Just Ask Her: Organization

Your Home Editor Founder Heather Lambie

Continuing my mission of sharing one local entrepreneur's knowledge with a growing community of business women, I use this week's "Just Ask Her" feature to tackle that one subject most of us shy away from, others are utterly afraid to go near --- heck, some of us can't even speak it. Organization. Why does such a simple, flowy word bring so many of us to tears?

This week, Heather Lambie of Your Home Editor (www.yourhomeeditor.com) offers her advice  to businesswomen to achieve greater clarity and organization in the office and in their daily work processes.
 

CKuhn (CK): What organization-related complaints do you hear most frequently from women business professionals and entrepreneurs?

HLambie (HL): Time management and paper management are the #1 and #2 issues. Women classically overbook and overcommit themselves...they also think they can multitask but don't realize that while they can do it, it's not effective. Paper management is insane these days - people don't know what to save or how long to save it, so in fear of making a wrong decision, they just save everything. Ironically THAT'S the wrong decision. 

CK: What obstacles do you think get in the way of businesswomen's path to organization the most?

HL: Businesswomen need to learn to say "No!" We can do it all; we just can't do it all at once. We need to delegate the little things with reckless abandon. Freeing up our time to work on the big projects thar are most important (the ones we usually procrastinate on because they are so overwhelming) may not mean we get to cross everything off our to-do list. But delegating frees up our time to "swallow the frog" (do the one thing we do not want to do), so we can make the biggest difference in our efficiency and productivity.
 

CK: Why should every businesswoman strive to make organization a priority?

HL: When you ask any woman what she wishes she had more of, besides shoes, she'll say "time." Being organized means you save time every day by not searching for your car keys, or that important business memo. The average business executive wastes approximately 6 weeks total each year looking for things. Those weeks could be spent on vacation instead!
 

CK: What are some easy first steps that women can take to bring order to their daily business life?

HL: Pretend your e-mail inbox is available only from 11am-noon and 3:30-4:30pm (or whatever times work for you). Focusing on processing your e-mail during only these times will diminish the constant distraction e-mail can provoke. Make decisions all day long. Whether you realize it or not, most of your paper and electronic clutter is postponed decisions. Start making decisions NOW and see how your to-do lists begin to diminish, freeing your space and mind.

CK: For women who run home-based businesses, what advice do you have to help them maintain order and organization between work and home?

HL: Running a home-based business is hard (I should know!) because you really never close up shop for the day. The computer is always in the next room calling you, telling you that you should be in there working on something, crafting some press release or email for your next project. My best advice is to create - and then honor - true business hours. Also, it helps to have separate filing cabinets for your personal and business files - this should be a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how many people don't do this. Be sure you have proper storage for your business supplies that don't get in the way of your personal office supplies. If you need to, repurpose a hallway linen closet as your 'office closet' and store your promotional items, office supplies, laptop bag and such in there. Lastly, make it a point to clear off your desk at the end of every day. This is easy if you "stow as you go" - putting files and papers back where they came from as you go along throughout the day rather than waiting until the end of the day to do it all at once. Coming in to a clean desk in the morning is a great way to start a productive day.

CK: What is one organizational tip you could offer to every woman in business, regardless of where they work or what they do, that would help support their professional goals?

HL: Make appointments with yourself the same way you make appointments with clients and colleagues and use that time to regroup. When someone asks you to participate in something during your "self" appointments, tell them you already have a meeting scheduled at that time, and don't be tempted to override these appointments. You wouldn't just not show up for a doctor's appointment or a client meeting, would you? Treat yourself the way you treat others and keep these appointments. A moment or two of quiet time helps with reflection and prioritizing - ultimately keeping you organized and saving you time.