That\u2019s workplace disorganization anxiety at work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Today, there are so many different tools and software available, each one promising to streamline your life and your business in just a few clicks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The thing is, more tools doesn\u2019t necessarily mean increased productivity and organization. In fact, it often results in the opposite.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Organizing your business is critical not only for success, but also for the sanity of you and your team. By taking just a few simple steps, you could streamline your daily business operations\u2014and save time, lower costs, and make your employees happier too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019re sharing a few tried and true ways to keep your business organized.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ll cover:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s no question that organized small businesses tend to perform better than unorganized ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n From unproductive meetings and miscommunication between team members to unresolved customer service issues and missed deadlines, unorganized businesses are typically stressed ones\u2014or ones that fail.<\/span><\/p>\n With 20% of small businesses failing within the first year1<\/sup>,<\/span> it\u2019s crucial to keep your business assets, workflows, files, and more in tip-top shape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That said, what are the main benefits of organizing your business?<\/span><\/p>\n Chances are, your team wastes more time than you think while on the clock.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to a study from Atlassian,<\/span> employees spend an average of 31 hours per month in unproductive meetings.2<\/sup> What\u2019s more, employees spend about two hours each day recovering from distractions. That\u2019s <\/span>a quarter <\/span><\/i>of every workday<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One of the awesome byproducts of organizing your business is that it eliminates unnecessary tasks and actions. This gives your team a clear picture of what they should focus on and frees up time for actually valuable tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n Did you know that companies lose an average of $1,800 <\/span>per employee<\/span><\/i> annually on unnecessary emails? What\u2019s more, poorly written communications cost companies an average of $4,000+ a year.3<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n In other words, workplace miscommunication = wasted money.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you can<\/span> find a way to communicate more efficiently with teammates, clients, and prospects, you\u2019ll save both time and money. <\/span><\/p>\n That’s not the only way it saves you money either. By<\/span> using your communication channels more strategically, you’ll be able to more easily see where you can streamline the number of tools you’re using. Fewer unnecessary apps, fewer tools to pay for every month.<\/span><\/p>\n Not to mention you won’t have to spend as much time managing all those apps.<\/span><\/p>\n Organizing your business has other far-reaching effects too. If you find that your whole day is being eaten up by meetings, take a look at what kinds of meetings are running wild.<\/span><\/p>\n Are you having too many “catch-up” meetings that could be replaced by a quick message or email?<\/span><\/p>\n Can you group your client meetings in batches so that you don’t have to constantly switch back and forth mentally between deep task work and these conversations?<\/p>\n Some companies prefer email and video conferencing<\/span><\/a> while others like to communicate through instant messaging<\/a>, but generally, you should have the option of choosing between different communication channels. Sometimes you just need to talk face to face\u2014and other times, you only have time to respond with a message! <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Before you begin organizing your business, it\u2019s best to have a plan of attack.<\/span><\/p>\n What actions or tasks do you do on a frequent basis? What does your<\/span> workflow<\/span><\/a> look like?<\/span><\/p>\n A few examples might be:<\/span><\/p>\n Mapping out your most common tasks helps identify what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not. For example, you might see that there\u2019s an issue with communication between teams, or files are constantly getting lost in the shuffle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This provides clarity around <\/span>what<\/span><\/i> you should reorganize.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You might find that you need a task management tool or something to keep track of your to-do list every day. Or, if you want to be smart about the number of tools you’re using, you might try to find a versatile app that can handle task management and also, say, your communications. <\/span><\/p>\n For example, the <\/span>RingCentral app<\/span><\/a> lets you create and assign tasks right in your team chats so that everyone can see what’s being done (and when it’s due):<\/p>\n Due to the impact of COVID-19, employees need the flexibility to work from anywhere and on any device.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With a whopping 42% of the US labor force now working from home<\/a> full-time4<\/sup>,<\/span> it\u2019s more important than ever to build a business that can accommodate this flexibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Case in point: FlexJobs has seen a 50%<\/em> boost in hiring for remote positions in categories such as computers\/IT, customer service, and accounting and finance since March 1, 2020.5<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n A remote-friendly business is a resilient business. Plus, you\u2019ll not only be able to attract top talent, you\u2019ll also save money on office space or in-person onboarding.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But what does a<\/span> remote-friendly workforce<\/span> look like?<\/span><\/p>\n To start, adopting communication tools and a file organizing system that makes collaborating easy will help. <\/span>The RingCentral app for desktop<\/span> makes it easy to bridge the gap between messaging, video, and phone all from one dashboard.<\/span><\/p>\n Being a small business owner means juggling multiple tasks, which can get overwhelming quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n The solution?