5 ways to organize your business for success as an entrepreneur

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Monique Elise, a self-published author and lifestyle influencer.

When it comes to starting a business, many entrepreneurs are drawn to the freedom of earning money on their terms. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without its challenges.

One of the most common struggles we face is finding an adequate work-life balance. Anyone who is an entrepreneur knows and understands the many hats you have to wear and the tasks you have to juggle each day, especially when you’re starting out. And during a time where hustle culture and working nonstop are glamorized, how can you build the business of your dreams without burning yourself out? In recognition of Stress Awareness Month, I’m excited to share the foundational pieces I’ve put in place that will hopefully help you find more balance. And it starts with getting organized.

Organization is key

Before we dive into this topic, I have to ask… are you running your projects, or are your projects running you? I’ll admit when I first got my start back in 2017, my life was definitely the latter. So, here’s a little about me: I’m currently balancing a full-time career along with two businesses as a self-published author and lifestyle influencer. It sounds like a lot, I know. One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is, “How are you able to balance it all?” I have one word: organization. Being organized allows me to manage and balance my projects without feeling constantly overwhelmed or overworked. Being organized can also help you:

• Save time

• Eliminate distractions

• Minimize stress and anxiety

• Increase your productivity

• Improve your focus

One of the best pieces of business advice I learned is to make it less about the hustle and more about the strategy. And guess what? When you’re strategizing, you’re organizing!

How to get organized for success

1. Declutter your space

First things first, get your workspace and tools in order. Go through your office, desk, emails, and any other space currently being used for your business. Sort, file, and store all the items and documents that you still deem necessary for your business. Take it a step further and digitize physical documents so that you can store them somewhere like Google Drive, a platform that integrates with Asana.

2. Document and store your workflows

If you want to be organized, things need to be clear and consistent. What are the steps necessary for your operations? List them out and create a workflow. That way when it comes time to onboard team members or delegate work, they will have something to review and look at as a reference.

3. Automate, automate, automate

I think it is safe to say that a good number of daily tasks can be repetitive. Improve your efficiency by automating those tasks. In my opinion, this step is a game-changer, especially if you want to improve your work-life balance and get some of your time back. Asana makes this simple with their Rules feature, making it extremely easy to set these tasks up and forget about them.

4. Create templates

Another great way to get organized is to create and design templates. I’d suggest doing this for just about every task you perform if you can. Start with things like your email responses, social media captions, or blogs. The ability to easily create task and project templates is another feature Asana has, which I love. Not only that, but they’ve also created standard templates that you can use and tailor to your needs.

5. Manage your workload with ease

The final step in organizing your business is to invest in a work management tool. If you ask me, Asana is the best tool out there. It makes collaborating with your team and tracking your business’ performance so much easier. With over 100 integrations with platforms like Gmail, Zoom, and Adobe Creative Cloud, your business decisions are made with a lot less hassle.

Time to get organized

With Asana, I’ve been able to organize my business with ease and you can too. In February, I documented how Asana helped me write my latest novel in 30 days. Thanks to Asana, I always feel like I’m one step ahead instead of two steps behind.

Monique Elise is a writer (author & blogger) and working professional. She uses her platform to pen romance novels and empower women to live unapologetically while writing their own rules. Her motto is simple: women can have it all and be fabulous while doing so.