Whether you are trying to complete a simple task or a complex project, you will probably find a need for organization at some point. One of the first things to organizing is getting to know yourself a bit better to gauge where your strengths and weaknesses are. Being aware of where you might fail to complete a specific task will help you change your strategy to try and compensate for that potential outcome. Here are some ways to help get work done more efficiently by organizing your workload and managing your time.

Organize

Even if you are willing to try and “wing it” in regard to getting projects done, it can save you a lot of worries and headaches to have an organizational system in place to increase your project management efficiency.  As the old saying goes…”An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."   When it comes to trying to save time, it is important to realize that some things that shave off a few minutes here or there can end up costing more time in the long run in the form of correcting mistakes. Even if you aren’t planning on getting too serious in organizing your duties, it’s a good idea to break down your process, even if just in your head. Some of those steps are:

Visualize

Just like solving a puzzle, it can make it much quicker to have all your pieces laid out (and turned right side up) before starting to put things together. This same concept applies to organization. It may seem like a waste of time at first, but if you don’t do this, you risk missing a pivotal “piece” that can prevent you from completing your duties in a reasonable amount of time and is counterproductive when trying to improve your workflow. If you’re working with a large, time-consuming, or just complex task, it is best to follow yet another adage… it’s like eating an elephant (no disrespect to my pachyderm pals), just take one bite at a time. How can you break down your task, you ask?

• Organize
• Yourself
• By
• Making
• Lists

Ask yourself what is a realistic expectation of your task’s completion? What is the cause and effect of certain tasks? Will completing one task help facilitate the completion of another, or will it actually interfere with the completion of another? What pitfalls will you encounter? Also, think about other resources you have to help you, which brings us to our next topic…

Utilize

There are so many great technological advances available that help to ease virtually any workload. Ryan’s post about great iPhone apps for managing your website on the go lists great examples that can help improve your workflow, even when you’re not in the office. And, if you caught my last blog post about creating infographics with Excel SmartArt, you can use Excel as a tool to help you visualize the process you use to complete a project.

But even though there are a lot of great features of technology that can help us manage our lives and workloads better, these tools are only as good as the training behind them. If you’re going to use any type of tool, you must first know how to use it. This is yet another example of how spending a little time upfront can save you time (and frustration) in the future.  You can also use great Internet resources, like the time management section from MindTools.com to help you get your workflow better organized, as well.

If you find it hard to learn new computer programs, then you may need to do things the “old-fashioned” way: by hand. Although this would be a potentially time-wasting method, if you get the job done right the first time, you have saved yourself time from having to go back to fix mistakes. Remember that  idiom you used to hear when you were a kid: “a penny saved is a penny earned”? Well, when it comes to saving time, the concept is very much the same. Utilize your available resources and don’t be afraid to be a bit creative in the tools you can use. If MacGyver can do it, so can you!

Categorize

By categorizing your duties, you can develop an idea of similar tasks that could potentially be completed at the same time or sequentially. This can save you time from having to go back and forth between different categories, and can often help reduce the chance of human error. If you multiply the time you spend going back and forth between tasks by the number of tasks you need to do, that time can really add up.

However, when it comes to work, not all tasks are created equal. You may find that one task gives you a lot more difficulty than another, even if both tasks seem identical on paper. Or, you may find that a particular task might interfere with the completion of another. This is where categorizing also requires further refinement.

Prioritize

This is where you organize your duties based on subjective, qualitative attributes. Since these attributes are subjective, as opposed to objective attributes, you will find a great deal of variation with this organizational method. For instance, one person may find one task to be harder than another, whereas another person may be the opposite. If you’re working as a team, it is important that you are aware of these personal differences as they can often help streamline the completion of a task.

Regardless of working with others or going solo, it is important that you make a point to communicate the prioritization of tasks. Triage is a perfect example of how you can utilize somewhat subjective analysis to determine the chronological order in which to organize your tasks. If you can gauge whether a certain task needs immediate attention in order for it to be completed, or if the task is serious but doesn’t need to be done immediately, you can save time by getting the immediate tasks done first. But all of these efforts may not be useful unless you take the next step:

Finalize (Complete)

What is the point of spending hours of your time working on a project only to have it 95% completed? It can be very easy to get sidetracked with other important tasks that may have a higher priority than the one you are currently working on. However, it is important to get back on the proverbial horse and finish what you started. Perhaps the hardest part of this step is that it often requires you to say “No”. It can be very easy to take on extra work that someone else needs help with when you think you have spare time, but if it turns out that you don’t have enough time to get your own tasks done, taking on more work can spell disaster.

First, let me state that I am a proponent of teamwork. And, if you can get your work completed with time left to help take on extra duties, then by all means you should. However, you run into the risk that taking on extra responsibilities will be like “chasing two rabbits at once”; both will elude you. If you have to, prioritize your own duties first, then work on the extraneous, or else risk not being able to complete either task.  

Whatever you end up setting as your goal in the Visualization process, you should stick to it as best you can, though adaptation is a requisite. If you can devote your time to providing the best quality of work to getting your tasks done, without burning yourself out, you reduce the likelihood of having to spend more time fixing mistakes. Not only will this commitment to excellence help manage your time, it will also help you become established as a more dependable asset to your organization, and to yourself. For other great tips on time management, check out this helpful webpage devoted to managing your time on Dartmouth college's website. You'll find some great information as well as downloadable files to help you get started with time management.