organizational behavior Archives - Life By Design Virtual Solutions

Happy 2023 everyone! Have you made your new year’s resolutions? If one of them is to be more organized in your business life this post is for you! Here are some ideas so you can be successful at keeping your resolution this year!

First of all, identify what needs to be more organized. Is it your home office? Or your company office? Do you need to organize your computer files or physical files? Or how about all of the above? I thought so…

Second, divide and conquer. Go around and write down a list of everything you need to organize. If it’s a large project, like organizing your entire home office, break it down into smaller workable parts. Crossing off things on your to-do list will be immensely satisfying.

Third, use the magic of calendar blocking. By setting aside a specific time for decluttering and organizing, you’re more likely to focus on actions that will help you get organized. You’ll stop expending energy trying to figure out when is the best time to declutter because you’ll already have made space in your schedule for doing it. Read all about how and why calendar blocking is a must for small business owners here.

Fourth, digitize your filing system. This can be a big project, one that you may want to outsource to a virtual assistant, but it’s the right move in the long run. You are going to want to digitize all your receipts, tax documents, and business-related paperwork. No more sorting and sifting through piles of paper for you! Digitizing your files will save you time, which will free you up to focus on more important things, like upscaling your business!

Fifth, develop a system for staying organized. Identify problem areas and work on ways to keep them in check. The previous idea is a great way to keep paperwork organized. Is your office space cluttered? Ask yourself why that is. Maybe you don’t have enough space to put things. Brainstorm why it’s not organized and what the solution could be. Maybe you need a bigger desk or a bookshelf? The solution to staying organized is there, you just need to identify it.

And lastly, everything needs to have its place. One thing that often prevents business owners from staying organized is simply not having a clear and thought-out location for every item they need to run their business. Just knowing where to go for a certain item and where a certain item belongs goes a long way toward your new year’s resolution to start the year with a clean slate. Having a place for everything is the backbone of an organized business.

I hope all these ideas will help you to reach your new year’s resolution. And if the task is just too big, or you want to invest in a time saving virtual assistant. Reach out, we would be happy to help https://lifebydesignvs.com/.

organizational behavior

8 Spring Cleaning Tips for Small Businesses

April 15, 2022April 15, 2022 Genean

Even as some cities and states across the country are still seeing snow (!!), most everyone has Spring flowers on the brain. And along with those flowers, Spring Cleaning comes to mind! Here are 8 quick tips to get your small business tidied up for the new season.

Clean out that inbox! Millions of emails are sent out every day. And even though you probably aren’t personally getting a million emails a day, they can really pile up if you aren’t keeping tabs on them. A lot of us get a bunch of spam and junk emails, which can overwhelm your inbox and cause you to miss more important emails. I promise you will feel so light and free once that inbox gets sorted!

Review your goals. Spring is a time of renewal, a fresh start. It is the perfect time to review your business goals. You can reassess your goals for the year, determine if your routine is working and take another look at your business plan to ensure you’re still on track for the year. Now is a good time to make any adjustments to things that just aren’t working for your business.

Clean up your website. If you are like me, then your website to-do list has been gathering dust. Now is a good time to make those edits, swap out those graphics and update your online portfolio.

Update your social media profiles. Check out your profile pictures and bio. Do they need freshening up? Are they still a good reflection of your brand? Now is a great time to make those adjustments.

Review your business plan. Once a year is a good standard for reviewing your business plan. In order for your company to grow you need to have a good solid foundation of a business plan, and that means tweaking and adjusting as you grow and change.

Give your clients a review too! Renew, refresh! This goes for clients as well. Organize your contact list into current clients and leads. Then assess the client list. Are they a good fit for your company? Do they pay their bills on time? Can you see your company growing with these clients? This will also put you in the mindset to think about what clients you want to attract moving forward and which you would like to steer clear of.

Upgrade! If your budget allows you to, this might be a good time to upgrade some of your free versions of software into versions with more functions. Upgrading can improve your business’s workflow and efficiency and ultimately, profits. I’ll throw this tip in here too, make sure you are updating all your programs too! Otherwise you may be vulnerable to viruses.

And lastly, give your actual office/workspace a proper clean. Disinfect and clean your electronics, and desk. Ditch all the junk paper mail and receipts you have been collecting (even better, go paperless!!). And maybe throw in a nice plant or flowers for added freshness.

