Disorganization affects work performance

When one person cannot keep organized at work, it can have a ripple effect on projects and processes. It is important to recognize signs of disorganization and work towards building skills to improve productivity by becoming organized.

Signs of Disorganization at Work

Things are often misplaced. Files, keys, cell phones, important documents, passwords, templates etc. fall into a black hole also known as the multiple piles or one of many drawers. A simple solution to organize an office without much effort is to purchase a red file and red box that are only for important papers (red file) and things (red box). Only put items that will be needed within in the next month into the box.

Appointments are forgotten. This can happen frequently when appointments are left to memory and not instantly written down in a date book or electronic calendar. If the problem is frequently due to not having a computer or datebook nearby when appointments are made, ask the person who wants to meet to send a meeting request in Microsoft Outlook calendar or send an email with the time, date and purpose of the meeting in the subject line. If an email is sent, use that to trigger an entry into an electronic calendar.

Low priority tasks are completed first. If lower priority tasks are completed before high priority tasks it is usually due to not maintaining a To Do list and prioritizing tasks. This is a crucial step in time management. Start by keeping a list either electronically (MS Calendar (Task List), MS Word or MS Excel) and prioritize tasks with an A = urgent for today, B = important within 3 days, C= lower priority, due in more than 3 days. Limit the number of A tasks on the list to three or less if the items will take more than 60% of a work day to accomplish. Try to leave 40% of the time for phone calls, coworker interruptions, urgent surprises etc.

Missed deadlines or tardy responses to requests. Disorganized coworkers ignore requests and are constantly being reminded to provide a document or information that is critical to progress on a project. This can be highly irritating and can be seen as a lack of teamwork and cooperation. Reviewing time management strategies is in order.

The first step to finding solutions that will improve organizational and time management skills is to recognize the problem. If coworkers complain that a person is preventing them from progressing on a project, it is time to assess the root cause of the disorganization so that it can be fixed.