Jeff Davidson - 60 Second Solutions: Organization

JEFF DAVIDSON

INTRODUCTION

Do you feel overwhelmed by the never-ending lists of responsibilities and tasks that need to be completed? Are you caught up in an unyielding cycle of work that makes you feel as if you are always running behind? Do you find yourself brushing up against deadlines, often completing projects after they are due? If so, you are not alone.

60 Second Solutions Organization has been written with you in mind. These simple tips can help you to restore order to any area of your life, whether it is your desk or office, your wardrobe or your home, your car or your garage. The idea is that you should dip in to find a solution that works for the situation you find yourself in. from workplace to cyberspace, from our personal life to our professional one, we could all benefit from being more organized. all you need to understand are a few guiding principles and hands-on techniques as outlined in this indispensable little volume.

continuing to live a disorganized life makes as much sense as studying 10 hours for a 15-minute quiz

DISORGANIZATION IS COSTLY

The negative effects of disorganization may be wreaking havoc on your career, though you may not even realize it. Being disorganized sends out a negative message to others. Your colleagues may be reluctant to ask you for help because your office looks so out of control. This may apply to you if recognize any of the following behaviours.

• Do you end up leaving important tasks unfinished because you are not sufficiently organized to complete them?
• Are you behind schedule more than others in your company?
• Do you have difficulty finding important documents or files?
• Do you forget about important meetings and appointments?
• Do you have an inability to let go of projects you are working on?
• Does a backlog of outdated material hamper your ability to take advantage of current challenges?
• Does the clutter around you diminish your productivity?
• Are you putting in overtime more frequently than youd like to?

The above are problems disorganized people know all too well. and if being disorganized is having a negative affect on your career, consider what it might be doing to your personal life. if you suspect that your health and happiness is at stake, its time to face up to the task of getting organized.

disorganization is often associated with stress, anxiety and illness

RESPONDING TO LIFE

Becoming and staying organized requires effort and thought, but in the long term it will save you time and give you peace of mind. However the truth is you have to spend time to save time. it can help to think of getting organized as preparing to respond to life.

No one is born with organizational skills. We all have to learn techniques along the way. The key to becoming and remaining organized is to recognize how valuable it can be to have everything in order. Then you can make the necessary changes to cut through the chaos. i estimate that for most people this will take the equivalent of about three full weekends and four to five weeknights.

being organized is essential to a successful career and a happy home life

Most people have too much stuff and too little space to store it in. But heres an important principle: more space is seldom the answer. Deleting the nonessential from our lives (throwing things away) and filing sensibly what we judge necessary to retain is the only solution. it is almost a guarantee that you are holding on to too many items, stuff you have over collected and things you have over filed. You need to go back through the places and spaces in your life to review what is essential to you.

HOW ORGANIZED ARE YOU?

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you definitely need to take action now.

organizing is an exercise in control, efficiency and peace of mind

Even if you have an ultra-demanding job and considerable professional and personal responsibilities, you can regain control. if youve resolved to get organized, then youre well on the road to achieving your aim.

The author would like to thank subject matter experts for their inspirations: Michael Gershon MD, Barbara Hemphill, Robert Fritz, Nancilee Wydra, Jim Cathcart, Nicholas Lemann, Robert Cooper PhD, Stephen Hawking PhD, Don Aslett, Dr Wayne Dyer, Robert Levasseur, Jaclyn Kostner PhD, and the late David McClelland PhD, Vilfredo Pareto and Earl Nightingale.

part one

EMBRACING POWERFUL PERSPECTIVES

SOLUTION 1

ORGANIZATION CAN BE FUN

By choosing to pick up this book, you have clearly shown that you want to improve your life and your career by becoming organized. You have the power to achieve your goal of becoming organized, and to follow through with this in all aspects of your life.

You have the ability to summon your own personal motivation to overcome the challenges and roadblocks in your path. And the good news is that getting things in order can be fun, or satisfying at the very least.

AMAZE YOURSELF

When you actually commit to get organized, you sometimes astonish yourself by how much you can accomplish in a relatively short amount of time. What if you were to spend one day, one morning, or merely the next hour putting things in order? What if you treated the activity as if it had vital importance in your career or personal life? if you considered getting organized to be of great importance then, like other important things in your life, you would do it.

self improvement: the ability to motivate yourself to achieve your personal goals at home and at work

LITTLE AND OFTEN

Make a start today. Examine your desktop, desk drawers, shelves, filing cabinet and storage cupboard to see what you can get rid of. This includes:

• Outdated directories or instruction manuals you wont use again
• Outdated flyers, annual reports, PR materials, announcements, catalogues and invitations
• Magazines more than two years out of date
• Get rid of scraps of paper and rough drafts
• Memos, correspondence, reports and any documents that do not have to be retained If you dont find anything search again!

when it comes to getting organized, how you decide to approach the task is up to you

QUICK FIX: MAKE IT FUN

• If you have to rearrange shelves, make a game out of rearranging them efficiently