HELP!!! I need tips on how to be organised at work

[Luredbyapomegranate]

Please can share what simple systems you use to hold back the chaos. ESPECIALLY if you lean to being naturally disorganised/ADHD and have somehow cracked it. (You genius you.)

I have a professional job managing people and projects, so I’m not a total muppet, I just would get a lot more done/feel less stressed/have more time off if my shit was more together.

Thanks to anyone who answers this call..

@TheAverageUser

1. First thing "eat the frog", do the thing you don't want to do /keep putting off first.

1. Answer emails immediately if you can solve it then and there.
2. File any emails you don't have an action in but it's FYI
3. I put actions I can complete that day on post it notes in front of me and longer term on my to do list. I use 'To Do'
4. At the end of the day write up and then review all your tasks.

Also I've always played a dangerous game where if the person who is doing something is competent then I don't even keep the email / follow up, I just forget and trust them to do their job.

I'm a digital project manager for 15 years.

Thank you.

Yes I think Eat The Frog is a REALLY good idea

If you have adhd I found this book amazingly helpful. By far the best strategies I've read:

Organizing Solutions for People With ADHD: Tips and Tools to Help You Take Charge of Your Life and Get Organized https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1592335128/ref=cmswwrcppapiglttiE02BN777ZJ3MY6S8BBGP

It's all about simplifying and keeping things visible.

And remember the killer with adhd is that however good a system you put in place the issue is an inability to stick to it. Not cracked that one yet. So the best system will be something really simple that you can come back to if you forget/don't flow it for a few days/weeks but still be able to pick it up again without too much difficulty.

As people have said. I flag emails that need action but can't be answered immediately.
Then I also use reminders in outlook.
Eat the frog is good. But I also use post its on paperwork as mini reminders.
After I write a running to do list. I also do a 3 must do's everyday.

I have my to do list in excel. A spreadsheet showing date task is needed by, who gave me the task and a column for task details. I then colour code depending on urgency, whether it is part actioned etc and I type status updates in another column (e.g. if a task is part done but I'm waiting in info from x before I can complete). These way you can sort by colour, date, etc but it also saves you from writing out lists constantly. All complete actions can be moved Iver to a 'conpleted tab too so you always have a record of recent tasks in case you ever need to refer back

Sorry just realised all the typos in my last post - I apologise I was speed typing while doing another task!

Emails, I read then delete, action, delegate or task. If tasked (just right click on the email and create a task) decide on date it will be actioned. My outlook is set up to show the tasks as a pane on the right hand side so I can see what's due (or overdue) each day. I don't have any folders for emails (if I need to refer back to an email I can search for it in my deleted item folder) - for me filing emails or writing out to do lists is just time I could be spending doing work. I appreciate it suits other people though. My task list in outlook is very much my to do list.

I usually try and spend some time on a Friday afternoon reviewing outstanding tasks to see if anything has been done/no longer relevant/needs a new date to action it etc. and clean up anything outstanding in my inbox. Also I review my notepad for any tasks that have come out of meetings/calls that need to be transferred to my task list so I don't forget about them. Score out the page when everything I need has been transferred. It means I start the week with an updated inbox and task list and knowing what I need to get done.

I don't have any folders for emails (if I need to refer back to an email I can search for it in my deleted item folder)

Obviously this doesn’t apply to you, but to anyone else reading, check your organisation’s settings before doing this! My company sets email to permanently delete anything after it’s been in the deleted folder for 30 days.

Haven't read entire thread so others may have suggested this.

I have ADHD and a senior challenging fast paced role

I find using Trello and now Microsoft Teams 'Planner' (their version of Trello) is a life saver.

It's virtual post it's notes that you can have infinite text, diags, to-so lists for each topic. You organise them into columns and within the columns sort the cards according to priorities or last touch etc. It's v configurable.

You can assign others and set date notifications.

When you look at the board it is tidy and organised with the detail of each 'card' hidden.

Works for me anyway.

Also playing to my strengths. I'd make a shocking project manager but have a role which projects need (consultant) so less time pressured or need for being to the minute organised.

Great ideas here thank you.

I use Monday.com. Not sure how much it costs if your workplace doesn’t have an account but worth looking into it. It’s one step on from a spreadsheet as there are automation rules you can use to help, e.g. automatically create repeat tasks at set intervals.

I have a section for each day of the week, and statuses for in progress, not started or waiting on someone. Then two more sections - ‘up next’ and ‘waiting for someone’, with due dates/ date to chase if not heard back.

Each day I work through that day’s tasks and change status to done, or move elsewhere. Like others have said, it’s great to see at a glance what you’ve accomplished.

On a Friday I move the done stuff to an archive board, and go through ‘up next’ and ‘waiting for someone’ in date order, to plan out the following week.

What I like is that each day seems more achievable, And you can dump stuff into the up next section and forget about it until needed.

Similar principles to written to do lists I realise, but more flexible. You still get the satisfying ‘ta da’ feeling marking something as done as you would from ticking a paper list off.

Do It Now. If you can, answer emails etc immediately. If they need time or second opinions, set up a To Do list with an actionable by date/time against it. If you can delegate, do.

I lie to myself about deadlines. If I have a work project due in for Friday 19th I'll put it in my diary as Wednesday 17th, so I have a bit of wiggle room but won't go over the true deadline. same with promising work by a date. I always say two days longer than I think it will take. Better to under promise and over deliver than Vvce versa.

I use One Note with tags. It is set up for each organisation who is likely to call me... As they talk I type, tag any actions and forget about anything else that I don't have to remember until they call me next time.
Emails I need for audit I save as they come in in the archive files
Ones I just need for an FYI I keep in One Note if it is something that I need for future reference.
I am ruthless with email rules -un subscribe from everything, set up a timed auto delete for the interesting if only there were more hours in the day. If I am cc'ed it goes to a file that if I don't get asked about it then I don't even need to read it.
Book time out to get big tasks out of the way -use DND and turn my mobile off while I am doing it.

