Organization, the Key to Success
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.
About the Author
Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in Credit and Debt collection. She is the founder and president of Never Dunn Publishing, LLC, is a writer, publisher, consultant and the Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter.
Michelle started M.A.D. Collection Agency in January 1998 and ran it successfully until she sold it in December 2004. She owns and runs Credit & Collections.com an online community for
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