TRE Roots: Root #20 – Organize Diligently

Organize diligently is an important Root for the work we do at TRE due to the complexity of our systems and processes, and the volume of activities and tasks we are required to complete. Organizing diligently impacts our ability to:

• Delivery legendary customer service
• Pay attention to detail
• Make quality personal
• Look ahead and anticipate
• Follow up on everything
• Improve relentlessly
• Honor commitments
• And ultimately, Put People First

Organizing diligently enables you to adapt to unexpected changes or events that impact your ability to complete your work. This in turn reduces your stress and allows you to think more clearly about solutions. When you are not organized, you can lose a lot of time as a result. Time to track down an email needed for a task, time to find the documents you have received as part of a packet necessary to implement the next step in services for a person, or even time to find your keys because you didn’t place them where you normally do.

Noted benefits of organizing diligently and working in an organized environment are increased productivity and improved performance (in whatever activity you are doing) according to MindTools. These support stress management, resilience, and overall well-being which is so important given the nature of our work. Organizing diligently also improves team communication and productivity to Put People First.

Organizing diligently is one of my strengths because I like to plan and know what is coming. Some of the strategies I use include:

1. Organizing my space in a way that I use it, such as folders I use regularly on top of my desk and organized by when I need them, filing information based on how it used and not just by its title, and keeping things I enjoy looking at visible to provide comfort and joy during my day. For example, I have a Chinese symbol for beauty that I use as a visual reminder that there is always beauty if you look for it.
2. Organizing my time to support my day and week. I prefer to get into the office early so that I can take time to review my schedule, get caught up on emails, prepare materials for the day, and feel ready for what is coming.
3. Playing around with tools that can help me get and stay organized. A few examples of these include:
   1. To Do Lists – my husband teases me because I always have a list going
   2. Folders with different designs or colors to categorize information – I use these to give me a visual cue of what is coming and to bring beauty to the work
   3. Sticky Notes – I use these to identify items needing attention, reminders of what I need to do next, or serve as a reminder of what I need to do first when I return from time off
   4. Outlook Calendar folders – I use my Outlook folders to manage emails coming in and the next steps I need to take with them, including talking about them in my 1:1 with staff
   5. Spreadsheets – to track things over time that need to be addressed, like a tickler file
   6. ReMarkable Tablet – my newest tool to manage my notes from meetings that allows me to maintain those notes electronically instead of all the volume of paper I typically use from notepads

There are many other technology-based tools as well that you can explore. One of the benefits of using these types of tools is that it allows you to celebrate success – the completion of items and the honoring of commitments. It also allows you to put a high value on your time and how you use it, balancing work and life demands. Here is a website with ideas on simple things you can do daily to be more organized in your personal life.

Organizing diligently can even promote your health. When you aren’t as stressed about what needs to be done because you have a plan, you sleep better. It allows you to better plan for your healthcare needs and it allows you to more easily dedicate time to your own self-care.

As you go through your work, consider the following:

• Talk within your team about the role that Organize Diligently plays in your effectiveness to support services for people.
• Reflect personally on your organization. What is working well for you? What areas are a challenge? How can your peers or team help?
• Share some tools you find helpful to Organize Diligently.