Being organized is a necessary habit for success.

Summary of this chapter:

• Elaborate on the price to be more organized
• Analysis of opportunity costs that continue to be unorganized or organized
• Give value to your time
• Clarify more organized benefits

Organization and organization are often not absolute. For example, you may know someone who keeps his office spotless, and even a small piece of paper stays where it should be. On the other hand, this person is always unable to attend meetings on time or call back in time. On the one hand (organizing his office), people think of him as an organized person, but on the other hand (time and transaction management) people think that he is a low-organizational or basically unorganized person. Is it organized or unorganized? There is no doubt that the people who attended the meeting and those who sat on his phone believed that he did not, but those who only saw him in his office held the opposite opinion.

Although I seriously think about the quality of this person, the answer is that both opinions are correct. He is both an organized person and an unorganized person. His desk, Chair, and office space are the focus of his attention, so he subconsciously planned these areas; meetings, phone calls, and other communications are obviously not important to him, so he is unorganized (and rude) in those parties ).

You can think of organization as a spectrum-like pedigree. There is no planning at one end-such a person's desk is piled up with a large number of files, and all her things are scattered around or piled up somewhere in a mess at home. She is always late, always in a hurry, and leaves a lost impression. This kind of person is likely to not make full use of his career. He often uses an excuse: "Hey, this is my own form of organization, I know where everything is put" or "I don't want to be a clean person, it's not my fault. My boss always has a lot of things to do and I can hardly keep up with him ". Such a person is the most unorganized model. On the other end of the pedigree is a highly organized freak-this kind of person has arranged every minute of every day of the next year, and all things have their place. He never gets late, never mistakenly matches so, and never hastily does something. He takes care of his time and space, and schedules his time more than the core avant-garde of the U. S. National Rugby League's attack. He is a success in the eyes of the masses, and may be very attractive in some aspects of his life.

90% of people are in these two extremes. The worst thing is that most people are closer to one end of unimpeded execution rather than an organized end. To change your position in this pedigree, you should ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my position in this pedigree?
• Where do I want to be in this pedigree?
• How can I get there?

Draw a parallel line on your note card. Write down the characteristics of a completely unorganized person at the top on the left, and write the characteristics of a very organized person at the other end. Next, make a mark on this line, indicating that you think you are currently in the position of this organizational pedigree, and the worst and most advantageous aspects of your organizational characteristics, then draw a star where you want to arrive. Save the card and remind yourself at any time. If you make any progress by following the methods given in this book, add some labels on the card to indicate your success.

Organizational costs

"Alas, I also want to organize my office, but the expensive bookshelves and file cabinets are not what I can afford. So before my ability to pay is improved, I can only be confused. "

Whether you believe it or not, the most common (and surprising) excuse for those who remain unorganized is that they cannot afford the cost associated with the organization. This is rooted in the assumption that you are not planning because of the error of someone else or something. This kind of mistake becomes an obstacle, which makes people unorganized and at a state that is overwhelming. Money is the easiest alternative to sin. "I cannot be organized because I cannot afford all the" equipment ". I don't have a secretary, and I can't afford computers or electronic schedulers. My house is not big enough. "And so on, endless.

My personal organizational system consists of a yellow standard notepaper and a pen ($2.99 in total ). Each page of the note represents a day. I draw a line vertically in the middle of the page, write on the left of the paper the phone number to be called that day and their number, and write down what needs to be done on the right of the paper. Along the blank area on the left, I wrote down the time for every task planned to be done within five days. Every time I finish one task, I draw a line under the recorded event. If a call or call needs to be postponed, I simply go to the corresponding page and remember the delay. All incomplete work on the current day will go to the next page (or next page) of my notepaper ). I have been using this system for nearly 40 years and have established an international company with over 2000 employees in 40 countries that do not want. Fortunately, the investment I spent when I first set up this notepaper system is nothing compared with what it has achieved.

Opportunity Cost

The opportunity cost for maintaining an organizational status is huge. Every piece of wrong information or unfinished work is costly. Sometimes this cost will be your declining reputation. People will gradually think that you are a person who will not call back (not careful) or who is always late for a meeting (not trustworthy ). This label will destroy your trade dealings and interpersonal relationships.

