The world consists of two types. Those who are genetically organized, and those who are not. Do you fall in the second group? Fear not! You can still keep your small business organized.
The benefits are many. A person who is organized can complete their work much more efficiently. They forget important events less. They don’t have anxious moments or feel as though they have lost control as often as someone who is disorganized. So here are some practical tips for those of us who don’t have the organizational gene built in:
Don’t Turn Your Back on a Mess at Night
Make the last task before heading out for the evening a quick few minutes to straighten your workspace. Gather your office supplies up and place them together on your desktop so they are ready to go when you return. Look for anything that doesn’t belong and move it, such as used coffee cups or an overflowing trash can.
Most important, quickly go through the papers cluttering up the desk and stack them somewhat in the order they need to be tackled 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.
Organize Work Product Using the Rule of 3
There are those who have a file folder for everything and know immediately where anything is. 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 simple. 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. Next, are those items to accomplish sometime during the week, and the final stack contains those less pressing items to get to within the month. This may take a few minutes to create the first time, but in the long run it will save you ton of time from having to look through every paper on your desk for the one that you really need.
Don’t Wait
Ultimately, the longer you wait to find an organization system that works for you and your small business, the more opportunities you miss for your small business. A larger part of your day can be spent on making your small business succeed when you are organized. And keep in mind, what works for one person is a disaster for another. So find the system that works for you and make sure you can commit to using it every day.
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