Last time I blogged about the fact that I literally have a minimum of an extra hour a day due to being more organized.

Perhaps you struggle with the same thing and need some tips. If I can stay organized so can you!

Here are a few things I did:

1. Put everything on my desk. (It was overflowing and made for a great "before" picture)
2. Sort items into four piles. Delegate, Action Required, Project, Read and Review, Trash, Possibly and Information.
3. Tackle each item. Start from the top.
4. If an action item will take 2 minutes or less then do it immediately. If it will take longer then assign the next step. For example, if I need to make a call I will add a task to my outlook and add the phone number.

Some of these ideas are taken from David Allen's book, Getting Things Done.

Organization of my office took 2 full days to complete. No phone calls or emails allowed. This kept me focused on the task at hand and in the end I knew were everything was and had a trusted system.

I now sit down at my desk and open my calendar and begin my day with my tasks. I file things immediately after use. In the past, I always felt that I did not have time to put things away. What a mistake. I can now move quickly and efficiently through my day.

Oh and by the way, at the end of the 2 days I had a beautiful "after" picture!

Labels: business life, getting things done, more time, organized office, professional organizer