The cleanliness of your office will reveal some information to your partners and customers. A dirty notebook and a messy desk with documents indicates that you are a person without planning. If the customer is confident that you cannot even control these things on his desk, how can he believe that it is worthwhile to establish business dealings with you? If you cannot prove that you are trustworthy in other seemingly insignificant aspects, how can your partners depend on you? The answer is simple: they cannot.

Because unorganized people have to constantly cope with other emergencies, they have little time to actively explore more businesses. He is usually protected. At the same time, organized people can control their time in an appropriate way to ensure that they have time to establish new agreements and develop new relationships, and expanded his line of sight to the entire front-end field.

If you have mastered the following rules, you will be able to be more organized and efficient in all aspects.

• If cost becomes an obstacle to your organization, change your approach.
• A pen, a regular notepaper, and a plan are all expenses you start to cultivate your organization.
• You have to pay for every Unplanned action.
• A meeting is late or you forget to call someone back. This will tell someone a message, which will give you more money in the long term.
• Organized people are very active and can seize opportunities, while unorganized people are passive and never jump out of the traps they have dug for themselves.

Value of time

Time is money. You must have heard this sentence before. You may also talk about it multiple times, but most people never give them a dollar worth of time. Of course, hourly workers will notice what their time means to their employers (if you have paid a lawyer hourly, you will also understand how much value some people give to their precious every minute ). Even so, most people do not understand the real value of their time.

Take the initiative

The advantage must be under command pressure to maintain the operational line. I hope senior managers in my company, International Management Group (IMG) can meet five strangers every year. It sounds not difficult, but most of our managers claim that they do not have enough time or opportunity to meet new friends within 52 weeks. This is a regrettable but real case in my company. People have developed their own small groups, and it is very difficult for them to break this conventional route to expand their horizons. Worse, when these managers are in a higher position, they are less likely to expand their social circles. Officials at the highest level think that it is much easier to review documents and rely on past connections to build a new network.

As I had this kind of tendency, I made a mandatory rule for five people to contact, we also asked our senior personnel to report on their new recognition of five people and explain how these interactions will contribute to future business development.

After I first formulated this rule, the following discussions of volunteers emerged, and the managers of IMG all adopted a resistance posture. They said there was no way to meet five people and develop new businesses concurrently. Their established connections have provided sufficient space for work, and they are already struggling to cope with them, this type of mandatory specification is unreasonable. So I checked my theory through my business list in the past 20 years, and my findings opened my eyes.

20 years ago, 90% of my business interactions accounted for only 50% of my business volume in the past 10 years, and less than 20% of my current business volume, I found that each year's new business volume is replaced by a new name. Today, my list and my list 20 years ago do not seem to have any similarity, even different from those 5 years ago. Because I have met new faces and the initiative to develop new businesses, I am sure that a large part of my business will come from people I recently met in five years.

I have a friend who is proud of his ability to travel around the world with minimal expenses. He often makes unremitting efforts to bargain for plane tickets and hotel fees. As a result, he always pays reasonable prices. Unfortunately, he often needs to find two other drivers during his trip and stay for another night in a city. He will usually fly to a city, rent a car, and drive several hundred meters to his final destination, because the money he saves from the plane can be spent directly in the city he chooses to go. Sometimes this travel method is reasonable, but sometimes I also ask my friend if he ever wondered whether he was waiting for a plane to take off at the airport, driving a rented car, staying at the hotel for one more night, etc. time spent? Saving money is a virtue, but giving up control of your schedule in the long run may be an uneconomical deal.

Just as you respect the value of your time, you must also respect the value of others' time.Meetings, dinner appointments, or other appointments are not just rude, but they also tell people you meet that they think their time is worthless.

