Spring Cleaning for Your Schedule
June 2004
“Spring has sprung, the grass has riz. I wonder where that memo is?” It’s time for spring cleaning and organizing, at work as well as at home. Many of us tend to collect too many things, handle them too many times, and bury ourselves in unnecessary chaos. I know better, and I do it too. So how can we organize ourselves best?
First things first: if you don’t have a PDA or a daily planner, get one. There is a reason there are hundreds to choose from; everyone wants to see information just a little bit differently. I am a paper person myself, so I use a daily calendar. However, I also need to see the month at a glance, so I have both formats in my book. (Thank you to the woman who suggested this while I was in the store bemoaning the lack of just the right format for me. They used to make them, and stopped. Apparently I really am statistically insignificant…) This does mean I have to enter data in two places – but I jot down general stuff on the monthly, and then use the daily sheets to enter specific times, contact names, directions, etc.
Make sure you have all of your information about business appointments in one place. Just last week, I found I had entered everything I needed about a client into said planner -- except her phone number. Of course that was the one thing I needed when my car broke down on the way to meet with her. I had the address, I had the task list, I had my promotional materials, I had everything but the kitchen sink -- and her phone number. Luckily, she was in the phone book, so the day was saved.
Make lists. I regularly run into people in my Time Management and Project Management seminars who insist that they can keep track of everything in their head. Bully to them, I say. Just wait a few years….and they will be list-making with the rest of us. Make your lists in a place that will be useful. Small scraps of paper or the backs of envelopes may be handy, but they also get lost easily. My desk used to be covered with them. Now I have adopted a method a friend uses – I keep ONE spiral notebook by the phone. Only information from phone calls goes there, and all of it goes there. The book does not leave its location. Therefore, it cannot get lost. Yes, I may have to write that information down in other places as well, but I don’t have to worry about losing it altogether.
If you rely on electronic technology to organize yourself – make darned sure you have a backup that you can get to easily, use easily, and update it regularly. If you have any sensitive information about clients, don’t put it in something you carry around. In these days of identity theft, clever thieves can make the most out of a relatively small amount of personal information.
Use some form of a dated file. You see them in catalogs everywhere – a letter/envelope holder that has 31 slots so you can organize bills and envelopes by when they have to be sent. I’ve seen people do the same thing with file folders – on a rotating basis. This is a good way to make sure things that are time-sensitive don’t get lost in the mix.
Handle every piece of paper once and only once. File it, fix it, or recycle it. Those should be your only three choices. (Or shred it, if there are any identifying numbers on it.) Truly organized folks have this one mastered; I’m still learning. And if you don’t have an assistant to see that this happens, you will have to police yourself. I tend to ‘file by pile,’ which works to a certain extent, but has its limitations. When I get too busy, the piles get too deep to be useful, and I spend far too much time moving piles around. If a folder doesn’t exist for something that you need to keep – make one on the spot. It’s too tempting by far to set it aside for later – don’t succumb!
Get rid of things. If you don’t have to have it for inventory, legal or tax purposes, jettison. A clear space, whether it’s a filing cabinet, your office, or your reception area, is conducive to clear thought. If you are not skilled at getting rid of things (it’s ok – I’m a pack rat too), hire someone to help. Julie Clark, of Organized At Last, is a professional organizer – yes, there really is such a thing. She and others like her help those of us who firmly believe that you should never throw anything away in case you may need it someday. What I find is that I generally only need something, and always need it, about one week after I get rid of it. I may have held on to it for one month or ten years; invariably I don’t need it until right after I let it go. I’m sure there’s a lesson in there somewhere, but that’s another story and another column. Here is what Julie has to say about her clients’ experiences: “When my clients shed belongings and gain order, it’s as though a weight is lifted off of them. I can actually see their lives get easier.”
So, purge, clean, sort and organize. Invest some time into clearing things out and making a specific place for everything to live. Figure out your lists, your contacts, and your filing in ways that make sense to you. The best administrative assistant I ever had used a method with file folders that I found insane. However, it worked, and she kept me more organized than I’ve ever been. The important thing here is to find what works for you, and STICK TO IT. If you can lay your hands on what you need when you need it, you’ll have more time to work more effectively. And that’s good business.
Ramona Abbott helps businesses maximize their efficiency, effectiveness and group dynamics. She utilizes proven techniques that are fun and affordable to help you improve your workplace in a variety of ways. She welcomes inquiries at 360-398-2606 or ramona@EssentiallyProfessional.com
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