I love it when I come across someone who has a similar philosophy to mine about keeping everything in an orderly way in the office.
So when I found the Time Management Ninja I couldn’t help but explore this web site where Craig Jarrow helps individuals and companies reclaim their time.
Over recent months I’ve been moving towards a digital office. I no longer print and file invoices that are sent electronically. I scan and store a digital record of invoices that come in the mail. This is going to reduce the space I need to store paper files.
However it raises some interesting challenges. Why? Because I no longer have papers of physical files on my desk that alert me to the need to take some actions. I’ve had to create new workflow processes so that I still do everything I have to do on time.
The workflow starts with email. Anything that needs action is moved to an email folder headed “Action” and highlighted for action on a particular day or time. I’ve created an action board (based on a Kanban Board) that I use to ‘log’ actions in columns headed “To do” “Next” “Doing” and the very satisfying “Done”. This board is on the wall next to my desk so I can move the sticky notes as I take action on the items on the board.
I do print items that I need as working documents, for example if I’m writing a report for a client I prefer to review and annotate on paper before making changes on screen. But at the end of the project the working papers are shredded (and added to the compost bin for my garden). I keep one paper copy of the final report(s) and everything else is stored in my computer system. This system is backed up to the cloud immediately and to a portable hard drive according to a regular backup schedule.
How a digital office works for your business will depend on how you currently work and how you want to work in the future. Other things to consider include:
You will need to be prepared to change the way you work so that actions are taken on time. The long term benefits are very likely to outweigh the short term pain as you make the move in your office. If you have cloud storage then you have access to your documents any time anywhere. So if you leave your office to go to a client and forget a document or critical spreadsheet, you can access your business information from your laptop or even your smart phone.
You can read about more hints and tips to improve your business in my free eBook; and even more if you download the eWorkbook that gives you a full set of instructions on how to set up a filing system that will work for your business.
Judy Owen has been working with businesses of all sizes and complexities for more than 20 years to improve and streamline the access to their business information. She and her team can show you how to reduce risk, improve productivity and increase profits with good business systems and processes in your business.
After many years of working with corporate and government organisations to organise their information resources so they are easy for staff to find and use, I’ve more recently turned to working with SMEs to assist them with organising their offices so that they can find the information they need when they need it.
When I started my business 10 years ago, the only advice I got was from my accountant who told me I needed to keep my financial records for seven years. Nothing about how to keep them, what else I needed to keep (eg staff files) or how long I needed to keep them (apart from the financials!).
Two years ago I did some research and found that the situation for SMEs was much the same as it was 10 years ago.
So I created this business stream and now I specialise in working with individuals and small groups of people so they can get their email inbox under control, organise their electronic documents and sort out those piles of papers lying around the office.
Up till now I’ve been delivering this service personally and with one or two other specialists who I have contracted when I’ve needed them. This approach is no longer sustainable unless I bring other people into the business.
It seems to me I have three options to grow my business and to give me an exit strategy.
I’m interested in your views on the options I’ve set out – are these viable? What other options could I consider? Please do let me know your thoughts.