The world consists of two types. Those who are genetically organized, and those who are not. Are you part of the second group of people? Don’t worry! 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. They forget important events less. They feel less stressed and out of control. Below are some functional tips to keep your business organized for those of us that are organizationally challenged:
Don’t Let The Sun Set on a Mess
Never leave your workspace at night until you have taken a few minutes to clean up your desk. Gather your office supplies up and place them together on your desktop so they are ready to go when you return. Throw out the trash and get rid of any used cups or other things that don’t belong.
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. This is also the perfect opportunity to jot down a to-do list for tomorrow, and rank each item as to importance.
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.
Organize Work Product Using the Rule of 3
There are those people with organization stamped on their forehead who never waste time looking for what they need to complete a task. Then, you have all the rest of us. I have found the best way to organize my working papers so that I can actually find something when I need it is to use the rule of 3.
It is a simple concept. Maintain only three stacks of paperwork at any one 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 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 a system you can call your own and stick with it.
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