Get to it! And as always, please reach out to our team at Life By Design Virtual Solutions if you need help with organization, project management, administration and more. We can help your small business get organized and systemized!

blogging, buildyourmlm, business management, Implementation, Marketing, organizational behavior, process management, sop creation

Organizing Your Home Office

January 21, 2022January 21, 2022 Genean

When you work from home, your office space is sacred as it is where all of your important documents and information are kept. With all the paperwork and office items you have on your desk, it can start to feel overwhelming. Clutter can take a toll on your health by increasing stress levels, you may not even be aware that it is happening. One way you can help to reduce this stress is by decluttering. By cleaning up your office space and truly decluttering, you can not only decrease stress, you can also increase productivity especially while working from home. If you want to live your workdays stress-free, you need to GET ORGANIZED!

Here are a few steps to help you get started with the process:

1. Purge Paper

If you struggle with desk organization, odds are you have too many papers and documents taking up space both in and on your desk. First things first, as time-consuming as it may be, take the time to go through every single piece of paper on your desk and throw out, shred, or file each one. A lot of times, many of us are more visual when it comes to work and documents, however, for the sake of the environment and your mental peace, you might want to consider making everything digital. There are so many great tools you can use on your desktop and smartphone that will allow you to keep all your important documents and files organized and easily accessible. If it is not absolutely essential for you to print out certain documents, don’t do it!

2. Color Coding

Color coding is an easy way to organize all your files and notes. To organize, separate the filing system into five color-coded categories, and label each hanging folder according to your needs.

GREEN: Financial

RED: Client Work

ORANGE: Personal

YELLOW: Insurance

BLUE: Meetings

3. Keep Only What You Need

Many people like to keep special items on their desk space such as family photos, decor, and other accessories. Maybe you’re like Angela from The Office who fills her deskspace with cat figures and photos of cats. While it is a nice touch to add something personal to your desk space, you don’t need the extra clutter and it would be helpful to try and remove anything you

don’t absolutely need. This does not mean you need to remove all your personal touches, but your desk space should be oriented around your work, this is #1 priority, and it can’t be a priority if your work gets lost in your decor.

If you spend the majority of your workday at your desk, having it look nice and tidy can really make your workdays more enjoyable. If your desk is a mess, your mind will be a mess as well. This year, prioritize setting aside at least 1-2 hours per week dedicated to organizing your space. You will slowly start to see the effects on your productivity and mental health. If you still find yourself feeling overwhelmed by online documents and work, that’s what our virtual assistants are for! Reach out today and ask about our packages. http://www.lifebydesignvs.com

business management, businessbuildingstrategies, healthandwellness, Implementation, Marketing, organizational behavior, process management, sop creation

Achieve Your New Year Goals With a Virtual Assistant

January 4, 2022January 3, 2022 Genean

We’re here! It’s officially 2022! Many people have spent a lot of time these last 2 years indoors, in pajamas, binge-watching all the shows to ever exist on every TV platform, but not busy business owners! The ones of us who have a strong vision and clear goals have been preparing for this new year! Are you ready to thrive in 2022?

For a business to prosper, it needs to be running smoothly and efficiently. Take time during the first month of the year to make a plan for how you will be more productive and efficient in the new year. Some popular resolutions for business owners include: ‘become more organized’, ‘improve my social media marketing’, and even ‘work less so I can spend more time with my family’. How are you going to make this happen?

Working on tedious and repetitive tasks can start to really take a toll on a business owner. What you really want to be doing is focusing on paying customers and clients; but how can you do so when all your time is spent answering emails or creating graphics for your social media pages?

Don’t start the new year feeling overwhelmed by small, tedious tasks. Start fresh and set new goals. This is a new beginning, and you’d be amazed by how much time you could get back by hiring a virtual assistant. If your goal is to work towards your passion, by outsourcing to a virtual assistant, you are opening up hours to refocus on the things that make you passionate about your business.

Social media is critical for all businesses. How will your consumers build a deeper connection with you and become more loyal customers if you don’t utilize social media? Through proper social media marketing, your business can reach larger audiences and grow your brand awareness. However, this can’t be done in a day.

Having a strong social media presence requires many hours to be put in working towards building that audience and engaging with it. Luckily, there are thousands of virtual assistants who specialize in social media management. They can take care of creating graphics, engaging with audiences, video editing, post scheduling, and so much more. If one of your resolutions is to grow your audience and social media presence, don’t spend countless hours a month doing it, hand it off to your virtual assistant!

Toward the middle and end of the year, we can start to feel so overwhelmed by our workloads that we begin to lose touch with more important things outside of our work life; such as family and friends. Make it your New Year’s resolution to take time for yourself. Enjoy your time away from work, take an extra day off, spend time with your loved ones, without the hassle of having to worry if work is getting done. Your virtual assistant is there to make sure that you are living stress-free while your business continues to grow and prosper.

