21 Ways to Declutter Your Business and Get More Done! – Part 3

 

Welcome back to part 3 of 21 Ways to Declutter Your Business. If you missed the first two posts, you can start here. I am slowly rolling out these 21 ways to declutter your business, get organized and get more done so that you can make an intentional decision and firm commitment to yourself and your business. It’s time to get off the slippery slope and start making steady progress!

It’s great to read this list of ideas every day, but are you taking action? Trust me, I am just as guilty of this as the next person. I teach this stuff and yet I too struggle with some of the details; paperwork is the bane of my existence. Perhaps that is why I am always looking for fresh ideas on how to declutter and organize my paperwork and my life.

While most of my business is conducted online or by phone these days, I still seem to collect paper – to-do lists, sticky notes, mindmaps, handouts from presentations, contracts, free content I swear I am going to read on the evening and weekends… can you relate? I hope that today’s solutions will help you and me get a better handle on the paper and manage or to-dos.

#7 – Use Online Services for Offline Problem-solving

I am a big fan of outsourcing. In order to effectively grow a business and manage your life, you have to be willing to ask for help. I know that’s not always an easy thing to do and can be scary to add expenses to your bottom line. But the truth is, when you stop doing things that someone else can do for you,  you gain time to spend doing what you love and what makes you money.

One example is grocery shopping. It has to get done but many people don’t like to do it. If you’re too busy to grocery shop—don’t! See if your local store has a service that will not only deliver groceries but shop for you too. If you live in a major city, Google “groceries delivered to your door”—and then check out reviews and testimonials for the shopping services that will pop up.

 

 #8 – Keep Paperwork Only in the Office

Do you chronically lose paperwork you’re doing around the house? Seriously, don’t let it out of the office! For one thing, not only do you risk wasting time by frantically hunting “everywhere,” you’re setting yourself up for stress and hair-pulling! I try to make sure that every piece of mail, kid’s permission slips and business papers end up on my desk – even if that creates chaos there, it is contained and I know I will find the paper.

I’d like to say that I handle each piece of paper as it comes in, but I am a work on progress. I am way better than I used to be and now find that I am so much happier, more creative and way more productive when I have a clean work space.

#9- Want to Get More Done? Pay Attention to your Learning Style

Often when a method doesn’t work, it’s because it was recommended by someone with a different learning style than you. If you’re a tactile, visual learner, making online, text-based to-do lists is likely to have you abandoning this tactic in less than a week: Use visual apps that take advantage of shapes, graphics and color. Make paper lists and highlight the priorities in bright color.

Similarly, if you are an auditory learner, record your to-do list daily. If you are always on your mobile, use an app.

It’s all about fitting your method to your preferences—and lifestyle.

If you remember in the first post on how to declutter your business, I talked about making things more colorful and visual works best for me! I love my iPhone but I also adore pen and paper. I always have a notebook and multiple pens in my purse, including a few colorful ones just for this purpose.

Do what works best for you and you will stick with the plan until it becomes a habit.