Organization tips and tricks

I was recently asked to lead a workshop about organizing. As a self-professed “organization nerd,” I’ve discovered that organization is really about doing whatever works best for you. I see organizing as small adjustments that help people feel like they have a little more power over their physical space and time.

organization-topics-from-workshopSo instead of lecturing on the best ways to organize, I decided to make the workshop a conversation. We started with asking every attendee the question, “what area of your life feels the most out of control?”

The answers included:

workshop-handoutKnowing it would be impossible to cover everything people were concerned about, I compiled a handout with the tips and tricks I thought would be the most helpful to share with others. My plan was to share the handout, but it has turned into a blog series with organization tips.

Future posts will include: getting stuff done, using technology to keep the information you need within easy reach, keeping papers from overrunning your life, and how to be effective at leading meetings and taking notes. For now, we’ll begin with some basic tips on organization.

General Tips

  • Be okay with not getting everything done
  • Have a place for everything, including a junk drawer
  • Have a “home” for all the things you use regularly
  • Be realistic about what you can keep up with (don’t over achieve when you organize)

You can check out the PDF of the handout I shared, or you can stay tuned for the additional posts in this series.

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