How many times has this happened to you: you set down an important document somewhere, got distracted or busy, and then couldn't remember where you left the paper. You end up spending a long period of time searching through all your drawers, desks, wastebaskets, and making a huge mess of your workspace, just to find one paper. We've all done this at one point or another, but if it seems to be a constant struggle or everyday occurrence, there's one solution you can do: GET ORGANIZED.
When you are organized, you make life easier for you, your coworkers, employees, and customers. If you let things become cluttered, sometimes the simplest task can seem overwhelming - the first step is to get into the organization mindset. Have an idea of how you want things to be organized. Keep similar things organized together, such as invoices, and organize them in a way that's easy for others to find and add to, such as by date, or alphabetically by last name. Purchase folders, markers, sticky notes, paper clips, binders, tabs, dividers - whatever you need to keep organized.
The "Wizard of Wood" takes advantage of Microsoft's OneDrive, which allows his employees to access a shared drive of files and pictures through their computers. This is a great tool to utilize when you have staff that work remotely and do not have access to physical documents. Like physical folders, folders on the OneDrive need to be organized as well.
Everything that is being filed or stored should be clearly labeled/marked, i.e. "2023 Customer Invoices". It's not organizing if you throw everything into a folder and shove it into a file cabinet. Change the default name from files and pictures uploaded to the computer. By default, cameras will have generated file names such as "IMG_0898.jpg". If you're not planning on keeping pictures in separate folders, at least rename them!
If there's a document you don't need, or have no reason to keep, then get rid of it - trash, shred, burn, or recycle. One of the most common causes of disorganization, is holding on to unnecessary things just on the "off-chance" you'll need it. You've seen those "Extreme Hoarder" shows - don't end up like that!
Organization is supposed to be a continuous process, don't get lazy! It only takes one misfiled paper to cause pandemonium. Stay organized. Stay focused.
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