3 steps to go from overwhelmed to organized<\/b><\/h2>\n
When you\u2019re anxious and overwhelmed, your brain becomes like an overheated car radiator1<\/sup>, and your working memory starts to suffer. Not good.<\/p>\n The following steps will help you unload your working memory and bring order to your chaotic to-do list: Visual clutter can lead to anxiety and stretch your working memory thin:<\/p>\n Declutter your workspace.<\/p>\n Toss out scrap paper, shelve your books, and put your pens in the pen stand. Have a clean surface before you carry out the next steps. Brain-dump all the tasks for the day, week, and month onto a document or a sheet of paper. If your team has a project management software, take all your deadlines and tasks out of that system and compile them into a list.<\/p>\n Break down complex tasks into small steps. Get everything laid out in front of you, and then take a walk before coming back to the next steps.<\/p>\n Take a look at the master-list of tasks you created in the previous step and drop each task into one of these four categories: do, delete, defer, or delegate\/automate. <\/b><\/p>\n If there are tasks that can be done in two minutes or less (like sending a short email or paying a supplier), do them immediately and cross them off your list.<\/p>\n Is there a task that isn\u2019t really a priority anymore, and that you can actually skip? Maybe you thought you\u2019d go to a networking event, which you now no longer have bandwidth for. Strike it off your list.<\/p>\n Is the task important, but not quite a priority? Maybe you want to set up a new website, but you can\u2019t do it right now. The trick is to not just postpone the task, but to schedule it\u2014even if it\u2019s three months later.<\/p>\n Set a date and time when you can sit down and work on it, along with an estimate of how long it\u2019ll take to complete it.<\/p>\n There are probably tasks on your list that you<\/i><\/b> don\u2019t have to be the one to do\u2014tasks that you can probably outsource to an underworked subordinate or a virtual assistant.<\/p>\n These include administrative tasks like unsubscribing from emails and filling out paperwork. If you can\u2019t delegate, consider automating some parts of your work (more on that later).<\/p>\n After this process, your task list should have shrunk considerably. Document management is a real struggle. According to the Intelligent Information Benchmark Report (2019)2<\/sup>, 83% of workers have had to recreate a document that already existed\u2014because they were unable to find it on their corporate network.<\/p>\n Given the volume of documents you probably have to shuffle on a day-to-day basis, you\u2019re unwittingly feeding a clutter monster if you don\u2019t have a system.<\/p>\n Marie Kondo says \u201cClutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong.\u201d (Your files can\u2019t all<\/i> belong on your desktop.)<\/p>\n Introduce a naming convention for all your files, and keep them all in one place. Instead of having, say, Google Drive, iCloud, and<\/i><\/b> Dropbox, pick just one tool and keep everything in it. Work with your colleagues to agree upon one particular system, so everyone\u2019s on the same page.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Everyone has a few tasks that follow repeatable steps. For an HR executive, it could be payroll. For a marketer, it could be creating and scheduling posts on social media. What are yours? Break them down into their simplest possible steps. It could look like this:<\/p>\n Step 1: Download media kit from file management app.<\/i><\/p>\n Step 2: Attach media kit to email.<\/i><\/p>\n Step 3: Send to X through email app.<\/i><\/p>\n Step 4: Mark task done on project management app.<\/i><\/p>\n Step 5: Notify Y through text message.<\/i><\/p>\n This simple workflow alone consists of four different apps. Absurd, inefficient, and unfortunately, also more common than you\u2019d think.<\/p>\n To cut down the number of workflow management tools<\/a> you’re using, stick with those that bring many different functions onto the same platform. The RingCentral app<\/a> is a good example. You can hold meetings, share files, and call colleagues\u2014all from the same interface. It\u2019s excellent for highly collaborative teams and helps everyone get on the same page (and find that document): Half of Americans have more than 25 apps on their phone, but they spend most of their time on only three of them3<\/sup>:<\/p>\n And all these apps dish out hundreds of productivity-killing notifications daily.<\/a><\/p>\n Again, whenever you can, always try to find apps that can do multiple things. For example, if you remember from above, RingCentral\u2019s app lets you make video calls<\/a> and share files, sure. But did you know it also lets you schedule and assign tasks to your teammates (and yourself)<\/a>?