Do you feel like you’re always struggling to stay afloat at work? When you go home at the end of the day, do you feel stressed by your workload? Do you forget to complete tasks you’ve committed to? If so, you might be surprised to learn that taking just 15 minutes at the end of every day will help you become more organized at work.
To get organized at work, leave 15 minutes at the end of each day to complete the following tasks:
Check your calendar. You should keep one calendar at work on which you organize everything from appointments to deadlines. Take a look at your calendar before you leave work so that you can see what you have on your agenda for the next day. Better yet, look ahead to the coming weeks to remind yourself of any upcoming deadlines.
Review the notes you’ve taken that day. Writing everything down from the day (notes from meetings, requests from coworkers, telephone messages) in one place will help you stay organized at work. Review the notes you’ve taken to determine whether any new “to-do” list items or goals have emerged.
Organize your email. A disorganized email inbox can make anyone feel disorganized at work. Any read messages should get filed to their appropriate folder. Take a look at any unanswered emails and decide which you will commit to taking care of tomorrow.
Make a to-do list for the next day. Maintaining a to-do list is the absolute key to being organized at work. You should have all tasks and appointments written down on a to-do list. The list may be ordered chronologically, by category, or by priority level. Keep a “Keep In Mind” list for items that are not immediately relevant but that you don’t want to forget about. At the end of the day, check off your accomplishments and add any new tasks or goals. Choose a feasible amount of tasks to accomplish the next day, and put everything else in the “Keep In Mind” list.
Clear off your desk. Leaving the office with a clear desk will help anyone feel more organized at work. You should have a file folder for each major component of your job, as well as for any miscellaneous papers, such as human resources forms or reading material. You should also have an “In Progress” folder. At the end of the day, move all loose papers from your desk into their appropriate files.
Finally, cross your day off the calendar. Not only will this help you to put the day aside and mark your accomplishments, but it will also help you keep track of where you are in the month and how close you are to approaching deadlines and goals.
Once you’ve worked these 15 minutes into your daily schedule, you should find you are much more organized at work. Even better, when you leave at the end of the day, you’ll feel more able to put work aside and enjoy your evening!
