Sandy ’s list of musts for maintaining her successful, organized company applies to all businesses:

• At the start of the year, review all of your contracts and determine what is in those contracts. Make sure you are bonded, properly insured, and licensed.

• Be aware of what you promise; promise only what you can deliver.

• Make sure any customer can reach you at any time if they have any problems, and then do whatever it takes to make the customer happy.

• Be sure you are organized in every phase of your business.

Liz Davenport is an organizational business consultant. Her company, Order from Chaos, provides help for all types of businesses.

Liz believes Type A personalities are disorganized and the Type Bs are the organized ones. Although she is a Type A, she was forced to become more organized because she is legally blind, and does not have the capacity to look for things. “I inadvertently invented a methodology to become organized,” she says.

When organizing space Liz provides three ideas:

1. Set up your working tools based on frequency of use. Have what you use all the time on or in your desk, ready when you need it. In the kitchen, Liz puts all her spatulas and cooking tools she uses regularly in a jar on her stove. An item like a colander can be put away since she would use it only occasionally.

2. Make a “hot file”. Ninety percent of the pieces of paper you touch every day, or every other day, should be in this file. Bank statements, bills, phone numbers, mail you must answer, etc. can be included.

3. Many people have storage areas filled with clutter. Store only items you use at least once a year. Even if you think you will use an item in the next couple of years, if you haven’t in the last year, get rid of it.

The first rule of time organization is to follow the 80/20 Rule. Twenty percent of your activities will generate 80% of your success. What many of us try to do is 100% of everything. Doing this creates stress, makes time run out, and creates a less successful and disorganized organization.

Liz says, “Determine your personal priority. Identify seven of the most consistent items that will provide you with success.” These are usually things you love to do, which in turn contribute to your business’s success.

To help organize your time stay on task. What takes one hour to complete will take four hours if you are continually interrupted. Then, you may begin to compensate by working longer hours, coming in early, and staying late in order to have hours to work undisturbed.

The key to staying on task is to block out “focus” time, such as between 8 and 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to noon. Be available only during those hours. Take the time to eat a good lunch and then become available again between 1 and 2 p.m. and then again between 4 and 5 p.m. This will provide you with the ability to work more effectively.

The next key to organization is to create a plan for each day. Don’t deviate from the original plan. When you receive new requests for your time, determine if any of the new items can be included on your current daily plan, and if they cannot, place the new items on another plan day when you can expect to accomplish them. Be realistic.

The last thing to do at the end of the day is to go over your list and check off completed activities. Tasks you can do another time can be carried over to a day when you expect to have the time. Those you cannot do should be eliminated.

Thirty four billion dollars in late fees are paid each year because people can’t find their bills or forget about paying them. Take the chaos out of your life, stop throwing your money away and organize!

Beth Donahue is a freelance writer and can be reached at (505) 248-9700 or via email at NMWBethDonahue@aol.com.