Professors: do you have a good system for keeping your office organized?

Question

Several years ago I became a university professor. For 15+ years prior to that as a working professional, I wasn't a neat freak by any stretch, but if I needed to, I could get my office back into good shape within a few hours. Now it seems completely beyond my control. There's one secretary for the entire department, and she has a bad back, so it's not as if I can delegate my filing to anyone else. There never seems to be enough time in a day to get my work done, deal with all the students who want to talk, AND manage the influx of paper. I don't recall EVER having so much of it to deal with before! I feel like I'm being buried alive in the stuff, and I don't want to become like some of my colleagues who just create what appear to be perpetual towers of doom in every corner. Help!!

Answer 1

I can sure relate. Prior to teaching, I never had a problem keeping organized. Then I started teaching. Yikes! First, I saved all kinds of paper because it might provide lesson content, relate to a possible internship, etc. And like you, I thought it was way more important to spend time with students than with filing.

But after too many years, huge improvement. Here's what I did. Got a second filing cabinet with legal size hanging files. Created more logical categories and specific files for all the piles of paper. When stuff comes into my office, if I can, I put it immediately into the appropriate file. At the end of the day, I take a second quick look at things I just couldn't put away in the morning and file most of the rest. The only papers/folders on my desk when I leave are ones that MUST be addressed the next day. When any file starts bulging, I pull it out and sort it out that day and usually can pitch a enough to make it manageable again.

The other thing I did was purge the bookshelves. Made a pile in a student area and told students to help themselves to any of those books. That emptied a whole shelf. I got stacking unit and labeled "This week" and Very soon." It takes care of all the other papers that have to be worked with but not immediately. At the end of the week, I check those stacks for anything still needing attention and I try to have "this week" empty when I leave. On Monday, the "very soon" papers move to "this week" with a quick check to see if they indeed are still deserving attention. If any paper stays in the "very soon" stack more than a couple weeks, then it belongs in the file cabinet instead.

The rest of the shelf is for teaching materials for the current classes, and again, once I've used something and won't need it again that semester, it goes into the hanging files.

It now takes about 15 minutes at the end of the day to double check and finish organizing the paper and it is totally worth it because I don't end up overwhelmed by piles now. I also took odds and ends of "decoration clutter" off desk and shelves and took it home. Except for a couple photos, there is nothing on a horizontal surface that isn't directly related to work. That helps too because empty surfaces provide a real incentive to keep them that way.

Finally, sometimes students come in and really need full attention, and sometimes they just want to hang out for a bit. I am pretty good at knowing the difference, and if it is a casual visit, I often ask if they mind if I do some filing while they are talking. A little of that is okay, and they understand and I think they'd rather have that if it means they can hang out longer. We seem to work it out okay.

One last hint. Meeting minutes, etc. proliferate like crazy but I've gotten to pitching most of them pretty quickly. Anything I know I need to remember, I immediately write into my planner. I toss the paper because dept office (and most colleagues who have mountains of paper) still have the memo if I ever need it again . . . if they can find it!

The trouble with academia is an obsession with minutia and a related inability to put it into context. Early in the summer, I usually take one day and try to go through all the files and purge. It helps to do that early while you are in wrap up mentality, not "starting fresh so all this stuff might be useful" mentality. If you can't find it, doesn't matter how useful it is.

Hope this helps. I too am appalled at the condition of some of my colleague's offices. . . .

Answer 2

I even have my existence compartmentalized and simplified. i attempt to be a minimalist in maximum issues so i'm no longer collecting countless products. I safeguard household initiatives way earlier they are due. I do stay previous to the sport in maximum each little thing. I even have separations into paintings, kinfolk, residing house, and sport. some do overlap slightly. The paintings workers do no longer understand any kinfolk and extremely few sport acquaintances. kinfolk do no longer understand the paintings or the sport workers. I do get unsleeping early each and on a daily basis no rely if I would desire to or no longer. I self-discipline myself to maintain working lists of issues that would desire to be carried out and safeguard a working food checklist in any respect circumstances so there is not any longer something to be forgotten at a food market. i assume 2 keys are organization and self-discipline.

Answer 3

Even my sock drawer is messy, I surely can't help you; lol, just messing with you