10 easy ways to start getting organized in your business!
“Get organized”...
Cool… but how? What does that even mean in business?
Start off by asking yourself these questions:
It’s Sunday night, you are thinking about the week ahead, do you feel overwhelmed?
When you start a task, does it take up so much of your time to find everything you need before even starting the task?
Are you constantly having to reset passwords because you forget what they are?
You may not have realized it and you may have even thought you were organized but if you answered YES to any of those questions and this blog has gotten your attention, then there must be a reason why.
If you read our previous blog How efficient organization improves productivity, then you know the importance and benefits of having an organized business. But you may also be thinking, “ok great, but how do I implement it? Where do I start?”
Well, my friend, you are in the right place! This blog will give you some ideas on how to get started.
Here are 10 easy ways to start controlling the chaos
1. Physical Workspace
Having an organized workspace improves productivity, reduces distractions, and reduces stress. Scientists at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute have done a study on clutter and found that “clutter was the best predictor of procrastination”. In summary, our brains do not love chaos – they love organization
Quick tips to get your personal space organized:
Make sure everything has a home. Pens, files, papers (if you need to print stuff), sticky notes, etc
Invest in storage solutions that fit your space. This could include shelves, filing cabinets, storage bins, and desk organizers. Click here for a list of our favourite organizers.
Keep the things you use most frequently – closer.
Clean your space at the end of each day so you always start the next day with a clean desk.
Once a week or month, declutter items that are unnecessary, outdated, or no longer serve a purpose.
2. Password Management
Almost everything in our lives these days has a password which makes it merely impossible to remember them all. Sure you can write them down, but then you usually can’t find it so you just change it and then you write it down again – so now you have 2 and don’t know which one is the right one – so you just change it again… Properly organized passwords not only help make your life easier but they also contribute to the overall data protection of a business.
Quick tips to manage your passwords:
Use a reputable password management tool. Password managers like LastPass, 1Password, or Keeper allow you to securely store and organize passwords in an encrypted vault.
When using a password tool - use the “note” feature to put notes of when you last changed it or any other information for how to log in example: Login through Google.
Do not click “remember password” on Google or any other site. This can create issues if you change your password, but the website has been set to remember the old password. Not to mention anyone using your device could then use it.
3. Email Management
Watching the little read # increase in your email notifications can make you want to hide and just ignore them all together. But with a proper email management system it can be easy to stay on top of what is going on (and keep that number at less than 10!)
Quick tips to manage your emails:
Create a folder system. It can be as simple as creating a “done” folder that you can move answered emails to, or you can create folders for clients/projects and business management. NOTE it is important not to over-folder. Keep it simple.
Move emails to the correct folder once they are dealt with. This way you know emails in your inbox are outstanding.
Delete emails you don’t need to refer to again.
Unsubscribe from email lists.
Set up rules to automatically filter emails you don’t have to read right away.
Mark emails as unread or flag them to indicate they need to be dealt with.
4. Calendar Organization
Calendar’s can be used for more than just sending invites to other people. You can also use your calendar to manage your team, your projects, your personal stuff, to plan etc.
Quick tips to organize your calendar:
Make an effort to keep your calendar up to date with everything you have on the go.
When scheduling – put “holds” in your calendar so you know you have offered those slots and you do not double book.
Create multiple calendars within your main calendar to manage your team, different projects, personal tasks etc. These can be personal or shared.
Use colour coding. Come up with a colour scheme for different types of events. This will help your brain quickly identify a personal task vs a client meeting etc.
5. Contact Management
Keep your contact details in one place. You never know what information you are going to need about a contractor, client, vendor, friend etc so keeping it organized and easily accessible. Depending on your business you may also want a system that tracks conversations and leads, but for now we are just talking about your contact details (address, phone #s, email, birthday’s, dogs names etc)
Quick tips to manage your contacts:
Use a system that is right for what you need. You do not need to have a full fancy CRM – your built-in email contacts can store all the information you need (and sync with your devices)
Use custom fields or labels to quickly sort and organize your contacts.
Scan your contacts before adding a new one so you avoid duplicates.
Remove old information. It isn’t enough to add the new stuff – make sure you are removing the old stuff or at least marking it as old.
6. Digital and Physical File Organization
When everything has a home you don’t have to play “sh!t… where did I put that?”. Creating a filing system will allow you to save time and have peace of mind that you know you can find something if you have to.
