Everyone has different forms of organization. We each have tactics that keep us on task and productive throughout the day.
In our office, it’s common to look around the room and notice the different ways that each employee practices their organizational strategy. Some people make lists upon lists and others keep their tasks neatly in their heads.
Since our work is primarily digital, it would make sense that most of our organization’s strategy would also be digital tactics. I am probably one of the few in our office that continues to use pen and paper tools. However, that’s what typically keeps me best organized! Below I will share a few tricks I have found to help my work day stay productive and for my brain not to get too overloaded.
WRITTEN LISTS
I am a big fan of starting your day on the right foot. Each morning when I sit at my desk to begin my day, I write out exactly what I know needs to be accomplished. As a digital media specialist, I manage a variety of clients each day – all with different needs. I go client by client, writing down each responsibility I have. Some of the work is repetitive, daily tasks. I choose to write even those things down on my to-do list to ensure that I don’t miss anything.
At the bottom of each work to-do list, I also write a personal to-do list. Sometimes this serves as a “brain dump” section. This list includes things I need to do throughout the day, such as remind my husband about something, return a doctor’s call, or shoot a text to a friend. But I also might jot down things that need to be done once I get home from work, too. This allows me to take the thoughts in my head and put them into a permanent spot on a piece of paper, so then I can stay focused on the task in front of me.
Writing things down and checking them off a list gives me great satisfaction! I love to look back at the end of the day and see all the things that I’ve accomplished. I also use this list to create my new list for the next day. The things that aren’t marked off for the day, typically rise to the top of the list tomorrow.
DIGITAL LISTS
Tasks:
It might seem redundant to have both written and digital lists, but I am that girl! My to-do list pad stays on my desk day and night. I don’t take it home with me or move it. There are certain times when I need to be reminded of what I was working on when I’m not where I have access to the written list. Therefore I have found that keeping a similar list on my computer is also helpful for organization.
I use the “stickie notes” function on my mac for this. This list does not serve quite the same purpose as my written list. My written list is more of a closer look at my specific daily tasks, while the digital list is a wider scope of all the projects I have going on.
At the end of each week, we send a report of the work that we’ve accomplished during the week. My digital list serves as my reminder of what I worked on, where I’m at on certain projects, and what needs to be done.
Important Information:
So far I’ve shared how I keep track of my to-do lists, but I also have a list that serves a different purpose.
Utilizing the “stickie note” function again on my MacBook, I keep a running list of all of the important information I need throughout the day for each of my clients. This includes links that I regularly need to visit for certain information and certain wording that I regularly need to copy and paste into events or blog posts for clients. This lives on my home screen on my computer for easy access.
WHOLE OFFICE ORGANIZATION TOOLS
Each person has their ways to stay organized on top of a few tools that Dogwood provides us with to stay organized as a whole. Slack is used each day for our internal communications. This allows us to talk directly to each other if needed, in subgroups for certain projects, or as an entire team. Click Up is also a tool we use daily to keep track of each of our clients and the various things that we do for each of them.
It would be easy to quickly get unorganized and lose track of things if we weren’t careful. At Dogwood we pride ourselves on staying on top of each of our responsibilities so that our company can thrive as a whole. We care for each of our clients and want to see them succeed. This means that it’s our job to handle each of their needs with care! Each day when I make my to-do list, that is my goal!
Were any of these tips helpful for you and your organization? Hopefully so! Let us know if you implemented any of them into your daily routine, and share some of your favorite organizational hacks with us. We are always looking for ways to grow and improve!
