In a recent post I made the case that effectiveness can be learned. I also included a bottom line definition of effectiveness as: “Getting the right things done.” As you know from previous articles and from the core message of my book, “Moving from Activity to Achievement,” I believe strongly that just being busy and being productive are often mutually exclusive.
Being effective means being organized. It’s impossible in my view to put yourself in a position to get the right things done if you’re not able to organize your work environment. To that end, I’d like to share what I believe to be five keys for getting organized, thus putting yourself in position to be more effective. Those five keys are:
Keep Your Work Area Organized
The starting point for ramping up your effectiveness is getting organized. Clutter increases stress and diminishes your ability to focus. Clarity Deficit Disorder (CDD) has reached epidemic proportions in our society today – and if CDD isn’t an official disease in the U.S., it should be.
Keeping your desk or work area clutter free is one of the easiest and simplest ways I know of to increase your effectiveness. Create a file system that’s easy to understand and easy to work with. We don’t file things because we don’t think we’ll be able to find them again. Try this: file your paperwork in one of three categories: by someone’s name, by subject, or by organization. This way, you’ll only have three places to look for that elusive paperwork.
Develop Productive Routines
Darren Hardy, the publisher of SUCCESS magazine, wrote a terrific book last year titled “The Compound Effect.” In it, Hardy strongly recommends creating daily routines in order to become more effective. He suggests, for example, bookending your day with a morning and an evening routine. Start and end your day with a routine. A morning routine will help you get off to a great start by reading something inspirational or motivational before going to the office – or checking email. An evening routine allows you to review the day’s events, determine what worked and what didn’t, and make a plan for tomorrow. I’m sure you can think of other productive routines to develop as well.
Develop and Follow Checklists
Think about it: if pilots use a checklist before every flight, why shouldn’t you put together a checklist or two for tasks you perform on a regular basis? As a professional speaker, I can tell you that checklists are invaluable. I have a checklist for a phone interview with a prospective client. I have a checklist for packing for a trip, one for assembling a client folder, and one for making sure I have all the materials I need for a keynote speech or a workshop.
Create Systems
This is especially important if you’re a small business operator with limited or no staff. Creating systems for filing, invoicing, and for returning phone calls all contribute to your effectiveness and productivity. Automating your most important and productive activities will make your life a lot less stressful. Part of systematizing your programs and daily activities is being able to “batch” similar tasks.
Returning calls at the same time of the day, scheduling time for reviewing reports, writing, project review, and preparing reports all allow you to develop what I call “time mastery.” Put simply, that means controlling what you can control and that means controlling how you’ll use your time throughout the day.
Putting It All Together
I know, “stuff happens” that can, and often does, take you out of your game plan for the day. That being said, you have much more control over your time than you give yourself credit for. Staying organized, developing routines, putting together checklists for routine tasks and systematizing your day – lead to an organized and productive life. So, stop blaming, stop complaining, and control what you can control – which, of course, is YOU.