How To Organize Your Work Life – 17 Tips For Success

Ready to organize your work life?

Perhaps something has triggered this realization that you would like to become more organized at the office.

Maybe your home is your office and that’s ok! All of these organizational tips and strategies work for you as well.

The important thing is your willingness to make some changes. Spending a few moments an hour, a day, and/or a week can change your perspective towards everything.

Your ability to be organized will set you up for the next big promotion, raise, or transfer that you’re hoping to obtain.

1. The To-Do List

Everyone should be making a to-do list. This does not have to be in a fancy binder with the words “To-Do List” at the top like you’re in high school.

This is a professional, organizational tool that you are utilizing to keep your life in order.

You have to get everything out of your mind – and onto paper. This is such a simple, overlooked step that can transform your life.

Find out what works best for you. It could be digital, on paper, utilizing an app, whatever works.

You need a tool to guide you through your growing list of daily demands. When something pops up, immediately add it to your list so you aren’t forgetting later.

2. Set Priorities

Know what’s most important and what can wait.

Form a list in your mind now of what order you should prioritize your tasks.

For example, a request from your boss that takes minimal time and effort should be placed at the top of the list.

Making a phone call to a vendor asking them to make a visit in a month isn’t a priority and should be at the bottom of the list.

Some people like to write numbers next to things on their to do list. Or organize the list digitally based upon the order of priority. Do what works best for you.

The most important thing to remember and to know is what comes before what.

3. Set Blocks Of Time

Setting blocks of time isn’t something I always do. I do it when there are a massive amount of items on my to-do list and I need to keep myself in check to finish them all.

I am holding myself accountable while staying organized by setting blocks for each item on my to-do list.

This works like magic. It keeps me in check. I usually designate more than enough time for each task and still have free time after I’m all done.

When I finish something early and have time, I’ll check my emails, take a break, or add something that popped up unexpectedly.

4. Do Not Multi-Task. It’s A Trick!

I’ve mentioned how I feel about multi-tasking in many of my other articles, so I won’t spend too much time talking about it here other than the following:

It doesn’t work. You can accomplish so much more when you focus on completing one thing at a time.

When you multi-task, you will knock out things more slowly, if at all. A lot of things will be left hanging.

If you were keeping a to-do list handy, this would annoy you because you wouldn’t be able to ever scratch off anything from your to-do list.

5. Declutter And Think Minimalistic

Keep the items on your desk that you actually use every day. Find a holder for your pens, markers, highlighters, and scissors.

If you’ve worked at your currently employer for years and you have a ton of things that were given to you or you purchased specifically for the office, take them home if they do not add value. Do not feel guilty about taking things home.

Walking into a clean office (or house) starts my day off feeling organized and up to speed. It allows me to concentrate on what I need to.

6. Delegate

This depends on the line of work you are in. However, I’ve seen too many people try to take on everything themselves when they should have been delegating some of the responsibilities out.

Make sure if you have a team, or work with a team, you are delegating a reasonable amount of work. Do not overload yourself trying to take on too much because you feel like you can’t depend on your team. Surround yourself by people who make you better.

Check out this article if you’re having issues delegating.

7. Digital Distractions

Yes, I have Facebook and Pinterest and Tumblr and a huge amount of other apps that want to alert me of something throughout the day. Costco wanted to tell me about their huge sale earlier and that distracted me from what I was doing. I immediately when into my settings and stopped Costco from being able to send me notifications.

I’m not saying you have to go as far as turning on the do not distrurb on your phone.

What I am saying is that these distractions that are happening throughout your day are causing you to be less organized and on task. Staying on top of your game means being engaged.

Within the last year or so, I started receiving popups on my desktop as well. Make sure these are all turned off.

Also, make sure you are unsubscribing from anything you don’t read every time it pops into your inbox. It takes two seconds for you to end these unwanted distractions.

8. Minimize Meetings

If you are sometimes (or always) the meeting organizer, limit the initial time.

So often, I find myself dragged into meetings that are designated for one hour. I feel like everyone makes their meetings for an hour. I don’t even know why. What takes an hour? Don’t be that person. Give people their time back to accomplish tasks. This will give you time back as well.

I try to make every meeting thirty minutes or less. If I put a thirty minute block on someone’s calendar, I plan to keep it to a maximum length of thirty minutes.

It will also speed up decision making and small talk discussion if everyone in the room knows they are out of that room by the thirty minute mark. There’s no time to waste.

9. Take Breaks

Being burnt out is a real thing. You need breaks. I take breaks throughout my day. Sometimes I squeeze in a nap in the afternoon.

I accomplish more when I am fresh back from a break. My mind is ready to tackle everything I left open on my to-do list.

If you are working through your breaks, try a few days with a break. Slowly working through each task while your mind is wandering is getting you no where.