<\/span> Automation<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Automation is an excellent way to<\/span> get more done in less time<\/span><\/a>. For example, you can schedule your social media posts or blog posts to publish ahead of time. Or, you can set up an integration that automatically saves recordings of your video meetings and sends you the link after.<\/span><\/p>\n No matter what tool you choose, always look at their integrations to see if they sync up with tools you’re already using! Their website should have a page talking about what other apps and tools they have built-in integrations with.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Paperwork and digital files are the lifeblood of any small business. Therefore, it\u2019s essential to have an organized filing system for important documents and files.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But where do you start?<\/span><\/p>\n First, take a look at the files on your computer and delete the ones you know you no longer need. Move the ones you plan to organize into a new folder. Once you\u2019re left with the files you want to keep, begin organizing those.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Make sure you develop an organizing system that works best for your team.<\/span><\/p>\n Each team may have their own filing system depending on the nature of their work. For example, the marketing team\u2019s file system will probably look different from the accounting team\u2019s file system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When thinking about your digital files, consider secure file storage and sharing software<\/a>, like Box,<\/span> Google Drive<\/span><\/a>, or Dropbox (which can<\/span> integrate with RingCentral<\/span>):<\/span><\/p>\n Having a tool like RingCentral’s desktop and mobile app helps you organize your files into designated channels for each department. That way, your files are saved in that group chat\u2014and easily accessible by the right team members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not only that, you can add in-app annotations to a file in the RingCentral app too. Got a question about a version of a document? Leave a comment for your team members to address later:<\/span><\/p>\n For paper files, repeat the same process by throwing out or recycling the files you don\u2019t need and keeping the ones you do.<\/span><\/p>\n While we recommend digitizing any files you have, we understand that sometimes you just need a hard copy.<\/span><\/p>\n Also, consider investing in a filing cabinet or binder with labels and folders. Color-coding your files is a simple way to sort your organization system and help you easily locate specific documents.<\/span><\/p>\n Consider filing them by category:<\/span><\/p>\n However you choose to organize your files, just make sure you stick to your system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOut of clutter, find simplicity.\u201d<\/em> – Albert Einstein<\/span><\/p>\n Stacks of paper. Coffee mug graveyards. Overflowing file cabinets. None of it is conducive for productivity\u2014or a successful business.<\/span><\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re working from home or<\/span> socially distancing at the office<\/span>, organizing your work is one of the easiest ways to improve your productivity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In fact, there\u2019s been quite a bit of research confirming that, at the very least, there\u2019s a correlation between stress and workplace clutter.6<\/sup><\/span> This type of stress can impact how you or your team makes decisions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The good news is that there are several ways to approach an office cleanup. Similar to organizing your computer and file system, first determine what should stay and what should go\u2014from office decor to stacks of paper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Purge your desk of anything that\u2019s not essential. Your desk should have your computer and a few other items like a notebook, pens, a lamp, and some decor. Minimizing the number of items on your desk is the first step to keeping clutter at bay.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If your desk has drawers, invest in containers or baskets to keep drawer items organized as well.<\/span><\/p>\n Got a second monitor? Try adding a monitor stand to your desk to add more space.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Who knew that wall space could be one of the best ways to organize your office? Use wall space to hang a bulletin board or whiteboard, shelves, or other storage space.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The key is to try to keep as much off your desk as possible. The less that\u2019s on your desk, the less cluttered your space will feel.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Internal processes are often regarded as a key success factor for businesses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And a lack of processes typically results in important items slipping through the cracks, miscommunication… you get the idea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Processes are important because they make a range of tasks repeatable for the whole team\u2014from onboarding new hires to writing new blog posts. Here are a few processes to put in place if you haven’t already.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
<\/a>
\nThe impacts of organizing your business<\/span><\/h2>\nImproves efficiency across the company<\/span><\/h3>\n
Slashes unnecessary costs<\/span><\/h3>\n
Simplifies communication and team meetings<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>
\nHow to organize your business for success<\/span><\/h2>\nMap out your daily tasks and action items<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
![\"insurance](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/insurance-task-in-ringcentral-app-1024x684.png\")
<\/p>\nBuild systems that let employees work from anywhere<\/span><\/h3>\n
Automate repetitive tasks where possible<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>
\nHow to organize your business paperwork and files<\/span><\/h2>\nDigital files<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"drag](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/drag-files-GIF.gif\")
<\/p>\n![\"annnotating](\"\/us\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/annnotating-files-in-ringcentral.gif\")
<\/p>\nPhysical files<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n
<\/a>
\nHow to organize your office<\/span><\/h2>\nInvest in functional office decor<\/span><\/h3>\n
Leverage wall space<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/a>
\nHow to organize your business processes<\/span><\/h2>\nCreate document templates and a \u201cblank\u201d folder system<\/span><\/h3>\n