As you know, the best part of signing up to the Young Professional is the continuous development and learning you can receive. Each week we set you a challenge to make sure you are using your skills and developing. This week we are going to focus on the organisation part of self management but first a quick recap:
Self management was a big part of your Young Professional, made up of organisation, accountability and initiative it can be seen as that final skill set used to bring together all of your other skills.
A quick recap:
Organisation
Let’s delve a little deeper into organisation and explore the different types of organisation
Physical Organisation
This isn’t just about being a messy person, you don’t have to be a neat freak to be considered ‘organised’ but making sure that you are keeping track of paper-work, typing up notes, using systems put in place and keeping a tidy desk will help you become more organised. Keeping all of your lesson notes together and making sure they are kept, clean and safe will help when it comes to revision or writing that essay. Feeling in control of your paperwork in work can mean you are better prepared for meetings, have all your annual leave and expenses up to date and that you can easily lay your hands on things when you or colleagues need them – no one wants to be scrambling around in a pile of old magazines, lunch boxes and work notes with their boss standing over them waiting!
Mental Organisation
Keeping track of everything going on can be a real challenge, if you are still studying you will have a number of subjects and lectures to keep up with, project work, social activities and maybe even a part time job to prioritise. In work there will be a number of tasks that you have to do everyday, different days might mean having to prioritise them in different ways, then there are projects that come up that you need to be involved in.
Planning is key, writing to do list doesn’t seem a revolutionary idea but getting a sense of the tasks you have to do in all areas of life, study and work can help you prioritise and set yourself targets. Not everyone can manage have 5 things all happening at the same time, you might need to focus on one project at a time – your to do list will help you plan the time you need to do that!
Time management
Being organised can have a big impact on your time management! You’ll be spending less time sinking under paperwork and old copies of magazines, you will know where the information is that you need and be able to get to it and you will know exactly how much time you have to complete tasks too. Your calendar will be up to date and you’ll be on top of deadlines.
The big picture
This might seem a long way off, but being organised, setting goals and tasks and completing them is all part of building the bigger picture. Keeping on track of the lecture notes and getting that essay in time is all building towards receiving a good finishing grade. Completing projects and staying on track in work help you to stay on track, know what you are achieving to go forward to a promotion or help that big dream of running the show!
Being organised is a great skill to continue to develop. As you develop through education and work new challenges, people, projects and social activities will pop up that you will need to consider how you can prioritise and respond to these new challenges.
Top tips:
In study:
- Prioritise your tasks, some subjects will be trickier to deal with than others and you need to make sure you allow enough time to do a task properly
- Take the time after lessons to make sure that you have all of the notes from that subject together
- Make the effort to clear out your bag at the end of each day, make sure your sports kit goes in the wash and that you have all you need for the next day
- Make more than one copy of your timetable, have one by your bag and where you study so you can make sure you have everything you need
- Throw away stuff you don’t need anymore
- Creating ‘homes’ for things, whether you need a file for each subject or want to create folders for work completed and work to do – it’s up to you, find what works for you and stick to it
In work:
- Keep a good to do list, update and tick off as you go
- Prioritise your tasks, some things are trickier than others, some tasks might need the help of a colleague so will need to consider their availability
- Spend the time creating a filing system that works, this might be by project or “to do”, “to read”, “on hold”
- Write up meeting notes and actions as soon as possible, schedule yourself 5 minutes at the end of every meeting to keep on track with this
- Make use of company systems, does your company have a system that keeps track of all of your clients, make sure you keep it up to date
- Shred stuff you don’t need anymore, we can all get caught up in keeping all leaflets, newspapers, conference packs. Make sure you have all the details necessary and then clear the decks.
NEXT STEPS:
- Keep up to date with our skill challenges by always checking your dashboard (when you are logged in you will see the option to view this in your top right hand corner)
- Have you thought about becoming an ambassador with Youth Employment UK?
- Take a look at our youth hub to see all the new activities especially our new careers hub
