One of the first acknowledgements I saw of the home business movement was a magazine ad showing a sweet little house in the suburbs. The headline read, “To the neighbors, it’s 324 Oak Street. To the Olsens, it’s World Headquarters.”<\/p>\n
I’ve been working from home long before it became fashionable. It didn’t take long to realize that living and working in the same space posed some organizational challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to convince myself that the creative process is messy, but that didn’t make me enjoy the clutter any more. Over time I found a system that made sense for me, but keeping it up is an on-going challenge.<\/p>\n
Albert Einstein once pointed out that everything should be made as simple as possible\u2014but no simpler. I remind myself of that as frequently as necessary.<\/p>\n
Since a business can become complicated and cumbersome in the blink of an eye, here are a few ways to keep things tidy.<\/p>\n
\u00b0 Make simplicity a goal.<\/strong> It\u2019s not enough to say you want to simplify your business. Identify specific measurable results that will indicate that you have made your systems, marketing, accounting, etc. as simple as possible.<\/p>\n \u00b0 Work on one profit center at a time.<\/strong> Give a single project your full attention by keeping papers or items related to other projects out of sight. When it\u2019s time to move on to the next project, stash things related to the last project in a file or closet or drawer.<\/p>\n \u00b0 Avoid confusion.<\/strong> \u201cClutter and messy work areas cause confusion and irritability,\u201d observes Alexandra Stoddard. \u201cGive your mind a spa and take some time out to rearrange your office. Block off a few hours on your calendar and use the time to putter. Edit out the unnecessary.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00b0 Identify spendthrift behavior and eliminate it.<\/strong> New gadgets and technologies can be seductive, but refuse to purchase anything for your business unless it makes a positive contribution.<\/p>\n \u00b0 Keep projects separate. <\/strong>If you manage several profit centers, color code the work in each of them for ease in locating and filing.<\/p>\n \u00b0\u00a0Hire a professional organizer to help you develop the best system for you.<\/strong> Make certain you understand how to maintain it as easily as possible.<\/p>\n \u00b0 Clean out your computer and cabinet files at regular intervals.<\/strong> Make a note on your calendar every 60 or 90 days to tidy up so things don\u2019t accumulate.<\/p>\n \u00b0 Designate space.<\/strong> My grandmother\u2019s favorite saying was, \u201cA place for everything and everything in its place.\u201d As I\u2019ve discovered, uncluttering is as much about creating places as it is about throwing away.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00b0\u00a0Identify your nemesis and make a special effort to deal with that.<\/strong> Going after the biggest problem\u2014and solving it\u2014often makes solving lesser problems a snap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the first acknowledgements I saw of the home business movement was a magazine ad showing a sweet little house in the suburbs. The headline read, “To the neighbors, it’s 324 Oak Street. To the Olsens, it’s World Headquarters.” I’ve been working from home long before it became fashionable. It didn’t take long to…<\/p>\n