Week 2 Challenge - Getting in control of your space
Before we get into specific marketing strategies in this coaching series, it is important that you organize your office.
4 D’s of Organization Your desk, files and piles are all getting worked on this week. Creating momentum with organization is one of the best ways to pull yourself up and out. When you are organized, you become more creative, feel in control of your life and are able to get more done.
To get started, schedule some quiet time (early morning, evening or weekend) in the office going through everything. Files, magazines, loose papers, drawers, etc. The first time is going to be your toughest. You probably have stacks of information that have been accumulating for years. Here are a few tips on how to dig in and get it done.
Do it. If you can take immediate action and finish the task, do it. Keeping a pile of little "to-do's" will drain your energy and keep you from being as productive as possible.
Dump it. This is easy for me. When we moved, my husband told my children to stay out of my way or they might get sent to Goodwill. But I do realize that many people struggle with throwing things out. You're going to have to trust me on this one - You will feel better if you reduce the amount of "stuff" in your office. If you haven't looked at it in some time, chances are you won't need it. You can also find virtually anything you need on the Internet. Fill up the garbage can. Then do repeat. Repeat again.
Defer it. Some things need action but are waiting on other steps to happen or it must be done on a certain day. Calendar the task and file the notes/papers in a pending file. If you have the action on a specific day/time in your calendar, your mind will be able to stop worrying about what needs to get done until it is actually time to do it.
Delegate it. There are many things that others can handle for you—let them. Utilize those around you to help you get and stay organized. Highly efficient people understand and consistently use others to get more done.
Once you do the initial purge of your office, maintaining is quite simple. This same process will apply to everything that is incoming: mail, e-mails, memos, anything that passes through or lands on your desk. The goal is to touch each thing only once—twice is maximum. Your ability to make this a habit will do more to increase your productivity than anything else. Do it, dump it, defer it or delegate. Just get it done!
Good luck on this week's task and let us know how your doing in the comments section. Stay focused, stay motivated and carry on!
How did you do with last week's assignment? Do you have an accountability partner?
Check out flylady.net
This site helps you to get and keep your home and office space clean and de cluttered. It also helps get you ready for the holidays so you can sit back and enjoy December.
Posted by: JoAnn Moore | October 27, 2009 at 04:47 PM
I look forward to your blog and the variety of information that you offer. We use a lot of the suggestions and tools to improve our sales. Your blog is awesome! Alice
Posted by: Alice Winter | October 29, 2009 at 09:58 AM