Okay, do not worry; It happens to all of us. When running a business, one of the biggest pitfalls he will face is office clutter and disorganization. He is so busy with his business that he ignores the need to keep his office organized and free of clutter.

Then when realization hits you, the task can seem overwhelming and time consuming; that resistance is established. And the very things you need to do to simplify your life and make it easier to run your business take a backseat… once again!

Organization is one of the first things a business owner must do. And yet, it’s often one of the “last” things they do; and then it is usually out of necessity and frustration.

So, to help you save your sanity and bring order out of chaos, here are some easy-to-implement ideas to help you organize your office and control clutter… aka your office!

1. First, clean up your desk.

Make separate stacks of related items and papers: ie receipts, reports, letters, etc. You may want to purchase some of those little ‘wire or plastic baskets’ to hold your batteries at your local office supply store, Target, or Walmart.

Otherwise, the batteries may fall out, or papers may fly out if not loaded, which means they’ll soon be ‘mess’ again.

2. How is your filing system? do you have at least one?

Anything that you can easily and quickly submit should be submitted immediately. Use manila folders, write the ‘overview’ of what’s in the folder (ie receipts, bills to pay, notes, letters, etc.) on the tab and paste rather than post. You will notice an immediate improvement in the space around you.

3. An alternative to manila folders is to use envelopes or sheet protectors to organize them.

Always label folders so you know what’s in them. Once this is done, you can break them down further if you see a need for more categories.

For example, the bills to pay folder could become utilities, credit cards, services, children’s expenses, etc. folders Categories will become obvious as you work with them.

Be sure to separate your personal documents from business documents. You’ll be glad it’s tax time!

4. Postal mail!

First, throw out the trash! Unless you’re a coupon clipper, or have a real interest in a particular flyer… just toss the spam when it arrives. Sort your mail while standing near the trash can. Then put the mail you want to see in an ‘inbox’ on your desktop.

Again, use a basket or container of some kind to keep it all together. Then, schedule a time to check email during the day, such as after productive work hours. Make sure you clean it at least once a week.

5. Hire an assistant…or your kids!

This simple method of organization will help you contain and maintain clutter, and it will also make it easy to delegate these tasks to an assistant. If you don’t have an assistant, consider hiring one even part-time.

Or hire one of your children or another family member! This is a great way to get a cheap service and start teaching them organizational skills. And… you may be able to use them as a tax deduction. (Check with your accountant about this and how to set it up.)

The bottom line is this: the sooner you give up and get your office organized, the better. You’ll feel better, be more efficient, and take less time to locate documents and information when you need it. The longer you wait, the longer it will take to do so.

Walking into a cluttered and messy office creates stress because your subconscious mind also reacts to confusion. If you get the feeling of wanting to run away when you walk into your office, it’s actually your subconscious mind resisting the chaos… that’s the feeling of stress that flows through your body every time you walk into your office.

Resistance is useless! Bite the bullet and get it done, or hire someone to do it for you. You’ll be glad you did. And it will be one more ‘to do’ thing to check off your list!