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Let’s address the elephant in the room…Yes organization is important, but it’s also dynamic and a produce of your own unique needs and style as an entrepreneur. In this blog post, we are going to get real about organization in business and share some of my favorite tools.
What Is Organization Anyway?
Well, to be basic, organization is the act of getting your sh*t together! It is so important to stay organized as a business owner. Organization is relative. We all have a preferred style. Some of use prefer a very detailed system and others need more freedom to make adjustments as situations permit. Either way, it is essential that you find a system that works for you.
What Kind Of Organizer Are You?
When seeking to find an organizational system that will work for you, first determine what kind of organizer you are.
Minimalist
If you’re a minimalist organizer, you live with a loose outline. Too many details make you feel tied down. Going with the flow has always been the path of least resistance. Keeping up a schedule or planner feels like a lot of effort for little return, but you see the value in having a plan. Therefore, keeping it simple and not requiring too much documentation of your efforts will keep you on track without it seeming like a burden.
Middle Of The Road
I seem to fall in this category. If you are a middle of the road, you tend to envy those who are more detailed than yourself. You like having more than an outline, but can’t keep up with an hour by hour schedule of events.
Documentation of your efforts needs to be simple and serve as a useful tool for reflection and future planning. I am just not able to keep a daily planner up. I function a lot better with a calendar view and specific project management for my goals. Timelines are a friend of mine, and if you function in the middle of the road, they might be helpful for you as well.
Meticulous Planner
If you need a play by play of each day’s events, and love to spend time filling out a planner with all the accessories, you’re probably a meticulous planner. In-depth planning, daily agendas, and documenting your efforts daily make you feel empowered and on track to achieving your goals in business and in life.
When It Involves Organizational Tools The Struggle Is Real!
Finding an organizational system that works for you can be an ongoing process of self-discovery and trial and error.
Have you every bought or started a brand new organizational system or planner and find that it quickly collects dust? I’m so guilty! I’d by lying if I said that I’ve found the perfect system. To be honest, it is always under revision.
The tools I do use aren’t a magic pill, but they help keep things in my business and personal life somewhat sorted out. With that said, I wanted to share what I do use to stay organized.
If you find yourself in the middle of the road, some of this tools may be particularly helpful!
Organizational Tools For Life And Business
The following are a few of the tools I use to keep organized. I find that although I still *try* to keep up a handwritten planner, I seem to be more compliant with electronic tools.
Trello-The Tech Solution For Business And Life
There are so many reasons to love Trello:
- It is FREE!
- Endlessly customization (my business lives on Trello boards)
- It can pull double duty by using it for both personal and business use
- Use it on a desktop or on the go with a mobile app
- You can create custom workflows that make life easier
- Automations save time and eliminate all the “clean-up” and “housekeeping” you’d need to do otherwise to keep boards up to date
Cozi-What I Use To Manage Family Life
I am a mom, wife, business owner, and entrepreneur. I need a tool to remind me where to be and when. With Cozi, I can keep up on appointments, events for the kids, and communicate with them seamlessly using the app whenever the schedules change. Here are some more great features:
- There is a FREE and a paid version if you want all the extras
- I love that I can color code family members for easy reference on a calendar of events
- Track all your appointments, sporting events, birthday parties, and other plans in Cozi
- Set reminders so you never miss a thing. They literally save my life!
- Contact lists can be imported for easy reference
- Lists can be kept in Cozi, so you don’t forget the toilet paper when you’re at Target
- Journal important events
- Get reminded of important birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries
- Cozi shares fun seasonal printables that everyone in the household can use
Outlook-Email And Then Some!
Email…pretty obvious I suppose. Most of us use email these days. However, I like to use Outlook to primarily keep track of work life in addition to email. Keeping up with things like:
- Key business contacts
- Appointment scheduling in my business life
- I have recurrent reminders for work tasks or recurring meetings
- Reminders can be color coded
- I set reminders for my team so they never miss a deadline
- It is a great tool for collaboration
Life 360
Ok…I will admit this is less of an organizational tool and more of a informational one that gives me peace of mind. Life 360 is an app that tracks the location of anyone linked to your account. It sounds a bit intrusive at first, but it is very helpful.
When my kids come and go for school, I know if they made it safely. My husband travels for work, and I get notified when he safely reaches his destinations. Here are a couple other things Life 360 does:
- eliminates the need to call or text the “where are you?” or ETA?
- it can help you keep tabs on all your loved ones even when things get busy
- for a small subscription fee, you can also get reports on safe driving and have built in roadside assistance and crash detection
There You Have It
You’ve made it to the end. Hopefully, you’ve made peace with your organizational style and needs. Maybe you’ll walk away with a few new tools to try out! Good luck on your quest to get organized.
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