Share

It’s easy to feel scatter-brained as you are establishing your career as a young professional. As most of us know, first impressions are lasting ones, and so to present your best foot forward here are some suggestions to stay organized and focused.

If you haven’t invested in a planning system yet, it’s high time to do so. If you are a traditionalist (like me) and need to write things down, a great system to try is the Fraklin Covey system. Created by lifestyle guru Stephen Covey, of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People fame, this planning system is a holistic look at how to incorporate achieving your ultimate goals and dreams into your daily living.

With this system you outline the things that matter most to you, the things you value, your role in life and your goals. Once you fully understand and identify what matters most you can better understand where your priorities are. For example, if your health is something you value, you will make working out a priority. The next step is to begin to write everything that is going on in your life in a central location. That location would be your planner. You write down all important dates, appointments and your daily schedule/routine. Then you write down your daily task list…the things you should accomplish in that day. Finally, you prioritize what you need to on the list from top to bottom by giving them values (A1 being the most important to C11 or so, being the least) and then schedule when you will get those things accomplished. Returning to the working out example. If you assign an A value to working, make time to schedule exactly when you will go.

This system is quite effective in helping you be able to locate information quickly, and keep of your daily progress and effectiveness. Not only is it a personal staple, but it can be stylish and fit your personal style. For more information on how to invest in the paper products, check this out.

If you are more tech saavy, you can integrate your paper planning system with most compatible operating systems on Mac’s and PC’s. Software from the Covey system is available to do easily with the Franklin planning system. This post is not to be a Franklin Covey advertorial, but it is a tested system that I can personally vouch for (I’ve been using my system for the past 7 years).

Another way to help you organize your day to day operations is to use the calendar feature on your computer. Most calendars will remember recurring events….even when you forget them! The same applies to using the calendar and planning functions on your phones. “Smart phones” like the Treo 700p, can help facilitate the keeping you on time and looking fly.

The most important things to remember are:

- record all important information in one central location. Eliminate writing notes on scattered sheets of paper and post-it notes.
- integrate your planning system with your computer or smart phone. That way you will be able to know what the next big task is, even when you are on the move.
- actively use your planner. It does not help you if you do not actively write down notes from meetings, things you need to do, brilliant ideas and the tasks that you did not complete today plan them out where you can realistically complete those tasks.