Because I own my own company, I can hold international teleconference at my own time. As a boss, employees often change their schedules to suit their needs. Even so, some employees are too keen on seeking for perfection. Recently, I asked a senior manager in the company to set a convenient time. I will call him when I return home on weekends. His answer is as expected. He thinks I will like his answer: "mark, you can call me at any time, and I will be by your side whenever you need me. "

Despite the seamless cooperation, his answer is not what I want to hear. Since the entire time frame is open without limits, when I call him, he is likely to have dinner, play with his children, make a nap, or do anything else, all of this will interfere with our discussions. I want him to tell me that he has time between-on Saturday, so that I can mark the time on my calendar and understand the time of our conversation, he will not be disturbed. His time is valuable. If he realizes this and responds accordingly, I feel better.

In addition, you must let others respect the time you give them. Recently, I went to the hospital at every Friday. When I confirm this agreement, the receptionist asked me to fill in some necessary documents by 15 minutes early. As I said, I appeared at and completed all the forms by AM. When the clock turned to, I was still waiting in the waiting room. I asked the receptionist if something went wrong.
"No problem," she said. "You are the next person. "
"I should be the first. "I replied," When is the first person's appointment time? "
"Seven o'clock"
"When will I wait here? "
After a slight embarrassment, the receptionist said, "The doctor is here to treat you, Mr. mckoma. "

I believe everyone has similar experiences. I tell you this story only because it fully demonstrates how some rude guys treat others for a long time. I agree to work on a step-by-step basis, but the information I have received from this particular doctor is insignificant. He lost my respect because he "told" I think my time is worthless.

On the contrary, if a person comes 30 minutes earlier than agreed, I will also be very angry. This kind of anger is like a person who is 30 minutes late. Although I believe this person will not mind waiting, I understand that his time is also valuable, even if I can follow my schedule, and he has come early, I also don't like him to waste his time. This seems silly, but I do care more about the value of his time than himself.

What is organized

Perhaps the core elements that distinguish high organizations from low organizations are:Highly organized people understand their limitations. In the Western classic movie Eastwood, the villain said: "People should understand their limitations. "According to the story, the villain in the film underestimated the power of the hero Eastwood, which eventually led to the shooting of himself and the victory of Eastwood. Of course, this is only true in movies. In reality, this villain is undoubtedly correct: if a person wants to maximize his time and resources, he must understand his limitations.

My wife, Beiqi, often sets the time for going to the business district at AM, and the time for going home to meet. I know that the schedule is definitely too short. It takes 20 minutes to drive from our house to the commercial district. It usually takes more than 40 minutes to get back and forth on the road. Parking takes almost 10 minutes, 5 minutes to get to the store (if she is fast enough), and 20 minutes to get back to the car. A trip to the commercial area takes at least 1 hour and 15 minutes. In addition to the time wasted by many people in the parking lot, the time spent waiting in the queue for checkout, or a minute or two for free watching, this trip would take an hour and a half or longer. But she believes she will be home in an hour. Her assertions are unrealistic or even irrational. But she stubbornly thinks this is because she doesn't understand her limitations.

Even so, if I want to do this, I will choose a different solution. If I have to go to the business district to buy something, I will first make a call to confirm that the store does have this item. Because I know the distance to the business district, I can predict the parking time and the time to enter the mall. Sometimes I tell the mall that I will spend 30 minutes there. If the mall can do its utmost, when I arrive, the packed items are ready for me to come, then I can drive my car on the way home one hour and ten minutes away from home. Even if it was my budget-intensive plan, this trip was far more than an hour. I could not assume that I would come back within an hour and schedule another meeting. The traffic may be very congested, or the salesman ignored my request. When I arrived, I had to call to pick up the goods. Any variable out of my control can affect my itinerary. Therefore, I always stand on the side of insurance to prepare for accidents, set my next appointment to an hour and a half or longer for my business trip. If everything goes well, I will arrive home 30 minutes in front of the next meeting, and I will have time to call one or two calls or review the entire schedule. I don't have time to waste, because I plan my schedule after I understand my limits.

On the other hand, I may have arranged six international conferences between a.m. And A.M.-this is impossible for most people. However, before such an exaggerated spark emerges, I understand how long each meeting will last and stick to the high degree of schedule, this strategy does not mean that a person cannot approach me after one of the meetings and discuss his life and all other problems with me, but as long as it does not interfere with my strict schedule, I will find a time and place to sit down and have a good talk with him. The six meetings were productive only after I set the schedule and ensured that everything was working properly. As long as there is any deviation from this plan, everything will fail.

