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Organise… How to Keep Your Business in Order

Writer's picture: The Arts VAThe Arts VA

Updated: Mar 5, 2023

A big part of the success of a business is how well it is organised. From tracking your time to managing your finances, putting the right systems in place can help your business grow.

Organised desk

Arrange your office space


Whether you work from home or in an office, your workspace impacts how well you work throughout the day.


You don’t want to waste valuable time trying to find paperwork or stationery, so try to make sure that things you need regularly - such as pens, diary, and a notepad - are within easy reach and the things you use less often live in storage nearby. You may want to create a home for your devices too so that they’re not taking up space on your desk.


Manage your finances


To ensure your business runs smoothly, it’s very useful to set up a system for managing your finances. This means keeping on top of your invoices, tracking when you should be paid, and logging your receipts and expenses.


An online accounting tool, such as Xero, will help you send invoices and chase up payments, as well as keep a record of all incomings and outgoings.


Store your passwords safely


You’ll no doubt have multiple passwords for different websites and systems, especially if you work with a lot of different clients. Business tools like Lastpass help you store them safely so you never have to worry about forgetting or losing your login details.


Communicate effectively


If you work with clients or a team, investing in a tool like Slack or Asana is really useful for communicating effectively and sharing to-do lists. Rather than trying to use multiple platforms, you can easily chat to your team and keep track of your business performance.


Track your time


Whether you bill by the day, hour or minute, it’s really beneficial to track your time to make sure you’re not putting in too many hours on a project. This will help you value your time better and be able to more effectively quote how long a piece of work should take.


You can sign yourself up for free and paid-for time-tracking websites, such as Timeular and Minutedock, which you can share with your team and clients.


Keep on top of your inbox


When your inbox is overflowing with old and unread emails, it’s very easy to miss or lose important correspondence. Take the time to organise your email, deleting any that you don’t need, organising those that you do into folders and colour-coding different projects or clients so that you can easily file things away.


Check out our blog on how a VA can help you keep on top of your emails.


Create templates


Are there regular tasks that you do? Maybe there are emails you send regularly, social media captions or letters you need to write. If so, a great way to get organised is to create templates so you don’t have to re-do them every time and you can tailor them to your needs. Canva is great for social media templates and art work.


Clear your desktop


If you have a desktop swimming with old files and photos, it doesn’t just slow down your computer but also makes it harder to find important documents.


Declutter your desktop by deleting anything you no longer need and then setting up an effective filing system, clearly labelling folders so you will be able to quickly and easily find documents when you need them. Make sure to file things away straight away and back up important files on a storage device or an online storage website.


The Arts News

  • The complete company for Legally Blonde has been revealed. The new revival, directed by Lucy Moss, will open the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre 2022 season, marking the venue's 90th anniversary.

  • London’s Donmar Warehouse is to host its first ever relaxed performance. During the performance of Marys Seacole, audience members will be able to make noise and move around, with any loud noises, sound effects and lighting in the show turned down. The aim is for it to be more accessible to disabled and neurodiverse audience members.

Get in touch!


If you want to find out how a VA can help organise your business, head to our contact us page to arrange a chat with Charlie. Did you find this advice useful? You can read more business tips in these blogs:


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