There are really essentially two kinds of people.  First, there are those who have been organized since the day they were born…then there are those who have not.  Are you part of the second group of people?  Don’t worry!  You can still keep your small business organized. 

The benefits are many.  A person who can organized their business will find the work gets done in much less time.  They remember important events and meetings.  They feel less stressed and out of control.  Below are some functional tips to keep your business organized for those of us that are organizationally challenged:

Don’t Leave a Messy Workplace at Night

Don’t head out the door in the evening without taking a short amount of time to straighten your desk.  Gather your office supplies up and place them together on your desktop so they are ready to go when you return.  Check the trash can and empty it if necessary, and remove any empty cups or other dishes that are cluttering your desk. 

The most critical part of this step is to gather your paperwork into a rough order of how you want to handle it the next day.  At the same time, you can quickly prepare an action plan (also known as “to-do list”) for the next day, and rank each task in order of importance. 

The ten minutes these simple tasks take each night will be rewarded by your ability to jump in and start the day running each morning. 

Organize Work Product Using the Rule of 3

There will always be those people who know right where everything they need is at any time.  Then, you have all 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 three piles of paperwork going at any given time.  The first stack contains the most pressing items you hope to accomplish within the day.  The second stack should hold those that need to be handled within the week, and finally those within the month.  This may take a few minutes to create the first time, but in the long run it will save you ton of time from having to look through every paper on your desk for the one that you really need. 

Don’t Wait

Ultimately, the longer you wait to find an organization system that works for you and your small business, the more opportunities you miss for your small business.  When you are organized, a bigger part of your day can be spent on the success of your business.  And remember, one person’s organization is another person’s nightmare.  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.