Ways to Cut Down on Paper

1. Telephone when it can be reasonably substituted for correspondence.
2. Do not send a memo unless it is absolutely necessary.
3. Eliminate needless "for your information" copies and reports.
4. Keep incoming mail off your desk.
5. Develop the habit of processing routine paper at the same time every day.

Five Steps to a More Organized Work Space

1. Determine your best work area.
2. Place most-used materials nearby.
3. Always keep things in your desk in the same place.
4. Keep a list of small, less important tasks that can be done
5. during a few minutes of slack time.
6. If you pick up a piece of paper, do not put it down without doing something that will help move it along. If it needs a reply, answer it now.

Odette Pollar is a nationally known speaker, author, and consultant to business, government, and industry. She founded TIME MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, a training firm based in Oakland, California. Her book, Organizing Your Workspace: A Guide to Personal Productivity (Crisp, 1992) is available for $9.95 per copy (plus $3.50 S & H). Call TMS at 1-800-599-TIME or mail to 1441 Franklin Street, Suite 301, Oakland, California 94612.