60 Second Organizer: Sixty Solid Techniques For Beating Chaos At Work - 2nd Edition

“Jeff Davidson approaches organizing as an exercise in control, efficiency, and peace of mind.” —Warren Farrell, Ph.D., author of Why Men Are the Way They Are and Women Can’t Hear What Men Don’t Say 60 The 2nd Edition SECOND ORGANIZER Sixty Solid Techniques for Beating Chaos at Work • Work smarter and faster • Prioritize tasks and responsibilities • Keep e-mail under control • Create checklists that work • E-file for efficiency Jeff Davidson SECOND 60 ORGANIZER 2nd Edition Sixty Solid Techniques for Beating Chaos at Work Jeff Davidson avon, massachusetts Copyright © 2008 by Jeff Davidson All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews. Published by Adams Business Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company 57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A. www.adamsmedia.com ISBN 10: 1-59869-844-3 ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-844-2 (paperback) ISBN-13: 978-1-44050-119-7 (EPUB) Printed in the United States of America. J I H G F E D C B A Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the publisher. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. —From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their product are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters. This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases. For information, please call 1-800-289-0963. Contents Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv v Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi Part One Embracing Powerful Perspectives . Part Two Enveloping Provocative Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Part Three Listing and Charting Your Way . Part Four Reclaiming Your Places and Spaces . . Part Five Organize Online Activities, Meetings, and Travel . Part Six Making Your Home Your Castle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bibliography . 1 49 73 111 162 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 iii Foreword Sometimes, when I am trying to concentrate on a project, out of the corner of my eye, I notice something on my desk related to another project. I start dwelling on this other task, and I get distracted from my work. As Jeff Davidson will explain, it is not the other task that creates the delay but the meandering and lack of focus that steers me away. Lack of organization costs me time and mental energy. Reading Jeff’s newly revised The 60 Sec