Tip of the week: Time Management: File Structures

This is #11 - and the final post -  in an 11 part series on Time Management: Focus on Life and Results, Not Time

Like many of us, you probably struggle with piles of paper on your desk or you have a file structure that is easy to put things into, but is fairly unreliable for finding things again? 

If you need help in this area, then this suggested system for setting up file structures should prove useful.  This is one of those areas that provides no easy fix -- it is going to take time and discipline.  

But this isn't about setting up a whole elaborate filing system and then conforming all of your old information into it.  Absolutely don’t spend time filing what has passed!  Document how the old material is filed and box it up.  Create a new file structure and use it going forward.

The key here is getting the file structure logic right.  Less is more which is actually much more difficult.  You need to think about what you work with the most on your job -- for example, clients, projects, products, buyers, or sites.  

Time Management: How to Manage Interruptions

This is #10 in a series on Time Management: Focus on Life and Results, Not Time

A certain amount of interruptions is unavoidable in any work environment.  We are, after all, human beings who are easily distracted by shiny, sexier items than what we might be currently working on at our desks.  

The other reality is that in today’s typical organization, we are called to intersect, collaborate and access each other at several points in any given work process.  So admittedly, you won’t be able to control all of the interruptions in your work; however, you can take responsibility for managing some interruptions and influencing how long interruptions distract you from getting down to work.