Organizing
As it’s the beginning of the year I have been bombarded with articles about organizing. Some have had some really good tips and others are just the same old, same old. I’m going to keep these tips here about organizing your business.
Where do you do most of your business? Do you have a separate area? You should. Even if it is just a file cabinet. If you are reading this blog, then you obviously have a computer. Do you do business around your computer? Then let’s start there.
1. If you don’t have something to hold your files, you must go get one. You can not do business without some kind of filing equipment. Whether it’s a file cabinet (pick one up at a used office supply store) or just one of those collapsible folding file holders. You must have a way to organize receipts and orders for taxes.
2. Now that you have files, how in the world are you going to list them. Look at your desk as it stands right now. See piles? Make a list of what you name those piles in your head. Also make a file for any catalogs that you have and supplements.
3. Office supplies should be inventoried now as well. Typically Jan. is not as busy of a month as everyone gets paid back up after Christmas. So go through your pens, staples, tape, etc. and see what you should grab more of. Do you have all of your office supplies in one area? I find that I can keep all that I need in one plastic shoe box. It has a lid for easy moving and stacking.
4. How do you keep track of appointments? Are all your dates in one place or do you have them in a planner and a calendar and maybe even on that envelope by the phone? In order to stay organized you have to use one place only. Put all dates in your planner, then you can transfer it to the family calendar. But make sure that it is in your planner first.
5. Passwords! K, this one was a difficult one for me at first. I have a lot of sites that I’ve signed up to check out and never returned to. lol I had hubby pick up some extra notebooks when they were cheap before school. We now have a password book with ALL of the usernames and passwords we need. Everyone has their own page to use. Except mine of course. Mine are split up by how I use them. Website passwords are on one page, affiliates have their own page, memberships, etc. This is so much quicker now when I can’t remember my user/password I just thumb through a couple of pages instead of scanning through that overused paper we had before.
6. Too many sites, leads me to a big part of wasted time. Take a look at all of your newsletters, ezines, and groups that you are in. Are you benefiting from these somehow? Do they bring you business, give you helpful information for your biz or just bring a smile to your face? If not then it’s time to evaluate why you are still subscribed. Get rid of anything that you don’t even open anymore. You know the one’s. They sounded good to begin with, but then after you read a couple of them they didn’t deliver. Hit unsubscribe so you don’t have to keep hitting delete each month.
More tips will be coming, but this is a good place to start for you. It doesn’t do any good to overwhelm you with all that needs to be done.
