Being organized is a BIG part of having a successful business. If you are feeling less than organized, put some of these tips into action and see if they help your productivity.
Where do you start when trying to organize your business for success?
Starting with a clean workspace is a great place to begin! Doesn’t it feel great to have an organized workspace? You know where everything is, there aren’t any piles ready to tip over, and you have a place to actually work without having to move anything out of the way. But if you can’t remember the last time, you felt ready to tackle a project without having to shuffle things around, then it’s time for a little clean-up.
When your workspace isn’t clean, this impacts your productivity. How much time are you spending looking for something? How many times are you picking up piles of papers and files just to move them out of the way again? How often are you shuffling through those papers looking for something you “filed” away?
When you’re not organized, you’re wasting time. Get your business organized with the following tips:
Clean Off Your Desk
Taking everything off your desk is an essential first step to regaining your focus. Make sure to wipe the surface clean!
Put back only the things you need or use every day. Remember that every single thing on your desk is taking up some of your attention, whether you realize it or not. Be picky about what lives in your workspace.
Your desktop is a place to be creative, solve problems, and make money. Make sure there is enough space to do just that.
Before we move on to the next tip, make sure to manage your cords and cables. These can easily turn into a tangled mess. Your feet get hooked in between them, pulling the cables out or even shift things off your desk or keyboard tray. Easily manage cables with some zip ties or twist ties.
Declutter Your Computer Desktop
While it’s important to have a clean desk it’s equally important to have a clean and organized computer desktop. A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t see your desktop background, you should work to reduce and remove the items cluttering your computer. This will allow you to find the important things in less time.
If you often save files to your desktop for quick and easy access, take a couple of minutes once or twice per week to delete any unwanted files. Anything that you need to keep but doesn’t belong on your desktop should be filed away into the appropriate folder. Make sure to name it something that you can easily find or search for later. Need help filing? Check out – Save Time with These Three Filing Tips.
Once your computer desktop is clean, consider removing your downloaded files in the downloads folder of your computer. If you are feeling like an overachiever, you can even clean out your Recycle Bin and free up some space on your hard drive.
Remove Paper Clutter
If you have a lot of paper clutter, but don’t necessarily need to keep it in paper format, you can use an app on your smartphone, like Genius Scan, and upload the images to files on your computer. This will allow you to keep the document in a safe place without having to hold on to the piece of paper.
If you receive paper documents on a regular basis, set up a catch-all space, such as a desktop file organizer. These organizers usually have three to five trays that help you to organize and prioritize your documents.
Pro Tip: Set aside 10 minutes per week, maybe at the end of the week to tidy up your desk. Put your documents into their designated areas, scan any documents you can, throw away anything you no longer need. Make sure you leave your desk clean, this way, you can start the next day fresh, feeling organized and ready to work.
Organize Your Passwords
I have a lot of passwords, personal, business, and clients. It was hard to keep track of them, when I had them saved everywhere. So, when I heard about LastPass I couldn’t wait to give it a try!
LastPass tracks your passwords as you log in to online accounts and it stores and then categorizes them.
Set Time Aside to Check & Respond to Emails
Checking and responding to emails might feel like the most dreaded part of your day. Rather than checking emails constantly throughout the day, turn off your email notifications, sound, and the pop-up box, this will allow you to keep your full attention on your current task.
So instead of checking emails constantly throughout the day, designate two blocks of time each day, where your full attention is on checking and responding to emails.
Improve Your Scheduling System
If you have frequent meetings, video chats, or allow others to schedule time with you, you need a way to manage those time blocks effectively.
Most people use the method of sending emails back and forth until an agreed upon time has been found, then sending the invite. This method can be frustrating for both parties and is a big waste of time.
What if someone could schedule time with you without sending any email at all? That sounds pretty great right? Calendly, which is what I use for my business, allows others to reserve time with me at dates and times that I’ve pre-arranged. It also sends out an email with your preferred method of communication, such as Zoom.
If they need to reschedule, they simply cancel their meeting and schedule another date and time that mutually works…all without sending emails back and forth.
Your To-Do List
If you don’t have one yet, you need a to-do list, review it for the upcoming day, and prioritize! Having a to-do list allows you to know what is coming up and allows you to prioritize your tasks. The problem is that not everyone follows up on their to-do lists. What’s the point of having them if you don’t use it as a reference to prioritize your work?
If you need help getting started with a to-do list, check out my post Asana – Task Management Software for your Business.
Tame Your Email Inbox
If your inbox is overflowing with unread emails, you could be missing out on important deadlines, feeling frustrated when you can’t find what you are looking for, and wasting precious time and energy.
You’ll be more successful and productive if you reduce the number of emails in your inbox. By keeping only, the important emails that require your attention in your inbox and moving completed emails to subfolders.
Need help organizing your email? Check out my post – 5 Easy Steps You Need To Get Your Email Organized.
Integrate Your Files in the Cloud
Have you ever had a computer crash and you lost all of your files and documents? Have you ever needed a document, presentation, or spreadsheet while away from your computer? Wouldn’t it be nice to have your files synced across all of your devices, from your desk computer to your laptop, and even your smartphone?
Having your files in the cloud keeps them safe and accessible. Get on board by using Dropbox or Google Drive. Both have free versions available and will work on your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
So, no matter where you are or what device you’re using, you can access the files you need.
Hire a Virtual Assistant
Do you have every day, monotonous tasks that you dread doing because they suck the energy right out of you? But you continue to do these time-consuming tasks, because they are essential to running your business. While these tasks are important, they don’t allow you to run your business effectively.
Did you ever wish for an assistant to help with these one-off tasks, but couldn’t afford to have someone work for you full time? Well then a virtual assistant (VA) is what you’ve been waiting for!
VAs are self-employed, work remotely, and provide administrative services whether you need help with one thing or several things. They are available to help you with those time-consuming everyday tasks.
Have something that you need help with or would like to hand off? Check out my services page for a list of services I provide or schedule a discovery call with me to talk about your needs.
Create An Organizational System That Works for You
If you want to grow your business, you need to make sure you’re organized. Because as your business grows, your messes will grow right along with it. While there is no single right way to keep your small business organized, there are plenty of tips and tricks you can incorporate into your workflow to optimize productivity and keep youself organized.