Organization: A true sink-or-swim test

Photo by @stephaniekirk4

Staying organized will make or break a career in PR. That being said, organization isn’t a one-size-fits-all thing. Written notes on the corner of a piece of paper might work for one person, while the person to their left may need everything saved on their computer and synced to the cloud.

Unfortunately, trial and error is often the best way to find out what works. I say unfortunately because of the last word of this method: error. It takes awhile for people to figure out what works best for them, and sometimes you try organization styles that don’t work. I’m a prime example of this.

As a recent graduate, my gig at Curator is my first non-internship job. I quickly found that while I was hyper-organized in school with a planner that was bursting at the seams, that method of organization did not work for me here.

I began a quest of testing out different ways to stay organized from handwritten sticky notes and typed thoughts saved in Word to calendar reminders. The result? A combination of these tricks evolved into my ideal organizational system.

If I take an unexpected call from the media, I take handwritten notes on a piece of paper and then transfer those notes into a notebook once I hang up. The act of re-writing my notes allows me to soak up and remember the conversation, and identify if there are holes or remaining questions. Anything with a due date goes on the monthly calendar that is pinned in front of my desk. Finally, I have my work email and calendar synced to my phone so I can check anything at day or night.

This may seem excessive, or seem like a few extra steps, but it’s what works for me! I’d love to hear what works best for you! Comment below with your best organization tips.