A new study has found that a cluttered office space is one of the big factors holding self-employed women back from getting on top of their business finances.
The survey of 300 self-employed women by Intuit Australia revealed that only one in five women believe they are very successful in managing their finances while running their own business.
It also found that most respondents thought an improved office space and less clutter were two of the most important factors needed to better organise their day-to-day work life.
To help Australia’s self-employed get more organised, Shaynna Blaze interior designer and TV personality shares her advice on staying on top of the chaos.
“I run my own business and know how hard it can be to juggle all the demands from finances, to sick kids, to making time to catch up with friends,” says Ms Blaze.
“There are, however, things the self-employed can do to make life easier.
“The biggest tip I can give is that less is more. Having a cluttered office isn’t going to help you focus so make sure you keep it clean and tidy,” she says.
Here’s her top four tips on staying organised if you’re starting your own business
- Start with a controlled environment: If you’re setting up your own business from your home allocate a certain section that’s just for the business, whether it’s a kitchen, a spare bedroom, a desk – always make sure you have at least a drawer or a cupboard which is only your office stuff. Otherwise you’re moving things from space to space and it’s easy for something to get lost.
- Section everything: Paperwork is one of the biggest things that can really take over if you’re not careful. With the advance in mobile technology things like the Quick Books Self-Employed app can help you become paperless. Rather than have receipts everywhere you can take a picture of a receipt and have it on record on your phone.
- Try and maximise the space you have: Look at stacking things vertically as well as horizontally. If you look at height and stack upwards rather than on one level you leave more space for you to work. You can get folders that flip down and sit on the back of a door and draw sets to go on top of your desk – there are plenty of easy ways make the most of what you have.
- Buy a labeller!: Label everything so that you have everything on hand and you know what’s what. The secret to organisation is to make sure what you need daily is visible and instantly accessible. Separate what is not needed straight away, or what can be archived, or is only needed once a month and file them away. Then only the items you need instantly are on hand.
