Oganization is the Key to Success

I remember working with a guy who always said, "How can you be lost if you don't know where you are going". I think this rings true for many people in today's world. They are always busy, yet don't seem to accomplish much. With some people that is by design. They are paid by the hour so appearing to be busy is much more important than actually completing a task. However for the majority of people wasting time is not a luxury. They are constantly under the gun to get things done with a never ending list of tasks. Their boss has no concept of time and is only looking to have answers and results for their boss. This trail leads all the way to the top. Often the president or owner of the company works just as hard if not harder trying to keep up with the demands of the whole company.

What can be done to stop this vicious cycle? One of the best ways to maximize productivity is good organization. You need to have a plan of attack, so to speak, that prioritizes tasks and clearly spells out what is necessary to complete the task. How much time is wasted trying to figure out how to do something before you actually do it? How much time is wasted having meetings to talk about doing something? If an agenda is developed and adhered to, much of your wasted time can be eliminated.

Roles and responsibilities need to be defined, so everyone knows exactly what is expected of them. This eliminates someone worrying about what someone else should or should not be doing. Reasonable time lines must be put in place. If a project starts to fall behind, you need to find out why and adjust accordingly. Sometimes it could be human error, or simply conditions that are out of your control. Complete one task before moving onto the next. While multitasking sounds impressive, trying to juggle too many balls simply causes you to drop a few.

If you develop a daily plan, prioritize the tasks, and stick to it, you will end the day with a sense of accomplishment. Remember you will never be done, just try and be done for the day as tomorrow always allows you to take another crack at it.