L = Location
I = Information
F = Focus
E = Experience

After you organize your Location, Information, and Focus (time management), your Experience will tell you what works and what doesn’t work so you can improve your systems.

How to Organize Your Location for Efficiency and Fast Exits
The L in L-I-F-E stands for Location. Whether you live in a residence hall, Greek house, apartment or a home; how organized you are determines how fast you get to class — or how late you will be. When you put everything in its P-L-A-C-E you will save time, especially if you roll out of bed minutes before you have to be at class. Learn how you can blueprint your room and change your layout, organize your clothes and belongings to get dressed quickly, and setup your study area for maximum productivity.

Organize Your Information and Save 5 Hours a Week
The I in L-I-F-E stands for Information. When you organize your information you can find things quickly. Learn how to use the right tools in the right way to organize your classwork. Create a file system that works for your paper files and match that to your computer file system. Also create a Take Action File system on both paper and your hard drive for those things you need to remember to do. (1 hour to 90 minutes for students, 3 hr workshop for faculty and staff)

P-L-A-N Your Day and Save Six Weeks a Year
The F in L-I-F-E stands for Focus. Prepare yourself by setting goals and deciding on your focus. Create Lists for maximum productivity. Act on your lists using rhythms and routines, and finally Notice what you have accomplished and reward yourself. (3 hr workshop, can be split into three separate 1-hour sessions for P, L and A for shorter student programs)

Green Light Your Day and Handle the Timewasters
Your Focus can be derailed by timewasters. Learn how to avoid procrastination, handle telephone and visitor interruptions, and say “No”. Learn to delegate wisely with the four Ds and run more efficient meetings.

Organization is not inherited; it is a learned skill!

No one taught organization in school, but everyone needs it. Eileen Roth's techniques are so simple and practical that everyone can easily start saving time, reducing stress, and increasing productivity the minute they begin using them. Habits take 18 - 21 days to create or break, but Eileen demonstrates quick time-saving steps that can be implemented immediately.

Paper Organization:

Eileen Roth's five W-A-S-T-E™ questions help decide if papers are worth saving or just a WASTE! Learn the ABC's of filing (A = Active Files, B = Basic Tools, and C = Color and Classification) to save time and increase efficiency and productivity. In fact studies show that people waste as much as 4.3 hours a week just searching for papers - that's 5.5 weeks a year! Eliminate that lost time by designing a file system to put papers at your fingertips.

Desk/Office Organization:

The appearance of the office is a crucial factor in how you are perceived. A messy office does not help you get promoted; an organized office does! Save time and feel better about your office by using Eileen Roth's six principles to organize the desktop. Then learn how to organize the rest of your office as well as what to do with the mail. If you handle your mail only once, it would be a priority over any other project for the day. Placing it in Eileen's Take Action File™ (tickler system) gives it a place to go until you are ready to act on it.

Time Planning:

Learning how to set goals and when to set goals are important. (New Year's is often not the best time.) Use Time Logs, Master Lists and To Do Lists to keep you on track with your goals. Then consider the two R's before you set your priorities. Finally, notice what you have accomplished and reward yourself.

Timewasters:

Timewasters are just that - ways that you waste time. Learn how to delegate, avoid procrastination, control telephone interruptions, handle visitors, prevent self-distractions, and say "NO". Understand when you should multi-task and how to have better meetings. Make better use of your time by learning how not to waste it.

Organize Your Home:

Master your disorganization by understanding the costs of clutter and how you accumulate it. Then use 5 time management techniques along with the 3 "D" boxes to declutter your home and get organized. Once you have decided what to keep, utilize the 5 principles to find a place for everything.

Articles by Eileen Roth:

• Achieving Fingertip Management