The Value of Organization

If you asked anyone if organization is important and even necessary in the work place almost everyone would say yes. That includes me; however, I didn’t truly know why organization was critically important until I became a legal assistant. Disorganization in the work place can always cause major issues and can even affect people’s lives, but it was never very obvious to me until I began work at Oliver Law Firm. That is when the connection between disorganization and people’s livelihood became very clear. I am going to dig into the following important reasons I have found of why organization is important in the work place: To remember your tasks, to do your tasks well and to completion, to make your clients feel like you are doing the best for them, and of course to get the best results for your clients.

Remembering your tasks may seem obvious, but I have found that it is unbelievable easy to forget about major assignments when you don’t keep an organized list handy. As much as we want to think we can make a mental note of everything and come back to it later, it just doesn’t work that way. The list gets longer and longer and the next thing you know, you can’t remember most of it. You know you HAVE things you were supposed to do but the details have left you. That’s why I am all about lists! If you prefer handwritten lists, that’s ok. Just make sure you keep them close and up to date. Of course, a word or excel document is also a wonderful way to go if you prefer the electronic route. These are great because they can be easily changed.

Another important reason why organization is necessary is because organization allows you to keep track of your timing and how long you can spend on one particular project. That way you can spread out your tasks evenly and give each one an appropriate time frame. This will prevent you from having to rush and will enable you to finish each project with confidence knowing you have done well. For example, my job requires me to collect medical records for many of our clients. As you can imagine, keeping up with records for multiple clients can be a huge task. That is why we use an Excel spreadsheet. In each spreadsheet there are columns and rows that include information such as provider, physicians, referring physician, dates of service, medical records, billing records, imaging studies, and more. Without this system most of this important information would be lost.

One of the most important parts of my job, and I’m sure most people’s jobs, is to make sure the clients feel like we are doing our very best to help them in any way we can. They have entrusted us with their lives and it is our job to get justice for them and treat them with dignity and respect while doing so. This is absolutely not possible without organization in the work place. Disorganization will lead to losing track of time, missing deadlines, forgetting assignments that are vital to each case, miscommunication with the clients, and many other issues. When your client realizes your mistakes, he/she will assume that they are not a priority to you. At that point, many will look elsewhere for help.

The absolute most important goal of organization is successfully helping your client and customers. At Oliver Law Firm that means making sure they receive the justice they deserve. It is a truly incredible feeling knowing that you helped someone have a better life just by using that little Excel spreadsheet. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. Each and every little thing you do in your workplace to make things cleaner, clearer, and simpler will reap incredible benefits not only for you during work hours, but for your clients and customers for the rest of their lives.