Quick tips to organize your files:
Create a folder system that can be used for physical and digital files. Group your items in a way that makes sense for your business, but that keeps it simple. Bonus tip: use the same system in your email management so you have a consistent system throughout.
Keep it simple to start and then add folders & subfolders once you know what you need.
Merge & delete folders that are not needed.
Be strategic about what you save. You don’t need to keep the 27 versions of that PowerPoint.
Monthly or quarterly, scan your folders and purge files you don’t need.
Keep your naming conventions concise, consistent and simple. Less is more.
Have a short term and long term storage option. Example: I have an accordion folder for all my household bills for the current year. Once the year is finished, I file them into the correct spot with the previous years. *For physical files only
7. Money Management
You went into business to do what you love, but unfortunately money is the way you can continue to do what you love. So managing your money is essential. Having your finances in order contributes to financial stability, informed decision-making, and overall business success.
Quick tips to keep your money organized:
Use a cloud based accounting software like Quickbooks, Xero, or FreshBooks to track all of your expenses and create invoices. You can get some plans for as little as $5/month and it is worth it!
Upload your receipts on a regular basis. While it is best to do it as you spend it - it isn’t always realistic. Pick a frequency that is manageable.
File your physical receipts in one folder (you do not need them organized by vendor because they are in your accounting tool! So don’t waste time double organizing)
Put taxes aside monthly. What you owe at tax time should not be surprising. Each month move any sales tax you collected as well as a % of your profit to cover federal taxes. I personally move 30% of my profit each month just to be safe.
Get a bookkeeper! We are all about teaching people to DIY in business- but if you only ever outsource one thing in your business - I recommend bookkeeping!
Pull financial reports to see how your business is doing. You can’t just go by your bank account balance.
8. Task Management
When you have a lot on the go, it can be difficult to navigate through all your to do’s and ensure deadlines are met. When you have your tasks organized, responsibilities are clear and deadlines are met. It enhances collaboration, reduces the risk of overlooked tasks, and contributes to overall efficiency and productivity in your business.
Quick tips to get your tasks organized:
Use an electronic task manager that is right for you. It can be simple like a Google Sheet, Google Keep or Microsoft To Do or something more robust like ClickUp, Asana, Monday.com, Wrike etc. Pick the tool that fits your needs.
Colour code. You may have picked up this theme already - but colour coding is an easy way to help your brain distinguish what type of task it is. For me personal is always orange and business is always turquoise.
At the end of each day, review the tasks for the following day and make sure that you are being realistic. Adjust if needed.
Scan your desk at the end of each day and make sure any post-its or notes you wrote yourself are in your electronic task list.
At the end of each week, review your tasks for the following week. Make sure you are being realistic with what you can accomplish.
9. Idea Management
This may seem like a weird one, but I think this is one of the most IMPORTANT ones as a business owner. Ideas are great but often we have more than we can keep up with. Not every Idea needs to be acted on immediately… or EVER. Idea management helps you get the ideas out of your head so they are not taking up space and allows you to reevaluate later to decide if it is something you actually want to do.
Quick tips to organize ideas:
Create an “idea dump” location. A list on your phone, a Google Doc, your task management tool - one place where you can dump the thought and go back to later.
Take time (weekly or monthly) to review your idea list and remove ideas that are no longer relevant.
Scan your desk at the end of each day and make sure any post-its or notes you wrote yourself are put into the idea dump location.
10. Meeting Management
We have all been to meetings where we thought “this could have been an email” or where the first 20 minutes are spent trying to get organized to even start the meeting. Having organized meeting agendas and notes can save a ton of time before, during and after the meeting so you can get back to the stuff you enjoy.
Quick tips to organize your meetings:
Create one document that has a running history of all meeting agendas and notes. This way you can easily refer back to the previous meeting. This can be shared with other meeting attendees or kept as a private document.
Bookmark the meeting note so you can always find it.
Before the meeting, review previous meetings to see what outstanding items you want to discuss and update the agenda.
Directly following the meeting, add any action items from the meeting to your task management system.
Add the newest meeting notes & agendas at the top so you do not have to scroll.
Use proper headings so that you can use document outline to easily navigate to older meetings.
Organizing doesn’t have to be hard. Just start small and add one new thing at a time. It will take time to get it all organized and that is ok!
Whether you are new in business or well established - it is never too late to get organized. Just start. Better late than never!
