Organizing for Success: The 6S Model™

Step 2: Systematize

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I frequently get calls from busy professionals who want help de-cluttering. They believe that if they could get caught up with their languishing piles, work (and life) would run smoothly. And while they would certainly breathe easier if they didn’t have to look at or through all of clutter, I often have to break the news that they don’t want me, they want the team from Clean Sweep on cable TV.

Maybe you’ve seen the show? In a single intense weekend, a very disorganized person gets their space entirely made over by decorators and carpenters while they’re whipped into shape (literally) by a merciless organizer-host who forces them to get rid of nearly all of their stuff.

Sounds tempting, no? But anyone who’s ever seen the show has had to ask the question, “What’s going to happen when the cameras go home?” The producers never show follow-ups on participants, and I can only imagine that months, weeks or even days later, things revert back to what they looked like before.

Like it or not, the fact is that clutter is not the reason for our disorganization. It is only a symptom. It’s just a physical expression of an underlying issue that isn’t working quite right. Ignore the root cause, and the symptoms just keep coming back. In addition, our real reason for getting organized isn’t to just clear up the clutter, but to work more effectively.

For most of us, a major underlying reason that the clutter builds at work is that we don’t have good systems in place. We spend lots of time pushing paper, e-mail and projects around, but we never seem to make real progress. So before you spend a second sorting through old piles, you need to put a few systems in place—or the piles will simply come back.

The systems that we each need depend on our job, projects, personality and even psychology. But there are a few basic systems that I’ve found most busy professionals need if they’re going to stand a fighting chance.

1. Handling incoming items. How do you deal with incoming mail and paper? How do you process e-mail and voicemail? How do you capture things that you think of to do or that others ask you to do? While I have my preference on which system works best (see the GO System Productivity Essentials for more info), the main advice I give to my clients it that it’s important to have some way of tracking everything that’s coming at you, preferably in a single system that lets you integrate it so you’re not using multiple piles, files, lists and planners and your e-mail in-box as your to-do list.

2. Prioritization. How do you know what to work on first? Clearly, it’s impossible to prioritize unless you have a clear picture of what’s on your plate, but even after you’ve triaged all incoming items, you need a process to quickly put them into order of priority. A good prioritization system allows you to quickly re-prioritize when new things come in and recover from unexpected interruptions.

3. Time management. Did you know that 20% of your efforts bring you 80% of your results? You’ve probably heard the 80-20 rule mentioned in a lot of other contexts—my favorite being that you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time—but it applies to your workday too. Once you’ve prioritized your work, are you a purposeful professional who can focus on what’s important or does excessive multi-tasking and a re-active work style have you spinning your wheels? Are you productive or just flat-out busy?

4. Project management. How do you manage activities that require multiple steps, resources and people? Do you create elaborate project plans that don’t seem to get integrated into your workday? Do you delegate tasks only to find that they don’t get done? Having a system that lets you create a project plan that communicates clarity and accountability is crucial.

5. Paper, electronic and knowledge filing. Could you find any document on your computer or in your filing cabinets in 10 seconds or less? It’s not an unrealistic expectation. There are some amazing electronic and paper filing systems out there (Easy Reach and Paper Tiger, to name one of each), much more reliable than your old A-Z or categorical, hierarchical systems. It’s not clutter if you love it, need it, or use it, as long as you can find it! And given all the legislation on record retention, you should feel confident that you are working in compliance with your organization’s retention policies.

Reviewing this list, we can easily see how simply sorting through old piles won’t bring us lasting organization or productivity. Systems are a critical part of creating time and space for our success. In fact, the clutter itself is no longer an enemy, just a clue in a case that’s worth solving.

There are other factors at play besides systems when it comes to being your best professional self, and I’ll discuss them in future articles. But if you suspect that creating some simple systems would allow you to be your best professional self, it’s a profound and rewarding place to start your investment in working productively.

Want to use this article in your e-newsletter or website? You can use this material in whole or in part, as long as you include this complete attribution and live link: Productivity consultant and trainer Cristin Lind of Clearwater Productivity helps busy professionals enhance their work and enrich their lives. If you’re ready to get more done with less effort, visit www.clearwaterproductivity.com.