Keeping your schedule and workspace systematic, neat and orderly is the only way you’re going to be able to get things accomplished and be as efficient as you can be. Being disorganized results in a perpetual cycle that becomes so overwhelming that you don’t know where to even begin to clean it up. More often than not, you just won’t do it. You’ll walk away and do something else. Not everybody is organized—some people just aren’t. If you’re one of those, find a partner and share the tasks, or better yet, have them organize you!

Once you start getting organized, you’ll quickly see results:

• A place for everything. Work as a team and make everybody a partner in keeping organized. There are people whose workspace has stuff all over the place. They’ll tell you they can always find what they need in that jumble, but it’s not beneficial or efficient. Looking for misplaced items wastes time, increases stress, and reduces your productivity.
• Become more efficient. If your office is stacked so high with piles of stuff that you can’t see your desk, or there’s such a mess in your truck that you can’t see the floor, then you won’t be able to find anything when you need it. And you definitely won’t be able to get the job done efficiently.
• Clean work area. Take the time to clean up your stuff! Organize it, put it away, or get rid of it (if it’s not necessary to keep). Invest in filing cabinets, storage boxes, or bookcases, and label them.
• Reduces stress. Seeing the disorganization of your “stuff” has a negative impact on your mind. It’s so overwhelming you don’t know where to start, and in many cases, you just won’t start. You’ll walk away and do something else.
• Saves time. Organizing your things will not only save time when working on a project, it will reduce your stress and improve the amount of control you feel in your work and life. You certainly won’t be a leading example for anyone on your team if you or your workspace looks disorganized.
  

Identify the areas where you feel you need help in getting organized, whether it’s with your workspace, your filing system or your appointment calendar. Get books or research the internet for articles that address those specific needs. You’ll find plenty of tips, ideas and guides that can help “change your life.” Decluttering can be cathartic and free you up to do things you would never have thought you had time for.

I wasn’t a very organized person, but I’ve gotten better over the years. My system for organization is having someone around me who is! I do work very hard to be organized, but I also rely a lot on others around me. They have different skills and a different focus than I do. Learn to work together as a team with others at home or at work to create an organized environment.
—Mike Holt