One of the biggest things you can do to make any business
successful is to be organized. Organization helps you work
faster, more efficiently, helps you to portray a professional
attitude and can make you feel less frantic and more optimistic
about your business.
Whether you work out of a home office or a remote office you
want to organize your desk, office and if you are traveling for
your business, your bags. Let’s start with your bag, do you have
a bag big enough to hold all your promotional items, daily items
you might need, cell phone, pens, books, keys and/or mail? Is
the bag a mess and so heavy it hurts your shoulder? When you
approach a potential client, you want your bag to look great and
you want to be able to whip out a business card or brochure
instantly to hand to them. Digging through a bag that is
overloaded and overflowing is not a professional image.
I like to use a roomy bag that has outside pockets for slipping
items in and for easy access. You can also purchase small clear
zip top bags, I got mine from Totes. They are inexpensive and
come in different sizes. Because they are clear, you can see
everything instantly. You should only carry ONE bag. If you have
a tote bag, a planner and a purse, you are not organized. Put
items from your purse in one of the clear zipper top bags and
put that in your tote, add your planner, your promotional
materials, a book, pen and paper and you are ready to go.
Everything in one bag, with smaller bags inside to organize. You
can see everything at a glance and everything is easily
available.
A friend of mine, Susie at The Busy Woman (www.thebusywoman.com)
has GREAT organizational bags to fit every lifestyle and
business. If you’re a busy woman (and what woman isn’t?), you
MUST stay organized and on top of every little detail in your
day, in every aspect of your busy life . . . family, home,
office, school, community and even home schooling. Everyone uses
some sort of calendar, day planner system, or to do list. It’s
finding the right one that used to be difficult, until NOW!
Visit her site for tons of useful articles, tips and to see what
types of organizational tools she has. Be sure to tell her I
sent you.
Once your bag is organized, you can project a calm,
professional, successful image to anyone you meet while you are
out and about. Your next step is your desk.
Your desk probably has a computer, phone, basic office supplies,
papers and books on it. First get some stand up file holders and
baskets, plastic bins or in boxes. You can use anything, old
shoe boxes with nice wrapping paper on the outside, or with
pictures on them that your kids have drawn. Anything to contain
the papers on your desk. Look at your desk and make a pile of
the things you use every or every other day. Those are the
things you want to keep on your desk or somewhere that you have
easy access. Make a pile of everything else and move it to the
floor or away from your desk.