Organizing Your Way to Greater Productivity

Over the past few weeks, we have covered a LOT of territory, from creating a strong vision statement, to what to focus on in your business, to how to set goals you’ll actually accomplish, and last week we went deeper into goals and how to make sure you get them all done. If you’re following along and doing the work, you’ll be in a great place to focus on our next topic: Creating an Efficient Workspace.

I know, not very sexy, right?

It’s actually a fun process, because you get to decide how you want your space to be and how to make it work better for you. Ready? Let’s jump in.

First… some of you may be thinking “Hey, I live in organized chaos, and it works for me”. I get it. I’m a piler rather than a filer, so I totally understand. Some of us are reluctant to make a change, but here are some great reasons to do just that:

·       Spend much less time looking for the info you need

·       Don’t waste time and money replacing things you already had but didn’t see

·       Your organization speaks to your staff and your clients – what do you want it to say?

·       Reduce your stress! Clutter and disorganization really builds stress over time.

Ok, so… ready??

Let’s make a list. Start with your office, and work your way out from there.

What do you have on your desk? What needs to be there, and what could go somewhere close-by? Where do you store your current files? Old files? Office supplies? How can you tell what is to be done, what’s done and needs to be filed, or the status of other papers?

How could you do this better?

Do you have space to spread out and really work with your projects? Do you have to move to use the computer? Do you have to look around to see the time?

What feels cluttered? What creates stress when you look at it? What makes you smile?

What do you actually need on your desk?

Depending on your business, there may be many, many areas that need to be organized. But always start with your desk and your files. If you have employees, have them do their own, but have them create a mindmap or outline of what goes where, so you know where to look if you need something.

Do you have a communication center for your business? Keep that area clean and updated, so everyone on your team can see what’s going on and what they need to focus on.

You’ll also want to organize your marketing and other business tasks, but we’ll address that in another article. For now, let’s talk about some simple ways to actually organize, whether you have a brick and mortar business or work from home. These are some of my favorites, and they work anywhere you do!

The 3-minute spot clean – Look around and find the one area that triggers a negative emotion like stress or tension. Give yourself 3 minutes to start the organizing process. If there are papers, clip similar ones together. If it’s just messy, stack things up and wipe the counter. Decide if you need an organizer tool to make that area work better – a paper tray, sorter, pen cup… what would make it more useable? At the end of 3 minutes, stack things neatly and set a reminder to finish up on your next 3 minute session.

Throw 3 things away – Every workspace has junk. It just happens. Find at least 3 things you can toss or put away. Do all your pens write? If not, toss them. Do you have 7 tablets of postit notes? Pick 2 and put them in the drawer or in a spot, and put the rest away with office supplies. Old notes? Take a photo, toss the paper. At the end of the day you can upload your photos to OneNote and file them where you can find them.

The one-spot deep clean – Have 30 minutes? Clean out that ridiculously messy drawer, reorganize the folders that just aren’t working for you, or file that paperwork that has been piling up. One area, start to finish, 30 minutes or less, done. Again, if you need something to feel the area works better, add it to your list, but do as much as you can so when that tray or organizer tool comes in, you can just put it in place and you’re done.

I like to do the 3-minute spot clean every morning before I sit down to work. It allows me to bring my focus into the workspace, do something active, and get my mind moving, so that when I sit down to work, I’m more productive. I often do the Throw 3 Things Away at the same time, or I do that when I sit down at my desk.

I do the 30 minute spot-clean when I have time – maybe one or two times a week, and less once I get a system in place. It’s a great thing to do at the end of the day so you come back to a nicer, more organized workspace the next day.

If you work at home, the challenge is you’ll want to also do home stuff. I highly recommend setting a time aside for that, and NOT doing it during your work day. Now, you may want to throw in a load of laundry – that actually works to clear more things off your mental to-do list – but anything else needs to be in a home-care block of time, not your work time.

My one exception to that is when I’m doing some percolating on a project or idea, and I have no appointments. Then I might do dishes or vacuum because it gives me the ability to be moving and still be free to think. I come up with great ideas during those times, or when I walk and meditate. So if you know that movement triggers thoughts for you, why not knock something off your list at the same time? But… if you do not do well with thinking and housework, don’t use that! It only works if it works.

Alright, that’s enough for the moment. Be sure and join me next week when I’ll be talking about time management – a critical key to business success, and another element of working smarter instead of harder, and come check out my Facebook Live this week where I'll go even deeper into organization and productivity. Hope to see you there - Thursday @ noon PT!

Join us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/conversationsonbusiness/ for our weekly Facebook Lives where we go deeper into each article topic, brainstorm solutions and give you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

Jana Beeman helps small and entrepreneurial business owners and coaches work smarter instead of harder for greater business growth with a smaller time investment. She also focuses on the ‘soft skills’ of business – communication, mindset, success strategies and brainstorming solutions.

 www.morebusinessin90days.com               360/ 263-5800