Office administrators are the backbone of a company. They work in a variety of different businesses and help to keep day-to-day operations running smoothly. Organization is one of the most important skills for office administration careers and you will find it listed in almost all job descriptions you find.

Whether you’re naturally organized and wouldn’t dream of leaving the house without your Filofax, or you’re the kind of person who is constantly running late and losing their keys, we’re here to help you refine your organizational skills for professional work. Read on to discover how to stay organized in office administration training and beyond.

To Do Lists Are Your New Best Friend

Office administration is a dynamic career where no two days are the same. It can involve a variety of different tasks and deadlines. When you’re in training and just starting out, it can be difficult to keep track of everything and know how to manage your time. Keeping daily and weekly to do lists is the best way to stay on top of your tasks.

You can be old school and keep them in a notebook, or you could use an app like Todoist or Wunderlist. Make sure to add any new tasks as soon as they come in along with the relevant deadline. Every evening before you leave work, or in the morning when you arrive, you can use your to do list to set out and prioritize your tasks for the day. Making to do lists and checking items off as you go will become second nature after office administration training.

Use a Calendar or Agenda

To do lists are great for tracking tasks day to day, but you will also be responsible for long-term planning. You can also keep track of schedules on a wall calendar, or in an agenda book, but most email programs have an online calendar that you can update and share with colleagues for these purposes. Calendars and agendas are a good way to organize vacation time, doctor and dentist appointments, and more all in one place. Make sure to mark all deadlines and important dates so that you don’t miss them. If you use an electronic calendar, you can also set reminder alerts to be sent as deadlines approach and ensure all work-related meetings are noted for everyone who will be attending.

Learn to Create a Tidy Working Space in Office Administration Training

A tidy desk means a tidy mind. The same applies to your desktop! It’s a good idea to create physical and digital folders to keep any important files safe. This will save you time later on as you won’t need to spend extra time searching for a specific document or piece of information.
In an office administrator career you might be entrusted with confidential information that needs to be stored correctly for security reasons. Maintaining a tidy work space will make this much easier.

You should also create folders in your inbox to organize emails. In today’s world, workers can receive dozens of emails in a day. This can be difficult to manage without a proper system. With a tidy inbox, you can ensure that you never leave an important email unread.

Know When You’re Most Productive

Are you an early bird or a night owl? It’s biological that some of us work better in the early hours of the day, and others work best after the sun has set. Whatever works for you, make sure to use it to your advantage. If you know that you’re a morning person, plan to do any large, complex tasks in the morning when your mind is at its best. If you reach your prime in the afternoon, check the small, easy tasks off your to do list in the morning so your schedule is clear for more demanding tasks during your more productive hours.

Getting organized may take a few minutes out of your day each day, but it could save your hours in the long run.

Do you want to find out more about earning an office administration certificate?

Contact Discovery Community College to find out more!