Most of my techniques have been mentioned already - flagging on Outlook, booking time for specific tasks, to-do list in OneNote etc.

Others that I don't think have been said yet -

• my to-do list in OneNote is made up of 3 sections: today; soon; and sometime. Today is self-explanatory and I try to only list things I know I'll get done that day. Soon is for the things that are reasonably urgent but I don't have time for today. If I have free time, I'll dip into that section, otherwise I periodically move things from there into "today" at the start of each day to refresh my list. The third section is for important but non-urgent stuff that I know I'll forget if I don't write down.

• I also have an "awaiting" list alongside my to-do list; if I'm waiting for someone to get back to me with a particular input/signoff etc, I'll list their name, a quick description and when I last chased. This is because I've forgotten to follow up on things in the past if someone never replies to my initial email!

• I have a whole OneNote section just called "meeting notes", where each page has its own outlook meeting (super useful feature). I jot down any key points and actions (the actions get copied somewhere into my to-do list) and it makes the whole thing searchable, so I can search OneNote for a key word and I'll know what we spoke about at any given meeting/have an informal audit trail for any decisions made.

This one might not be applicable to most people, but my job involves reporting and I rely on data from dozens of different people. I have a table in Excel where each row represents one data set and I colour code accordingly:
Red = not received/chased
Orange = received but incomplete/incorrect (awaiting corrected data)
Yellow = received but not yet dealt with
Green = all done

Sorry forgot some!

A BIG one for me - I turned off my outlook notifications. Whenever I'd get an email I'd end up reading the preview and more often than not, end up feeling I had to deal with it there & then so dropped what I was working on to respond. A ridiculous way to work, so now I will only check my emails in between tasks. Probably obvious, but it was a light bulb moment for me.

Also when I'm working on something important/with a tight deadline, I'll set myself as busy on Teams with a status that says "I'm currently working on X. If your message is not urgent, please email me instead and I will respond as soon as I can." because where I work, people are constantly pinging each other on Teams for "can you just"s here and there.

Great thread OP

Following!

Thanks again everyone - I am going to go and have a look at Onenote

Try using the grid:
Important/not important
Urgent/not urgent
It helps you to see if you are prioritising urgent but not important tasks over those that are more important but not urgent (and so get neglected).

This is my system:

I have an 'action plan' document on cloud which I have pinned to my browser. Within this document I have all of my work projects listed in a table along with the next few achievable steps for each project. I highlight the most urgent or important tasks. This essentially becomes my TO DO list. Every time I have a meeting and end up with an action point then it goes into this table. I go through the whole thing each day and make sure it's up to date. I also link to any key/important documents here that I know I'll need to refer back to, eg. Project budgets.

Urgent short tasks get done in the normal course of work. For less urgent but longer important tasks I block out time in my calendar for it. So for example, Tuesday morning 'focus on project A', Tuesday afternoon 'focus on project B'.

Beyond that I use my calendar to capture and schedule all meetings.

I also have a folder where I keep my personal meeting notes. For example I have a document to record notes on each of the people I line manage and on key projects. Then I can refer to these ahead of meetings.

All other random notes go into a cheap exercise book with date & project name at the top of each page. The main thing is to capture information instead of trying to hold it in your head because if you're like me then you will just forget.

Go through emails at the start and end of the day and make sure that anything no longer needed is archived. I just archive them into one folder and use the search function to find anything.

Hope this helps.

I have a ringbinder A5 notepad on my desk and start a fresh page every morning. Anything I need to remind myself to do goes on there as soon as I think of it, and they are crossed off when done.

Emails get looked at first thing in the morning (I only work mornings so there's usually quite a few from the previous afternoon). Forward any that someone else can deal with, move all the routine stuff into another folder and prioritise all the urgent stuff. Then I close my emails down and get on with assorted tasks I know have to be done first.

If you don't have incoming emails constantly interrupting you it does help.

I'm also not a fan of the paperless office - give me folders and bulldog clips and in/out trays any day.

Following a set routine helps a lot.

It is really interesting to read that so many people can just delete stuff once it is actioned. I wish I could, but I work in accounts and we have to keep everything for years.

Be methodical, prioritise and don't get side-tracked, they are my only tips really.

@TheAverageUser

1. First thing "eat the frog", do the thing you don't want to do /keep putting off first.

1. Answer emails immediately if you can solve it then and there.
2. File any emails you don't have an action in but it's FYI
3. I put actions I can complete that day on post it notes in front of me and longer term on my to do list. I use 'To Do'
4. At the end of the day write up and then review all your tasks.

Also I've always played a dangerous game where if the person who is doing something is competent then I don't even keep the email / follow up, I just forget and trust them to do their job.

I'm a digital project manager for 15 years.

I don't play the dangerous game. Too many times people have tried to blame me when something's gone pear-shaped down the line, and I long ago learned to keep the proof.

I'm not going to take the rap for other people's cock-ups.

I’m going to check out teams planner thanks to this thread

I’ve had this now I’m working and studying. This will sound ridiculously over simplified but the only thing that helps me is just starting. I can colour code to do lists and doodle out time management plans all my life but what I do now is wake up, make a list of everything I need to do, then start doing it. I usually throw myself into the first task before I’ve had the chance to work out how long it will take/agonise over it and then by the time I’ve started I’m happy.

Also I think having a good routine but this depends what type of job you have since some jobs you have to do different types of tasks every day. But if you have the same tasks then I would have a routine for them eg emails check and reply only in the morning, meetings scheduled only after lunch etc. Then you’ll come to expect those things to happen at those times.