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 fall in the second group? Don’t worry! There are ways to stay organized in your small business.
The advantages are great. A person who can organized their business will find the work gets done in much less time. They remember important events and meetings. 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 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.
A key component to this step is to “organize” your paperwork generally into the order you want to handle it in the morning. While you’re at it, start a to-do list for the next day, and label each item “A” “B” or “C” depending on how important it is to complete.
The ten minutes these simple tasks take each night will be rewarded by your ability to jump in and start the day running each morning.
Use the Rule of 3 to Group Work Product
There are those people with organization stamped on their forehead who never waste time looking for what they need to complete a task. 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.
It is a simple concept. 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 reality is that each day you avoid creating an organization system that you can live with you miss opportunities for your small business. A larger part of your day can be spent on making your small business succeed when you are organized. 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.
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