Get Organized
My mother is one of the most productive people I know. She is 78 years old and still works full-time as the personal assistant to the CEO of a bank. (I come from great genes-it makes me very optimistic about my long-term future!) One of her secrets to productivity is what is often called "a tickler file." It used to be a popular organizational tool but eventually fell by the wayside. The tickler file is a reminder system based on the days of the month and months of the year. It simply consists of two sets of file folders: "1-31" and "January-December." It's time to bring that old system back.
Surveys show that people's stress levels are at an all-time high. A major source of that stress is information overload. Information arrives in five ways: on paper, electronically, via voice mail, through verbal messages, and as thoughts in your head.
Think of a 5-lane freeway. You are speeding down the highway when suddenly you see orange barrels-you know you're in for trouble. That's exactly what happens when you sit down at your desk and are overwhelmed with where to begin. Do you start with the e- mail? Most people do, but should you? The highest priority could be in the "In Box" you haven't looked at in days-or could it be the idea you had while taking a shower? You've got information overload and you need a way to cope with it.
Managing Information To conquer a stack of papers-permission slips, newsletters, report cards, bills, and articles to read-employ these five productive steps.
? Discard. I've spent lots of time promoting the power of throwing things away. Ask yourself, "What's the worst possible thing that would happen if I didn't have that or didn't do this?"
? Delegate. If you are not delegating some of your work, why not? The most productive people in the world are those who spend 80% of their time doing what only they can do and surrounding themselves with people whose talents are complementary to theirs.
? Do it now. Ask yourself, "Is taking care of this the best use of my time right now?"
? File for reference. These are things you want or need to keep for future reference. Develop or use a good filing system (like Taming the Paper Tiger, information below), so you can find items easily and quickly.
? File for follow-up. These are things you want or need to do. In the Paper Tiger software system, we place these items in Action Files so you can find them when it's time to take act on them. The task won't be forgotten because the Paper Tiger can print weekly reminders or you can put a simple note in the tickler file.
The Important Question No matter how information arrives, your first reaction is probably, "I have to take care of this now." If you are serious about increasing your productivity and prioritizing your work, the question you have to answer is, "When?" As scary as it is sometimes, you have to decide. When you determine what date to take action, put the reminder in your tickler file system. Now you have a tool that enables you to prioritize your work and to measure whether the interruption of the moment is more important than what you said you were going to do today.
When people hear about this system, their first reaction is often fear-fear of making mistakes, fear of taking on another task, fear of failure. But remember that old saying, "If you keep doing what you're doing, you're going to keep getting what you're getting!" After trying the tickler file system for the first time, one client said, "Instant peace of mind!" Are you ready for something old and better?
© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com
Latest News
Business Coalition Opposes Union Organizing Bill Women's Wear Daily - by Kristi Ellis WASHINGTON — Labor groups and the business community are preparing to square off over a bill that would make it easier for workers to ... |
Research and Markets: Community Organizing and Youth Advocacy Is a ... MarketWatch - Community groups examined in this volume advocate for and with youth in a variety of ways: through youth organizing, parent organizing, more traditional ... |
Coalition for a Democratic Workplace Launches New Print ... MarketWatch - More aptly titled the Employee "Forced" Choice Act, the legislation will effectively remove secret ballots for workers in union organizing elections and ... |
Moscow Sees No Obstacles in Organizing Supreme State Council of ... istockAnalyst.com (press release), OR - Dec 1 (Interfax) - Russia sees no obstacles in organizing the Supreme State Council of the Union State of Russia and Belarus in the near future, ... |
Culinary sees opportunity after Station makes its move Las Vegas Sun, NV - Barack Obama, lost the popular vote in Nevada’s presidential caucus this year, the union outlined to membership a series of goals, including organizing ... |
Why Liberals Need Labor: The Upcoming Battle over Labor Law Reform Huffington Post, NY - These numbers show the tremendous power of grass-roots organizing. Nationwide, according to Molyneux, 67 percent of union members of all races -- and 69 ... |
NAG Organizing Agenda Streetsblog, NY - ... areas of the neighborhood that will affect what kind of development can happen in the future. Come prepared to roll up your sleeves and start organizing! |
 PakTribune.com | India to taste its own medicine Pakistan Daily Mail, Pakistan - He is also working for RAW’s cross border operations wing, (19) Vivek Santoshi, resident of Calcutta, wanted for organizing terror attack on some US ... US, India Pressure Pakistan to Cooperate in Mumbai Probe WORLD at 0400 GMT Empathy and fear of fallout in Pakistan |
 National Clothesline | Get ready for union organizing National Clothesline, PA - Even if the worst aspects are taken out, we can expect the federal government to make it easier for unions to organize workers. Some of the compromises ... |
 Cleveland Leader | Simply Sarah Handy Hold All is Perfect for Organizing Purses Cleveland Leader, OH - Does your significant other just have way too many bags and purses lying around the house? To declutter all that mess simplysarahshaw.com has come up with ... |
Resources
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Organizing Your Youth Soccer Team
Youth soccer coaching book of over 100 drills, and exercises for beginning and experienced youth soccer coaches.
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Becoming a Professional Organizer :: Homepage
BecomingaProfessionalOrganizer.com offers a helpful resource for becoming a professional organizer.
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MP3Must.com : Unlimited Music and Movie Downloads
kazz LITE is related to a software program for trading songs. They system behind kazz LITE aims at solving problems other programs generate like slow search results, failed downloads and limited search results. kazz LITE is distributed, self-Organizing n
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Wedding Planner The Simply Organized Bride Weddings By Deborah
Wedding Planning and Organizing Guide.