There is an old saying that applies to running a business. “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.” If you are a business owner and struggling to stay afloat when it comes to the day-to-day tasks, then keep these 3 things in mind. I’d even argue that these same ideas apply to those not running their own business – but want to be better at keeping their day-to-day job in check!

Organization is King

You will never be productive if you are not organized. Look at your physical space if your desk is a mess then it is likely that your business is a mess or not functioning as efficiently as it could. Start by cleaning up your workspace. Use binders, filing cabinet, and vertical storage like shelves to eliminate clutter and ensure that your tools, supplies, and documents are easy to find. At the end of the day when I shut my work laptop down, I always tidy up. The simple act of starting the day organized helps a lot!

Don’t forget to organize your digital desk. Having a desktop that is organized is just as important as your actual desk. If you can not see your background, it is time to evaluate and figure out what you can clear. Having less on your desktop will allow you to feel more in control and more organized. Even more so – this also applies to your Chrome browsers. I see folks with WAY too many tabs – get better about closing them out when you are done with the task.

Manage your receipts. Tracking your expenses is an important part of owning a business (or submitting expense reports at work), and no one wants to have to sort through or process shoe boxes full of receipts at tax time. Get control of your expenses by documenting your purchases in the moment. There are several user friendly apps and online options available to choose from that will allow you to scan and categorize your receipts. They even have reporting functions available, which makes accessing your data fast and easy.

Go Paperless

Look at your desk. You no doubt have several stacks of paper in various folders and stacks, neat or otherwise, all over your desk and office. How many sticky notes do you see? Perhaps it is time to try going digital. Instead of jotting notes onto fluorescent squares, why not try keeping your notes online? And while you are at it, why not use an app to scan and organize your documents online?  I fought the digital push for a while and kept taking notes during meetings, until I found I was doing double entry! So nowadays I just take all my notes online – much easier now and later!

Paperwork if left unchecked can easily become a task you have to manage, so the less paper you have the better. Only keep the documents you have to and keep them close and well organized. Everything else you should try to purge. If you find that paperwork is a necessary evil in your business, then perhaps consider contracting a 3rd party to manage your paperwork so you do not have to manage it in-house.

Schedule Everything

When you are running a business or even your own day-to-day at work, there are a million details to keep track of every day. No matter how disciplined you are, it is not uncommon to find yourself off track by lunch time. Getting a good calendar and using it to schedule tasks and track your day can seriously improve your productivity.

If your business has a social media account, then you will find planning your posts and marketing campaigns in advance to be a huge timesaver. Rather than stopping every few hours, consider using online tools to publish posts for you. That way you can plan your posts in advance, schedule them, and let the app do the rest. I personally have used both Buffer and Hootsuite to help run YMF’s social media.

Running a business can be as rewarding as it is challenging. If you want to reap more of the rewards, you will need to stay on top of the 10,000 tasks just waiting to sabotage your productivity. If you focus on organization, eliminate clutter, and use time management and scheduling tools effectively, you will find you have a lot more time to enjoy your work!

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