There are really essentially two kinds of people. First, there are those who have been organized since the day they were born…then there are those who have not. Are you part of the second group of people? It’s okay! There is still hope for you to keep your small business organized.
There are a lot of great reasons to stay organized. A person who can organized their business will find the work gets done in much less time. The remember key meetings and events more often. They don’t have anxious moments or feel as though they have lost control as often as someone who is disorganized. Below are some functional tips to keep your business organized for those of us that are organizationally challenged:
Don’t Leave a Messy Workplace at Night
Make the last task before heading out for the evening a quick few minutes to straighten your workspace. Put office supplies such as stapler and pens in a central location so you are ready to go in the morning. Throw out the trash and get rid of any used cups or other things that don’t belong.
A key component to this step is to “organize” your paperwork generally into the order you want to handle it in the morning. At the same time, you can quickly prepare an action plan (also known as “to-do list”) for the next day, and rank each task in order of importance.
You will find that this simple 10 minute process each evening will fire you up to jump in feet first the next day to complete what needs to be done.
Group Your Working Product in 3s
There will always be those people who know right where everything they need is at any time. Then, there are the rest of us. One trick I have found helpful in organizing work papers so I can actually find them is to group them according to the rule of 3.
The idea is not tricky. Never have more than three piles of paperwork going at any given time. The first stack contains the most pressing items you hope to accomplish within the day. Stack number 2 will hold those items you want to get to this week, and the final stack will be those less critical things you can get to within the month. This can be a painful upfront process, but by taking the time to create these three stacks, you will save time in the long run from digging through piles when you are in a hurry and need some critical paper fast.
Just Do It
The bottom line is that you are losing opportunities for your small business every day that you wait to find an organization system you can work with. Being organized allows you to spend more of your day focused on your small business and making it a success. But remember, one size does not fit all and what works for one would drive someone else crazy. So find the system that works for you and make sure you can commit to using it every day.
Get more small business success strategies and claim your free white paper: “7 Ways Your Stone-Age Accounting System is Stealing Money From You Every Day … And, How to Get it Back This Year” to learn about an online accounting program that makes it simple to organize your accounting and finance.
Filed under Procrastination by Amber
