Holding the Reservation
Anyone who knows me, even if only for a short while, knows that I am incredibly disorganized. I have notes, papers, and half-finished projects strewn all about. I’ve been making an effort over the past several months to try and bring some sense of order to the madness. I’ve not yet created a system that works well for me, but I’m starting to get there. I’ve learned a great deal along the way, much of which should be useful for others. Below are five areas of consideration when developing your own organizational system.
- Find a System That Works for You
- A clear way to input information
- A clear way to extract information
- The ability to manipulate information
- The ability to organize information, including setting priorities
- Incorporate Paper into Your System
- Stick with the System
- Your Workspace is Part of Your System
- Be Prepared to Make Mistakes
- Your adjustment is part of the system. It takes time.
- You may not have incorporated part of your work style into the system, or your system does not incorporate it in an efficient manner.
The first step in establishing a good system for organizing your information. This is a highly personal, individual system.
Any good system will have a few key elements to it, including, but not limited to:
For example, I’m using a combination of software systems to try and filter the signal from the noise. I’ve become quite taken with a task management application called Things. The app is clean, simple and well-suited for organizing and prioritizing my day-to-day. The app, in my opinion, does not do well for project planning or managing complex tasks. For that, I’ve been playing with an application called Process. I got a free license for this app, but I’m not especially fond of it and will probably be looking for a replacement soon. If anyone has a suggestion for me, please post it in the comments section. I’d really appreciate it!
A word of caution in designing your system: it is much easier to start with a system designed by someone else than to create a system from scratch. My biggest failing was to try and create my own system from the ground up. This was a huge waste of time, not only because I was reinventing the wheel much of the time, but because I was incorporating the same organizational flaws into my system.
I’m a huge fan of using technology and information systems in organizing my information. I like the ability to get feedback, observe trends and otherwise be able to manipulate my personal data in any number of permutations. I love to have instant feedback; it’s what motivates me the most. The problem is that software doesn’t always help me to clarify my thoughts nor are they convenient.
To solve this problem, I carry a small notebook in my back pocket all the time now, and I often prefer to use it over my computer or iPhone to get ideas out of my head. I then sit down later and decide whether or not to add my assorted random thoughts into my workflow.
When I was studying for the bar exam, my instructor taught me that putting pen to paper creates a special type of learning pathway, no matter your learning style. To that end, make sure you include “dead tree storage” in your system, even if only as a backup.
One of my favorite scenes from Seinfeld takes place at a car rental counter. Upon learning that the car he had reserved was not, in fact, available, Jerry points out to the attendant “you know how to take the reservation, you just don’t know how to hold the reservation.” The same holds true with any organizational system. You can put all the information in the world into the system, but if you don’t use the system, it does nothing for you.
This is without a doubt the most difficult part of starting the new system. The easiest way to work with the system is to make a habit out of it. It takes about 2-3 weeks to make a habit stick, so make an extra effort to use the system during this time frame.
Often overlooked in organizational process, but very much related to the process, is incorporating your work environment into your system. Where do you work best? Do you like lots of noise or stone silence? Keep in mind how you work best when designing your system.s
Fact: your organizational system will not be perfect at first. In fact, it may never be perfect. This is not a problem. There are two keys to remember when you start:
Mistakes are not a problem, especially early in the transition process. Knowing what doesn’t work is as important as knowing what does work. Don’t be afraid to make minor adjustments to your system. A word of caution: if you think something is not working, try to figure out why. You will be much better off trying to make minor adjustments than abandoning the element entirely. The latter is a slippery slope back to disorder!
How else do you get organized? What lessons have you learned through trial and error?
Photo Credit: “Fire Hazard” by pvera
