This post was inspired by a student who asked for tips on getting organized and meeting goals (thanks, Megan!).

Getting organized (and staying organized) is definitely critical for job success. In fact, that point is so obvious, I’m not going to elaborate on it. Now that we’ve grown up and our mothers no longer remind of us of homework and doctor’s appointments, we all know we need to organize ourselves, right?

To get organized, you need two things: a to-do list and a planner. To say organized, you need to use them. Honestly, it’s that simple.

Using Your To-Do List

• Have one to-do list and put everything on it. Random scraps of paper on your desk is not an organizational system. It’s just a mess.
• Carry your to-do list with you so you can add items as needed. If you are caught without your to-do list and find yourself making notes on scraps of paper, transfer those notes to your official to-do list as soon as possible.
• I recommend a print to-do list because you get the satisfaction of crossing items off – this gives you a visual sense of accomplishment which can be very motivating. But, an electronic system works, too; the important thing is to pick a system and use it.

Using Your Planner

• As with to-do lists, pick a system that works for you and use it. I’ve used both print and electronic calendars and in either format, I prefer a system where I can see a week at a time. This helps me see upcoming events I should be preparing for (meetings, classes, etc.) so that I’m not caught by surprise.
• Once you have a planner, print or electronic, put everything on it. Instead of saving fliers about community events, party invitations, and the like, write those events and addresses on your planner and trash the papers – not only do you have all your events in one place, you have less paper cluttering your desk (if you use a paper planner, it can be helpful to get the kind that has a nice cover with a pocket to store important papers like meeting agendas).
• Read your planner! I check my planner every evening to see what I have the next day and again in the morning. Every few days I  look ahead a full week so I can start to plan busy days, make notes about errands I need to run, etc.

For me, being organized is about meeting my short and long-term goals and not losing my mind in the process. It is actually not that hard to meet your short-term goals and commitments; just like you can crank out a research paper in two or three nights, you can crank out a library program or a report for your boss in an afternoon. But, when you live your life moving from crisis to crisis or program to program, you probably aren’t doing your best work. In addition, it is easy to lose sight of your long-term goals.

Additional Tips and Ideas:

• I keep my to-do list on the top sheet of a pad of paper. The extra sheets of paper are handy for taking notes in meetings. If I’m stuck in a boring meeting, I can use that paper to draft documents, presentations or syllabi.
• On days when I feel overwhelmed I’ll create a post-it note of high priority items and stick it on top of my to-do list or I’ll highlight the most important things on my to-do list. Both techniques help me stay focused on what I need to accomplish.  
• Some people like to color code their to-do lists and calendars. If that works for you, go for it. Just be sure that your urge to color code your calendar isn’t a procrastination technique. Part of staying organized and in control is actually doing the work that needs to be done.
• Create organizational systems that live where you live – I keep a running list of songs I wanted to put on my iPod in my email. Why? Because I’m often working on my laptop when I think of a song I like (or hear it on Pandora), so instead of looking for a paper list to make a note, I record the title in my email. A colleague and I use Google Docs to keep a list of potential changes to a course we co-teach because it is a space we can both access whenever we have an idea.
• Although I prefer calendars that show a week at a time, it can be very helpful to also see further into the future. When I was a library director I had a large monthly style calendar that I used to record important events – the start of the semester, finals week, major library events, my own vacations, etc. Looking ahead two or three months helped me plan my time to accomplish long-term goals (you can also break big projects into weekly pieces and record those on your monthly calendar). My current print calendar gives me both weekly and monthly views; I use the weekly view for day-to-day appointments and the monthly view for the big stuff.
• Know how you work. Are you at your best early in the morning? If so, try to reserve mornings to work on complex projects. Can you only write when the office is quiet and there are no interruptions? If so, plan to get in early or stay late once a week. Does clutter distract you? If so, spend ten minutes filing papers and straightening your desk so that you’ll be better able to concentrate.
• Establish annual goals and track them. You may be required to do this as part of your annual performance appraisal; if not, pick a date each year to set them for yourself (you do not have to use the first of the year; in an academic or school library, the start of a new school year or new semester can be a natural time for goal-setting). These goals should reflect your long-term priorities – developing a new program, learning a new skill, writing an article, etc. Write your goals down and look at them periodically to track your progress. Again, pick a few times in the year when things usually slow down, such as the end of the semester, and get in the habit of using those times to focus on long-term goals, instead of day-to-day work.

As always, I look forward to your tips and tricks for organization and time management!