Wrangling The Stuffed Animals (Otherwise Known As Organizing)

I don’t know how we managed to do this, but we have accumulated WAY TOO MANY stuffed animals. Don’t believe me?

Judge for yourself:

And that’s just what’s on my daughter’s bed. Take a look at her toy tote:

We need serious help. So far, here are the possible solutions I’ve considered:

• The traditional toy hammock
• A newfangled stuffed animal tree

Anyone have experience with either of these items? Better ideas? Help!

Why Being Organized Keeps You Motivated

When it comes to the success or failure of your business, being organized and staying motivated can be two deciding factors. In fact, these two topics can go hand in hand. Here are some reasons why being organized can help you stay motivated and, therefore, lead to business success.

When you are disorganized, you can feel frustrated and easily lose the motivation to work your business. You may lose data such as when projects are due or even your client’s email address. If your office is messy, it can be anxiety inducing to even set foot in it. Seeing the clutter and chaos can remind you of everything you need to do but keep putting off. Eventually, you may stop working all together.

In fact, being unorganized is one of the leading causes of procrastination. When you procrastinate, you are intentionally putting off a task that you know needs to be done. This can lead to stress, ill-health, and financial despair.

However, there is a flipside to all of these problems.

Finding an organization system that works for you will help you stay on top of your tasks and keep you motivated. You will know when projects are due. This alone can help you stay motivated. When you are organized, you will easily be able to find your client’s contact information. You will no longer feel defeated when you enter your organized office. Instead, you will feel refreshed and ready to work.

There are two basic ways to stay motivated. One is through traditional paper planners and the other is through digital or electronic planners. It doesn’t matter which type of system you use. The important thing is to find one that you enjoy enough to keep using.

If you prefer paper methods, you may want to consider a planner that showcases the week on two pages. That way, when you open up the planner you can see your whole week at a glance. You can use highlighters to highlight various types of tasks.

For instance, all of your family obligations can be highlighted in blue, administrative tasks can be highlighted in pink, and sales and marketing tasks can be highlighted in orange. Using a method such as this will allow you to instantly see the types of tasks you will be working. Depending on the type of digital planner you use, you can color code activities in a similar manner.

The paper methods I recommend are created by Susie Glennon of The Busy Woman. While I am an electronically organized person, I have heard great reviews of her products from my friends and colleagues. She truly has the home business woman at heart.

If you decide to buy a digital planner, you may want to consider an all-in-one smart phone. These devices combine a cell phone with a digital planner. You can make and receive phone calls, read and send email, and keep track of your schedule.

I also recommend Google Calendar if you are going the digital route. This is what I use — and it’s wonderful because my assistant in Ohio can update my calendar for me.

Product Sellers And Organization

Mom Mastermind’s Organizing Minds ebook made me think: What kind of organizational issues do product sellers face, that others don’t?

You have many of the same issues, such as how to store business papers, organizing your bookmarks, keeping track of ideas…

But unlike informational or service based businesses, you often have lots of products and supplies sitting around that need to be organized before it’s used or sold.

So, I figured the smart thing to do would be to ask you, the people in the trenches, so are having the issues — or even the solutions.

If you’ve got questions, or just want to comment, please let us know:
What is your single most important question about organizing your product inventory?

Organizing Minds Want To Know

Several of my friends at Mom Masterminds and I worked with Kelly McCausey to put together this free book on organizing your home office space.

This 38-page ebook contains organizational tips from Mom Masterminds members and the results of an organization survey conducted by Kelly at WAHM Talk Radio in April 2006.

My contribution is an article about organizing your business using a whiteboard. I personally use a whiteboard (and a big notepad on an easel) to map my projects and keep track of timelines.

Click here to download your copy of this free report.