New Business Organizing Tips: Step 6 – What To Do About Technology
April 29th, 2009 by Stephanie Shalofsky
Since there are so many ways that technology can make our daily lives as business owners more efficient, our objective should be to identify them as quickly as possible. Whether we are talking about a piece of equipment, a software program or computer consulting services, we need to be sure to address how the integration of these products and services into our daily work routines will impact our ability to stay organized.
Here are some points to consider:
Consolidate Functions. Regardless of the amount of space that you have in your office, you probably don’t have room for a printer, scanner and fax machine in addition to your computer. You may want to consider purchasing an all-in-one machine that will provide all 3 functions and take up one third of the space. While you may or may not need the scanner and fax if you are just starting out, you will probably need at least one of them in the near future. In addition, with only one piece of equipment to connect to your computer, there is a higher probability that it can be positioned close to your desk thus increasing your productivity by eliminating the distractions that will be encountered on those frequent walks across the room to pick up the documents waiting for you on the printer.
Desktop or Laptop. The amount of space on and around your desk should be considered when determining the type of computer to purchase. If you have set up your office in the corner of your living room, every square inch needs to be utilized in the most effective way possible. It doesn’t necessarily mean that small space equals laptop. It does, however, mean that the habits of the person occupying the space need to be taken into consideration when making this type of purchase. For example, if you like to have the files for projects that are currently being worked on in plain sight, then you will need more desk space for these files and have less room for a computer.
Software. As a new business owner, you need to assess how you will use a particular software program to tackle a task and determine the amount of time the program will take to address the task. In some cases, you can use a program like Excel, which is already installed on most computers when purchased, to do the job of a more specialized program. For example, financial data could be tracked in a spreadsheet instead of in an accounting software program as formulas can be inserted to perform the necessary calculations and the data can be manipulated as needed. However, when choosing a program to address a specific task, it is essential that the software selected will organize your data in the most efficient manner while making the most productive use of your time.
Consultants. All businesses, whether newly created or well established, need to align themselves with vendors who can be trusted to be the expert when needed. Keeping the consultant’s contact information readily available (filed with your other key business contacts information and not buried in a pile of business cards) will prove to be beneficial when a question or issue arises. Being able to distinguish between those situations where you can fix the problem yourself from those where it is best to call in the expert is key.
It is always important to consider the best use of your time when making these decisions.
All Those Cables. As it seems like each new piece of equipment comes with at least 2-3 cords, it doesn’t take much before you have a bunch of wires crisscrossing your space. These cables can be quite the hazard and really need to be contained with either ties or covers. In addition, labeling the cords during the containment process makes it easier to disconnect and remove a piece of equipment when it is no longer needed.
Tags: organize, organizing system
