One Year to an Organized Life doc

THE ORGANIZED WAY TO GET ORGANIZED I can’t believe I’m late for work. I hope this meeting doesn’t start on time. Do I even have the agenda? It’s probably somewhere on my desk, or in my briefcase. Or did I fi le it? Maybe I can just print out the details again . . . Do you scramble to keep up with emails, deadlines, and appointments? Does your to-do list often become a wish list? Do you dream of someday enjoying your job? It is possible to get in control of your calendar, your workload, and your career. is a unique week-by-week, month-by-month system to streamline your environment and increase your productivity. Using her friendly, holistic “Zen Organizing” approach, professional organizer Regina Leeds shows you the simple steps to getting more done, more quickly, including how to: • CLEAR YOUR DESK • STOP PROCRASTINATING • ORGANIZE YOUR FILES • PRIORITIZE YOUR SCHEDULE • DEAL WITH EMAIL AND VOICEMAIL OVERLOAD • BEAT OFFICE BURNOUT • MAKE MEETINGS MORE EFFICIENT • HANDLE DIFFICULT COLLEAGUES • EASE BUSINESS TRAVEL • ACHIEVE YOUR LONG-TERM GOALS At last, learn the secrets of tackling stress, disorganization, and time manage- ment problems so that as the weeks pass, your job becomes easier. Whether you’re looking to advance your career, balance your work and family, or just deal with the daily deluge of paperwork, will help you spend less time at the offi ce—and go home happy. REGINA LEEDS, known as the Zen Organizer, is the founder of Get Organized! by Regina. She is the author of several books, including the bestseller and . She lives outside of Los Angeles. ONE YEAR TO AN ORGANIZED LIFE From Your Desk to Your Deadlines, the Week-by-Week Guide to Eliminating Office Stress for Good REGINA LEEDS FEBJAN JANDECNOVOCTSEPAUGJULJUNMAYAPRMAR New York Times best-selling author of ONE YEAR TO AN ORGANIZED ORGANIZED WORKWORK LIFE LIFE FROM YOUR DESK TO YOUR DEADLINES, THE WEEK-BY-WEEK GUIDE TO ELIMINATING OFFICE STRESS FOR GOOD REGINA LEEDS BUSINESS / SELF-HELP A Lifelong Original Cover design by Jon Resh / Undaunted Cover photograph by Todd Baxter Author photograph by Location Photo $16.95 / £9.99 / $18.50 CAN DA CAPO PRESS Lifelong Books A Member of the Perseus Books Group www.dacapopress.com Praise for Regina Leeds’ One Year to an Organized Life “Making your New Year’s resolutions? If your goal is to finally clear the clutter, One Year to an Organized Life will break the task down week by week.” —Parade “This 12-month guide offers the chronically messy a genuine sense of serenity.” —USA Today “Not only shows us the importance of organization, [but] takes us week-by-week through the chaos of our lives and tells us how to get it together, from schedules to scrapbooks to celebrating holidays.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “If this week-by-week guide to getting yourself organized won’t do the trick, give up.” —Newsday “This easy-to-use … domicile detox program will help you tackle every inch of your life.” —Women’s Health “The perfect book for anyone wanting to find important papers instantly or have a navigable closet. Full of useful information for everyone, from the person who needs simply to clean a messy desk to the person requiring a whole new approach to life; highly recommended.” —Library Journal 0738212791_1.qxd 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page a 0738212791_1.qxd 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page b ONE YEAR TO AN ORGANIZED WORK LIFE 0738212791_1.qxd 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page i ALSO BY REGINA LEEDS The Zen of Organizing: Creating Order and Peace in Your Home, Career, and Life Sharing a Place without Losing Your Space: A Couples Guide to Blending Homes, Lives, and Clutter The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Decluttering One Year to an Organized Life 0738212791_1.qxd 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page ii A Member of the Perseus Books Group ONE YEAR TO AN ORGANIZED WORK LIFE From Your Desk to Your Deadlines, the Week-by-Week Guide to Eliminating Office Stress for Good REGINA LEEDS 0738212791_1.qxd 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page iii Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their prod- ucts are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Da Capo Press was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in ini- tial capital letters. Copyright © 2009 by Regina Leeds All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo- copying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142. design by jane raese Set in 12-point Bulmer Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this book is available from the Library of Congress. First Da Capo Press edition 2009 ISBN 978-07382-1279-1 Published by Da Capo Press A Member of the Perseus Books Group www.dacapopress.com Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail special.markets@perseusbooks.com. 10987654321 0738212791_1.qxd 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page iv This book is dedicated to all the kind men who have graced my life, starting with my father, Nat. Special thanks, however, must be extended to Arno Frankel, Ariel Joseph Towne, and Joseph Walsh. Their love and support contributed greatly to the process of writing this book. I am forever in their debt. 0738212791_1.qxd 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page v 0738212791_1.qxd 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page vi CONTENTS Introduction 1 1. JANUARY Start Fresh 11 Week One: Chart the