One of the most effective skills a small business owner can have to achieve success, is to be organised. You think much more clearly when you’re organised so that you can concentrate on your targets and how to achieve them. Once you have systems in place for carrying out your work and plan regularly, you ensure that you keep your significant tasks a priority.
Achieving success comes from working proactively to drive business forward. If we’re constantly functioning in reactive way and working in a chaotic, cluttered environment then progress slows down. Here are some tips to bring order to your business life:
Organise your workspace
Don’t underestimate time lost or stress caused from an inefficient working environment. If your productivity feels low, perhaps your workspace is letting you down. To restore order:
Cull ruthlessly
Be ruthless and remove anything that doesn’t directly serve a function in your day to day activity. A few carefully selected ornaments to personalise are fine, but avoid too many.
Location, location, location
Create consistent homes for all work materials so you know where to find them. Choose locations logically based on where you tend to use the items, for example store spare copy paper near the printer. Move outside your immediate reach anything you use infrequently. Always return items once you have used them so they’ll be where you expect them next time.
Desktop order
Frustration ensues when you’re searching for a client proposal, but it’s buried among random papers. Eliminate desktop chaos by using trays, magazine files, or whatever you fancy and label as In, Out, For Action, Waiting For, Current Projects, To Read, or other relevant categories.
Effective Planning
Time spent planning saves untold hours in execution. Implementing regular planning strategies will sharpen your focus, thereby keeping you on track.
Daily planning
Start planning today for tomorrow. Each day implement a 10-15 minute routine as part of your shut-down to wrap up loose ends and prioritise key tasks. Ensure your plan is workable. A good plan for tomorrow allows you to clear your head and enjoy your evening.
Weekly power hour
Once a week ring-fence a 60- 90-minute appointment with yourself for larger scale planning and review. Use the time to progress track, research, strategise, or any of those “thinking tasks” that normally take a back seat. Select a prominent time in the day when you’re at your best. Keep this appointment with yourself and treat the time as sacred. It’s often during this “removed” time when we tap into ideas, solutions, and experience breakthroughs that may open new opportunities.
Staying organised
This requires ongoing effort. The key is to remain focused on the benefits it brings to your business success. Spend a few minutes each day restoring order to your workspace. Perform your daily planning without fail. Remember, circumstances and priorities change. Don’t despair, simply review, revise and keep moving forward.
Filing
Be brutally honest about what you need to keep. Studies suggest that 80% of what we file is never accessed again. Ask: is there a tax or legal reason for retaining it? Why would I need this in future? Is it information I could obtain online or otherwise? Put paperwork you do keep in good-quality folders and label them clearly. Avoid “miscellaneous” as a category – you’ll seldom remember what’s in there.
To find out more on how we could help to grow your business by using a virtual team, call us now on 020 3890 6990.