Organize + Energize: How Organized Was Your Business This Year?
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
How much time did you waste this year? How much money did it cost your business? How many clients did you lose? If your staff is disorganized, do you think they may have been the cause of a client leaving you? When a business is disorganized, there are important qualities that are lacking. If you continue to operate this way, you will feel the effects from it. It won’t take long to notice you are in a downward spiral, losing time, money and clients due to your disorganization. You won’t be as efficient and productive as you could be and your business will suffer.
Make 2016 your year to get organized! Here are 5 areas of your office that will need your attention. Take the time to answer these questions and you’ll get a pretty good idea of how you are functioning in your office.
Paper management. You may have files in drawers that aren’t hanging; they are just thrown in the drawer. Files may be thrown all over the office, on the floor, and on desks. When there aren’t any filing systems in place, paper will end up in piles in all areas of the office.
Important questions to ask:
• When was the last time you went through your files and purged them?
• How much time have you wasted searching for files?
• Are there important documents, or missed business opportunities in those piles?
• Do the piles cause a distraction throughout the day?
• Are your systems, if any, really working for you?
Money in all forms. You make a phone call to your client looking for their payment. They state they mailed you the check weeks ago. It arrived on your desk, but it ended up getting stuck in one of your piles of paper. Were you embarrassed that you had to call your client and tell them you found it? Money in the form of cash, checks and gift cards will be found all over your office if you don’t have a system to process it when it arrives into your office.
Important questions to ask:
• Do you have a process to handle money in all forms?
• Do you have a process to contain your receipts and credit card statements?
• Have you ever scoured your office searching for missing money?
Office supplies. Keep all excess office supplies organized and stored in one area of the office. Keep daily office supplies organized in drawer organizers. Keep what you need closest to you so when you need it, you can grab it in seconds without rifling through other items in your drawers.
Important questions to ask:
• Are there office supplies stored all over the office?
• How much money has been wasted on ordering duplicate supplies?
• Do you have drawer organizers in your drawers to organize your daily supplies?
Desk clutter. When you have too much work material on your desk, it can be a distraction. Are you working with too many chatzkies on the desk, bookshelves full of books or binders that are no longer being utilized? Do you have a bulletin board full of useless information and papers taped to the wall? If you bring clients to your office, your clients will be more focused on the disorganization surrounding you at your desk than what you have to say.
Important questions to ask:
• Can you see the top of your desk?
• What types of systems are you working with at your desk?
• Does your desk clutter affect your efficiency and productivity?
Lack of time management skills. You want to be more efficient and productive. The first thing you have to do is get organized and your time management skills will improve. Once the clutter is cleared and the office is organized, you will see clearer, be more focused and less distracted.
Important questions to ask:
• Do you find yourself showing up late to appointments or forgetting them all together?
• Are you returning client’s emails and phone calls in a timely manner?
• Are you utilizing to-do lists and your calendar?
• Is your disorganization holding you back from working at your best?
Can you relate to any of the above? Once you get organized, you will be more efficient and productive, less stressed, have more energy and clients will have more confidence in you. Take your business to the next level in 2016 and get organized!
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on talkstreamradio.com.
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