If there is anything that business people and parents have in common, it is that they need good organizational skills to succeed. Running a business can be a lot like raising children: you have to schedule, plan ahead, and be on top of everything all the time. Doing both requires an immense amount of concentration and patience. It is worth it though. Just as you want your children to be in the right place at the right time doing the right things, you need your business to know exactly what direction it should be going in. Both also require great communication skills. Here a few things that can help you keep your life as organized as it needs to be:
Hire an accountant: Tax returns are easily one of the most boring and yet important things about running a business. If they are not attended to properly, there can be very serious consequences for you both personally and financially. On the up side, they are reasonably easy to organize with the help of an accountant or tax lawyer. They knew exactly what each code and subcode refers to and besides, they do taxes all day every day. Rather than trying to teach yourself something that at times can seem like a completely different language, put it in the hands of an expert and concentrate on things that you can take care of without any help.
image credit: 401(K) 2012
Harness the power of technology: The degree to which you are overwhelmed by the organizational demands of your business depends on many factors. One of them is how many people you have working for you and the rate at which this changes. If you are continually taking on and letting go staff, it can be a nightmare keeping track of them. HR departments are working well when you don’t know that they are there. As soon as you start have to paying them attention, you know you have a problem. The digital age has provided solutions to so many problems and now it is proving it can help with corporate organization too. Companies like Pingboard can create an infrastructure for your workforce that makes things simple.
Delegate: You may run your own business, but the reality is that you simply can’t do everything yourself. Your employees are there because you trust them to do the things that they are asked to do. It is why you hired them Everybody needs help in life, and more often than not, it comes from the people around you. Utilize the most versatile and important aspect of your company.
Organize your work space: Einstein is reputed to have once said that if a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign? Empty minds besides, the relationship between a cluttered mind and a cluttered desk is two way. If you ensure that you the place that you work is organized and neat, your mind will be more organized too.
Being organized comes naturally to some, but if you are one of those people who has to work at it, these ideas are a good place to start.