How2Day: What Are Some Good Organization Skills?

Good organization skills can make working life easier. Andrew Bret Wallis/BananaStock/Getty Images
Organization skills is one of those phrases that can strike terror into the hearts of many. Otherwise successful or talented people may feel that their organization skills could be better. People who are aren't adept at organizing sometimes think there is a magic formula, but there is no quick fix answer. The truth is that the best thing a person can do to improve her organization skills is to devote some time to it.

Limit the time you spend dealing with e-mails, as this can be a huge waste of time. Check your e-mail two or three times a day and spend a set amount of time answering messages and sending out other e-mails. Explore the efficacy of meetings if you have any control over this area. Meetings can waste time unless they are chaired skillfully with a time limit on their duration.

Few people can carry all the information they need around in their heads, so develop the habit of making lists. Writing a list each day helps you remember important tasks and encourages you to prioritize. Lists should contain no more than five or six items to do. Any more than this tends to defeat the objects of prioritization and achievement. Tick items off of your list as you go.

Keep your desk tidy by having a place for everything. To achieve an orderly desk, put folders and other items away as soon as you have finished with them. Also, spend the last fifteen minutes of the day tidying your desk and putting all you need for the next day in an accessible place.

People who are efficient and who seem to achieve a lot are usually good time managers. This may mean that they get up a half-hour earlier in the morning, or give themselves an extra ten minutes to get somewhere in time. Time management skills are closely linked to prioritization. The ability to differentiate between what absolutely must be done now, and what can wait is crucial to the effective use of time.

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