In our multi-generational household, we have a large, regular monthly calendar on the wall.  There we all write down appointments, church and work schedules, meetings and recreational days.  We coordinate our schedules accordingly.

For my writing work (I currently write several blogs and a newspaper column with deadlines), I keep a small notebook for each blog and my column.  There I write down posts, pre-posts and planned posts.  Then I can know immediately what I’ve accomplished, am working on, and what I have to do for the future.

In the back of each notebook, I write down research and interviews in progress or planned.

This system works for me.  Someone else might prefer a computer planner, but I’m always concerned about what would happen if my computer was down or the information was lost. 

When I operated a dressmaking and quilting business, I kept a calendar with deadlines for the items I was working on.  I also might note where I must be in the midst of the project to get it finished on time.

What system works well for you in organizing your work and life?

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 I’ve sent e-mails to some already, asking them to give me 5 Tips on Organization they find effective in their business.

If there are any readers out there, who have a business…small, home or even working for a business…write and let me know you have some tips.  Or you might post those tips in the comments section below.

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Unlike him, I haven’t filled 85 notebooks in 26 years. But it’s fascinating to see some of the scans of his books and hear about his process. I, too, just fill up one notebook and move to the next. I don’t separate projects, but I do use flags at times so I can flip back to important information. I’ve always used lined paper, though. Blank paper is just asking for me to slant my lines. Not a big deal when you’re sketching things, but annoying when you’re trying to write a lot of text.

Does something like this work for you? Do you write everything down, or do you tend to try to just remember it? Have you found another way to capture information and ideas?

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[Image: Paul Worthington under cc license]

Post from: My Organized Biz

So many of us suffer from the clutter affliction. We have too much paper, too many gadgets, and basically just too much stuff crammed into our offices. What are we to do?

Some people live with the clutter, never quite able to find what they need. Others upgrade their space, thinking that just a little more room will help. And many of us buy more containers to better organize all that stuff.

It’s all too much! That’s precisely the point of Walsh’s book. We have too much stuff. We don’t need all of it. We’re too attached to things.

While the book is geared toward homeowners, there are good points for business owners as well.

Take a look at your office. Define the purpose of the space. Everything that does not fit that space needs to go. It does not belong there. Create zones in the office to help increase your efficiency. Try to keep your horizontal spaces as clear as possible. And notice how a clean desk does wonders for making your office feel calmer and more efficient.

File regularly and get rid of paper clutter. We keep way more paper than we’ll ever need. Be ruthless. If you haven’t looked at something in a year, you probably don’t need it. (Tax returns and other important documents excluded.)

All in all, I found Walsh’s book easy to read and packed with a lot of great information. I was immediately inspired to start purging things I know I don’t need, but had been putting off getting rid of. It’s still a work in progress, but it was just the push I needed.

I still tend to keep too many books and notebooks. But I’m learning what paper to throw away and will hopefully be able to start scanning more receipts for taxes and getting rid of even more paper.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Did it help you?

Image: Amazon.com

(For a link to this book, please see the Author Links page.)

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Efficiency is a must in any small business office. Limited space, time and resources demand that you operate at full capacity. And when you let things slide, it can be a nightmare to get back in order. So how do you keep on top of everything you need to do? Get in the zone by creating specific work areas in your office.

Think about the tasks you need to do regularly. What could benefit from having a designated zone? Start by making a list of all the tasks you need to do in your office. Divide them up into groups. There may be some overlap, which is okay. Those zones may need to overlap, too. The main point is to get rid of everything that doesn’t belong in your office work areas. Get rid of the things that don’t help you accomplish your goals.

Do you have a lot of paperwork to file? Do you keep all of your filing items (file folders, papers to be filed, file tags, etc.) in one area? And what about your bills – are they together with everything you need to pay them?

Create work zones in your office. Even if you just have a desk, filing cabinet and chair, you can create small areas for groups of tasks. Anything that doesn’t belong to that task moves out to another section of the office.

For your bill paying area, put stamps, envelopes, address labels, and invoices together. Everything you need to pay bills goes in that zone. And that’s it. Once the bill is paid, move it to the filing area. Nothing else goes in the billing zone. By doing this, you’ll always know where your unpaid bills are. If a vendor calls asking for payment, you can put your hands on related paperwork. And if it’s not in the bill paying zone, you know you’ve paid it. And you can then move on to the filing zone to look for it.

In your filing zone, gather everything you normally need for files. Manila files, hanging folders, the to-be-filed pile all go here. Ideally, it should be close to your filing system.

Billing can be another important area. Do you bill by the hour? The project? When you work on your invoicing, it’s ideal to have what you need together. Don’t waste time figuring how much you need to invoice, when you could spend that time doing things that are billable. Keep track as you go along, putting things in the same place every time. Nothing’s worse than losing the info you need in order to get paid!

Once you find yourself in the efficiency zone, you won’t want to leave it! So get started on creating those work areas, and let us know how it’s going for you. Does it work for you? It may take a few weeks to get used to it, so give it some time. Then re-evaluate. Does it need any tweaks? Come back and share your experiences with us.

Image: Rob! (creative commons)

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Take some time to think about how you use your computer. What items do you save on it? How often do you need to refer back to it? How easy is it to find things?

