Have you ever considered how much time gets wasted in searching for stuff? If you have ever started with a new client who was less than ‘tidy’ in the management of their files and ops, you know exactly what I mean (and if you are a virtual support professional, I dare say you know it all too well!).
How annoying is this experience? You are trying to hop in to support a business that is already going full speed, and yet there is no rhyme or reason to the flow of where things are or can be found.
A lack of organization creates a serious waste of time, energy and quite frankly, my good mood!
The online business manager is there to create calm in the chaos… what does that really mean? It means being organized. It means being purposeful, setting up recurring systems and uniformity across the operations to ensure it all makes sense.
The truth is: this is HARD! There are so many moving pieces on any given day… If you are working in a business that has multiple team members, you have multiple ways of getting things done. It can be a little like herding cats, trying to keep a multi-6 or 7 figure business truly organized.
Yes, it is a challenge, but one that all OBM’s must accept and commit to overcoming.
Here are my 3 Tips on Getting Organized (and staying that way)
- You must first organize YOU 😉 – if I get disorganized, it throws everything off: processes, team and agenda. For personal organization I follow these 3 RULES:
- Is it in the PM tool (for me that is Teamwork) – if it is not in the tool, there is a good chance it will be missed, dropped or left incomplete.
- Is it on my daily list – if you are like me and are working on multiple projects, it can be overwhelming to look at hundreds of tasks a day in my PM tool. So I create a ‘Daily List’ with a notebook beside my computer. I use a highlighter to verify priority that day and what has been accomplished.
- Is it in the calendar – if it is not in my calendar, it will not get done, plain and simple. I have to schedule out project time, writing time and play time or I will be sucked into the reactive vacuum, which essentially robs me of being proactive and organized!
- Assess the disorganization regularly – it does not matter how purposeful you are to stay organized, the reality is disorganization creeps in. Hence the reason most folks have to clean out drawers and closets at least twice a year 😉 At least once a quarter go through processes and current tasks to ensure that things are where they are supposed to be… nothing is being missed or has been left untidy!
- Determine the Messers – (Tiffany talk – a messer is the person who makes the mess 😉 it might be the client, it might be a team member, it might be you. If things are getting messier than desired, it might be you have a messer in your mix ;-). I have a 17-year-old daughter and truth be told, in our house she can easily be the messer. I always know which room she has been in, because something was left undone when she left it! LOL (she is also the best cleaner in the house, so we just send her right back into the room to tidy it up). That is exactly what you need to do when you find the messer! Do not fix it for them; send them back to clean up after themselves!
When it is all said and done, being super-organized can be a thankless job. It is a bit like when folks are raised in a really clean house, they do not truly appreciate what the mom or dad did until they get out on their own and they have to do the cleaning to keep it at that level of expectation. You may not be greatly appreciated for this level of organization in the midst of a crazy fast chaotic environment, BUT you will enjoy the reward of feeling as though it is all management under your expert eye because of the efforts in organization!
Would love to discuss I AM ORGANIZED and any tips and tricks you have on our Facebook page here: http://www.Facebook.com/iaobm
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