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Make a list of every app that contributes to your workflow. Include everything from your web-based task management apps to your communication tools and file-sharing systems.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Then, get rid of the ones you rarely use, and delete duplicates. Apps like Asana, Trello, and Basecamp perform the same function: project management. You can often get by with just one of them. Make the choice and move on.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve gone through these steps, you\u2019ll probably begin to have a handle on what\u2019s overwhelming you. Now you can think of introducing a system to improve your productivity. As the author James Clear puts it, \u201cYou do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.\u201d But don\u2019t impose a system on yourself just for the sake of getting organized. Instead, build it around your personal working style and the nature of your job.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to understand that \u201corganized\u201d looks different for different people, depending on their personalities, job roles, and experience. For some, it looks like the organized chaos of a messy desk, reflective of a visual style of thinking.<\/p>\n For others it looks like massive, color-coded binders and a file system that needs a map:<\/p>\n There are literally hundreds of productivity systems<\/a> and techniques to help you be organized. Each has its own strengths and drawbacks.<\/p>\n There\u2019s David Allen\u2019s Getting Things Done (GTD) method for people who love lists and Bill Westerman\u2019s pen-and-paper Getting Sh*t Done (GSD) method for people who don\u2019t. Try bullet journaling if you\u2019re more of a visual thinker or Zen To Done (ZTD) if you prefer something fuss-free.<\/p>\n If what you need more than anything is a time management framework, try time blocking, a technique that asks you to create a \u201cwhen-to-do\u201d list based on your most productive hours, instead of just a \u201cto-do\u201d list.<\/p>\n Its variant, the Rock, Pebbles, and Sand<\/a> framework, stops you from overloading yourself, while the Maker\/Manager schedule<\/a> helps you control the draining effect that administrative work and meetings can have on your creative problem-solving time.<\/p>\n Pick one (or build one) that suits you<\/i><\/b>, and then stick to it. Forcing yourself to adapt to a system that\u2019s antagonistic to the way your brain works sets you up for failure and self-loathing.<\/p>\n Before you plunge into any productivity rabbit hole, set drastic resolutions, or prepare to embark on Marie Kondo-ing your entire life, take a deep breath and ask yourself the following:<\/p>\n Jokes apart, the chaos from overwhelm is not something that corrects itself overnight\u2014especially if that night is a sleepless one. According to research by the National Sleep Foundation, overworked medical professionals reported 300% more fatal errors4<\/sup>.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t always have control over your workload. But you do have a say in getting your sleep routine in check.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1<\/sup> ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC6351483<\/a><\/p>\n 2<\/sup> go.m-files.com\/Global-IIM-Benchmark-Report-EN-US.html<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\nStep 1: Clear out your desk<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Visual](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image3-9.jpg\")
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\n<\/a><\/p>\nStep 2: Organize your task list<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n
1. Do a brain dump<\/b><\/h4>\n
2. Do, delete, defer, or delegate\/automate<\/b><\/h4>\n
Do<\/b><\/h5>\n
Delete<\/b><\/h5>\n
Defer<\/b><\/h5>\n
Delegate\/Automate<\/b><\/h5>\n
\n<\/a><\/p>\nStep 3: Take stock of your docs<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n
Refine your workflow<\/b><\/h4>\n
\n![\"RingCentral](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image5-75-1024x560.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\nReduce the number of apps and tools you use<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Half](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image4-92.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"RingCentral\u2019s](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image1-138-1024x821.png\")
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\n<\/a><\/p>\nThe best ways to stay organized at work<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/image2-3.gif\")
<\/p>\nBefore you try these tips to stay organized at work, do this<\/b><\/h2>\n
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