Non-organized people will arrange six meetings in the same four hours, but they cannot shape the agenda of the meeting or determine the time limit, therefore, he may not be able to hold 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th meetings. The first two meetings swallowed up his entire morning, and the results were not as good as the one that came with a pleasant surprise. The remaining meetings are either rescheduled or forgotten.

In the same way, a person without a plan may be calling out his car but find that his mobile phone is dead, or the signal in his region is too bad to call. A planned person will hire a driver to drive from one meeting to another so that he can call, take notes, and read books on his journey. He will also ensure that there is sufficient power on his mobile phone, and the communication signal on the driving route is good, so it will not interfere with the phone call.

An unorganized person planned to attend his son's baseball 7: 00 PM, but some "emergencies" in the office kept him late at night, A well-organized person will pay great attention to his son's game and will not change his schedule as requested by anyone. When something goes wrong at work, he simply finds a proper time on his schedule to solve it at that scheduled time in the future. By writing down this issue on his list, and arranging a feasible time to deal with each problem, he not only can participate in his son's competition, and enjoy the game without any worries or worries.

An organized person is:

• Sensitive to time, it is very realistic to estimate how many tasks can be completed within a given time.
• Sensitive to space, understanding that everything has its own space, even if its space is just a garbage tank.
• Learn how much time you need, be cautious, and never make exaggerated commitments.
• Strictly stick to your own planning system, no matter what the system is.
• Be confident and focused on your goals.
• Work-related issues can be shelved because everything has been recorded and there is a proper time to handle them.

An organized person is not:

• Fantasizing about the benefits that most ordinary people cannot possess or the resources and power beyond their own capabilities.
• His schedule and environmental oppression have no sense of humor and are very depressed. A small piece of paper may make him very confused.
• You must make yourself smarter and more talented than you are now.

Why are you not as organized as you expected?

Humans have the skills to cheat themselves. Whether talking about your own looks, health, or talent, most people tend to exaggerate themselves in self-evaluation. I think this is especially prominent in sports. People always believe that they are great golfers and great tennis players, but in the eyes of coaches, they are in average (or even lower) areas ). The same principle applies to people's organization. Everyone believes that they have organized well, because the opposite is low organization or low production efficiency. No one is willing to admit this.

Keep a record of how many meetings are late, how many times have you completed the task beyond the deadline, and write down the reasons you think you are behind the schedule. At the same time, write down how many things you have done out of date in the last month and put the two lists aside. After a few weeks, let's look back at them and objectively judge whether you are honest with yourself. A little distance can give you a clearer picture of your organizational weaknesses.

Honesty is the best strategy. 1. Be honest with yourself, especially.

No one deliberately delays the schedule or is late, but the problem is that most people's experience is based on self-testing and casual self-deception. If a person completes their work at their preset time, they will realize that their schedule is not feasible at all.

I recently had a dinner with a trade partner (a man) in New York. As a result, he was nearly an hour late, without a doubt, he repeatedly apologized and explained that a series of things made him unable to get out of the house. He had to go to the other end of the city to deal with it. After he explained, I asked him what he was competing for this morning's schedule.

I was shocked when he listed all the things he wanted to accomplish. He arranged for a meeting at the other end of the city at noon, and several other jobs before lunch. He could not meet me on time according to such a plan. Colleague, if this man is honest enough to himself (and also to me), We can make another appointment to finish his work without any burden, I will be more satisfied with his planning capabilities.

How is your organization

Perform the following tests and measure yourself based on the scoring system.

Personalized side test

1. Do you know what to do at tomorrow morning?
2. Can you find your car key within 1 minute?
3. Are there any planning tools (notes, logs, or a series of notes) available to you at any time )?
4. You have some calls to call. Do you know who will be the first call tomorrow?
5. Do you write the most important business and private phone number in the same place?
6. Do you have dinner at least three times a week with your family?
7. If you are knocked down by a car this afternoon and unfortunately die, will your family know all the key information they need to know? Can they find all the necessary files to recover the loss?
8. Do you have willpower?
9. Have you made an appointment with the doctor for the next health check?
10. Have you sorted the garbage bins on your computer in the last six months?
11. Have more than half of the items in your closet never been moved or returned to your original location?

