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"Success is measured not by the position one has reached as by obstacle one had to overcome trying to succeed."-- Tuskegee Institute founder Booker T. Washington

“Employees with more control over their daily activities are likely to be in better health,” asserts John Mirowsky, sociology professor at the University of Texas/Austin.

That’s a win-win scenario—organizing your job leads to greater success in work and quality of life.
Mirowsky, lead author of a study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, found that work, even unpaid, yields a chance to learn new things or do things people enjoy.

Less stress
Meanwhile, in a Florida Times-Union article, Candace Moody, vice president of WorkSource in Jacksonville, Fla., states, “Organizing can lower your stress, simplify your work.” Professional organizers like Jacksonville's Julie Bavington help clients arrange their office/job. She maintains clutter causes stress, impedes mobility, causes accidents, and can have financial consequences.

A good system, Bavington says, is simply one that works.

• If you're a visual person, you'll want to store items neatly, in the open for quick access. You may rely on color-coded storage or file folders.
• Eliminate what you don't need. “MUST you have four letter openers, outdated reference materials, children's toys in a home office, and things that are damaged or ugly?” she asks.

"For some people, it feels better to donate unused items than to throw them away," she notes. A Teacher Supply Depot might be a good recipient.

Using RAFTS
Next, make very efficient use of storage to get papers and other items put away. Reportedly, the average worker spends eight hours a week looking for data in various digital and paper media. By asking good questions about the way you work - and think - an organizer can help you group information to access it quickly when needed.

Bavington includes the RAFTS method: Read, Act, File - by category or date, Trash, and Shred - papers with account numbers and personal information.

She figures the benefits are worth the $50-$100 per hour she charges, and contends that “investment” puts focus on doing the job efficiently.

No rummaging
Bavington claims her basic principles are “very adaptable” for anyone, although she “must figure out what a client's strengths are to tailor the system to fit their needs.”

“Many clients thrive using a notebook for tracking day-to-day business, finances, schedules, chore/phone lists, paperwork that needs attention.” She encourages a “to-do zone - everything to be done is located in one central spot - no rummaging for papers that need attention.

Some quick pointers:

• Keep things within reach.
• Stickies and tabs are life savers.
• Live with your calendar close at hand.
• Put back what you take out.

Another bonus is:

• You waste less money buying duplicate items if you know what you already have.


Also, de-cluttering leads to better time management; you’ll have more opportunity to look for useful news on Disaboom.

In his wheelchair in Jacksonville, FL, Herb Drill heads Able Me & Associates. His e-mail address is herbdrill@ableme.com He has Muscular Dystrophy.