Store like items together. I have always created zones in my home and office. At home I have an area for reading, an area for crafts and my kitchen is also broken up into zones. At my desk I also break up everything into zones and storing like items together keeps me from digging through my desk drawer looking for paper clips.

Go through your office and take a look at where you naturally do certain things. For example: Where do you open the mail, where do you make phone calls, where do the papers you need to file start stacking up. By organizing items into zones and creating that zone where you naturally do things, your office can turn into a well-oiled machine.

If you are organized in your business adventures, chances are your sales and bank account will thank you. There are simple ways you can get organized which in turn, can help increase your bottom line.

Here are 5 steps to increase your sales:

1. Keep a calendar. Write down all your appointments, tasks and important dates on one calendar which will include family and business activities. When all of these things are in one place, it can help you stay on track and more focused.

2. Don’t let the mail pile up. Be vigilant at opening your mail on a daily basis. You do not want to miss important documents or have to waste your time later in the week opening a heaping pile of mail. When you check your mail, immediately shred the junk mail, and file all the rest.

3. Create a schedule for yourself.  Now I know that not everyone says they do well in a structured wok environment. But I have seen people who have said this for years set themselves up a small schedule and they have raved about how their business has improved and their sales being one of them. The schedule can be very simple like when you will check email, make phone calls, work on big projects, etc. When you wake up everyday and go into your office knowing exactly what you need to do, your business will improve.

4. Make lists. Keep a running list of things you need to get down. I like to break down my to-dos by importance. I have one column for things that need to get done eventually and things that need to get done this week. It helps keep me on track and also not let big things fall through the cracks.

5. Don’t forget about you. Always remember to take care of yourself. In order to succeed in your business, you need to be well rested and healthy. You also need to set aside time for fun and relaxation. Working yourself to the bone constantly is not good for anyone.

Elaine Betts of Let’s Get Organised, a professional organization company, came up with the idea the messiest office contest. Take a look at this video to see who won and also see the results of the makeover. It’s amazing! Would your office win an award?

Is your desk cluttered with a million little sticky notes with reminders like: pick up bread, don’t forget meeting on Wednesday, call tom at 555-5555 and so on? I used to be a huge fan of the sticky notes. I had them every where and before long, there were so many of them that they lost their effectiveness. I am still a fan of the sticky note, I just use them only for very important reminders that I need right in front of my face.

What do I do with all the other little notes I need to scribble down? I use a powerful tool called the spiral notebook! Yes, I know, it’s been around for quite some time, but the spiral notebook is a great thing. I use it to jot down phone messages, little reminders, thoughts I don’t want to forget, article ideas, books I want to read and more.

To make it a little more organized, you can break up your notebook into sections. That’ll keep you from flipping through all of the pages looking for that one phone number.

My husband keeps a very small notebook in his car. He keeps a running list of things he needs to do. It also helps when I call and ask him if he could bring 10 things home from the store.

A small spiral notebook can help clear your mind and your desk!

I just wanted to wish all of you a VERY Merry Christmas!

There will be no Saturday or Sweep Through Sunday posts due to the fact that I am on the road to Colorado as you are reading this. Yes, that means 3 kids, one husband, one wife, Christmas presents from “Santa” and a partridge in a pear tree stuffed in one car. I’ll let you know if we survived the trip up there once I get settled.

So, instead of a business post, here’s a picture of our family Christmas tree. We pulled this 11 year old tree out of the attic and put it up this year so we didn’t have to buy a real one. We are going to be gone for 10 days and I did not want to come home to a dead tree. Needless to say, this tree has sentimental value because it was our very first Christmas tree. I know…ahhhhhhhhh…how sweet.

I let the kids decorate it this year as you can probably tell. They had fun doing it and I am sure appreciated me not saying “Spread them out more. They’re all lumped together”. Enjoy our tree and I hope you are having a great holiday season!

Come on…fess up…do you find yourself constantly looking for your keys as you are trying to head out the door to an important business meeting or to meet a client for lunch? Wouldn’t it be so nice if you always knew where your keys were?

