Achieve Success Through Organisation

Success begins with removing distractions, and that begins with your workspace.

While many factors have an impact on a person’s success, one of the most meaningful elements is the ability to achieve success through organization. This is both a matter of controlling the physical workspace and building the structure of your work day. The physical clutter of a messy workspace damages the psyche. The mental clutter of an unfocused game plan hampers our success. It’s just not conducive to clarity of thought. It’s certainly no friend to efficiency, as evidenced by the scrambles to find something that’s lost in the mess of your office. By bringing structure and organization into all aspects of your work life you can remove distractions and focus on your primary objectives.

Take a look around your workspace. If it makes you feel tired to just walk in the room, then some streamlining is probably in order. If it’s messy enough, though, it can be even more overwhelming to contemplate getting it in order. Here’s an important first step. Even if the space itself is still a mess, commit today to not perpetuating the problem. Have a stack of filing a mile high in the corner? Doesn’t matter – the piece of paper you’re holding right now must be filed, shredded or tossed when you’re done with it so you’re no longer adding to the problem. Then work on forward progress as you can to get the workspace in shape. Short, dedicated drills can work wonders in this endeavor. Finally, once it’s all in order, make (and keep) a promise to yourself to keep it that way.

Controlling your workspace might also be a matter of organizing your workspace so that visits, distractions and interruptions are discouraged. This is not said to encourage anti-social behavior. Socialization is an important part of most work teams. However, the primary business is your business, and it’s in your best interest to foster an environment that encourages focus. If it’s feasible to do so, consider removing all chairs except yours from the room. After all, a standing visitor is not as likely to get comfortable and waste time with chit chat. Alternately, keep a stack of something in the chair(s) so that having a visitor will take concerted effort. Foster an environment for yourself that focuses on the business at hand, so that your focused efforts will result in the most efficient success.

Also consider ways that you can structure your workday to maintain control over your schedule and work flow. Tricks like sending all calls to voice mail and closing your door (if feasible) for blocks of uninterrupted work time will result in great progress. Standing when a visitor approaches to nonverbally influence a shorter encounter, controlling the interpersonal flow by sending visitors away and getting back to them on your own time, checking emails only at specified times during the day – anything along these lines that you can do to take control of your day will save you time and build your productivity and success.

All of these elements work together to bring peacefulness and purpose to your work efforts. With orderly surroundings and an organized mental approach, it becomes much easier to control your workspace and become a more efficient worker. This discipline and dedication to productivity pay off in greater success through organization.