Putting the Little Things You Do in Order
By: Jeff Davidson
This article provides suggestions for organizing the items in
your life, which in turn will make time seem to slow down.
When you don't feel in control of your time, everything in your
life may seem as if it's running together into one big blur.
An easy way to regain control is through examining the key compartments
of your life one at a time.
Examine your desk and what needs to be there, then your entire
office, then where you live, your car, and other important areas
of your life. Here are some suggestions as to what can be merged
and purged in the five areas mentioned above:
What else can you do at your desk to win back control of your
time? Here are some examples: Do you have a file folder,
a notebook or a magazine box holder where you keep all travel
related materials? This might include booklets on hotel and air
fares, brochures, your frequent flyer numbers, perhaps your
passport, numbers of taxicabs, buses, and other transportation
services, and vacation club folders.
I maintain such a file. I keep each of the key phone numbers
and membership numbers in one long file on my hard disk, and
I also keep a printout in a small point size carefully concealed
in my traveling appointment calendar. By merging all travel related
data and information into a one hand list, wherever I am, day
or night, I have the information I need at my fingertips.
If you're worried that someone might come upon your list, you
can always code it so that the first one or two digits are bogus.
I've maintained such a list for more than 12 years now and no
one has ever gotten a hold of it. The power and efficiency it
gives me is awesome. Whether I'm at an airport, in the back of
a taxi, at a hotel or phone booth, I have all the phone numbers,
membership numbers, card numbers, codes--everything I need to
efficiently stay in motion. This is a fabulous time saver.
You can undertake the same type of exercise in merging and purging
items at your desk when it comes to key service providers, records
related to your automobile, insurance forms and policies, banking
information, and other key subject matters. In all cases, it
takes a little time to merge and purge what you've retained to
get it into a streamlined, highly useable form. Once you do,
watch out-- your efficiency level is going to soar. Others will
marvel at your ability to stay on top of things. Most importantly,
you'll have freed-up time to tackle the other mounting challenges
you face.
The same maneuvers can be undertaken around your office. What
can be consolidated, reduced, eliminated, relocated, or donated?
Is your office configuration serving you best? Do you need to
move things, knowing what you now know, so that you're more efficient
throughout the course of the day? Can hardcopy items be scanned
to see if they're now on disk and you no longer need the hardcopy?
If you have four stacking trays, can you reduce the number to
three? Do you even need an in-basket anymore?
At home, if you maintain a desk or any type of home office,
reapply all of the above and go a step further. Could you use
a 31-day tickler file in your home desk as well as one in your
office? If you use scheduling software at work, do you need to
update your system at home?
Can you consolidate family related records so that you are in
greater control? All of Johnny's documents related to grade school
enrollment, immunization, early school dismissal policy, and
summer camp could be put in the same three-ring binder. If you
belong to an apartment association, a neighborhood group community,
a swimming pool, tennis association, or clubhouse, these items
could be grouped together. All records related to your car, including
purchase documents, registration and tax information, copies
of inspections passed, repair records, and special installations
such as a CD player and stereo speakers could also fit into one
file.
Note: It's better to keep your car records in your home office
if that's where you make phone calls and payments concerning
your car. You can always keep a backup of much of the documentation
recently discussed buried someplace deep in your car's trunk.
Your car is an important area of your life and, based on what
may have accumulated, requires merging and purging as well. Can
you get all of your credit cards, library cards, and the like
into a secondary wallet to be hidden someplace in the car? I
do this, rather than carrying a wallet with 25 different cards
in it. Why? Because at any given moment the only cards I actually
need are my driver's license, one ATM card, and one credit card.
Anytime I might use one of the other cards, I'm usually with
my car. Thus, by safely stashing the cards I would only use with
my car someplace within the car, I free myself from carrying
all of them. This has several time saving advantages. One, you're
less likely to lose a majority of your cards if you lose your
wallet. Two, it's far easier to find your license, major credit
card, and ATM card if they are the only ones you carry in your
wallet. As a safeguard you might want to photocopy all of your
credit cards and library cards, and keep a backup sheet at home
and hidden your car.
I find it to be a great time saver to have all of my maps in
one place, within my reach while driving; for example, I use
the side pockets built into the driver's side and passenger's
side front doors. You may use your glove compartment, a compartment
between your two front seats, or whatever space you have. Essentials,
such as car registration and proof of ownership, stay snug at
the bottom of my glove compartment.
An easy way to organize lots of little items is to use individual
envelopes, or small, clear, plastic sandwich bags, or zip-lock
baggies. This enables you to see through to what's inside, and
keeps the items dry and together.
Half the trouble with staying in control of your time in life
is staying in control of your possessions. There's so much you
have to keep tabs on, it could almost be a full-time job. If
you're willing, however, to occasionally kill one Saturday morning
getting these systems into place, you'll find that the payoffs
come over and over again.
_____________________________________________
Jeff Davidson, MBA, CMC, is a popular conference speaker
and author of 28 books, including Breathing Space (Feb 2000).
For books, videos, cassettes, or presentations, visit http://www.BreathingSpace.com,
FAX (919) 932-9982, or call (919) 932-1996.
