One of the key elements to success is to have strong organizational skills. Organization is an excellent indicator of professionalism and the ability to prioritize. In any company as you climb the ranks, you take on more and more responsibilities…and with more responsibilities there are more things to track, record, and prioritize.
Some great ways to organize your work include:
1. Make Lists: Lists are a great way to determine what is needed to be accomplished that day. Prioritize your list by ranking the items by level of importance, than level of difficulty or time needed to complete the task.
2. Categorize Your Work: Many programs on Windows allow you to use customizable folders which you can use to categorize e-mails, documents, or files by what department they are associated in.
3. Calendars: Calendars are excellent tools to use to start your day off right! Personally I have use a white board calendar at home where I mark my appointments, I use my daily planner every day, and I have a calendar I use through outlook where I can see my meetings. I also highlight important e-mails that I need to follow back on by flagging them in Outlook.
4. Color Coding: Personally I highlight items in my planner with different colors depending on if I need to follow up on a certain item or if a meeting I have scheduled is intended strictly for me or one of my colleagues. It’s also a great idea to color code folders!
5. Have a Back Up: Save, save, save your work! You never know when you’ll be in the middle of writing a report and your computer crashes. Save your work every couple minutes. In the event your computer does crash, you should get in the habit of saving all important documents on a USB drive. Not only will it be a good back up plan, but it will also allow you to carry you work with you as you travel.
6. Time Management: You must value your time. Get into the habit of working with only confirmed appointments. You must set the precedence up front that you are indeed busy. If someone wants to work with you, they must be able to respect your time and value theirs. You should also stick to a routine schedule to make yourself more efficient.
7. Plan Ahead: Planning events ahead of time will remove stress in your life. It will also allow you to plan for the worst case scenarios as they do happen! Being prepared in any situation will give you the upper hand and will allow you to maintain control of any situation.
By utilizing these tips you will be able to accomplish your work more effectively and efficiently. If you have organized your work appropriately, you should have additional time left in the day to enjoy the things you love!
Written by: Jessica Nguyen
Investing in a Lifetime of Success,
Angela Roberts
www.craresources.com
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