Some people seem to have a knack when it comes to getting everything done on time, others find themselves in a mad panic minutes before deadline, or worse, are late every time something is due in.  Here are some tips to help you plan your day a little better and hopefully get those projects done in good time.

Planning

You might find it helpful to draw up a timetable of the week as a starting point.  Write in the things you have to do which are fixed in time every day.  So that might be opening the post first thing, clearing answerphone messages, or making coffee.  If you can write in weekly tasks so much the better.  If you know that every Friday stats need to be delivered to the boss, then schedule out time earlier in the week to complete the task.  Write in your lunch breaks, meetings and so on.  

Identify the blocks left and assign them to different categories of tasks.  It might be that you have to share out your time between different managers, in which case you can label set  periods for each manager.  That doesn't mean  you can't change it, but if work is scheduled then it is more likely to get done.  

I tend to plan difficult tasks in the morning because that's when I have the most energy.  Plan your work around your own feelings and resources.  If you know you will arrive stressed in the morning after the school run then maybe plan difficult jobs for after lunch.

Flexibility

Of course it's all very well telling you to make a plan, when your boss is the one to come in and give you two hours of work at 4:45 pm (see Boundaries below).  Yes you need to be flexible, and flexibility is a much prized skill for many employers.  So when you are given work, plan it into the  appropriate space on your timetable unless you have been told that it needs doing sooner than that.  When people become aware of your time-tabling methods they are more likely to change their expectations to match!  Yes that does happen.  The up side for the manager is that he/she knows it is scheduled in and they will have an indication of when it will be ready.  There are emergency jobs, and in those situations you have to redraw the plan temporarily.  The plan helps you pick up those less urgent jobs later, or to farm them out, if you have that luxury.

Help

Which brings us to getting help.  An emergency job is a perfectly legitimate reason for asking for help.  If you work in an office with others, ask for help if you can.  I know this is not always possible, but many people are more than happy to lend a helping hand, especially if they know you will reciprocate when their turn comes.  Helping others builds a good team spirit too.  If you have regular emergency jobs then you can even put them into your plan!  If your boss is thoroughly disorganised and gives you stuff at the last minute, plan to be ready and waiting, with the desk cleared and all the resources that you anticipate you will need, like the phone number of the courier, necessary addresses, plenty of paper in the photocopier, and plenty of healthy snacks lined up if you know it's going to be a long one.

Boundaries

It is perfectly reasonable to have the occasional emergency job, where you might have to work back once in a blue moon, but if this has become a regular pattern you might need to re-train your boss.  If you do work back after your normal finish time and this is due to too much work, rather than spending hours shopping on the internet, make sure you take the time back.  This sends a clear message that if you are expected to work late, then you may not be available at other times of the day, which might be equally inconvenient for your manager.  Tie the time you take directly to the time you work, so if you work an hour late, come in an hour late.  If you wish to accrue the time that's fine too, but make sure company policy allows this.

It may be that, for whatever reason, you don't want to work late.  There is no reason why you should on a regular basis.  In some companies the willingness to work long hours is a sign of commitment and is a requirement for consideration of promotion, so if that is the route you want to take fine, but don't let it turn into being taken advantage of for a false promise.  If you are given work at 4:45pm, say thank you, plan it for the morning and go home.  If the manager says it needs to be done right away you can say yes, and say that you will be taking the time off in lieu tomorrow (or whenever you want to take it). It sends a clear message to the manager about your working standards, and they will probably bear that in mind next time, maybe giving it to someone else!  If the manager expects you to work unpaid overtime on a regular basis, then you might want to think about how important it is to you to continue working for that company.

Reading back over what I have written it strikes me that getting more organised at work involves changing not only your own habits, but also those of colleagues, and yes, even your boss!