A virtual assistant has your business’ best interest at heart. It is our job to watch you succeed and aid in the process. You will have somebody to bounce your ideas off and provide you with support, which is indispensable when you want to achieve goals. Your virtual assistant can give you opinions and suggestions for things you may not even notice about your business. They work to make your life easier. If you haven’t hired a virtual assistant yet, what are you waiting for? Now is a perfect time. It’s a new year. Start fresh! Hire a VA! http://www.lifebydesignvs.com

business management, businessbuildingstrategies, Implementation, organizational behavior, sop creation

Preparing Your Business for 2022

December 7, 2021December 7, 2021 Genean

Time flies when your business is booming. It’s that time of year again, the new year comes around and we have new goals to set for ourselves. As things slowly transition back to normal after the past two years, we need to prepare ourselves for whatever 2022 may throw at us. How are you looking to change things in the coming year? Will you have a new vision for yourself and your business? Having a plan in place for the new year will help you review past performance and make adjustments to your business as needed. How do you plan on following through with your goals for this next year? We have gathered some tips on how you can prepare your business for the new year.

Reflect on the past year.

It’s no secret that the pandemic has probably affected all kinds of businesses in one way or another. Many have continued to work from home, others have returned to their offices, and some businesses have grown or shrunk as a result of the pandemic. Whatever the case, it is important to review the business activity in the last year to know where you can make improvements for the new year. Think about what your business has accomplished and how you can build on these in 2022. If your business is performing well in a particular area, the new year is a great time to increase that growth. What goals were you unable to reach in the last year for your business? Were they realistic? Why did they fall through?

Write a Business Plan

Writing a business plan is essential when you first start a business. However, it is also very useful to have a yearly business plan to nurture your success in the new year. What direction will you be going in? Will it be the same as last year? In your business plan, you should also include budget and revenue goals for the coming year. Your goals should be business-specific, easy to measure, realistic, and relevant to your overall strategy. It is a good idea to think of 2 or 3 main business goals for the year, these could be related to financial outcomes, your customer base, or anything relevant to your overall business strategy.

Consider Expansion

Plan for growth! If your business has been doing increasingly well, you may want to get ahead of the game and consider expanding your team. It is easy for a business owner to become overwhelmed once their business starts to take off. Remember, when expanding your team, the ultimate goal is to strengthen your existing team. Hire carefully and make sure you are hiring employees that fit the vision and mission of your business.

Starting a new year is an exciting time. I have been so grateful to see my business grow in the last year and I can’t wait to see what 2022 has in store for us. Our team is so excited to continue to help small business owners grow their businesses. For the solopreneur, we can help you get your time back. Are there too many tasks including employee training and development, and you simply cannot get everything done, at least not without working yourself to death? We can help! Visit us at http://www.lifebydesignvs.com

business management, businessbuildingstrategies, Implementation, organizational behavior

The Power of Gratitude for Your Business

November 17, 2021November 17, 2021 Genean

It’s officially the holiday season, a time for cozying up next to the fireplace, enjoying winter festivities, and most importantly, a time for giving thanks. According to Harvard Health, “Research suggests that one aspect of the Thanksgiving season can actually lift the spirits, and it’s built right into the holiday — being grateful.” Showing gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. This is true not only in our everyday life but also in our work life or in our business. Gratitude in the workplace can affect the overall work climate and promote a sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves–to feel a sense of meaning at work. With gratitude, the more you give the more you get in return. So how does showing gratitude affect your business?

Showing gratitude towards employees or coworkers can be extremely beneficial to a business owner. When hard work is not only recognized, but appreciated, this can directly influence performance, productivity, and retention. When a person feels acknowledged and appreciated for their work, they are more likely to continue to perform well and are more inspired to improve business outcomes. The best part of all, a simple thank you can go a long way, at no cost for you.

By showing gratitude in the workplace, you are creating an environment where all employees are happy to go above and beyond because they feel valued and appreciated. The direct results of this will include overall happiness amongst your team, trust from your team, boosts in self-esteem, and better performance. Let’s face it, no one enjoys an ungrateful employer. Many times, acts of gratitude are not received well because they are achievement-based as opposed to employee-focused. Authenticity is key in creating a positive environment in the workplace. Consider writing handwritten thank you notes to your employees to show your appreciation. It is also important to acknowledge the small things that sometimes go unnoticed. This will encourage your team to pay close attention to detail.

Gratitude is a form of self-love. Pass it forward and improve organizational behavior. As you begin to acknowledge and appreciate the small things, you’ll be surprised at how your company culture begins to change. Gratitude leads to kindness, generosity, and empathy and it even promotes better sleep & improves your mental & financial well-being. Take every opportunity you can to make your business more personal, and never forget about the ones who have helped you reach the point you are at right now.