Take the five to thirty minute break and come back at full speed. This is investing in your mental health.

10. Large Projects Should Be Divided Into Smaller Tasks

You can’t expect to place a 50 page PowerPoint presentation on your to-do list and finish it in one day. However, you could put pages 1-5 of the PowerPoint on the list and finish that in one day.

The point here is to not overwhelm yourself by pouring on too much in one day.

Organize your large projects into smaller mini tasks. Everyone dreads working on something that is going to take up a ton of time. Make the project more manageable by breaking it up.

Reward yourself when you’ve completed the smaller mini tasks by taking a break, playing a game on your phone, or maybe taking yourself out to lunch.

11. Don’t Save The Worst For Last

Usually, there’s something on my to-do list that I just don’t want to do. It’s either more time consuming than the others or I simply find it dumb I have to do it.

Regardless of your reasoning behind not wanting to do it, do it early. Bite the bullet and get that crap work out of your way.

You will feel better as you move throughout your day if this to-do list item isn’t hanging over your head.

12. End The Day With Your Mailbox At (0)

Stay on top of your emails. When you have free time in between tasks, go through the emails you’ve received and reply or delete as necessary.

Some people believe that there’s no way to stay on top of all of the emails that they receive. They feel that ending the day at zero is nearly impossible most days.

Spend some time taking yourself off of the emails that are not necessary and bring you zero value. Unsubscribe to all emails that are junk. Ask to be removed from email lists that do not apply to you.

If there are emails you are receiving that you haven’t opened in a year, get off the email list.

If there’s an email you received that requires work to be done on your part, don’t leave the email unopened. Open it so you can get your mailbox at (0). Then write the task you need to complete on your to-do list. Email at (0) and to-do list complete – Check!

13. Utilize Voicemail

Who even calls anyone anymore? I have my cell phone where all the important people call me (boss, family, friends, a few co-workers). And then I have a Zoom phone where calls are transferred to me. Rarely is the Zoom caller someone other than a salesperson. I never answer this. I never even keep it open so it could possibly distract me.

Let these calls go to Voicemail. The important ones, like from your boss or kids, you should be catching. All other calls – is it hurting anyone letting it to go voicemail? No. Is it helping you stay focused and on task? Yes.

14. Go Paperless

Digitalize everything you can.

The one thing I keep on paper is my to-do list. However, there are a ton of apps out there you could utilize. I’ve used Google “Tasks” off and on and I find that a close second to my notepad.

Find ways to make your life digital. To organize your work life, you should have minimal clutter surrounding you. Papers floating around do not get you to “organized status”.

Keep your digital life organized by creating properly named file folders on your computer. Include the date at the beginning of some documents to help you find things easily.

15. Have A Routine

Wake up at the same time every day. Journal or meditate for five to ten minutes every morning. Take a minute to stretch. Walk your dog for twenty minutes before your shower.

After you write your to-do list at the office, stand up and take a breath. Walk to the coffee machine before you get started with your day.

The goal is to change chores into habits!

You wake up and brush your hair every day right? It magically changed from something you put on your to-do list to something that is automatic and you just…do it. Obviously, there are consequences we don’t want to face if we don’t brush our hair. Think of everything on your list as having some type of consequence.

16. Invest In The Supplies You Need

For two months, I got up every time I needed scissors because I did not have any in my office. Scissors are like $5. I was also wandering the hall interrupting everyone else who was working so I could ask “Anyone have any scissors?”. I did this maybe eight times before I finally bought the scissors.

Eight times x five minutes = 40 minutes of wasted time.

Go ahead and have the supplies you need close to you so you aren’t interrupting your day searching for something that could have easily been purchased long ago.

17. Organize at Home

Home life has an impact on our work life. If we are not organizing our time at home, it is going to make organizing our work life more difficult.

Make sure you are getting enough sleep.

Keep a calendar at home to keep track of what you and your family has going on and coming up. I have this one, which is a little bit fancy but it’s in my kitchen so it’s worth the price.

Try to know the meals for the week on Sunday. Plan out your weeks and days. Having a tidy home life will help you be able to focus on keeping your work life organized.

I hate bringing up a to-do list again but it gets the job done at work – use it at home if you have day-to-day tasks you need help keeping track of in addition to the family calendar.

Finally, Say No.

Never be afraid to say no to something.

The only recommendation I have is to never flat out moan and say “No” immediately when someone asks for help.

I suggest saying something like:

• No, I’ve got a full plate right now but perhaps you could check in again with me next week?
• I’m not very educated on what you’re asking for help on, but perhaps you should ask Karen? I know she’s been working on something similar.
• I wish I could, but I’m in meetings back-to-back the rest of the week.

Good luck on changing your organizational habits!

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