18th Apr 2024
My top 5 tips to staying organised in business as an VA with over 20 years of experience
Hi! I’m Karen, founder of Karen Ritchie VA and organisation extraordinaire. A little bit about me, I’m a super friendly, bubbly VA who thrives on helping others (always have and always will) and I like a good laugh. I am far from ‘beige’!
I am very family-orientated and love nothing more than spending quality time with my family (especially shopping trips and spa breaks with my daughter, mum, sister and niece). I also love exploring new restaurants, hotels and places with my partner. I am highly organised and absolutely love what I do.
I am so proud to say my business turned 5 today (10th April 2024)! After making the brave decision to go to it alone, I now have a great team behind me and amazing clients!
To celebrate 5 years, here are my 5 top tips for staying organised in business (that most VAs will probably not share).
When your time is poorly managed, you can have a nonstop busy day but end up not getting very much done. This makes your days and working week so much longer than they need to be! By implementing these techniques into your routine, you’ll achieve more, stress less, and gain a sense of control over your tasks!
My top 5 tips to stay organised in business are:
- Maintain a clean workspace
It may just be me, but I cannot work with clutter! I need a clean and minimal workspace. My office is always tidy, and my desk is clear (apart from a notepad, highlighters, keyboard and mouse). I genuinely believe this helps to keep you focused and helps with productivity. I would highly recommend having regular declutters to help you feel organised.
- Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise!
Keep a to-do list and make sure it’s always up to date. Prioritise your list of tasks on an urgency and importance basis. Just because you enjoy doing something doesn’t mean it should jump to the top of your list and just because you detest doing something doesn’t mean it should be constantly moved to the bottom of your priority list. If you want to be organised, you need to prioritise your workload. Before you log off at night, have your list up to date so when you log on in the morning you know exactly what you need to do and by when.
- Establish clear systems & processes
I highly recommend you create clear systems and processes for EVERY aspect of your business (from client onboarding to project management and beyond). This is key to staying organised.
- Review your processes regularly
I recommend setting aside some time on a regular basis where you review your processes. Establish what systems you have in place or processes are working well for you and what’s not. What systems do you use that are draining you? Get rid of them! Put in place systems and processes that are quick and efficient and easy to use! If you’re not sure or not techy minded – ask or better still hire a VA to do it all for you!
- Use technology wisely!
There are so many platforms out there for us to use so utilise them! Manually doing tasks is a thing of the past and there are some super simple systems to use. Bin the manual tasks and welcome with open arms platforms such as scheduling apps, project management platforms, CRM systems, etc. By utilising the technology we have available to us it will help you to track your progress and stay on top of deadlines.
Here is one extra tip since it’s my birthday! 🥳
- Use colour coding and rules to keep your inbox clear and tidy
If you’re anything like me you’ll have a clear(ish) inbox. There is nothing worse than having pages and pages of read emails and what’s even worse than that is a million unread emails! You can set up rules so that non important emails are filed in folders for you to read at your leisure. Colour code the emails in your inbox so you know just by looking at it what important, what’s for action, organise by project, what’s just for reading, what can you delegate to someone else. If you are a visual person (like me) colour coding works a treat! Just remember to be consistent with this approach!
These 5 tips help me and help my clients get so much more done in the time they have. If you’re a business owner you know how tight time can be, so why not try some (or all) of these tips and see how much time you can save in your working week.
P.S. I have an exclusive discount!
To celebrate my 5th business birthday, I’m giving you 25% off your first month when you sign up to a monthly retainer for 3-months or more. It wouldn’t be right to celebrate alone! Simply enquire here and quote “Birthday” for 25% off.
If you’re looking for someone to take the weight off your shoulders this year, or just need some guidance, let us step in and help you to assess and improve your processes! Drop me am email: karen@karenritchieva.com or visit my website and we can help you get your time back.
Have a great week!
Karen
Helpful links
Contact page: https://www.karenritchieva.com/contact-us
Services: https://www.karenritchieva.com/services
Pricing: https://www.karenritchieva.com/pricing
The charity I support: https://www.karenritchieva.com/making-a-difference
Blogs: https://www.karenritchieva.com/blog
Freebies: https://www.karenritchieva.com/freebies
