Piles of papers stacked high on your desk. Hustling about trying to find where that client file is. Feeling anxious. Knowing you're not being as productive as you'd like to be.
For many executives and professionals, these events are a daily occurrence. But they don't have to be. Experts say the act of getting organized is easy to put off because of seemingly more important tasks that require immediate attention. According to organizing specialist Alita Marlowe, of Marlowe & Associates Business and Efficiency Consultants in Southfield,MI, the most common reason executives put off getting organized is it wasn't taught in school.
"Procrastination and clutter is actually delayed decision making," she maintained. "Time management skills are also usually underdeveloped." Marlowe added the biggest mistake professionals make is putting blame on a single person in the firm for the disorganization that "actually is the result of a faulty or nonexistent organizational system."
To drive home the point of just how costly inefficiency can be, Marlowe gave the example of a professional who bills $220 an hour. According to her calculations, if that person encounters six distractions per day at 30 minutes per distraction, there is $660 of lost productivity in one day, $3,300 in one week and $13,200 of lost productivity in one month. "Poor time management and disorganization costs at least $13,000 per month and causes lots of stress," she contended.
Marlowe recommended the first change that should be made is reducing distractions. "Each interruption costs 20 minutes of refocusing time plus the time of the original distraction," she said, recommending disorganized executives use self-assessments, self-help books, personal coaches and instructional videos to develop a unique leadership and organizing style.
Source: Michigan Lawyers Weekly, April 21, 2006, www.MILawyersWeekly.com
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