Productivity and organization: I promise they’re connected. Honestly, I don’t really see how you can have one without the other. Being productive and being organized are two sides of the same coin, and you won’t be able to get much done without both.
The Relationship Between Productivity and Organization
Being productive means getting a lot of various things done, like finishing stuff for work, cleaning your house, making phone calls, setting up appointments, and making dinner. Being organized is actively keeping things in order so you can work towards a goal. That goal can simply be to keep your home running smoothly or to nail a presentation for work. See what I mean about there being a connection? Being organized allows you to more effectively get tasks done, and therefore makes you more productive.
Imagine trying to be productive, but not being organized. So your desk is a mess and you can’t find that piece of paper that you absolutely need for your afternoon meeting. Or you made a to-do list, but now you’ve misplaced it among the mess of papers in your briefcase. Since you’re not organized, you waste precious time searching for things, redoing them all over again, or forgetting things completely. How can you expect to have a productive day when a lack of organization is constantly tripping you up?
Similarly, you can’t really be organized if you’re not productive. You have to have a drive to accomplish tasks in order to find the will to remove yourself from the couch and start cleaning things up. You need to set aside time to organize, to make lists and plans, and actively think about how to streamline everything. In order to organize, you have to productively tidy up, file, and map things out throughout the day. It’s not feasible to lazily organize your life.
Maintaining Organization and Productivity
Yes, organizing your workspace, home, and overall life will take time and constant effort, but it will save you time and you won’t find yourself scrambling around at the last minute all the time. In order to maintain organization and productivity, designate a place for everything. Don’t dump every single file under “Documents.” Create individual folders for each topic, project, and file type. Assign certain items to a specific drawer or spot at your desk. Keep like items together. Once you’ve cleaned things out and organized them, it becomes much easier to maintain that organization, as long as you stick to it daily.
So basically, if you aren’t too lazy to organize things and keep them that way you will be more successful at having productive days. Remember that the two are closely related and that you need them both. Stick with it and I promise you’ll be surprised.
