How To Get Your Home Business Organized

Organizing BusinessIt’s the first of the month. Your creditors are waiting for payment, you have to bill your customers, and you can’t seem to find that form letter you created on your computer. What a mess! Your business may be off the ground, but it won’t be for long if you don’t get organized.

It’s happened to all of us. We’re so excited to get started; we just jump right into a new project and hope that everything will fall into place. But let’s face it, you can’t afford the high price of disorganization. Rummaging through piles of paper or searching your hard-drive for an important document is not time-efficient. Since you’re just starting out, you most likely have limited resources and space. In addition, there’s a lot of information that needs organizing. For these reasons, office setup, organization and maintenance are vital. For the sake of the business, you must get and stay organized.

Your Office

With the proper systems in place, you can organize your home and get things done a lot easier in the process. It may sound elementary, but you should take the time now to organize your office before it becomes a problem.

If space permits, store things you don’t use regularly in a closet or cupboard. It’s difficult to concentrate if you’re working amongst piles of stationery, boxes of paper clips, and high stacks of envelopes. A messy and cluttered workspace can prevent you from working efficiently. Try to keep your work environment free from clutter and distractions. Move the things you use once a week to secondary surfaces like a file cabinet or a shelf. Store anything you use once a month in a file or on a shelf. Place items you rarely use in a closet. You don’t have to keep your work area sparse, but you should try to eliminate distractions.

Set up your office to function smoothly. If everything falls over when you pull one book out of your bookcase, or there isn’t enough space near the fax machine to easily insert documents and collect incoming faxes, you need to rearrange your setup. These small glitches can hamper workflow, waste valuable time and create stress.

If you have trouble throwing away files or notes, then create a “safe” trash can. This way, you can remove clutter and still know that you’re not completely purging yourself of something that’s important. Nothing goes into the safe trashcan except paper. Empty the “safe” can every few weeks, so you have a grace period during which you can retrieve anything from it. This system just might make it easier for you to toss stuff out and keep your working space neat. But what about the things you can’t junk?

Your next step is to create a system for information flow. Think about what kind of information, materials, and other items you deal with on a regular basis, such as incoming and outgoing mail, phone numbers, current projects, and materials you want to keep but can’t focus on right now. Next, establish a system to organize this information. There are a few universal items that every home office needs. Two trash cans (one for the normal trash and one for the “safe” trash) should be at the top of your list. In and out boxes are helpful to stay on top of incoming and outgoing mail. Also, a bulletin board can help you track projects and it’s a good place to keep a list of your business goals. Of course, since each home business is different you may have difficulty finding the perfect product to meet your needs. Shop around, and don’t settle on something that you don’t feel comfortable using. Remember, your system has to work for you.

Your Files

Even if your desk is neat and clutter-free, you can still waste precious time if your files are a mess. Sifting through a messy file is just as time consuming as sorting through a pile of papers. To avoid clutter from piling up, you should clean regularly. Sort through your file cabinets at least every few months and throw away the things you no longer need or store them somewhere else. If you continually postpone this task, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the prospect. Sometimes, however, it’s not just the clutter that renders your files hard to navigate, it’s the filing system itself.

One way to cut through file drawer mess is to come up with yet another system, this one for your files. First, if you have trouble finding a particular document in your file drawers, rename your files. Create file names based on the first related word that comes to mind when creating the file.

Second, organize your files so that similar files, or project files are grouped together. Keep client’s folders in one drawer or part of a drawer, articles you save in another and contracts in yet another. You may want to create sub folders within hanging folders. This will increase the ease with which you can locate things. Make sure you keep your personal files separate from all business material.

Lastly, you should have sufficient filing space. If you have the room, invest in, large file cabinets that provide enough space for the material you need to store. You might not need them when you’re first starting out, but you’ll be glad you have them once your business takes off and your files expand. Remember, though, the system must work for you. But, don’t make it too cryptic that no one else will be able to figure it out. As your business grows, you may to bring other people in to work with you later on down the line.

Your Computer

You need to realize that your computer also needs organization. Just like your paper files, your computer hard drive – which is the electronic equivalent to your file cabinet – also needs organization.

Before you run out to the computer store for more storage space, try freeing up some space by archiving old or seldom used files to CDs, DVDs, or other storage devices. This will also increase the computer’s file-retrieval speed, making your computer run faster. Another remedy to low storage space, and to save your data in case of a disaster, is to use one of the various online backup services.

Creating more room on your computer is not the only way to work more efficiently. As with your paper files, where and how you organize your information can make a big difference when you retrieve it. Create subdirectories on your hard drive, and sort your documents accordingly. Be careful, however, not to tamper with necessary computer files. Don’t move around or delete programs or operating files, because that will affect the way your computer functions. Instead, deal only with files that you’ve created. Subdirectories are easy to create; however, since each operating system is different, you should consult your operating system manual for the necessary steps.

Once you have subdirectories in place, it’s a good idea to give files sensible names. Keep it simple. Whenever possible use file names that you or anyone who has access to your files can easily identify. This is particularly helpful when working with a large number of small files simultaneously.

While no system is foolproof, your commitment to organization is the best way to guard against losing information. Back up your files to another storage media or with one of the online backup services, and continue to save files in a systematic way. Keep in mind that a computer is simply another tool at your disposal to help you track and organize the information necessary to keep your business running.