When work gets busy organization is key. In recruiting it is not uncommon to come into work with a plan and by 10am your day is completely different than you expected. If you aren’t organized it will be easy for you to miss things and make mistakes.
My favorite organizational technique is not new or creative but extremely effective. I make lists. Every morning on my drive into work I think about what I want to accomplish that day. I think about the work that is pending, things I might want to get ahead of and people I should follow up with that I haven’t heard back from. Then I get into work, sit down with a cup of coffee and start my list. I find it is really important to put everything on my list. I also like to estimate how long each task will take. For instance if I have 3-4 things on my list that only take 5 minutes each I know I can squeeze those task in when I have a few extra minutes before my next meeting. Something that might take an hour or two I try to handle early in the day before things start to get busy.
The best part of a list is crossing things off. This is a big part of why I still put pen to paper. There is so much gratification in crossing off a difficult or annoying task. It also helps you see how much you have accomplished and it keeps you on track for the day.
Clearly I am a fan of lists, they work for me. What works for you? How do you stay on top of your ever changing workload?
By Caitlin Mandeville | People Science Talent Advisor II
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