Being a leader is about living your life in a way that inspires or encourages others. Here is the 10th in my series of monthly newsletters, each with a section on the skills you need so you can be a leader of your life. To lead is to serve. If you make it your goal to do the best that you can and to help people, then you can't fail. I encourage you to commit to keep learning.
The content below is extracted from Mike Holt's Leadership Skills - Taking Your Career to the Next Level.
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Being organized not only saves you time but reduces your stress. |
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Not everybody is organized - some people just aren't. But keeping your schedule and your workspace orderly and systematized is the only way you're going to be able to get your job done properly and be as effective as you can be.
Being disorganized can be so overwhelming that you don't know where to start to clean it up, and in many cases, you just won't do it; you'll walk away and do something else. This simply perpetuates the cycle. Break it down into smaller manageable pieces and do it in stages. But don't put it off.
Start getting organized and you'll see results:
- A place for everything. Create a system to "file" everything, whether it be physical items, books and papers or electronic information. Invest in filing cabinets, storage boxes or bookcases and label them. If you don't have the time or the discipline, or even the skills, find an assistant or a colleague to partner with you.
- Become more efficient. Looking for misplaced items wastes time and reduces your productivity. If your office is stacked so high with piles of stuff so 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 definitely won't be able to get the job done efficiently. There'll be people who will tell you they can always find what they need in their disorganization, but it's not beneficial or productive.
- 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. You'll be able to focus on the job at hand if that's all you have in your line of sight.
- Reduces stress. Seeing the disorganization of your stuff has a negative impact on your mind. Clutter and unfinished projects can make you feel overwhelmed, tired or depressed. Not only can being organized reduce your stress, but it might also allow you to work more ener-getically.
- Saves you time. Having everything organized and at your fingertips will save you time when working on any project and allow you to use that time for other projects or for a much-needed break.
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 look for articles on the Internet that address those specific needs; you'll find tips, ideas and guides that can change your life. Decluttering can be cathartic and free you up to do things you would never have thought you had time for.
Organizing the things around you will reduce your stress and improve the amount of control you feel you have 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.
We'd love to hear from you about this series, and the ways you're using it. Send us your comments and feedback by clicking on Post a Comment below. Look out for the next part in this series a month from now, and please share with your colleagues.
To review or catch up on previous newsletters on business and personal development click here.
The above content is extracted from Mike Holt's Leadership Skills textbook.
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