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More about Getting Organized: Rule of 3

By Jan K., The Proofer and Rick Subber

 

If you’ve missed the first article in this series, the go to: “How to Get Organized Enough So That You Can Be Organized: The Rule of 3, Part 1” (http://tips.janktheproofer.com/Get-Organized-Part-1.htm).

 

Now that you’ve begun to be organized enough to actually get organized, it’s time to get more specific about “organizing” your time and your “stuff.” Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, a department supervisor, a telecommuter, or a self-employed work-at-homer, you need to get a firm grip on what you need to accomplish during your day, every day, along with the stuff you need to handle or save. This next Rule of 3 will provide the kind of real-life get-organized tips that will help you to successfully manage your time and your stuff, minimize redundancies, and maximize your daily efforts.

 

1. Keep two TO DO lists.

            The first TO DO list should include only what you really need to do today, without fail. It should be a short list, and the TO DO entries should be listed in the order in which they need to be done. A helpful hint here is to guesstimate the amount of time each TO DO will require. Round out the time in lots of 30 minutes, and then allow an extra 30 minutes for the “fiddle factor” (to compensate for the 10 minutes you spend trying to find the jumbo paperclips that you bought specifically for this project…and now you can’t remember where you put them).

            The second TO DO list is for the things that you want to keep on your radar screen. These are things that you have to do tomorrow, later in the week, or by the end of the month. A helpful hint here is to keep the TO DO entries in chronological order, and leave room on this list in between entries so that you can jot down notes that pertain to that activity.

            You might now be asking why you should have two TO DO lists, since having one TO DO list seems to be the more efficient way to go. OK, here’s the answer: A comprehensive (and likely never-ending) TO DO list is daunting and can be psychologically depressing. You scan the list of 27 things that all need to be done, realize that 2 of them need to be done by noon (and it’s already 10 o’clock), and you are left feeling so overwhelmed that you give up and sit in front of the computer mindlessly playing Free Cell (or my personal favorite, Spider Solitaire).

            You can end up spending more time reading, revising, and managing your TO DO list than you spend on actually doing anything. Therefore, maintaining two lists, one for the short list of “must do it today” things, and one for the rest of the projects and activities that are coming up, helps to keep your focus on what really needs to be done now.

 

Bonus Tip: Create an IT’S DONE list! Once you’ve finished each activity, stroke your ego and make an entry on your IT’S DONE list. If it is a regular activity (daily, weekly, monthly, annually), then jot down how long it took to complete it and any notes that will help you when you have to do it again. And if nothing else, at the end of the day, point to your IT’S DONE list to justify why you’re so pooped and need to order take-out for dinner!

 

2. Keep track of your time.

            If you think you’re not well organized, then write down in detail (OK, not minute-by-minute, but maybe in 15- or 30-minute chunks) what you’re actually doing. You’ll probably be surprised when you are literally able to see how much time you’re spending on doing things that aren’t on your primary TO DO list. However, this exercise might prompt you to revise your primary TO DO list and/or help you to realize that the activity that you got sidetracked on is actually something that doesn’t need to be done until next Tuesday. As you begin to get disciplined about how you spend your time, you should be able to refine both of your TO DO lists so that they are more realistic and better serve to keep you on track---today and for the near-term look-ahead.

            Of course, there are some things that are essential---you can’t avoid them---like eating, sleeping, doing the grocery shopping, or answering the phone 15 times every hour. When you get comfortable with managing your time on a daily basis, manage your TO DO lists accordingly to automatically allow for these can’t-avoid-’em activities. You’ll know not to expect to complete a 4-hour project in a 4-hour time block during which you realistically only have 2 hours to devote to the task.

            And if you’d rather not deny yourself some time for those other exasperatingly appealing time-wasters, like searching online directories for old high school chums, then build some playtime into your daily primary TO DO list.

 

Bonus Tip: Give yourself a running start for tomorrow. Resist the temptation to leave your deskful of working clutter "as is"--that won't make it easier tomorrow because you'll just have to "re-discover" every idea and every piece of paper. Use your last 5 minutes of the day to organize your desk, refile or throw away loose papers that you don't need any more, and put the remaining unfinished work in priority order (jot down reminder notes if needed) for a quick start on tomorrow's TO DO list.

