Published May 2001

Disorganized? It’s time
to ditch office clutter

Q. I was distressed to learn during my recent manager evaluation that I was rated “below average” in organization skills. While I rated “superior” in all other categories — budget management, personnel management, departmental productivity, among others — my low rating in the organization category dropped me into the “excellent-very good” range that severely limited my bonus. What does being personally organized have to do with getting the job done, which I am obviously doing according to all my other ratings?

A. As a young military officer, I had a very similar experience. Being young, and rather naive, I asked my commanding officer the same question. While I, too, ranked at the highest levels of performance and as a top candidate for promotion, my commander looked at my obvious organizational shortcomings as a “warning sign.”

“No matter how high you are rated in other areas, you will always be expected to improve as you gain experience,” he said. “Sooner or later, your messy desk and lack of a proper filing system will begin robbing you of the mental energy and time to make those improvements.”

Being and showing that you are disorganized is like a chronic disease. You are choosing not to manage your paperwork, your required reading, your filing and your computer files. Your disorganization has become a habit, one that must be replaced by making different, and more reasoned, choices.

As a workplace columnist, I have had the good fortune of learning from some of the nation’s top organizational consultants. Here are some of their suggestions:

• Maintain one primary calendar, preferably a Personal Information Manager, a software program that will store all appointments, your “to do” list, important telephone numbers and e-mail addresses, and notes.
• Inventory each item on your desk. For “hardware” items (Rolodex, disk holders, stapler, tape dispenser), keep only those you have used in the past week, placing the others away but within reach. Place each piece of paper you find in one of four boxes labeled “out,” “route,” “doubt” and “sprout.” Anything you will not reasonably use again should go in the “out” basket. Material that should go to others place in “route.” Materials you can’t decide on should go in “doubt,” and pieces you know you’ll use should go in “sprout.”
• Place a “pending” folder holder or file within reach. Place pending project files that are not on your daily “to do” list here.
• Put like things together. Mail should be placed together until opened. Bills should be opened and clearly marked with the date of payment, etc.
• Be folder “savvy.” Limit the number of pages within a file folder to 20. Limit to three the number of file folders in each hanging file holder.
• Be briefcase smart, placing a file with articles or reports to be read in your briefcase so you can begin reading them if left waiting for an appointment.

Your goal is not to immediately “feel” completely organized. Start with one or two goals using these and other organization suggestions. Once accomplished, move on to others.

Eric Zoeckler operates a marketing communications firm, The Scribe, and writes “Taming the Workplace,” which appears Mondays in The Herald. Contact him at 206-284-9566 or by e-mail to mrscribe@aol.com.

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