How organized are you?
What your organizational skills might be missing and how to pivot in order to be more successful
Chances are you resonate with being at one of these levels of organization skills…
Super Organized
A Hot Mess
Organized Chaos
The goal of this post is to speak to each of these organization skill levels. We believe that each level could use some growth (yes, even you, the type A entrepreneur). Our years of experience working with different types of clients at different skill levels of organization allows us to share a perspective of seeing the consequences of poor organization and/or delegation skills.
So let's dive into these skill levels one at a time…
The Super Organized
Congrats, you have beautiful Asana projects and seamless processes for your team to follow. It’s a skill not many hold, especially when they are running a business or managing large teams. Here is where we have spotted weaknesses with this skill level…
Sometimes the most organized can get caught up in processes that once worked well for them but don’t work for larger teams or different seasons of business.
The most important thing to remember is that our processes should always be growing and improving. We can always find ways to be more efficient.
While your processes may have worked well and may be great for where you are in the solopreneur season, they may not translate over to working with a larger team. Make sure you stay open to growing your processes and taking advantage of the perspectives you bring into your circle.
Especially when you bring on a Virtual Assistant, they will gain a unique perspective on how efficient your processes are as they will be the one maintaining them. So always be open to growth in this area! Don’t be the bottleneck in your own processes and efficiency. You can still be super organized and have help staying organized.
Or maybe your processes go on to work long term but you are having trouble handing it off to a Virtual Assistant to maintain. This is another bottleneck that can easily be avoided. You can’t do all the things forever. Maybe in the beginning but the goal is to grow to a point where you can’t handle all of the things. Be ready to hand things over before you even get there.
Need help finding someone you trust to hand off your baby? Book a call with us and we can explore finding you the perfect match: https://calendly.com/laptopandlittles/need-an-assistant
Next, The Hot Mess
If you resonate as someone with no process for anything, who operates each day within a new routine and with no consistency, then this might be for you!
The gist is that this organizational strategy doesn’t last long. It certainly won’t allow you to scale and will most definitely drive any team member away from working with you.
Most unorganized individuals recognize they need help and have no problem handing things over to someone else to make things happen. If that’s you, great job, make sure you find that person sooner than later.
If you’re one who has a harder time handing things over and following processes, here are some tips for you to get into the habit of an organized work schedule…
Block your calendar.
Calendar blocking can work wonders for someone trying to get into a routine. It’s also going to keep you accountable each day for what needs to be done. You don’t get it done one day? Move it to the next.
Work high-level.
Once you get an assistant and they get your life in order, operate in your strengths. Work on high-level things and leave the details, organization, and processes to your assistant.
Assign everything to your assistant.
Whether to hand things off physically in an email, slack, Asana, etc or you jump on a weekly check-in and list off everything you have going on, make sure you are letting your assistant know what all is going on in your life, so they can take over and help you manage it.
You don’t have to be organized to be a successful business owner, but you do have to have organization in your business to be successful.
Need help finding that organized person to come in and whip your processes into shape? Book a call with us to explore how our team can help: https://calendly.com/laptopandlittles/need-an-assistant
And finally, The Organized Chaos
A lot of business owners start out this way, especially if they aren’t naturally organized. When getting things off the ground, sometimes things move too fast to put processes in place, so you tell yourself you’ll go back and create them later. This doesn’t always happen.
And sometimes, you get into a groove with the bits of a makeshift process you’ve put into place along the way and since it’s worked fine for you…you expect others to catch on as well.
Don’t do that to yourself or your business.
Once you are at a level where you can bring someone on who is organized, let them get things organized. Follow the processes they put into place for you. Don’t continue operating on a level of chaos because it will never allow you to scale.
This level can usually come before most think it can. You don’t have to bring someone on part-time for them to make a difference in your day-to-day. Start at 10 or 20hrs a month just to get things started. Need help with that process? Book a call with us to explore how our team can help: https://calendly.com/laptopandlittles/need-an-assistant
No matter where you are on this scale of organizational skills, know that you can always improve! Here are some basic tips for staying organized:
Add everything to your calendar and add notifications so you actually see it…Even better? Have your VA do it!
Keep all of the same types of information in 1 specific place or folder…Even better? Have your VA do it!
Keep forgetting to pay your bills on time? Set up auto bill pay…Even better? Have your VA do it!
Do you miss doctor or medical appointments because you forget about them? Set a reminder for that date WHEN YOU BOOK IT…Even better? You guessed it :)
Need a Virtual Assistant that can implement these things into your life? Book a call with us to explore how our team can help you: https://calendly.com/laptopandlittles/need-an-assistant