I thought it would be a good idea this weekend to get my office in order before tax season is underway. This is not the first time I’ve tried to organize my filing system. In spite of my good intentions, the inbox tends to overflow, but this time is going to be different. Hey, no one likes filing, it’s boring. So I start anew, third time’s a charm, and I have a new attitude and focus. Instead of approaching this from the mundane task that it is, I am giving my filing system a new life and letting it evolve unto itself.
It’s not rocket science, so what was between me and a well organized office. Like many small business owners with a myriad of more important responsibilities, there is little time for playing with paper. Then, there’s the constant deluge of e-mails in that scream for attention. Yeah, we know your there! Finally, I attribute the problem to the lack of my expertise with technology. There has to be a better way.
Let’s face it, I’m way past the fundamental principles you hear over and over again about color coded files, scheduling a set time for filing, and prioritizing mail into categories for action, filing or the trash bin. No doubt, these tips are helpful, but I do have other priorities. That is, until I need to find or reference something that I read or wrote down. Am I the only one who has a hard time getting my arms around this task? Were other small business owners faced with the same dilemma? If so, read on, and I’ll share with you where my head is, as success seems to be on the horizon.
The light bulb went on when I let the system evolve on its own. The most important things I did to move from the fog to the sun drenched window where I sit at my desk may not be prophetic, but here goes:
· I set up two separate categories, one for ‘operating my business’ and one for ‘marketing my business.’ That’s all that really matters, and within those two categories are several subcategories that make it easier for me to determine how I want to retrieve the information when necessary resulting in no more lost data files.
· Then I replicated the same format that I set up for my manual paper system onto my PC. This is major because now I don’t have to second guess myself when I am looking for something that I thought I had set up in a file. Every time I come across a useful tool or article on the internet I can file it in the appropriate folder for later use. Taking it a step farther, I enlisted help to set up a network, so that I could access important data from either my laptop or my PC. Of course, I had to find a home for all those files on my desktop, which now also looks a lot cleaner, as well.
· Dusted off my day planner. I now keep it open on my desk to jot down tasks and phone numbers that I don’t need to store in my Blackberry. This eliminates the tiny post-it notes, which end up being misplaced anyway. The other benefit is that I get an immediate visual to let me know where I stand. I can also go back and see my progress, which makes me feel very good.
· No more than 30 unread e-mails in my inbox at a time. Take this a step farther and create folders for your messages that you want to save for future reference. It’s easy to do in most electronic mail systems.
· Finally, but most importantly, is prioritizing tasks. My new philosophy is tending to the most important task at hand and continually reprioritizing the list. This process is known as ‘segmenting’ to people familiar with the “Law of Attraction.” It’s a process where you set you mind in tune with what it is you want to accomplish and the wheels of motion are set forth to move you in the right direction towards completion. An esoteric concept, but it works. Try it.
It’s 5 P.M. on Sunday and my office is uncluttered and organized, my computer desktop is clean, my electronic files are neatly categorized and my unread e-mails are limited to one page. It will be interesting to see what happens as the week unfolds. Anyway, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
