Even the most organized among us home business owners can have an off day. There are times when I feel scattered and disoriented when I sit down to work in the morning (and I am definitely NOT among the most organized of home business owners) and feel that unless I get things under control, I will never be able to do a bit of work…
That feeling of disorganization can paralyze some of us. I know that there are some people who thrive in the midst of chaos, but for others of us, when things start to feel disorganized, we have a hard time getting focused and figuring out what to do first. What we need is to make things feel MORE organized so that we can get down to the tasks at hand.
The first thing I do to make myself feel more organized is to quickly tidy my workspace. Once I do that, I feel like I can at least start to make sense of what needs to be done. The next step is to make a list of the things I need to do in the course of the day. Having a checklist—even if it is scribbled on the back of a used envelope—gives me the foundation I need to help me get grounded and start moving toward feeling like I have a better handle on things. Even if you are not ordinarily a list-maker, when you feel disorganized this can be a good early step.
I also find that if I do those outstanding things that I have been putting off (returning a phone call I anticipate will be unpleasant, do my bookkeeping, etc.) I immediately start to feel better and more organized. For some reason, those outstanding tasks can bring the most stress. The longer we put them off, the more it can make things feel disorganized and unfinished.