Have you ever been asked during a job interview if you have organisational skills? I guess you have, mainly if you had applied for a position linked to project management or to lead a team. The person interviewing you needs to find out if you are fit to handle multiple tasks and help others with doing their jobs. And the skill you need above others is knowing how to get organised.
Organisational skills help you manage, prioritise, plan and execute everything you need to do. Simply put, organisational skills make you more productive, efficient and focused.
Unfortunately, we overlook the importance of getting organised as other skills, like negotiation and communication or even critical thinking and problem-solving, seem to take over. But in a world overloaded with responsibilities and distractions – getting organised is crucial and your only way to get thighs done and thrive.
I hear pretty often: getting organised? Me? Impossible; it’s just too much, too stressful, and too demanding! Actually, it is more stressful to work without proper organisation, as the amount of TO DO’s will overwhelm you.
So, think about this: nothing important happens without organisation.
So, wouldn’t it be worthwhile to learn how to get organised?
And the following tips and strategies will be very useful for you. It is my own list for getting organised:
Focus on your Goal and the actions you need to take to achieve it. There will always be distractions, difficulties, competition, threats and temptations. Every day when you start your working routine, remember your Goal. If you have an action plan outlined – review it and check your progress and next steps. If you don’t have a plan, write down 3 actions you can take that day to move closer to your Goal.
Break down significant challenges into small steps. Your actions don’t have to be huge; even small activities can help you build the habit of getting organised. If you face one significant task and keep postponing it as it seems like an enormous mountain to climb, build a staircase and take one step at a time. Don’t get fixated on “earning more money”, “turning my business around”, or “travelling the world”. Instead, plan for more specific and attainable things:
Plan visually. Having an idea, a dream, or an original speech in our heads is one thing – quite abstract and dangerously ambiguous. Having an outlined and detailed plan is an entirely different thing. It is specific and realistic. Turn your plans into a print and display them on your walls (not your desktop, schedule, or phone). Make sure you read, update and review them every day. Visual representations are a powerful way to get organised – they will help you and your team.
Don’t cheat on yourself. Procrastination is about cheating. Now, how would you like somebody to cheat on you? I bet you don’t. So, could you not do it either? You are jeopardising your progress. Getting organised and setting goals will help you deal with procrastination. Unfortunately, there is no magic pill. It would be best to ignore all the propaganda on social media with tips that guarantee success. There is only one way to deal with procrastination: think about it as the “time thief” – you are stealing your own time and wasting it away. Like Olive Burkeman says in his book, we live about 4000 weeks. It’s our time, and we should be used it, not waste it.
Get a “chaperone” – I admit this might sound like a bizarre and desperate remedy to getting organised. But it is highly effective. Initially, the purpose of a chaperone was to accompany or supervise young people on social occasions and make sure they behaved. Whilst socially, it is quite an outdated concept, the principle works in business. It is a blend between mentor, sponsor, coach and supervisor. That person will follow up on you and help you get back on track when you get deviated or stuck.
Setting clear, specific goals and getting organised will help you achieve your objectives efficiently, in a productive and, I dare to say, fast way. So, work on developing this skill. Then, you will be ahead of the curve.
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