Organizational Testing

12. Have you ever visited your home or office?
13. Have you ever forgotten the birthday of a family member or your wedding anniversary?
14. Are there any newspapers and magazines you have never read in your home or office?
15. Have you been late for a meeting or dinner in the last two weeks?
16. Is your storage space full?
17. Did you put the files wrong in the last month so that they could not be found?
18. Will you be disturbed twice in a day? Upper
19. During the last month, did you have a dispute or conflict because you did not share information with your spouse or a family member?
20. Did you go to the supermarket for shopping more than once in the last month without writing a list?

Score

In question 1-11, if you answer "yes", add 5 points to yourself. In Question 12-20, add 5 points to yourself.

If your score is:

• 90 points or higher: You are a very organized person, and there is almost no problem in completing the task. You are not only very successful in your chosen field, but also healthier and happier than most people of the same age and class.
• 80 to 90: You are organized in some places and can stick to your plan most of the time. If you do better, you can bring your career and personal life to a new height.
• 70 to 80: in the face of reality, you are an unorganized person. You may do your best, but you are often powerless, and you often ask for forgiveness from others. Make up your mind to master some of the methods provided in this article and change your life.
• Below 70: you need help and are in urgent need. Life is a constant struggle for you. Family, career, and all relationships are tense and chaotic. This messy situation may be something that a pen or a notebook can change, but you must make a commitment to yourself to seek improvement.

Not organized

"Organizational concepts" lead to a variety of incorrect concepts. This section will help you clarify these misunderstandings:

• "Overly strict personality" False Evidence

When I hear people say "organized people are too rigid and rigid" or "I don't want to be planned, because I prefer to stop and hear the fragrance around me, I think I have nothing to say. As a matter of fact, planning can reduce the pressure. Therefore, by making better planning, you will be able to hear the roses more comfortably, rather than always be late or clean up the latest garbage at home and in the office.

• Prejudice against "schedule shackles"

Another repeated argument is that organized people, to some extent prisoners, are tied to their schedules. "I don't want to be a prisoner of a pre-established schedule," says unorganized people. "This fully demonstrates the nature of this prejudice. Non-organizational people require them to maximize their freedom. For them, writing down the planning list means they have no flexibility or autonomy. They think that those who have plans are controlled by their daily plans and there is no room for arbitrary control.

These so-called truths are actually irrational. Because I have recorded the work to be completed and set the corresponding time, so I can take full advantage of my entertainment activities without worrying about the problems that will arise in the next meeting or in the next few years. At the same time, I can control my time and space. If Tiger Woods comes to town and wants to play a golf course with me, I can adjust my schedule, change the time of some activities, and then play golf with Tiger, there is no sense of guilt or inefficiency-this happiness will never be fully enjoyed by unplanned people.

• Prejudice against "No elastic botnets"

Organizational offering is not boring or rigid, although it seems general knowledge. They only know the value of their own time and space, and do their best to achieve their own creed. Some of the most friendly and approachable people I know are also the most organized people. No one of professional athletes is more famous for being cheerful and approachable than Arnold Palmer. Most of Arnold's attractiveness and extraordinary beauty stems from his trustworthy friendship and enthusiasm when dealing with people. From a child who stretched his neck and asked for a signature many years ago, Arnold never looked down on it, and he always seemed to have time for them. However, Arnold's organization is incredible. while controlling a large amount of commercial trade, he continues to play on the golf course. He is an example of being flexible and highly organized. My colleague, in his career for almost 50 years, never called Arnold a "zombie ".

• "Obsessive-compulsive disorder" prejudice

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a serious mental illness that affects thousands of people. Some people who focus too much on details and strictly control their personal plans are mistakenly labeled as abnormal. No matter how absurd a person looks, his/her special temperament will not make him/her crazy or forced.