What do project management, teaching, running a business and running a family have in common? Organization skills. Do you think it is by coincidence that projects get completed, buildings get built, the kids are clean, dressed, fed and off for school? How about that everything you will need for a class is explained for you on the first day? That’s right, you can thank organization.
Moms, project managers, teachers and businessmen know that you have to have your own house literally in shape before you can tackle the outside world. If you are a little rusty in these areas, it is time to get profitable by improving your organization game. In fact, find a parent who has a special needs child if you want to see a master in organization skills!
Got a calendar? If not, get one. I am not talking about Outlook or a computer reminder. I am talking about a good old fashioned paper one with months and days and room to write inside the squares.
Start writing down upcoming events and schedules for your activities (pick up kids from soccer), the kids activities (drop kids off at soccer), your business plans (meeting with sales team noon on Friday), everything that is going to cut into your time should be written down.
If you are comfortable with cell phone calendar reminders or Blackberry reminders, great. But it doesn’t work if you listen to the reminder “beep”, turn it off and don’t act on it!
Your garage or dayroom a mess? Time to start throwing stuff out a la “Clean Sweep” and put whatever you still need (and hopefully it won’t be much) in boxes or shelves so you can actually find it. The rule of thumb though is if it isn’t a financial document you need to save for 3-7 years and you haven’t looked at it in 2 years, you really should trash it or sell it.
How do I stay organized? When I receive mail I throw out junk and anything that isn’t a bill or a birthday/anniversary/friendship card. I try to save the cards only a little bit after the holiday unless they are something special (like the entire family and the neighborhood signed it or something like that). How many pictures of your kids do you really need? If you have a lot of duplicates, think of giving the dupes away and maybe only keeping one set of dupes for each kid. You can always make more or scan the pictures later on.
Before I go to bed each night I review with the family what the next day’s activities and schedule will be and we work out conflicts (Mom is taking Arianna to the doctor so Dad has to pick up Jacob, things like that). You should be doing the same thing. Carry this thought process over to your business and you will be very profitable and playing your “O” – for “organized” – game.
Kim Greenblatt
Learn with Kim Greenblatt’s blog, profitable, to be organized and stay organized.
Tags: Business, Kim Greenblatt, organized, profitable, project planning, special needs