Organize + Energize: Traits of a Disorganized Business. Part I of 2.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Kristin MacRae, GoLocalWorcester Organizing Expert

How much time have you wasted due to your disorganization? How much money has it cost your business? Have you ever lost a client due to your disorganization? 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.

When there aren’t any working organized systems in place, disorganized offices have the same traits. As you read the traits below, highlight the ones that apply to you. If you can relate, you may need to make some changes to the way you function.

Files everywhere. 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. Clients will wonder if their personal information will get mixed in the piles that are all over your office. If you have files on your desk and on the floor, I will guarantee that at some point client’s files have been mixed. Your clients will take note if the files are all over the office and will form an opinion about the way you conduct business.

Important questions to ask:

• When was the last time you went through your files and purged them?

• How long does it take you to put your hand on a file when you need it?

• How much time have you wasted searching for files?

• Is it time to re-evaluate your filing system?

Piles of paper. When there aren’t any filing systems in place, paper will end up in piles in all areas of the office. Paper clutter is no more than postponed decisions. You don’t know what to do with mail or paper that arrives on your desk because your filing systems aren’t working. If you are using horizontal filing trays to hold the papers, get rid of the trays and develop a working organized system so the paper doesn’t pile in these trays. If you continue to use these trays, you’ll never find what you’re looking for when you need it.

Important questions to ask:

• How much time are you wasting searching through piles of important papers?

Do you think there may be money, 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?

Can you relate to any of the above? If so, it may be time to change the way you function in your office. This article is part 1 of 2. Be sure to catch next week’s article to find out more ways you are wasting time, money and losing clients due to your disorganization.

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.

Related Slideshow: 5 Organizing Blunders

Avoid these mistakes and your project will take less time than you expected. You won’t be as stressed or as overwhelmed as you anticipated. You will be amazed at what you have accomplished. You will be motivated and energized to tackle another project.

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Not planning ahead

Getting organized is a process and you have to have a plan on how to conquer your project. You can’t tear apart an entire room all at once. You need to break the project down into small pieces. Plan to tackle your project in 3-hour increments. If you work longer than 3 hours at a time, you are setting yourself up for burnout. Plan ahead to try to avoid distractions and stay focused.

Click here for more tips on how to avoid distractions.

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Purchasing the incorrect supplies

I know you are excited to get organized, but don’t rush out to the store and purchase products just because you like the way they look. Get organized first. Figure out what you need to contain, and then purchase your container to match the items you need it to hold.

Click here for more on choosing the right container.

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Not letting others know about your system

Once you set up the organized system, you have to get everybody in your home on board. Show them the systems and how you are going to function with this system going forward. Label everything if you must, so everybody gets in the habit of putting items away. Remember, the simpler the system, the easier it’s going to be to maintain.

Need help creating those systems? Go here.

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Not maximizing your space

Use every inch of space and use it well. Take everything out of the area you are organizing. You can’t get a clear visual of the space if it is filled with clutter. Shifting items around is not going to work.

Here are more tips on maximizing your space.

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Repeatedly clearing spaces

You are creating more work for yourself if you continue to clear spaces once a month. Create a system and allow everything in your home to have its own place, and you will never have to clear a space again.

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