There are really essentially two kinds of people.  First you have those who were born with the organization gene; second are those who were not.  Do you feel you are in the second category?  It’s okay!  There is still hope for you to keep your small business organized. 

The advantages are great.  A person who is organized can complete their work much more efficiently.  They remember important events and meetings.  They feel less stressed and out of control.  So here are some practical tips for those of us who don’t have the organizational gene built in:

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.  Gather  your pens, stapler, and other tools together so you can find them in the morning.  Look for anything that doesn’t belong and move it, such as used coffee cups or an overflowing trash can. 

The most critical part of this step is to gather your paperwork into a rough order of how you want to handle it the next day.  This is also the perfect opportunity to jot down a to-do list for tomorrow, and rank each item as to importance. 

By taking 5-10 minutes to complete these simple tasks each evening, you will find renewed motivation in the morning to tackle the day ahead. 

Organize Work Product Using the Rule of 3

There are those who have a file folder for everything and know immediately where anything is.  The rest of us make up the bigger population.  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 simple.  Maintain only three stacks of paperwork at any one time.  The first stack is your most pressing business that you hope to get through during 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.  You may need to dedicate some time up front to get these three stacks organized, but the time will be ultimately saved as you are able to find needed paperwork much more quickly without digging through everything on your desk. 

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.  When you are organized, a bigger part of your day can be spent on the success of your business.  And keep in mind, what works for one person is a disaster for another.  So find a system you can call your own and stick with it.     

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.

Tags

News and Tips