Regina Leeds | ©2009, Da Capo Press

by Lisa Fahoury, CBC

Struggling to be more productive at work? Take a minute to look at the big picture, says Regina Leeds in her newest book, One Year to an Organized Work Life.

Our work and home lives are parts of the same whole, and we get caught up in chaos of daily living because we're only human. But with time, commitment, and a few smart strategies, we can experience less stress and find more time, both professionally and personally.

Make this your best year ever

One Year to an Organized Work Life leads readers through a 12-month plan for eliminating the workplace stress caused by disorganization. Each chapter introduces an important component of the organizational process for the month — from making the most of your office space to dealing with priorities — then breaks it down into four weeks of actionable steps.

Each month also includes two "Zen organizing habits" — tasks for work and home that take just a few minutes and are worth cultivating. For example, Leeds recommends pausing each day to jot down three positive actions you took to make your work life easier. Periodically review your notes to celebrate your accomplishments and learn from your mistakes.

As each chapter of One Year to an Organized Work Life builds on prior tips and accomplishments, your best bet is to start from the beginning — even if the calendar currently buried somewhere on your desk doesn't read "January."

Why get organized?

Your physical environment is a manifestation of your inner world of thoughts and feelings, says Leeds. Chaos in your life could be due to a lack of organizing skills, but it could also be a symptom of a lack of inner peace.

Look at it this way: Chaos is a demanding taskmaster that drains your energy. Getting organized is simply a better way to redirect the energy you're already expending when you scramble to find an important file, recreate a misplaced document, or meet what seems like an impossible deadline.

So, where to begin? Step back and view your workspace with a critical eye, Leeds suggests — similar to what happens when you receive a last-minute phone call from someone who wants to stop by your home on the weekend. Suddenly, you see your living room in a whole new light, don't you?

What does your workspace say about you? Are you energized and ready to get down to business the minute you enter? Or do you feel immediately overwhelmed by the chaos it contains?

Hard work — and some organizational magic bullets

One Year to an Organized Work Life unveils what Leeds calls her three-step "magic formula" for cutting down on chaos — eliminate, categorize, and organize. Try these tips to tame your organizational bad habits:

Practice completion. Set a timer for five minutes and devote this time to straightening up your office — at the start or end of the day, whenever you are at your peak.

Stop striving for perfection. The quest for perfection really lets us off the hook, says Leeds, because if we can't do something perfectly we end up doing nothing. Let it go and revel in the understanding that achieving perfection is impossible.

Figure out where your day goes. Yes, it's a cliché, but spend one day tracking how much time you really spend on various tasks. You'll likely be amazed at your own creative time-wasters and procrastination tools, and better able to develop strategies for dealing with them.

Don't surrender power. You do not have to respond to every request for your time and attention the second it is presented. In all but the direst of situations, you have a choice, so don't let your schedule be hijacked by the demands of others.

Develop anti-procrastination tools. Simple habits, from staying hydrated to practicing daily meditation, can keep you focused and on track. Throughout the day, stop and periodically ask yourself, "Am I avoiding my real work?" Then drop the time waster and turn back to your mission-critical assignments.

As Leeds reminds us throughout One Year to an Organized Work Life, change isn't about making a huge, difficult shift in our lives. It's simply about switching one behavior for another. When viewed through this lens, you'll find that organizational nirvana suddenly seems very achievable.

Lisa Fahoury, Certified Business Communicator, is chief creative officer at NJ-based Fahoury Ink, a marketing communications firm that helps businesses create marketing messages with maximum impact. Reach her at (973) 324-2100 or lisa@fahouryink.com.

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