Good to Great: How to Scale With an Outsourced CFO

Disorganisation can be the scourge of the business world, and is often a silent assassin of productivity and profit. Sometimes, though, it's motivating to see how our bad habits affect our lives. And remember, it's never too late to make positive change.

The following are 7 habits of disorganised people, and if you recognise yourself in any of them, get ready to make some changes.

 

1. Avoid Planning

If you dislike planning, you might be a disorganised person. Not having a plan is like setting off in a boat without any oars or a destination. You essentially allow yourself to get tossed around by whatever waves happen to pummel into you. Instead of waves, though, you're hit by other people's demands, your own distractions, and conflicting desires.

Start by planning each day the night before. Think about what needs to be accomplished the next day and write it down. As you become more comfortable with planning, try looking at an entire week at a time and adjusting your expectations about what is really possible to achieve.

 

2. Succumb to Distractions

Disorganised people live in a world of distractions. Their phones make noises constantly, they're always logged on to social media sites, and they check their email religiously. People around them know that they can always interrupt them, no matter how important or trivial the interruption is. Distraction keeps people from achieving their goals and focusing on what's important.

To reverse the distraction curse, create boundaries for your time and work spaces. Turn off notifications from your phone during work hours, and check your email only at predetermined times. Inform the people around you that you will talk with them at certain times and that you need quiet work time the rest of your work day.

 

3. Multitask

We all know that multitasking is a myth, and yet many of us continue to convince ourselves that we really can prepare next week's presentation while eating breakfast and chatting with our two best friends on Facebook. Multitasking is a key attribute of a disorganised person.

If this is an issue that haunts you, try to work in cycles of 30-45 minutes at work, and follow each cycle with a short break. During each cycle, concentrate on focusing all of your energy and focus on that one activity. You will probably find that the quality of your work improves and that you accomplish more in less time.

 

4. Let Your Inbox Get Crowded

Do you have more than 100 emails in your inbox? Do you subscribe to countless email newsletters and get multiple notifications for social media sites every day? Disorganised people allow their communications to get out of control, and in this way, they miss important notices and communication because there's just too much to keep track of!

To turn this around, schedule 3 email checks per day. Spend 20 to 30 minutes during each of these checks processing your emails. In other words, finish up what needs to be done for each email and then delete it. Maybe you need to add something to your calendar: add it and delete the email. Maybe you need to call Jack in accounting. Call him, take care of the matter, and delete the email. Make your life easier by unsubscribing from as many email newsletters as possible.

 

5. Keep Everything in Your Head

You'll totally remember that you promised your brother that you would help him with his yard work on Saturday. Right? With as much as you have on your plate, you're not likely to remember the details of all the conversations and obligations you need to track.

Write everything down. Keep an active calendar, and check it several times per day. Make shopping and errands lists, and cross things off as you accomplish them.

 

6. Scattering

Your tools and materials are everywhere, but that's okay because you'll be able to see them when you need them. 

The truth is that when your belongings are scattered, you waste a lot of time. Adopt the French concept of mise en place, and collect what you need ahead of time so that you have everything when you need it. Then, put everything back in its place when you're done.

 

7. Failing to Prioritise

Getting to that meeting with your boss and calling your friend back are not equally important, but disorganised people seem to have a difficult time distinguishing the difference.

When you make your plan for the following day, prioritise each item. Which items MUST get done before the sun sets? Which items can be pushed off if necessary? Rank them by priority, and then stick to your decisions.

For insight into the current state of your business' health, try our Healthy Business App by clicking below: