The fact that papers and documents which are trash should be thrown away and that good-to-have-material should be saved may sound obvious.
??However, ...
I do not want these structural tips to be about specific software, but about smart working methods and attitudes regardless of which software you like to work with.
But, today I would like to make an exception and ...
You can easily be led to believe that the piles on the desk primarily are an aesthetic problem; that it gives a negative impression to someone who comes to pay a visit.
Or, that it’s only a problem with order; that the piles make it difficult to find the documents you are looking for when you need them.
But, unfortunately the problem is more serious than ...
One of the most valuable components of a structured, effective, personal way of working is the weekly update.
If you in your everyday life complete and add tasks to your to-do-list, creating a continuous in and out flow of tasks, it is in itself a good thing. But it often tends to result in a situation where only the tasks of immediate importance are completed, for example the most recently added tasks or those someone recently reminded you to do.
There may be tasks here and there in the to-do-list that you added a couple of months ago, which are of vital importance for your business, but which you couldn’t do anything about at the time. Now might be the right time to complete such a task and if you do not at regular intervals go through your to-do-list, it can easily get lost in the crowd.
This is where the…
To keep and store reference material such as meeting notes, project documents, sketches, correspondence, printouts and other things so that they are easy to find when you need them, is a key factor in a good structure at work.
If we furthermore want the storage method to be aesthetically pleasing even as the material is readily available, it is a real challenge (but an enjoyable such).
A man that ...
I have a penchant for always having something with me to write or record in. It can be a notebook or a stack of index cards.
At least for me, ideas are volatile. As I mull something over ...
What do you do with all that good-to-have-material, your reference material, the things you need from time to time that are so simple to put in piles so it won’t get lost, and which you then never find when you need them the most, just because they are somewhere at the bottom of the piles?
The whole idea with this type of material is for it to be out of your way when you don’t need it, it should be easy to put away and easy to find whenever you need it.
My personal favourite solution to this problem is…
When you are experiencing more chaos in your workday than you are comfortable with and you wish to improve the structure of your day, it is fully understandable if you tremble at the mere thought of the extent of the changes needed.
Perhaps you are hesitant and are even doubtful as to whether it is even possible to change, and you might even fear that your particular situation is a hopeless case.
I am convinced that no circumstances are hopeless and I am equally convinced that you can make significant changes with small means.
Do not try to make all improvements at once, but choose to work on one aspect at a time and you will experience greater success. When the first change is done, move on to the next, etc.
Nice and easy, you will end up more structured and with more time on your hands by taking it one step at a time.
Here are three ideas on different steps to begin with.
When you are arranging your system for documents, to-do-lists, referencematerial and other materials, it is normal to ask yourself how it should be done, for instance, how should I store the documents I might need some day?
Should I put the articles, brochures or whatever it might be in binders or should I use a filing system? Should I do my to-do-lists in Outlook, in my smartphone or on loose pieces of paper?
Are you drowing in piles of paper on your desk? It may be piles of documents that you do not need at the moment but can’tthrow away because you know that you will need it later; next week, next month or next year?
The solution to this is called “the tickler file”.
Many people that I meet in my profession, says “I really would need that!” when they hear me say that I work with making organizations and individuals more structured in their everyday life.
Often, they seem dejected when they say that, almost like they feel that creating a good personal structure is far too hard for them.
As I see it, it is just as easy to create a great structure as it is to keep a defective structure. It is just a matter of habits and simple tools.
Here are nine common mistakes that prevents good personal structure and tips on how to avoid them.