There are some simple ways to put a stop to looking for your keys. For me personally, I always put my keys in my purse right after I lock the come into the house. It’s just a habit. My husband has one place in the house where he puts his keys every time he comes home.

Maybe you wouldn’t lose your keys if you had a cool place to put them. Take a look at these products that are fun and functional:

1. Human Key Holders: His and Hers. These are just too fun not to use and are also a great conversation piece!

2. Install a hook next to the exit/entrance and pick one out that you’ll enjoy using like this Rustic Twig Wall Hooks.

3. Scroll Letter Holder with Hooks – (Black)

More key holders below the cut.
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Is it possible to do business in your car? It sure is and my husband does it all the time. He is a real estate agent and has an office-on-the-go in his car. (He’s also very excited that his blue tooth and new cell phone are in the mail and arriving today! Hands free phone calls – it’s a dream come true for him.)

If you are a real estate agent, insurance broker or sales representative of any sort, then most likely you could use an office-on-the-go. Your mobile office could go in the trunk of your car or even the front seat.

Here’s an item (pictured here) that I just love. It’s the Front Seat Mobile Office and you can store items such as your laptop, pens, pencils, paper and small electronic items. It can also hold tissues, drinks, gum and some snacks if you need them. Making money is hard work, so you need snacks to keep you energized!

When your car is organized and you are ready to do business in there if necessary, then you can take advantage of those times you are stuck in traffic or waiting in the car on someone.

We are busier than ever these days so being organized is a must!

Here’s a former post I did about taming those computer cords that can easily start to take over your desk if you let them. There are some simple ways to handle them:

Cords, you can’t live with them, you can’t live without them. They often go unforgotten as an item that needs some serious organization. You don’t really think about them until you are either moving your computer or you need to plug something else in. These days it’s not just our computer that is at out desk. You have the digital camera, the iPod, the cell phone, the video game players and on and on.

Well today, I am going to show you some gadgets that will help you tame the cord beast once and for all!

Let’s start with the mac daddy of all cable organizers. (My husband said it looks like some sort of torture device to him.) This is an item I just added to my wish list.

It’s called The Complete Computer Cable Manager. Here’s a description:

“The Complete Cable Manager is the perfect kit to organize an average computer workstation. It easily absorbs all the clutter that comes with a computer, printer, labeler, monitor, hub, speakers, phone, fax and more.It removes all cables, power adapters, hubs, and power strips off the floor and safely out of harm’s way.

It labels every cable from source to destination, absorbs excess cable length into loops, and hangs them separately allowing all cables to stay tangle-free and easy to access and identify.”

Like I said, it’s the mac daddy. Let’s move on to some smaller solutions.

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One thing that I always tell people about their spaces, whether it be at home or at work, is that they need to create a space that they enjoy. You want to organize the space according to your personality and you also want to choose organizing products and decorative items that you enjoy looking at. When you feel good about the space you are in, it just does something for you. It lifts your spirits, it makes you feel more powerful and it can even make you more productive.

Well, Kelly Moore of the book “Cube Chic: Take Your Office Space from Drab to Fab!” understands this need for a space that you feel good in. She has written this book, which gives you some makeover ideas for that drab and boring cubicle that many people work in every day.

This book has received from great reviews, although most say it’s great for entertainment purposes only and not practical. If it’s not practical for you, I say take her ideas and knock them down a notch. I still feel you can get some great ideas from her on how to make that space reflect you and make you feel good about your work environment.

The picture above is of the Zen office cubicle. This would be my first choice. What other cubes does she suggest?

• Cabin cube
• Casino cube
• NYC cube
• Hip Hop cube
• India cube
• Glam cube
• Sci-fi cube

And many others…You can take a look at the inside of the book and see some more pictures over here at Amazon.

So what’s the bottom line? Well, although it may be impractical and your boss may put his foot down at your cubicle being turned into a casino or New York City, spruce your work space up as much as you can. Get it organized, add a few personal touches and turn it into a space to be proud of.