As Mustang Marketing’s production manager, I spend most of my day getting everyone else organized to make sure that all our internal and client-related jobs are completed on time.
When I came into my roll, I had little experience with keeping track of so many people’s roles for so many important projects, as well as my own job responsibilities. What I figured out early on was that the best way to keep them organized was to first keep myself organized. Now, I can only say what works for me, but no blog on organization would be complete without the obligatory list on how to be organized, so I will give you the tips that have helped to keep me do my job…by making sure everyone else does theirs.
1. Write it down! There is nothing in the world more panic inducing than remembering at 1 a.m. that you completely forgot to submit that report or send those promised files off to your very important client—or that someone on your team may have (either way, it’s your fault). If you write it down you have a backup system in place. Write it on a pad, in your phone, on your hand—anywhere that works for you.
2. File it away! I keep files on my desk that have my go-to information in them. Any current project that requires ongoing attention, jobs that I need to get information on for the week, or notes and documents that I end up using on a daily basis. This is great for me because it cuts down on hunting for things and keeps my desk relatively clutter free.
3. Throw it out! I personally am a pizza box away from my own episode of Hoarders. I hate to throw anything away. What if in seven years scrunchies come back in style? Won’t I be sorry then? I have to force myself to part with things that I know I don’t need anymore to make way for the things that I will need. This is hard, but it is much easier to organize a small stack of papers that you need for the week than a mountain of things that are no longer relevant mixed in with the current. File it, trash it, shred it, take up origami, but get it off your desk.
The best tip of all that I can give is that whatever you do, make sure that it works for you. The leading cause of being unorganized is forgetting to be organized. That’s why finding something that works for you is so critical. If you don’t want to do it, you won’t. My hope is that my list of what works for me will help you, or at least gets you thinking of how you can better organize your day.