Simple Organization Strategies Help You Stay Focused On Your Business

The world consists of two types.  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?  Fear not!  There is still hope for you to keep your small business organized. 

The advantages are great.  An organized business person is able to get more work done in less amount of time.  The remember key meetings and events more often.  They feel less stressed and out of control.  This article will give you some realistic techniques to stay organized even if you feel you are a hopeless cause:

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.  Put office supplies such as stapler and pens in a central location so you are ready to go in the morning.  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.  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. 

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. 

Group Your Working Product in 3s

There will always be those people who know right where everything they need is at any time.  Then, there are 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.  Never have more than 3 stacks going at a time.  Stack number 1 contains your most pressing things – those you want to accomplish today.  The second stack should hold those that need to be handled within the week, and finally those 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. 

Don’t Wait

The reality is that each day you avoid creating an organization system that you can live with you miss opportunities for your small business.  Being organized allows you to spend more of your day focused on your small business and making it a success.  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.