I am currently employed as a fundraiser. I feel that I can do a better and more thorough job, but I have issues with my organization skills. I am self motivated and a “doer,” however, I am often late for meetings, or sometimes forget about them entirely. My desk is a source of jokes in the office. Can you help?

They don’t call them “organizations” for nothing!

No matter where you work, any organization, like our society in general, needs organization. Indeed, we are programmed from a very early stage to be systematic with time and deadlines – from being on time for school and extracurricular activities, completing homework on time, projects by the deadline, to our many other time-based commitments. Parents constantly wail to their teen and pre-teen children to “clean up your room!” For most occupations, being well organized is a very important requirement for success at work, and in life in general (you will likely forget your partner’s birthday or anniversary only ONCE).

Mining your messy brain

Do some analysis of the problem first. Have you always been this disorganized? Is there a discernable pattern to this behaviour throughout your life, or has it been a more recent series of events that has lead to this? Does it only happen at specific times for you (i.e. tax time, year end, or other busy times?) If you are normally a relatively organized person but have lately noticed these issues, it could simply be a sign of having too much on your plate, or a consequence of not being able to prioritize your workload. The approach to changing this pattern is the same whether this is a chronic state of affairs, or a more recent occurrence. The key is that you have identified the problem, and acknowledge that you need to take action to fix it.

Mind your mess

Like any skill, good organizational abilities can be learned. The first step, though, is understanding the root cause for your behaviour. Try to avoid general, dismissive statements such as “I’m just creative,” or “I know where every single piece of information is in that pile.” Acknowledge that this is a real problem for you that is having a detrimental effect on your career success – you should treat it with the appropriate level of consideration. There can be psychological factors that influence this type of conduct, and it can help if you explore them with a trained counsellor or psychologist. This can also assist you later in the process by defining your strategies for action to conquer, or at least minimize your problem.

Digging out from under

Consider using some of the following strategies that have worked for some of our clients in the past:

Use the tools you already have. There are more tools available than ever to allow us to organize our time – from Blackberries and other PDAs, to Outlook, and many other web-based applications. Try one out – use the reminder alarm feature that chimes five or ten minutes before your scheduled meeting time. Use the ToDo feature so you don’t forget tasks and deadlines.

The ABCs. One of the best organizational tips is to employ a simple ABC structure that can be used for filing, sorting mail, tasks, projects, whatever. You can define your category criteria however you like, but try to stick to the “A” category being the most urgent and time sensitive issues/tasks, “B”s being less important and less urgent, and “C”s being merely informational or “when I have time to read it” type of things. Some people even designate their “C” category as the “circular file,” recycling pile, or just garbage. Try not to go past the letter “C” and create more levels of priority – three are sufficient for everyone.

EnListing – The best strategy. Consider creating lists of things you need to accomplish for the day, week, or month. You can incorporate the A, B, and C process into your list making. You will likely get a definite sense of accomplishment from crossing things off your list. Channel these positive thoughts into even further action on the organization front.

Develop new habits. For the next 28 days, (the time it takes to truly develop a habit) commit to scheduling 10 or 15 minutes of uninterrupted time in the morning to review your appointments. This does not have to be an overly involved process. Consider also scheduling time for filing and other important activities during your day. It is vital that you have this time built in as part of your day, and that it is uninterrupted quality time that allows you to focus. If mornings are bad for you, consider doing this the previous evening.

Education and training Sessions. Learn more about organization skills by taking time management courses or reading books. Pick and choose which techniques will work for you, and which won’t. Try them out and see if they work.

Being one of the organized in your organization is critical to success. You have acknowledged to yourself that this is an impediment, like many other challenges we face. Now commit to yourself to change the behaviour patterns that aren’t working for you and replace them with better habits. You don’t necessarily need to reinvent who you are – you will not likely move from being a “Messy Bessy” to a well-organized machine, but you can learn to modify your approach to improve, even if in the small but significant ways outlined above.

Good luck!

Mitchell Stephenson M.A., CPCC, is a senior partner and a certified professional career counsellor at Catalyst Careers, a career transition, counselling, and outplacement firm. Mitch has been involved in human resources, career counselling and coaching in the health and legal sectors for many years. To contact him, visit: www.catalystcareers.com.

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