How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! That’s right. At first you take the first bite. You have created a business plan, set goals to provide the best product or service to an identified target market and maybe secured capital from an outside source.
As you took your first bite, you focused on start- up activities: budget, marketing, and development. You studied all aspects of entrepreneurship to ensure your business a healthy start and provide energy for growth.
On the way to success! Before you knew it, business boomed and you found yourself busier that you ever thought possible. Your inner voice communicates worry that may have eluded your early days in business.
How can you do it all? How will you keep up with more work and longer hours? Will you be able to continue to provide the same quality, service and customer follow up that led to your growth? Will the organizational systems you put in place at the outset continue to work?
Did I say relax? With planning, you will be able to keep it all going. The key is to refocus on how to maintain control with physical and psychological organization as you grow. To maximize your business’s escalation, develop routines with time and materials.
Since it takes time to create and organize business systems, begin with the clock. That dial is more important than ever as you re-identify priorities. Divide your calendar into 30 minute increments and schedule time blocks.
Here are the Top Ten Time Tested Techniques to maintaining control and cultivating growth:
1. Plan your schedule every week. Determine activities that require attention. If you are working on a long term project, exercise ‘back timing.’ That is, place the deadline for a project on your calendar. Work backwards from the deadline date so that you visually see the timeline and progress that a project requires.
2. Break projects into individual tasks. Schedule a definite time in your planner to work on each step. Scheduling in detail will help keep you focused, on schedule and avoid a last-minute rush that can hinder completion and quality.
3. Learn to delegate. You can’t do it alone and expect to maintain growth. You need to be doing the most important tasks, while delegating the supporting tasks to someone else. Delegation is something that must be done over time. Work with a person who has the skills necessary for the kind of tasks you need done; learn to guide them and teach them slowly; trust will develop to the point where you can allow them more responsibility.
4. Implement a filing system. Implement a filing system to complement your work style. Can you find what you need when you need it? If you find yourself buried under more and more paper, it’s time to reassess and create a better filing system. An effective filing system will save you time and money in dealing with your clients.
5. Just Say ‘No’. Say ‘no’ to items that are not supporting your goals. It would be great if we could do everything for everyone, but that’s not realistic. Nor is that the best use of our time. Understand what you are trying to accomplish, where you are going and how you plan to get there. It’s easy to over extend ourselves, but that is a real time waster. Give yourself permission to say ‘no.’
6. Take control of interruptions. Let’s be honest, we all have so many interruptions during the day, that the time wasted would add up to at least an hour. Imagine how productive you could be with that same hour, if only you didn’t have all those interruptions. Encourage colleagues to make an appointment with you, limit the time, and know the agenda. Keep practicing until it becomes a habit. Eliminate extra seating in your office. People will be less likely to stay for a long time with no place to sit.
7. Establish activity stations. Everything should have a place to ‘be’. Some of the stations you should have are: computer, telephone, files, supplies, reference materials, and blank forms. By creating a system, you will be able to find what you need when you need it.
8. Process mail daily. Practice the FAT system: file, act, and toss. All papers will fall into one of these categories. Some of what you receive is for your information only. You can decide if you need to keep it, and then file it. If not, toss it. Other mail requires action. These are bills, invitations needing a response, correspondence, and requests. These should be prioritized by date of importance and placed in a tickler file. The ‘junk’ mail should be tossed immediately. Remember, even if you throw out a special offer, you will probably receive it again anyway.
9. Keep a bound notebook near the telephone. Use this to record all your phone calls and phone numbers. This keeps all the information in one place rather than hundreds of notes all over the floor and desk. Plus, it creates a permanent log for follow up.
10. Set aside 15 minutes. At the end of each day plan to clean up and prepare for tomorrow. Make it a habit to do this everyday. You will have closure for today, and be prepared to begin again tomorrow.
The most important thing you can do for yourself and your evolving business is to create a solid, organized foundation and build upon it.
Don’t agonize…Organize!
Barb Friedman
Organize IT - Business Organizing Tips and Ideas
http://www.organizeitbiz.com/
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