Staying Organized in Business

“Disorganization is the anathema of an efficient, professional employee”  That said, even the most prepared workers hit snags in their preparedness and oftentimes find themselves and their desks in disarray.  As we all know, any successful business in well organized.  Chaos in a business can be deadly to your bottom line and the goals you are trying to achieve.  This can result in lost sales and lower productivity.  It is important to analyze how the flow of work progresses through your business.  In staying organized, it’s important to define the areas of disorganization that cause problems and work towards solving them.  Prioritize activities that need action.  As your business grows, the need to stay organized multiplies.  So how can you stay organized in business?

Keep a calendar of deadlines.  Choose the right planner that fits your style – be it an Excel spreadsheet, an Outlook calendar or even a notebook.  Make sure to keep solid track of your meetings and appointments.  Set reminders in your calendar so that you will be notified ahead of time and can be adequately prepared.

Set realistic timeframes for tasks.  A schedule may be thrown into disarray if you have an inaccurate estimate of your workflow.  Ensure that you allocate enough time for each task so that you avoid putting them off or skipping them.  Give yourself plenty of time to achieve your tasks.  In fact, you might want to overestimate the time it takes to complete them.

Plan your day ahead of time.  Always be thinking about the week as a whole and how you plan to get things accomplished.  At the end of every work day before you leave the office, make notes about how you plan to tackle the next day’s tasks.  Look thoroughly at your calendar to ensure you are ready to complete projects due that week.  Write notes regarding anything you might need to do in preparation of said tasks.  

Keep your tasks in a visible location.  Think of creating a folder system to organize tasks that are color coded based on high and low priority.  If you see these tasks staring you in the eye, you’ll be less likely to forget them.  Keep physical inventory of all your tasks.  Think of hanging a dry erase board on your wall where you can write down tasks that will be staring you in the eye all day long.  Think of putting post-its on your computer so you will notice them at all times.  Mark off those tasks that have been completed and highlight those that haven’t been.

Schedule weekly meeting with your staff so that you have an idea of the tasks the rest of the office is set to complete.  At these meetings, talk in detailed description about expectations and deadlines.  Open communication with employees is the best way to ensure tasks are met in a timely fashion. 

Establish procedures for every aspect of your business.  Create an employee handbook so that your co-workers know what is expected of them on a daily basis.  Write down pertinent duties that must be completed by each of your employees and of course, yourself as well.  

Develop daily habits such as reading the mail, publications, news and responding to emails and phone calls.  Always be creating “to-do” lists.

Organize your emails into folders based on assignments or projects.  Use a star or flag to highlight important messages that need a quick response or to remind you to do them later.  Delete unwanted emails and keep your inbox clean.

Invest in software that allows you to share parts of your screens or calendars with other employees.  Sharing staff emails, customer information and other items will help ease workflow.  Use accounting software to manage your business finances.  Make sure everyone in your company is up-to-date on these programs and has knowledge of how to use them so that virtual files can be updated by anyone at your company on a regular basis.

Get rid of unnecessary clutter from desks, offices and work spaces.  Items that are seldom used should be stored away in cabinets or shredded.

Always make sure the office is stocked with necessary supplies such as ink, paper, pens, notebooks, post-its, stamps and anything else you need to make your business run smoothly.

Plan for disasters and other problems.  We recently saw how many NYC businesses were negatively impacted by Hurricane Sandy because they did not have sufficient contingency plans in place.  Besides natural disasters, other problems may arise such as electrical outages, the internet going down, sick employees, damaged equipment or merchandise.  “Brainstorm difficult situations and write down solutions to those problems.  Then make sure to follow the procedures that you [have] developed.”

Lastly and possibly most importantly, dedicate certain days to certain tasks such as weekly meetings.  For example, think of shutting your door every Wednesday at lunchtime to look at and prepare for the rest of the week and the week ahead.  If you stay ahead of the game, you are more likely to find you run an organized and efficient office.

Here are some articles you might want to check out about staying organized in business:

“Staying Organized at Work”: http://www.simplifythis.com/blog/small-business/staying-organized-at-work/

“My Favorite Tool for Staying Organized”: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20110301/my-favorite-tool-for-staying-organized.html

“Tips on How to Stay Organized in the Workplace”: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Tips_on_How_to_Stay_Organized_in_the_Workplace.html

“Top Tips for Staying Organized and Productive at Work”: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-managing/human-resources/top-tips-for-staying-organized-and-productive-at-work/article554860/

Until next time…