Course 14 Week Two: Decide Where You Want to Be 19 Week Three: Keep a Calendar 25 Week Four: Calm the Morning Rush 30 2. FEBRUARY Make the Most of Your Office Space 38 Week One: Reclaim Your Office 41 Week Two: Employ the Magic Formula 47 Week Three: Clear Your Desk 55 Week Four: Take Back Your Space 61 3. MARCH Stop Paper Pileups 67 Week One: Buried in Paper 70 Week Two: Learn the Secrets of a Working File System 74 Week Three: From Piles to Files 83 Week Four: Maintain Your File System 95 4. APRIL Break Your Worst Time-Wasting Habits 102 Week One: Understand Procrastination 104 Week Two: Let Go of Perfection 110 Week Three: Find Where the Time Goes 114 Week Four: Improve Your Focus 118 5. MAY Set Priorities 124 Week One: Discover Why You Are in This Pickle 126 Week Two: Stop Negative Thinking 130 Week Three: Create a To-Do Plan 133 Week Four: Identify Sneaky Schedule-Interrupters 141 6. JUNE Dealing with People 146 Week One: Make Meetings More Productive 148 Week Two: Have We Met Before? 151 0738212791_1.qxd 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page vii [...]... Herculean effort to maintain a home, advance in a career, and raise children It is my sincere hope that this book can help moms everywhere experience less stress, find more time, and enjoy life more SECRETS OF A ZEN ORGANIZED WORK LIFE It doesn’t require more energy to get organized In fact, chaos is a demanding taskmaster and time waster Getting organized requires a redirection of energy away from one. .. work and continue to live here in Manhattan I need to make some calls and research online and see the fiscal reality for positions with such companies I’d also need to find the headquarters of the top five companies that appeal to me 1 What do you most long to achieve in life? (If you have several things, list them in order of importance.) 2 Is this a realistic and achievable goal? 3 Have you done anything... best to move slowly, systematically, and respectfully through any environment to effect change Make that permanent change I don’t want you to tidy up your office and be back at square one in two weeks I want you to replace your broken system with one that will not only support you but grow with you And with your increased productivity, your growth will be off the charts! You can benefit from reading One. .. rise to the surface, you will discover more of who you really are and what you’d like to manifest in your life Embrace the surprises! 7 0738212791_1.qxd 8 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page 8 INTRODUCTION Now to the more familiar organizing and productivity tools Time is a precious commodity like food or money When it’s gone, it cannot be reclaimed Why fritter your life away or, worse, give it to anyone who demands... takes hold You know what I say to 0738212791_1.qxd 12 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page 12 ONE YEAR TO AN ORGANIZED WORK LIFE that? Let’s eliminate the “work devil” altogether! At the end of this year, you will have streamlined your life and your physical space and moved closer to your career goals Now, please don’t attempt to achieve every work-related goal you’ve ever had! You want to build on your success over... sentences We want to understand the macro experience rather than the micro one If you fell into your job by chance, for example, massive positive changes in your day -to- day work life may not heal the hole in your soul The idea is to be fulfilled (And if you are one of the lucky few who are engaged in a profession you love and work for the company of your dreams, you can pat yourself on the back and be grateful!)... lose one pound a week After setting your goal, you’d probably research diet and exercise plans before deciding what diet you are going to follow and which exercise you feel you can enjoy You know you need to stick with both programs to ensure success Goal with target date and plan: Lose five pounds by March 1 by following a 0738212791_1.qxd 20 9/23/08 1:13 PM Page 20 ONE YEAR TO AN ORGANIZED WORK LIFE. .. rep’s value to the company, for example, can more easily be judged in dollars and cents But an executive may also be judged on the extra efforts she makes to promote the company’s standing in the community An assistant might be evaluated on her ability to keep herself as well as the executives she is assigned to well organized What can I do between now and my performance review to improve my position?... One Year to an Organized Work Life no matter what your job We’ll be focused on the job that pays a salary, but the tools you acquire and the skills you learn can just as easily be applied to your volunteer positions and your home projects Have you ever tackled a remodel? You are the one paying the money, but you had better be organized to reduce issues that may arise If you are a parent, you can teach... book THE ONE- YEAR PLAN You didn’t get into this predicament overnight, so we’re going to take the luxury of one year to effect lasting change This plan is not the equivalent of a crash diet It’s a new way of living, experiencing, and contributing to life, especially that part called work Real change is in the incremental steps we take forward I tell my clients that even if time or money isn’t an issue, . Leeds’ One Year to an Organized Life “Making your New Year s resolutions? If your goal is to finally clear the clutter, One Year to an Organized Life will. LEEDS FEBJAN JANDECNOVOCTSEPAUGJULJUNMAYAPRMAR New York Times best-selling author of ONE YEAR TO AN ORGANIZED ORGANIZED WORKWORK LIFE LIFE FROM YOUR DESK TO