Organization is the Key

Copyright © Patricia Brucoli

I first realized that organization is the key to accomplishing any goal, when I was trying to write my resume’ objective for the final day job I would need to keep myself afloat, while building my home business.

In looking for that ’skill I have that is most important to my success’, it all boiled down to my oganizational skills. That’s how I survived and excelled in the multi-tasking environment so prevalent in today’s corporate workplace. This is how I kept my sanity and at the same time completed multiple tasks that were all in various stages.

Later, when I began developing my home business, I quickly became overwhelmed with ‘information overload’. There are so many things to learn about the many resources for marketing a home business on the internet, and so many different technical processes to maintain my websites. Then there are all the different ‘guru’s’, the different marketing strategies different aspects (reciprocal linking, search engine optimization, HTML code, etc.), and learning each related computer application.

In the middle of what must be somehing like madness, I realized my need for structure - something that would allow me to focus again. There was just too much to do, even being at my PC 12 or more hours a day was not enough. So, I just started wasting time - playing online games, watching TV, just spacing out, hoping that when the room stopped spinning, there there would be calm.

This is called procrastination, and it should never be the answer - it is suicide to any goal, and murder on the self-esteem. However, in the state I was in, I did need to step back and get my bearing. Stop the world, I want to get off - just for a second!

Although in starting my home business, what I was learning to be was an entrepreneur, and my own boss, I realized that although I had for many years been ‘a self-starter, working alone with little or no supervision’ in the corporate world, there was still some structure there that I depended on. I had somewhere to start, in other words.
Databases that had been created and used, procedures, forms, processes that had been implemented - somewhere to start.

This is something I needed to have at home, in order to get back on track. In another life time, I would have thrown up my hands and just thrown in the towel! Ahhh, this is too much, I need a life! This is more trouble than it’s worth! I can’t handle it! — All kinds of self-defeating expressions. However, this time, I really, really wanted to make my home business work. I realized that I would have to deal with this whole body of information IN CHUNKS. 

Look at the small pictures here, not the big one! It’s just too overwhelming! It is feasible that you will be able to finish one chunk every day or so, and feel gratified that you are making progress; whereas who knows how long it will be before you have been able to work your way through the piles of paper (if you indeed ever do!).

So, I asked myself, ‘how can I get the structure happening here in my home office’? I answered myself, ‘how did you handle the hectic chaos in the corporate world?’ The answer is to first organize the information. In this day of high tech everything, you may laugh, but almost everything, at least to begin with, is very low tech, very old- fashioned. Here are some essential tools and techniques that will help to calm your mind, and slow you down long enough to get a grip and get back on track.

First of all, carve yourself out a space for your home office. If you are not fortunate enough to have a room for your office, whatever space you have, make it ONLY for your home office. Perhaps just a table, your PC equipment, files, a good light, a good chair, etc.

Second of all, keep in mind the old adage, ‘everything has a place, and everything in it’s place’. Is a big pile a ‘place’? No, that’s not a place. Why? Because it’s a disorganized mess! However, I will concede, if it is a place where only all your things ‘to be referred to in the future’ go, at least it’s a start. So your pile can be a place that you know where to look when you need to find something. However, just project a month from now - it’s getting bigger and bigger, isn’t it? Will you need an archeaologist in another year?

Mind you, you do not need to become a slave of organization. Once you get organized, you can just re-org quarterly or even semi-annually. (go ahead start a NEW pile)

Essentials:

Calendars & To-Do Lists: I jot down things that come to my attention that are pending now or in the near future, with all the details. If I have a ton, I am careful not to give myself too many things to do in one day, and spread them out in reasonable ‘chunks’ of time. When they are completed, they are crossed out or checked off. (note here: if you put everything in the world on your to do list it will disorganize your thoughts and make you feel like you are not getting anything done - have a short-term and long-term to do list).

Folders: These can have either specific titles, by vendors, (marketing.com, searchengines.com) or real broad categories, by subject (marketing, search engines, leads, etc.). The folder concept is also relevant for your PC - Under the /mydocuments “folder”, I have folders for vendors, for subjects, my ebooks, leads, vendors, banners, etc. I also organize my email account in the same way.

Racks and Milk Crate boxes: This is where the folders live. I use both extensively. I have a rack on my PC workstation for immediate priorities. Then I have the milk crates in two or more categories - Some with all the folders (in alphabetical order) that I currently use. Over in the corner I have towers of these boxes with information I want to keep, but don’t use regularly. (Later, when you are ‘rich’, you can buy fancy oak filing cabinets and bookshelves).

Paper Clips, Stapler, Rubber Bands: These are good for organizing within the folders, as well as for related papers that have not reached the level of deserving a folder - such as some programs you are researching, but have not yet determined to purchase or join. Clips can also be used inside the folders, e.g., for a marketing program, I clip together the flash pages and introductory information about the program, (cynically, so I can prove what they promised), with the confirmation page from the sign up form and payment receipts; then I clip together the welcome letters with the user Ids and log on information. From there, I just stuff all related papers going forward.

When a program goes out of favor, but you still want to keep the information, it loses the luxury of having its own folder - it gets demoted to a rubber band, and goes in the outer limit storage boxes. You can then reuse the folder. I hope that this helps keep you organized and and that you work your ay through the mass of paper to find true success!