 

3. Filing and organizing your “stuff.” There are two rules about “stuff”: Make sure you really need to save it and then determine where you are going to keep it.

            Rule #1: Try really hard to read it/look at it/use it/do it now and then throw it away. For most of “the stuff” that you are contemplating “saving for later” there is an exceedingly high probability that you never will look at it again (be honest, you’re already thinking about the drawer stuffed full of newspaper and magazine clippings, aren’t you?). For the rest of “the stuff” that you are absolutely positive that you are going to use or want again, like that intriguing recipe for pickled pears, there is a better-than-even chance that you really won’t get back to it, no matter how appealing pickled pears seems to be right now while you are reading the recipe. The key is to be brutally honest with yourself about whether you are truly ever going to look at it, use it, or remember why it is you saved it in the first place.

            Rule #2: For “the stuff” that you’ve decided you must save---reports, mail, magazine clippings, printouts, email messages, and other miscellaneous items (like that recipe for pickled pears)---figure out how to file it or store it so that it is reasonably accessible when it comes time to use it.

 

Bonus Tip: Devise a system of filing or storing stuff chronologically (by month, by year). For loose papers (like credit card statements, bills, and other reports), consider using an accordion file folder, 3-ring binder, or box with hanging folders. Have one section for every month. As you come across stuff you want/need to save, file it in that month’s section. Now, record some essential information about that piece of paper by making a dated entry for it in a Word document.

            For example, if the March issue of Home & Garden has handy cleaning tips, like instructions for getting blackberry stains out of a tablecloth, cut it out and file it in the March section of your folder/binder/box. Now, in your Word document, make an entry: “March 200x, removing blackberry stains.” Two years from now, when the backyard barbecue bash has left you with a blackberry-stained tablecloth (bless Aunt Tillie’s heart for bringing her mouth-watering blackberry pie), you can open the Word document and search on the word “blackberry”---and voila! The entry for “March 200x, removing blackberry stains” pops up, directing you to your 200x filing system. You knew you had it, and now you know exactly where to find it.

 

Bonus Tip: There’s always going to be some stuff (like tax returns) that you must keep and can almost bet on the fact that you’ll never look at again. This is the kind of stuff that you put in a labeled and dated box and stow in the basement, the attic, the garage rafters, or on the back shelf in the hall closet. Try to keep all of these types of boxes in one place. If it is something that you only need to maintain for some specific “legal” time limit, then write on the box the date that it can be discarded. Next year, when you file away that year’s box of similar stuff, look for the now out-dated box and discard it. (For personal financial records, it is advisable to shred it or take it somewhere to be shredded.)

 

Getting organized and learning time management skills is not as tough as climbing Mt. Everest, but it often seems that way because we are typically overworked and overtasked, and the average TO DO list would kill a horse. The concept of getting organized/time management is not the idea of figuring out how to fill every minute of every day with HIPPs (Highly Important and Productive Projects). Rather, you should work toward lightening the load by prioritizing the must-do tasks while ignoring the can-wait tasks, realistically estimating your ability to complete the tasks (have I allowed sufficient time, do I really have that much time today, and do I have what I need to complete the task). By creating a structured (albeit flexible) TO DO list you will have the short-term courage and motivation to stick to tasks at hand---and still have time to track down good old Bob, the class clown, or lose a few rounds of Free Cell.

 

Jan K., The Proofer is a freelance copyeditor and proofreader. Visit http://www.jansportal.com for more information about Jan's free crafts, recipes, tutorials, other resource sites, and free content articles, as well as Jan’s business services. Be sure to visit Mom's Break (http://www.momsbreak.com/) for free printable crafts and projects. © Copyright 2005 to present. All rights reserved.

Rick Subber, retired, was a planning and market research manager for The Morning Call, based in Allentown, PA. He is now an adjunct faculty member at Moravian College, teaching management, marketing, and other related business skills. Visit Rick’s website at www.rsubber.com.

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