Organization has been on my mind recently. Maybe it's the transition into the fall season, or maybe it's a recent conversation with my mom, who is in the middle of a bathroom and laundry renovation that has led to a big garage re-organization. Or maybe it's just the daily ritual of searching through my purse/house/desk for my keys/receipts/bills/baskets.
Several years ago, after practically jogging through downtown Atlanta to a FedEx office, desperately trying to make a grant proposal deadline, I was standing in line, sweating, panicked, and on the border of despair at the state of my office and my job performance. That desperation led me to a valuable impulse buy: an audiobook (CD): Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern. I spent the next few months applying the book to my office and my home office and, in the areas where I put the principles into practice, I've experienced relative peace and more organization than many other times in my life. But changes in my office staffing (I actually have someone on staff working with me!), changes in the technology and systems I use for donor and grant tracking, and the realization that I need to develop some new areas professionally have led to that feeling of disorganization creeping back.
Since I couldn't remember all of the helpful details, I went looking for my CD's. It will come as no surprise that I couldn't find them, but I did realize that I don't actually have a CD player in the house anymore. (Item for research: can I burn this audiobook on CD to iTunes when and if I ever find it again?)
I found the ebook on iTunes and did a re-read this weekend. The 2nd edition was done in 2004, so it doesn't cover current technology (for example, who keeps a drawer for the phone book these days?) But it still really speaks to me in a way that I can relate to, be motivated by, and apply. It's definitely time to refresh the office organization and begin to work on some other projects at home!
The first suggestion I took to heart was to pick an organization project in the area that you use the most or that has the most impact on your daily life. I came up with a quick list of possibilities in my office, and the one that stood out was Outlook. My email, calendar, tasks, reminders, contacts. Though the book speaks more to organizing a physical space, the truth is the clutter, volume and disorganization in my Outlook program causes me stress, slows down my productivity, and has a daily impact on my life.
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| My Inbox |
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| My Contacts (!) |
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| My Tasks (overdue and notice the scrollbar) |
For the next few weeks, I'm going to take the plunge to organize my Outlook from the inside out!
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