Organizing and Planning Tips

This post is sponsored by Office Depot, all opinions are my own. Thanks for your continued support.

When I was looking for ways to organize my workflow for my small business, I knew I had to go back to the days where I did most of the planning on paper. For the multiple projects I have going on, it’s important for me to find creative solutions to help me stay organized and make the best use of my time. When putting together content for workshops (which happen to all be online right now), I use binders and file folders. When I was little, I used to play “office” and shuffle papers around. Lucky for me as a creative entrepreneur, I now get to spend time making stuff and sharing the joy of papercrafting! Since there are a lot of items that I create by hand, this is the best way I have found to keep everything in their designated places. 

Office Depot helps me stay organized with amazing products and services that can even be customized for my business. I use a checklist for workflow items, so instead of having to write the same list over and over, I was able to use Office Depot’s print services to create a self-inking stamp using my handwriting. I simply uploaded the design online and placed the order. The turnaround was quick and the in-store pick up seamless and straightforward. 

I love the idea of sharing systems that work for me and hope you enjoy the 3 L’s I recommend for approaching projects.

 1. LIST

I always like to make a list when starting a big project. I don’t necessarily worry about the order of things at first. It’s more important to draft out the items and create a starting point. Although this can be done online, I prefer to do it on paper. 

2. LABEL

It’s important to have things labeled so they have a designated spot to store. While having things scattered around my desk is sometimes necessary when creating, I find that it’s always helpful to create categories and labels for things. Having labels on file folders and binders is incredibly helpful and visually pleasing. The Avery dividers are great and not only color coded, but have a space to fill in the titles of each section.

3. LAYER

This is when it’s really helpful to have simple items like paperclips. I can move clippings from magazines or sketches I have done around. It’s nice to be able to layer the ideas and concepts into each of the file folders as well, before it goes into the binder. When creating paper crafting projects, layering is also one of my favorite things to do. You can layer your ideas onto one another to create the best results for your project.

And if there was a 4th L, it would be Launch. Launch your ideas into the world - you never know who or what you’ll inspire.

Check out Office Depot for products and services to help keep you organized.