A little time spent forming an electronic file system will help you feel on top of things. There’s nothing like being on a phone call with a client and realizing you can’t find a file without a long, drawn out search. It’s embarrassing to ask them to let you call back once you find it, since it can make you appear unprofessional. You don’t want your client wondering what else you have lost, do you?

You can file items by project, by client, or whatever reference point makes sense to you. Make sure, though, that it will still make sense to you several months down the road. And keep things fairly simple. If you have too many subfolders, you’ll still have trouble putting your finger on your file quickly and easily. The idea is to get your mouse pointing to your files as quickly as possible.

Spend time getting more clients, making more money, and improving your business. Not searching endlessly on your computer for a text file with someone’s phone number in it.

Find what works for you, what makes sense to how you organize information. Then stick to it. When tax time comes, you’ll be glad you did.

[Image: Newscom]

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Visually grouping your files will help when you’re filing. You can quickly see where something needs to go. An invoice? Oh, that goes in green (it’s okay to have more than one green folder, of course). You zero in on the section you need and then you can look at labels and find the correct file.

And those same groupings will help when you need to find something. That draft marketing plan? Oh, it’s under red. And then you easily grab the proper folder.

The exact categories and colors will vary by what works for you. Don’t get too carried away with 15 different colors. You want just enough to easily remember what you’ve set up. Too many colors and you’ll take just as long remembering what goes where as you will looking at every label in the drawer.

Have you tried color coding? Does it work for you?

image: Newscom

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When I was a teenager, I had a sign above my desk that said, “A clean desk is the sign of a sick mind.” It was perfect for my clutter justification. But I was constantly frustrated and unable to find anything without going through every single pile on the desk.

Eventually I learned to keep my desk neater. I started using my file drawer. I bought little organizers for my desktop and drawers. And I regularly cleaned it.

Those bad habits are slowly creeping back in. I know what I need to do. The problem is taking the time to do it. I was gone for two weeks. While I was out, the mail piled up on my desk. Even though I had mostly cleared things, it didn’t take long at all for it to get out of control.

Vigilance is the key. And that’s something I’ve been sorely lacking. Between traveling to see family, and baby duties, it’s been tough to find – or take – the time to do something about it. We’re down to one nap a day and I do everything I can to get work done while the baby’s sleeping. So my desk suffers.

It’s time to tackle that messy desk. Wrangle those bills. File receipts. Finish reviewing some items for you all. Work on an office makeover. And gather those giveaways and post them for everyone.

I’m not perfect. I know what I should be doing. Sometimes things get in the way. And I suddenly realize that I need to take my own advice and get cracking. So I will.

And maybe I’ll start one of those giveaways tomorrow. How’s that sound?

What are you fighting right now in your quest for organization?

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You can list “hot” items that need your immediate attention. There’s something about a white board that draws attention to itself. And you can use that to keep your important tasks in front of you.

You can also write a list of projects that you’re working on. If you have multiple projects, you can keep a running list of them and when they are due.

Or, try listing the next steps in your projects and their due dates. Maybe write down your daily to-do list. Put a nice, big check next to the items that are done, or cross them off.

What else can you use a whiteboard for? Brainstorming ideas. A list of clients you need to contact. Vendor information for a current project. Design notes. Story ideas. Calendar reminders. Anything that you want to keep in front of you for a period of time.

Do you have a whiteboard? How do you use it?

Image: sxu

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But you don’t have a lot of office experience when it comes to managing your own stuff. Did someone else always do it for you? Was it just not necessary when you weren’t “officially” doing business? Or are you being drafted into the family business?

There are many ways to stumble into doing business for yourself. And it can be overwhelming. So how do you go about setting up your files?

First, figure out what you need to file. What do you need to keep? Contracts, legal documents (incorporation papers, any lawsuits), insurance papers, tax info, and receipts are just a few of the things you’ll need to keep. If you have any doubts, consult your lawyer and tax professional.

You should keep invoices, and mark them paid and file them. Whether you’ll need to keep them depends on what the invoice is for. If it’s a business expense, you’ll want to keep things until tax time.

A lot of your file setup will depend on what type of business you do. Let’s take me for example. I’m a writer. I set up my files so I can keep track of my expenses, and I have categories for various types of those expenses. Anything that’s a business deduction gets put in a tax file for computing later.

I keep copies of my paid invoices, in case there’s any question of payment. As I’ve mentioned before, I file many things by the month, but you may find that a category works better for you. Maybe you want to put utilities in one file, warranties in another, and medical expenses, auto expenses, and home expenses all in separate files as well.

If you print out correspondence, you will probably want a copy of that as well. You can file it by the subject matter or by whom it was sent to.

There’s no absolutely correct way to set up a file system. The only right way is the way that works for you. It has to be something you can use to actually find things when you need them. Where’d I put those incorporation papers? Where’s last month’s utility bill? Didn’t I already pay the service bill for the copy machine?

If you can’t put your hands on it, your filing system isn’t working. It takes some thought. Don’t just throw things in a drawer. Take some time to think about your needs and then design your files around that. Need help? Email or leave a comment and we can go over specific examples for you.

Have you ever had trouble setting up your office space?

Image: Newscom

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