Having worked in many offices, ran a small nonprofit, and my own tinybiz, I can empathize with how difficult it can be to do the mission-driven work you love, while also having to do all the other parts of the job that you don’t necessarily enjoy or excel at.
I work with solopreneurs, microbusinesses, small nonprofits, and people who work or lead volunteer activities from home or at a business office.
I’m here to not only serve as a sounding board, since working alone can be very isolating, especially when you don’t have a team to bounce ideas off of, but also help provide the structure, organization, and systems you need to improve your focus and productivity and lower your stress levels.
It’s hard to believe, but your office could actually become a sanctuary - a place of refuge you look forward to coming to because you can find the files and information you need, focus on your work with fewer distractions and bids on your time and more efficiency, and experience less stress and more productivity.
Depending on your needs, this process includes:
Getting an understanding of you and your business and/or work
Having a discussion and assessment of your needs and identifying obstacles to running a more efficient business or working more efficiently.
Setting up systems that work for your business and get you operating efficiently
Sorting, decluttering, and organizing your physical workspace(s), supplies, inventory, etc., and creating storage solutions. And, how to maintain this workspace!
Files (paper & digital): Organizing documents, setting up files, folders, and systems; filing and managing files on an on-going basis; managing paper- and document-flow.
Time Management: Structuring and managing your time and workflow to improve productivity, scheduling, meeting deadlines; batching; prioritizing; to-do lists, calendars, etc. See more examples on the Time Management & Productivity page.
Email: Email organization, management, strategies to reduce email, crafting replies & structuring messages to common email questions, etc.
Developing standardized work procedures: Creating standardized operating procedures; creating structure of processes and procedures, systems and rules; structuring workflow to improve productivity; developing procedure manuals for critical activities; and streamlining communications.
Workflow analysis and business process re-engineering: Examining the businesses workflow; identify/ uncover areas for optimization and improvement; eliminate redundancies or repetitive tasks and processes, improve flow of work
This process may also include
Streamlining bill/payment systems
Website
Advising on file sharing
Inventory management