Ideas

Ideas come and go all day long. Make a habit of writing down all your ideas as you think of them. You can revisit them later and screen out the bad ones.

Need More Desk Room?

Store basic office tools in a drawer. Items such as paper clips, the stapler, spare staples, ruler, rubber bands, etc., stored in a drawer means more work space on the desktop and makes your desk look and feel less cluttered.

First Things First

You have a long to-do list for the day. Where do you start?

Do the most important task first. Schedule and complete the most important task on your To Do list during the first 15 minutes of your work day. Not only will get the most important task done, but the feeling of accomplishment will set the tone for the rest of the day.

Clear Your Desk and Brain, Too

An uncluttered desk frees your mind from distractions and keeps you focused on tasks that require immediate attention. Keep only the items on your desk that relate to your current project.

Your Peak Time

Are you alert in the mornings? Hit a second gear in the afternoons? Use your most productive time to do your most productive work.

No Such Thing as Miscellaneous

Be specific in labeling your file folders. Filing papers in vague folders labeled miscellaneous, future or stuff wastes time having to go through that folder each sheet of paper one by one. If the paper is important enough to file, it should be clearly categorized in your filing system.

Find Your Organizing Style

There are many different ways to be organized. Do what works for you. Some people like their papers filed out of sight, others need to have certain papers visible. Some like color-coding, others find it too much of a bother. Some people like to keep their calendar on a computer, some prefer a paper planner.

Are your employees very busy doing paperwork which is no longer necessary?

Questions to ask to answer this question:

Why are we collecting the data?
Where does the data go?
Who uses the information?
Even if we continue all or part of the process, what shortcuts can be taken?

Less Chaos for New Employees

Less Chaos for New Employees. Even the best new hires may flounder if they walk into a chaotic environment.

1. Discuss and set goals with the new hires and meet with them daily for the first few weeks.

Have them shadow a co-worker.

If you have various departments in your business, have them attend staff meetings or spend some time in each department so they can see the big picture.

Provide written procedures for repeated tasks.

5. Let them know who to go to for help if they are in a pinch or overwhelmed.

How Not to be Late for Your Next Appointment

Leave time to get there. Leave yourself plenty of time to get to your
destination. Don’t underestimate traffic time or try to squeeze in a stop to the
bank or dry cleaners. Think in terms of when you need to leave in order to be
there on time, every time.

Be considerate. Squeaking into a meeting or event at the last minutes looks
unprofessional and insensitive to the host. Show courtesy to others by
respecting their time. If something unexpected does arise, call immediately to
let your party know you are running late.

Write down all appointments and meetings, the dates and time. Don’t
rely on your memory.

10 Tips to Work More Effectively at Your Desk

1. Handle each piece of paper only once, keep paperwork moving.

2. Remove all the papers from your desk you are not working on. This prevents lost or mixed up files.

3. Put limits on visits and phone calls, if you can.

4. Use your high productivity hours for your top priority projects.

5. Establish a place for everything and put it back in its place.

6. Concentrate on one task at a time.

7. Do not over schedule. Leave some time each day free from appointments.

8. Tackle time-consuming projects in stages.

9. Plan your day the last 15 minutes of the day before.

10. Write down your ideas.

From the No More Chaos Inbox: Email

Dear Beryl,

I was on vacation for a week and I have thousands of emails in my inbox. I am totally overwhelmed. How can I regain control? Help!!!

Susan


Dear Susan,

Schedule 15 minutes a day to work on your email. Focus only on emails during that 15 minutes. No phone calls, no interruptions. Take each email one at a time and make a decision. The decision: put it in a folder, respond to it or delete it. Do that with each email...one at a time. Do this for 15 minutes every day until the backlog is caught up. You will be amazed at how many you can get done in 15 minutes.

Beryl

11 Tips for Working More Effectively

1. Control interruptions. Limit visits and phone calls.
2. There are only three things you can do with a piece of paper. FAT - File it, Act on it or Toss it.
3. Keep only the project or papers you are working on out on your desk. Put away other files and papers.
4. Keep like items together and put everything back in its place.
5. Take breaks and relax every so often.
6. Doing one thing at a time will help you focus and get tasks done quicker.
7. Do not schedule 100% of your day. Leave at least 30% for interruptions.
8. Break projects into small, manageable tasks.
9. Do your most important tasks during your peak energy level time.
10. Determine your priorities before you start the day. Use the last 15 minutes of the day before to plan for tomorrow.
11. Write everything down. Appointments, ideas, phone numbers, people's names...everything.

Organizing Experts

One day last week I was at a business meeting. I was there a few minutes early and was chatting with some others that had already arrived. One of the women asked me a specific question about organizing. I answered her as fully as possible. She tried to argue with me! I just stopped the conversation and walked to get a drink of water to get away from her.

It amazes me at the "experts" out there! To ask me a question and then to argue about it is just ludicrous. How would she felt if I asked her a question about her profession and then argued when she tried to answer?

Let's "Go Play"

When I started No More Chaos, one of my goals was to help those frustrated by being unorganized. That is still my goal. I want EVERYONE to have routines and systems in place to do what they have to do quickly and easily so they can get on with life...doing what they want to do.

Anyone that has a home, whether buying or renting, has laundry, dishes and certain chores that never, ever go away. We all have certain papers we have keep and be able to find.

Anyone that has a business has paperwork and filing to stay on top of.

The quicker and easier we get those necessary chores out of the way, we quicker we can get to playing or working or realizing our goals. It really is that simple!

When my son was growing up and would grumble about having to do household chores, I would tell him that "there is no men's work or women's work. It is all work and all has to be done. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we can go play."

That is the concept behind my organizing business. I want to help people put simple systems into place so they have time to "go play".