Organization and Productivity

When I think about my first year+ with our program, I think the two areas where I needed to learn and evaluate myself the most were organization and productivity. Admittedly, I was very haphazard about my work space and often inefficient in my time management. I'd like to talk about them together because I do not believe these two concepts are mutually exclusive, but instead are intertwined throughout the work environment.

Folders. Shelves. Drawers. Binders. Notebooks. All are great ways to organize different materials around the office. They're also things that I could have had an allergy to throughout my first year. I had papers on my desk, clothes and shoes on the floor, and no discernible system to keep myself organized. Anytime somebody asked, I referred to it as "organized chaos", and said I knew right where everything was. In truth, I found myself scrambling to come up with paperwork, receipts, and other projects. I realized that the appearance I was giving off was that my work didn't matter to me - it was all over the place and it wasn't a big deal. This was affecting my productivity on a daily basis. 

Without a system to know which projects were urgent, and which could be tabled, I found myself losing time throughout the day. I had started the year with a plan that worked, but hadn't stuck to it once I felt that I "got the hang of things." I felt rushed to complete assignments and was never quite sure I had everything done. Because I wasn't sure where to start, I didn't know if I was stopping early, late, or when I should. Early this summer my office moved to a different room, and that move forced me to organize my working area. I'm thankful for this opportunity, because I now feel much more composed in the workplace. I have been able to start a few personal projects that will help me long-term, and I'm more organized with my assignments for work. With that new organization has come an increase in productivity and confidence as I understand my time management needs and have gotten back into a system that works for prioritizing assignments.

Here are a list of things I'm using to keep myself more organized and productive for the 2011-12 season:

• White board calendar
• Microsoft Outlook task manager
• File Folders for receipts, practice plans, and scouting materials
• Immediate transfer of incoming e-mails to online database
• A "no piles" policy on my desk
• A "no clothes" policy on my floor
• A book case converted into storage area w/ space for:
• Workout clothes
• Personal and Player Development notes
• My (hopefully growing) basketball DVD library
• Team-related notes and notebooks
• Recruiting materials
• Virtual Post-it notes (color coded by importance)

If you have any additional ideas about organization or productivity, please comment!