Priorities are key to getting organized Published Feb. 7, 2006 By Holly L. Birchfield 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFPN) -- Short suspenses, miles of e-mail traffic and clocks that never slow down can present road blocks on the daily path to getting the mission done. Even so, Rowdy Yates, 78th Air Base Wing Lean change manager, said people can get more done daily with the right approach. "I believe the reason people feel like, 'The day went fast, and I didn't get much done,' is because they're not able to prioritize and work on the things that are really important because they get tied up with busy work," he said. Mr. Yates said learning to prioritize can help workers tackle tasks more successfully. "Set your priorities," he said. "You can't do that by yourself. You have to do that in conjunction with your supervisor and fellow workers so that everyone understands that this is what we're all about and this is why we're here." Merrial Butts, 330th Aircraft Sustainment Wing budget analyst, said her job demands constant revision of priorities to make mission ends meet. "Every day on my way to work, I think about what I want to accomplish for the day," she said. "It's very seldom it gets accomplished that way, because there's always something new that takes the place of what you were going to do." Ms. Butts said keeping up with e-mails is one key to keeping up with her ever-changing priorities. Denise Underwood, a 402nd Aircraft Maintenance Group management analyst in the records management office, said prioritizing tasks and developing a way to manage day-to-day pop-up jobs is a must. "I keep a file of suspenses next to my desk, along with the dates they're due," she said. "I check my e-mail for new suspenses throughout the day and prioritize them with the others." Finding the right organization and time management approach is personal, Mr. Yates said. "One of the easiest ways to get organized is (by) sorting and determining what's important," he said. "Everything has a place. There are big labels, so you know what is in this drawer or this file. Too often, we stick stuff in our 'in' basket, and we think we know where it is, but we may go right by the folder itself because we didn't mark the folder well. You need to sort things out and get rid of things you don't need." Mislabeled and disorganized items aren't the only time stealers. "You have the big rocks and the little rocks," he said. "The big rocks are things that are very important, and the little rocks are things that take up your time -- like someone walks up to your desk and says, 'Did you see that football game last night?' Junk e-mails can eat up your time, too. You think you have to read them. All of these things are little pebbles that tie up your day and don't really get you to the core of what your job is." Mr. Yates recommends that people skim e-mail messages for their relevancy and delete them if they're not applicable. Tony Boles, also a Lean change manager here, said time management and organization is simpler than most may think. "Get your desk organized in a way where you can reach items you regularly use so you're not wasting time reaching around for them. Set up personal folders to make finding things in your e-mail easier," he said. Mr. Yates offered the following time management and organization tips: -- Have a plan. Know what you're going to do for the week and month. -- Set goals. Pinpoint important things you want to get accomplished and take steps toward them. -- Don't get caught up with perceived “hot items” that may eventually go away. Concentrate on important items you determine with your supervisor. -- Don't let time-wasters like non-work related conversations get in the way. -- Organize your desk, placing items where they are easily accessible. -- Clearly label items so they're easily located. -- Skim e-mails and determine if they are relevant to you. If not, delete them and move on. -- Standardize how you file items so that anyone can find them. -- Take time for yourself. You won't be productive if you're burned out. -- Take the last 15 minutes of your day to plan for the next day's events. (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service)