Staying Organized: How to Keep Your Business in Check

Every year, US organizations lose a staggering $89 billion to job-related disorganization. But the ramifications of job-related inefficiencies go far beyond money losses.

Disorganization causes stress as a result of feeling unprepared for work-related meetings. A disorganized workspace also invites negative opinions from customers about the brand as a whole. To consumers, a cluttered, disorganized workspace is the evidence of an unprofessional brand.

Of course, staying organized in your business involves much more than just keeping your workspace neat. You need to create procedures and systems for every area of your business.

If you feel that your organization could do with some organization but aren’t exactly sure where to start, you’ve come to the right place. This comprehensive guide shows you how to stay organized and boost productivity in your business.

Read to learn more.

1. Tidy up Your Workspace

Your working environment directly impacts your productivity. If your work environment is messy and cluttered, it makes it difficult for you to find items easily, and you end up losing more time than you think. The average US worker spends about 2.5 days looking for lost items, which is time that could have spent on other activities.

If it’s been too long since you cleaned up your office and organized items, well, now’s the time to do so.

Take control of the paper in your office. In many workspaces, paper is the leading source of disarray. Set up a filing system if you don’t have one, and take advantage of helpful solutions like binder divider tabs to make it easy to locate documents.

If there are paper documents that you no longer need, now’s the time to discard them. Consider shredding them to free up space in your office.

2. Organize Your Computer

If you do the bulk of your work on your computer, then keeping it organized is just as important as organizing your office space. Over time, your computer can become cluttered with icons, making it difficult to find folders when you need to. Your email inbox may also get out of control after a while.

A cluttered computer is generally slow, which can be frustrating. Here are a few things you can do to restore order to your computer.

Clean up the PC

Consider setting up your computer afresh. How you set it up depends on your working style and the purpose for which you use the PC.

Get rid of everything from your laptop’s screen except the trash can. Remember that the icons on your PC’s screen are merely shortcuts, so you aren’t losing your applications by removing the icons. Once your computer screen is clean, you can now add a few shortcuts to the icons you use most frequently.

Create a Digital Filing System

To ease navigation, set up a filing system that’s sensible to you. Such a system makes it easy to locate documents when you need them.

Update Software

You want to keep essential software on your computer updated at all times. The best way is to set your laptop to automatically install application and OS updates.

If you prefer manual updates, then be sure to check for updates at least twice every month. That’s because many updates include security patches.

Each year, take the time to review the latest versions of the software you’re using. If you feel it’s time to upgrade, don’t delay.

Scan Your Computer for Viruses

No matter the type of PC you use, it can still get malware or viruses. Run regular malware tests and fix any issues, so your computer stays virus-free and performs smoothly at all times.

Check Your Data Backup

The assumption is that you backup all your essential business data. If you haven’t been doing so, skip everything you’re doing at the moment and get it done first. Consider using a reliable cloud-based data backup service.

Configure the data backup service to automatically conduct continuous data backups in the future. Then every few months, set aside time to check your backup service, poking around to verify whether everything is there.

3. Invest in the Appropriate Productivity Tools

There’s a ton of business applications and tools that can help boost your small business organization efforts. Chances are you’re already using some of these tools.

Take stock of all apps and tools you currently use and determine whether they’re still relevant for your needs. If they're not, now’s the time to replace them with new, more effective tools.

So, what tools can help keep your business organized? Here are our top picks:

Contact Management Tools

Keeping track of and staying in touch with your customers is essential. You also want to communicate with some of the people you meet while networking. That’s why a contact management system is so essential.

With such a system, you can ensure you never lose essential contact information.

Communication and Meetings Tools

If you hold meetings often, you need suitable communication tools to help stay organized before, during, and after your meetings. Whether you prefer to conduct meetings on the phone, via video-chat, or face-to-face, you can get an appropriate tool to help you stay organized.

Accounting and Bookkeeping Tools

Accounting and bookkeeping are integral business tasks that you need to get right. Thankfully, there’s a bevy of online tools designed to make invoicing, taking payments, and managing cash flow a breeze for you.

Project Management Tools

There are lots of project management apps that can help share files, track your tasks, and collaborate with your teammates. These tools help keep your projects on track.

Social-Media Management Apps

If you engage in online marketing, social media is indispensable for you. Unfortunately, it’s easy to spend much more time on social media than you’d like to. That’s why you should consider social media management tools that help you approach social media marketing in an organized and systematic way.

Start Staying Organized in Your Place of Work

An organized office is a sign of an organized mind. Such a working space helps boost employee productivity and gives your brand a professional image.

Thankfully, staying organized is achievable for any business. All it takes is cleaning up your office, organizing your computer, and using the appropriate productivity tools.

Are you interested in binder divider tabs to help streamline your filing? Please, contact us today.