No matter how tempting the idea of working in an office had seemed while you were still studying, once you really started working, there hasn’t been a single day when you haven’t thought about how easy life was back as a student. Office organization tips or tricks are always great to make a hard task easier.
You wake up every morning with the hope of getting lesser tasks to complete but by the time you reach your office, you see a stack of work waiting for you, which of course has to be submitted within a very short deadline. You may get paid for it but the companies know exactly how to extract maximum work from you before giving the paycheck. With this comes a lot of stress and lack of recreation as a bonus of course.
Going back to your previous easy-going celebrity lifestyle isn’t an option. Also you can’t leave your job can you? Neither can you change the way companies work. All you can do is organize the way you deal with your professional life.
Wondering how? Well don’t worry; you are exactly in the right place.
Few office organization tips you must implement
1. Planning Ahead
On weekends or on any other day or time when you are free, it is very obvious that you wouldn’t want to think about work at all. I’m sorry to say but even if you don’t want to, you should invest some time in planning ahead. The first organization tips or tricks is “planning ahead”, I mean designing a road map regarding the targets you’ll have to achieve or the work you’ll have to complete. This will enable you to start work in a systematic way which will help you utilize time in an efficient manner and produce your desired results.
Proceeding with something without planning can lead you to become completely clueless about what to do. The time that you were supposed invest in working will be wasted in figuring out what to do first and how and you will find yourself struggling. You will be finding yourself jumping from one task to another, without producing any proper result. This will end up in creating a lot of stress, anxiety and pressure and you don’t want that right?
2. Set Priorities
You will be given multiple tasks to complete and multiple targets to reach. Not all of them will be of the same importance or will have the same deadline and based on these criteria you will have to set priorities.
- The most important and most urgent ones need to be dealt with first.
- Some tasks will be important yet not that urgent so they can be done a little later.
- Tasks that lack importance and/or urgency can be kept for later. If you have the option then you can ask someone else to do it for you or even deny doing them.
Setting priorities will help you use efficiently and save a lot of time since you won’t have to waste it in doing something that can be done later or can be ignored.
3. Make a Habit to Say ‘No’ when required
You might be given more work while you already have much more important work piled up, waiting for you to complete. You might be asked to work overtime suddenly when you have an important commitment to keep. What will you do then? Overwork and get frustrated? Won’t keep your promise and work overtime and then face dire consequences? Or will you say NO?
You might be working for them but you are an individual too who has a life outside the four walls of the office and you have every right to make choices. Sometimes the circumstances might not permit this, for example if the work is too urgent; but if you have the option then my friend it’s your call and you can go ahead and say NO without any hesitation.
4. Break the tasks into subtasks
Breaking the tasks into smaller subtask instead of looking it as a whole has its own benefits. It will not only help you utilize the time efficiently but also will keep you from getting overwhelmed by the size of the work. You can make a check list where you can tick the tasks that you have completed. This will help you keep track and work in a systematic way.
It will also make you a little relieved as you’ll keep ticking the tasks you’ve completed and reduce the work load. It’s not like the work is going to reduce but this office organization tips or hacks will make things systematic which kind of psychologically manipulates you and things start seeming much more easier.
5. Stay Calm in tedious conditions
Things will not always happen according to your plan. You might have made a solid road map regarding work but you never know when things change. However, You might be asked to do something extra, given new project or deadlines or just asked to leave for an official tour without prior notice. You will see your entire plan crumbling in front of your eyes and that is when you will start losing your calm.
Getting frustrated and stressed will be the last thing that you would want as it would end up jeopardizing your work. This is the time when you need to take a deep breath and calm down. This will enable you to think straight and re-assess everything and soon you’ll find yourself ready with a new and full proof plan, ready to be executed.
6. Stay away from Distractions
Our mind is prone to distractions. You might be working on something important but then suddenly *ting*, you hear your phone buzz and that is when your mind starts saying, ”Just a peak won’t do any harm” where in reality just a peak does all the harm.
Once you check your phone, you will be stuck with it for quite a long time. Not only your phone but there can be many other sources of distractions, say for example, your colleague might force you to take a not-so-required break or make you indulge in a gripping conversation. Such distractions can delay the work and make you struggle to finish it within the stipulated time.
You need to control your mind in a way such that no distraction is able to make you procrastinate. It is always best to disable the notification of social media apps and request your colleagues or any other person to not to disturb you while working and if they still do it then make them understand in a stern manner. You need to understand that you cannot do many things at the same time properly.
Work comes with a deadline and that needs to be done first. Once it is done you will have ample time for taking rest and merry making. Once you are able to explain yourself this, it won’t be hard to stay away from distractions.
7. Form a marvelous team
Not all tasks are to be completely solely by you. There will be projects that will require a team. You will have to ensure that you make and lead a team with individuals who are not only dedicated but also good at what they are required to do. This will distribute your work equally among your team.
Time will also get utilized efficiently and the results will be fast as at the same time different sections of the work will be executed by the individuals, which in the end will be combined into one big project. You as a leader though are supposed to always keep checking and asking for reports and provide guidelines according to your plan and also entertain quality suggestions from your teammates.
8. Keep things Organized
Imagine a situation where you have a presentation to give but you’re not being able to find the pen drive and your desk is in such a mess that it will take forever for you to find it. Can you imagine the amount of stress that will build up in that moment? You can avoid every such situation by keeping things organized.
Keeping your desk clean will make you feel organized and you will always know where to look for things. Keeping your calendars, schedules, checklists near you will make it easier for you to take a look at them when needed and plan accordingly. It will be better if all of them are not in your phone as checking your phone continuously can lead to distractions. Keep all your files ready and organize them in a way such that the important files are easily accessible.
9. Take rest at the time of rest
Work is important of course but rest is too. You aren’t a robot and working continuously isn’t possible. Not getting enough rest will lead to fatigue which is a serious problem. You need to realize that if you don’t rest now and work for an extra 2 hrs, you’ll fall ill later and won’t be able to work for the next 2 days. Taking rest will reduce stress and anxiety and will also make you more productive. However, Rest is also a part of office organization tips.
Read Also: Things that can happen if you don’t take rest
When you’ll see that your mind is not working anymore and working further is stressing you out, just sit back and relax. Have some coffee, close your eyes and listen to some music or talk to someone for some time and once you’re feeling better, start working again. Never forget to have proper meal and get proper sleep. Neither 30 minutes for lunch nor a good 6 hour sleep will ruin anything. So, arrange your schedule in such a way that you can invest time in getting adequate amount of rest.
10. Look for some ‘Me’ Time
You are not just an employee, you are an individual too who has a life outside office. Dealing with official work all the time and lack of recreation can lead to stress, anxiety and frustration and that is when you need some ‘me’ time. Take a short vacation or go for a day or night out with your dear ones and you’ll find all your stress reducing exponentially. You can also spend your time staying at home and sleeping or watching your favorite movie.
Striking a balance between your professional and personal life will not only make you more productive at work but will also enable you to give enough time to yourself and the people associated with you, making both your official and personal life healthy and happy.
Conclusion
So these are 10 office organization tips or hacks that will help you have a healthy office life. If you know about more organizational tips or hacks that have helped you deal with your office life, do share them in the comments section.
