Strong organization starts with a simple system that keeps growing workloads from turning into missed deadlines and unnecessary stress.
We all have moments in our careers that we reflect on. We’ve all made mistakes that teach us to do it better the next time. As a fresh communication degree graduate who fell into AEC marketing and business development, I didn't know how the industry operated or where I really fit into the bigger picture. Over the last seven years, I've learned more than I thought was possible in the professional workplace, and there are many young AEC professionals who are likely experiencing a similar path to the one I went down not too long ago.
Getting into this industry at age 23, I had no concept of what the day-to-day demands would hold for someone like me who didn’t have a technical background. As I have met hundreds of great industry professionals over the years, I have learned that many come from a family with a relative who worked as an architect, engineer, or contractor. Without that experience, my eyes were opened to a new world that I didn't realize was already all around me.
Living in a fast-growth city, there are always roadways and new building construction projects happening. I was oblivious to the opportunities to contribute to that growth as someone interested more in the marketing and people side of the industry. As I settled into my new role, I quickly learned that spending most of my day maintaining an Outlook inbox was normal and that I would have a variety of tasks to manage, each with various deadlines, responsibilities, and collaboration.
At the beginning, I was intermittently handed overflow tasks or projects to help with higher-level professionals in our organization. After a few months, I looked up and realized I was getting a much higher volume of emails, tasks, and project responsibilities, but I hadn't slowed down to take the time to organize each of those components. Getting increased workload and responsibility is a great problem to have, but it's better to be prepared before the work snowballs rather than trying to recover after the fact.
Why every AEC professional needs an organization system
Whether working in marketing, human resources, finance, or production – organization is key. If I can provide one recommendation to young and experienced professionals alike, it's that you need a system, tool, or method that works for you. What works for your colleague may not be the best solution for you and your role, but not implementing an organization structure is not an option. As much as we think we can handle the influx of proposals, change orders, invoices, and applications, we have to be honest with ourselves that if we don't streamline a way to organize that information alongside a timeline, something is going to fall through the cracks.
The encouraging part of all of this is that there is hope. If you're like me, you've probably implemented AI into your role in some way. It won’t solve all your problems when it comes to organizing, but it's certainly a start. I also recommend keeping it simple. There are a variety of tools you can subscribe to or enlist within your Google or Microsoft suite to help you get and stay organized. It’s best to consider what you’ll actually use and stick with. We often get excited about tools like Monday or Asana that promise increased productivity and organization, just to get burnt out. Whether you implement a third-party resource like that, or Tasks in Microsoft Teams, there is a solution out there that's right for you. It may require some trial and error, but getting started is the first step.
Simple ways to stay organized at work
I wish I had heard this years ago when I began my professional journey. I know people at all stages in their careers continue to battle this problem of organization and execution because we don't know what to do or where to start. I'm happy to report that there's light at the end of the tunnel. Here are some practical tools that have helped me over the years:
- Pen and paper. It might sound archaic, but I’ve found that physically writing a list of top priorities for each day or the entire week helps me dump all of my thoughts onto paper, then organize them by priority of deadlines and importance. I’ve also found it’s helpful to have a notepad with pages that are easy to tear out so you can recycle each page upon completion. Pro tip: Date the top of the page so you know what day or week you’re prioritizing for and then carry unfinished tasks to the following week if necessary.
- Block your calendar! I recently started blocking my calendar for tasks or projects that I needed time to work on, rather than just using my calendar for internal meetings and external calls. What I didn’t realize before I started doing this was that I was only working on important tasks when I had blank spaces between meetings on my calendar. I was doing myself and those projects a disservice by not prioritizing them in a way that treats them like a meeting on the calendar. Pro tip: Honor these time blocks like they’re an external client meeting. It’s human nature to schedule over that precious time block or skip it to work on something else, but the reality is you likely won’t come back to it if you don’t do it now.
- Use AI. Many of the programs you’re currently using have AI built into them. Use AI to schedule reminders, send emails, and automate simple tasks that are taking time away from your high-level initiatives. It’s here to stay and will be your friend when it comes to getting and staying organized!
Hopefully, you're encouraged and have an idea of where you can start. Set out to organize one small part of your role, and see where it leads to benefits of satisfaction, productivity, and mental clarity.
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Duncan Robertson, CPSM, is director of business development and marketing at Tamarack Grove Engineering. Contact him at duncan.robertson@tamarackgrove.com. |
