Skills Library

Organizational Skills

(for organizational skills in regards to prioritization, see Time Management)

• Has a method of organizing their workspace i.e., neat and tidy desk, clearly labeled folders in email and Google Drive, etc.

• Retrieves information in a quick and efficient manner

• Practices version control and titles and saves documents with a consistent and distinguishable nomenclature

On-The-Job Practice

• Practice mise en place. Mise en place is a French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "everything in its place." Be in the mindset that every item you own has a home.

  • Try this: Using a label maker or tape and marker, label where each item on your desk belongs i.e., stapler, mouse, pen holder, etc. After you’re done using any item, make sure you put it back in place. At the end of the day, if an item is missing from its home, find it and return it to its home location. Keep this a daily habit so you don’t waste time looking for items when you need them.

• Document your workflow/process. Not only will this be helpful to you, but for others who may go through the same process in the future.

  • Try this: For each time-consuming task, set aside time to create a step-by-step document on how to perform the activity. Title the document appropriately and share it with pertinent parties.

• Find a process and stick to it. With so many apps and ways to organize your workspace and tasks, we can find ourselves even more disorganized when we’re managing multiple notebooks and task lists i.e. post-it notes, notebook of to-do lists, calendar reminder, email sent to yourself, etc.

  • Try this: By now, you should have experimented with more than enough methods to organize your to-do list. Choose 1-2 that works for you and eliminate the rest.

Resources to Learn More

Articles

• =Createdly: The Easy Guide to the Goal Setting Process by Amanda Athuraliya

• Huffington Post: 7 Tips to Organize Your Workspace and Stay Productive by Elizabeth Laiza King

• Huridocs: File Naming Conventions: Why You Want Them and How to Create Them by Kristin Antin

• Make Use Of: How to Organize Your Google Drive Like a Pro by Dann Albright

• The Muse: 8 Fast and Easy Hacks to Organize Your Desk by Tikva Morrow

BOOKS

• FYI For Your Improvement by Michael Lombardo & Robert Eichinger - Chapter 39: Organizing

• The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

PODCASTS

• iTunes: The Minimalists (Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus discuss living a meaningful life with less).

Videos

• Netflix: Tidying Up with Marie Kondo by Marie Kondo

• YouTube: Organize Google Drive With Colors and Icons by Simpletivity