4 Sneaky Organization Mistakes That Are Holding Your Business Back

Organization is the invisible thread holding your business together. Many of our clients are visionaries and creatives that cringe at the word ‘organize’. For other clients, they used to be all about organization until their business started growing – then the little things like the way they organized their email started to take a back seat … which slowly (sometimes quickly) led to some internal fires and missed opportunities.

How you organize things in your business might seem like a cherry-on-top goal that doesn’t need to take a front seat priority. Yet, it can have a massive impact on your productivity, motivation, and overall success.

There are 4 sneaky organization mistakes that can hold you back in business. Let’s break them down:

1. Over Relying On Your Inbox
   Leaving notes, action items, and other important information in your email is not the best way to go about organizing your info. While I do argue for neat inboxes (folders, tags, etc.), you need to save important information outside of your email. Now, there are still unread emails in my inbox (because “inbox zero” is a silly goal) and there are emails that don’t get sorted into folders until I address something regarding that conversation thread. That being said, the action item for me to address something is also listed in my Monday.com boards. So, keep things flowing out of your inbox. Save client notes in your CRM or business management tool of choice (we prefer Hubspot). Save your action items in your project management tool or, at the very least, save them as Google or Microsoft tasks.

2. Not Digitizing Notes
   I am a paper and pen girl – I like writing in my planner and I like having a physical notebook during meetings (even for zoom meetings). In fact, I actually took a while to get used to tracking tasks on Monday.com! However, I’ve learned that keeping all those crucial nuggets of information locked away in my notebooks isn’t optimal. I make sure that the important stuff doesn’t just exist in my paper wonderland, they make it into my systems so that they are more accessible and searchable. This way, when I or any of my team members needs them, they’re right there at our fingertips.

   If the double work here to keep your calendar updated, save your notes in your CRM, or update your task management system is too much, consider hiring a virtual assistant. You can take pictures of your notes and simply have your VA do the leg work.

3. Allowing Cluttered Workspaces
   Have you ever heard the phrase “A messy desk is a sign of a creative mind”? Many of us grew up believing in this, almost like an old wives’ tale. The truth here is that creatives, neurodivergence, and some geniuses tend to have messy workspaces then their opposites. In fact, research has shown that cluttered workspaces can actually lead to distractions, lower productivity, and even decreased motivation. Clean workspaces naturally put your mind at ease. It’s your feng shui for workplace productivity.

   My personal tip here is to have a catch-all basket or tray. When I want to tidy up but I don’t necessarily have time to put everything away in it’s proper space, it goes in the catch-all basket to be organized properly at a later time. I also use this method when tidying up my house and am short on time!

4. Winging Your Priorities
   This mistake is likely misclassified as a ‘sneaky’ mistake as I’ve talked exhaustively about the importance of set priorities in other blogs. To name a few:

   5 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Goals
   Balancing Life and Business: How I Manage My Time as a Small Business Owner
   4 Methods of Prioritization
   You’re Going To Be Overwhelmed. Do You Have A Plan For It?

My point here is really that priorities are your compass in business and dictate your energy, time, and resources. If you’re winging it here, you’re succumbing to all the negative consequences of disorganization. So, instead of letting whatever new fire landed in your inbox or new shiny idea you came up with dictate your day, let your preset priorities lead your day. Start by creating priorities that are based on your goals then align your to-do list accordingly. If your plate is full or if there’s too much that’s unaligned with your zone of genius, then outsource it. A virtual executive assistant can help keep you on track, ensure nothing slips through the cracks, and manage a number of other things that keep priorities and goals moving forward.

The key takeaway from these sneak organization mistakes is mainly to lean into being proactive rather than reactive in your business. Take control of how you want your business to run and how you want to operate in your business. Keeping things organized goes a long way in these endeavors. Think of the areas that cause stress or the moments and tasks where you’re not as nimble as you’d prefer to be and start there. If you’ve tried before and have struggled or are aware that keeping things organized is just not where your strengths are, then reach out to us and let’s discuss how the Auxo team may be able to help.

For more on organization, see our blog, 3 Systems We Use to Stay Organized.