Organisational Skills

[stugster]

When it comes to running your business, how organised are you? How organised do you think you should be?

I know for a fact, I'm not.

I let my desk pile up with the junk mail that comes in, bank statements, print outs, and work.

Rather than filing it away, it all gets left in a big pile, and moved around the office. Why? Because I'm lazy? No, because I just don't know what to do, or where to put it.

I've recently gone to Tesco, and bought their "VALUE" stationery. I left with 10 Arch Binders and 10 Box Files. What a god-send!

All my personal bank statements have been shredded - I don't need them, they're online.

All my junk mail has also been shredded (privacy concerns).

And any work that's outstanding has been added to my Outlook Calendar for completion on Monday morning.

How does everyone else manage their time? Efficiently? To the extremes of psychotic? Lets find out!

 

[Ravenfire]

I have to be organised otherwise I would just confuse myself - that doesnt mean to say my desk is immaculate just that I know where everything is!

I normally have a really good clean up of my desk twice a month but you can guarantee I end up with a messy desk again within a couple of days!

 

[Tobes]

Be careful about getting rid of bank statements. HSBC allows you to go back six years online, if you have that much history, but Barclays doesn't, I don't think. Of course, you can always request copies, but it can cost. (e.g. DPA @ £10.00 or actual statements for more). You might need them for e.g. HMRC

Office mess is a bit like masturbation according to the health experts: If it doesn't affect the running of your life/business to your own detriment, then go for it

It will be many years before paperless offices become reality

 

[RedEvo]

We have an admin person for 18 hours a week. Some weeks we don't have 18 hours worth of work for her but it's worth the overhead to keep stuff organised!



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[Cornish Steve]

My office is a total mess, although I do know where most things are. Also, I'm not good about using a planner, so I do forget things sometimes. So, on the surface, I'm quite disorganised, and I wish I was better in this area.

On the other hand, I do think that I'm quite disciplined mentally. Hopefully this compensates in part for my administrative failures.

 

[mumper]

My desk gets in a hell of a mess. I tidy up about once a fortnight but it's soon back to being a tip

Office mess is a bit like masturbation according to the health experts: If it doesn't affect the running of your life/business to your own detriment, then go for it

Unusual analogy Tobes; I hope you don't get the two mixed up very often

 

[Tobes]

It would depend upon what kind of business one runs

 

[Gillie]

I am very organised I am sad to say!

Everything that comes in goes in a particular place, everything out the same.

I do have a good excuse though ... past life!! Started as a gatekeeper in life to some pretty important people, so you learn pretty quickly to be on the ball. I also have now a company and three kids to organise with school and their other commitments and being sole carer for them, means juggling meetings with school commitments, followed in the evenings and weekends with sporting events for the older two. As some of you may recall, eldest rides for the British Olympic Cycling Talent Team and is now racing every weekend around the country ... so life can he hectic.

I do use various software programs for accounts and a contact management system too, but also do have an A5 black binder that goes everywhere with me and anything and everything is written in there, even gone so far as to number the binders and kept a record on the dates they operate from.

Does this make me sad??

 

[Astaroth]

As a project manager everyone thinks I would be exceptionally organised but that just isnt the case at all when it comes to my own affairs but it so isnt true.

I have tried to create organised storage etc but spend more time trying to decide the categories/ sub categories than actually using it and then forget if car insurance goes under car or insurance

Anything related to actual projects is the exact opposite though with everything exceptionally organised, filed, duplicated, version controlled - guess it comes from working in a heavily regulated industry where you potentially have to prove the basis of anything that has been done (or not done) for 7 years or more. It is amazing how quickly the FSA backs down when you can give the exact time and date when they said something was fine and offer to send them a CD of the conversation

 

[Tobes]

Ooh, you deal with the FSA cool

 

[Astaroth]

Until I quit my day job I was a senior project manager in the strategy division of one of the "big 5" uk banking groups so have had much fun with the FSA (just dont mention FSA ICOB, it still gives me headaches)

 

[HC-Martin]

My desk is normally a mess, with me giving it a clear out every so often! But agree that TRUE paperless offices will be a long time yet!

 

[HSLS]

I'm extremely neat and tidy. Everything has its place, and I know where everything is. I'm like this by nature - our house is the same (luckily o/h is as freakish as me!).
I teach in 5 different places a day on average, to 5 differnt types of client, so have to be organised, or I'd turn up with the wrong resources, or at the wrong place!

 

[Deleted member 3454]

Personally I'm naturally untidy but not where my clients are concerned.

 

I hate clutter/mess, so my office is spotless - everything filed away, certain coloured ring binders for certain things. :redface:

 

[Ravenfire]

I hate clutter/mess, so my office is spotless - everything filed away, certain coloured ring binders for certain things. :redface:

Will you come and tidy my office for me

 

[CKG]

I tend to fade in and out of being organised.

It's something I really try to be better at but can only keep it going for about a week or so before I fall back into forgeting my diary and writing down messages and phone numbers on any bit of tat that comes to hand.

 

[Peter Bowen]

I find myself with an extra two or three hours per day thanks to "Getting Things Done" by David Allen - I think. It is essentially a time management guide (although the author will deny that) but it has some great ideas for getting the clutter under control.

 

[Stu Wright]

I am pretty organised in the office, mainly due to the fact I am working from a spare room at home whilst our new unit is being built.
I used to run a mainly paper system and slowly moved to folders and spreadsheets. This isn't always perfect and have now gone back to paper supported by IT.

Usually I open all of the mail, shred the junk, file what I can and start going through the things that need dealing with. The only way I can keep on top of it is to work later on days I have a lot to sort out.

Sometimes when I can't get through everything I start the 'things to do list' and pile all that paperwork to one side. Problem is I could do with a 'things to do list' telling me to go through my 'things to do list'!

What would be nice is an unpaid volunteer who justs loves to sort out anything that needs doing. Any volunteers, I make nice tea?

 

[Chris Kaday]

Well done on the clear up. I often get my clients to do this. I find a cluttered desk very often relates to a cluttered mind with priorities floating around unresolved just like the paper.

Chris Kaday