How to systemize and simplify your life.



During thirty years as a time management speaker and consultant, I

Have learned and shared a lot of simple practices that help my

Audiences to increase their daily results a lot of time is wasted

Because we don't have a system in place for many of the repetitive

Tasks we do so that we have to pay over and over again, with our

Time, for the same results

So here's one neat tip: systematize. (I don't think this is really

A word, but hey, if no one invents new words, how will our

Language grows?) Systematize is the simple procedure of creating a

Routine way of responding to a myriad of tasks that will free our

Time for more important things we can systematize in all areas of

Our life here are a few places you may wish to begin.

1. Standard text documents. I have dozens of documents in "My

Documents" section of my computer these include a lot of the

Articles that people request through our Web site and standard

Letters I send out for business and personal contacts,

Standard information documents (like directions to our office).

Most of the information I need to send to respond to my

Emails is there or easily modified and tailored so that I don't

Have to type out a lot of repetitive information.

2. A single calendaring system. Some people use as many as a

Dozen ways of tracking their appointments and scheduled events

And their "To-Do" list items. There's a calendar for work and

One for personal things there's stuff lying out on the desk

Reminding us what needs to be done. The dentist appointment

Card is on the bathroom mirror and the dry cleaner claim slip

Is hanging from the visor in the car the softball schedule

Is on the refrigerator and we have several other commitments in

Our heads boil this all down to a single system. I use

Daytime products but whatever product you feel comfortable with

Is fine Just make it a simple, singular, master system from

Which you take control of appointments and scheduled events and

Your "To-Do" list items.

3. Clean up the messy desk or work area. Studies have shown that

The person who works with a messy desk spends, on average, one

And a half hours per day looking for things or being distracted

By things that's seven and a half hours per week! ("Out of sight,

Out of mind and the reverse of that is true too, "In sight, in

Mind") and, it's not a solid block of an hour and a half, but

A minute here and a minute there, and like a leaky hot water

Faucet, drip, drip, drip, it doesn't seem like a major loss,

But at the end the day, we're dumping gallons of hot water

Down the drain that we are paying to heat if you have ever

Visited the office of a top manager, typically, that person is

Working with a clean desk environment many would attribute

This result to that person's access to other staff members

While there may be some truth in that conclusion, in most cases,

If we went back some years in that person's career, they

Probably were working with a clean desk back then which gave

Them the focus they needed to become promoted to where they are

Today

4. Have adequate supplies. Some people spend a lot of their

Productive time looking for a pen or a pad of paper or staples

For their stapler have enough pens, pencils, yellow markers,

"Sticky notes," writing pads, fax paper, printer cartridges,

Updated telephone directories, staples, "White Out," report

Forms, index cards, paper clips, rolls of adding machine tapes,

etc., etc

5. Make your physical surroundings workable. Move the fax machine

Closer (or further away!) from your desk Have the most

Frequently used and needed files within arm's reach and the less

Frequently required items further out have adequate space at

Your desk to do what you need to do Remove some unnecessary

Items, if necessary, to make room

6. Set up a functional briefcase. I travel a lot and am out of my

Office at seminars or meetings with clients requiring that I

Tote along a briefcase. In addition to the stuff I need for

Where I am going, I have my briefcase stocked with a lot of

Neat things like a calculator, a pocket map of the United

States, basic office supplies (writing pads, pens, yellow

Markers, small stapler, paper clips, stamps and a few

Envelopes), blank checks, a few deposit slips, a paperback book

I have been intending to read, and at least one project I can

Work on if I get stuck in traffic or am waiting for the meeting

To begin it gives me more choices.

7. Schedule maintenance. The equipment you use, your car, stuff

Around the house, and oh yeah, you know your car needs

To be serviced. Why wait for a breakdown to get it done and

Spend more time on what could have been accomplished in less

Time (You still need a tune-up, but now you have to wait for

The tow truck to arrive Regular medical and dental checkups

Save huge amounts of time in our future by fixing small

Conditions before they become major costly issues.

Bonus Tip:

8. Catalog contacts. Develop and maintain your contacts list so

That networking can enhance your future with the contacts you

Make. A computer-based program such as ACT is excellent, but

Even a simple 3x5 card system will work. Keep track of a

Growing list of contacts, help them at every turn and they

Will be there to help you

If these ideas were helpful, I have prepared another article

Entitled "Work Rules," which outlines three simple but powerful

Work rules to help accelerate your success in less time. It's free.

To get your copy, email your request for "rules"

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About the Author

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