Being disorganized is holding you back
Being organized is criminally underrated for professionals.
A waiter comes to your table to take your order. It’s one of these restaurants that inexplicably ban their waitstaff from using notepads, and instead try to take your order from memory. You have six people in your party, and also a few allergy concerns. The waiter is nodding as they take drink, appetizer, main, and dessert orders from all around the table, and then walks off with a relatively heavy load in that short term memory. All you’re thinking about is how that waiter is not going to remember all of that, and if one of you will be having a date with an epi-pen in short order. There is also nothing of value added from that waiter not using a notepad.
So what does this have to do with being organized? Here’s a pro-tip about organized people: they incessantly take notes. Even those with incredible memory will choose to write things down, from tasks to meeting details, and not just rely on their memory. They know memory can be fallible, and things can get lost in the shuffle during busy days and full schedules. So to ensure they will follow-up with everything, and be able to recall details from meetings and other events, organized notes become a way of life. So waiters not using notes to take even simple orders just doesn’t make any sense.
I’m sure we can all remember a time where a miscommunication happened in a meeting. You were certain about an event happening, while another attendee recalls things differently. Or you forgot to follow up on a task which you were about to start, but then got distracted and unfortunately never got back to it. Or were late for a lunch with someone because it wasn’t in your calendar.
So why is this so important to focus on for your career? Here’s the dangerous thing: “being organized” is usually not a top feedback item from managers or peers. Being organized is also not a goal that you often get rewarded for. There are neither strong incentives for, or disincentives against, being organized. However, you are often quietly judged for not being organized, either directly or indirectly.
Often, disorganization is mistaken for “not caring”. You may have totally intended to finish that task on time, or follow up with that important customer, except you didn’t write it down and forgot. Others may think the task not being done is because you just didn’t care about it and didn’t feel it was important. Or even worse, that important customer thinks that you don’t care about them enough to simply get back to them when you said you would. And others with the perception that you don’t care will lead to damaging your reputation, and possibly putting your job at risk.
Showing up to a meeting frazzled and unprepared similarly will show poorly with other attendees. Presenting in an unorganized way may be even worse. So indirectly, people may see your disorganization as not caring. Directly, just showing up and being disorganized will similarly have negative impact on your growth.
So other than writing things down, how else can be be more organized, and as a consequence, ensure we are exhibiting professionalism?
Ensure your notes themselves are organized. To do lists should have checkboxes, or some other indication of things moving to a “complete” state. I like checking things off more than simply deleting complete tasks because it makes me feel like I’m progressing 😊
Always, always follow up. Sometimes, if we’re heads down completing an investigation for a task, and the investigation is dragging across multiple days, we may decide giving an update that is “no update” isn’t useful. By being radio silent, those awaiting a response may think you simply forgot. So always follow up, and use your best judgement for frequency.
If you need something from others, ensure you provide a due date, even if that due date is sort of made up. It gives people some timeline to work from, and don’t hesitate to send helpful but unobtrusive reminders. Providing as much info, details, and expectations as possible are also helpful.
Gather consensus before group meetings where a decision needs to be made. Reaching out to key individuals to get on the same page before large group meetings is extremely helpful for organization, and arriving at a speedy and non-confrontational outcome. Pulling key people aside, providing some background, thinking, and goals, will go a long way to successful outcomes, as well as demonstrating your organization and effort.
You should already be taking meeting notes, but ensure you send them out to attendees, or at least key people, especially when decisions have been made, or some agreements were put in place. Other than demonstrating organization, you now have a reference point, in writing, to go back to in case some details get mixed up later.
So think back to that hapless waiter with 6 * n items they had to remember from your order, and how you wish they just wrote it all down. In a work environment, people will think the same about you.