How to Stay Organised as a Small Business Owner

Starting and running a small business is no easy task, especially if you struggle with organisation or are prone to procrastinate. The good news? You don’t have to stay stuck in a funk. With a few simple strategies, you can declutter your mind, organise your tasks, and set yourself up to work more effectively.

In this post, I’ll share practical, easy-to-follow small business organisation tips and show you how to stay organised as a business owner - with or without external help like virtual assistant services.

1. Declutter Your Mind

When your brain feels overloaded, it’s hard to focus or even know where to start. A cluttered mind will cause you to procrastinate because everything feels so overwhelming.

The first step is to clear out all the mental noise so you can focus on what's important.

Brain dump everything

Get a notebook, open a blank Word document, or use a notes app on your phone. Write down everything that’s swirling around in your head. This includes:

• Tasks you need to do (big or small).

• Ideas for your business.

• Worries or concerns.

• Personal errands.

The goal here is to get everything out of your head and onto paper (or screen). Don’t worry about organising it yet - just let it all flow out.

Prioritise what matters

Once you’ve written everything down, take a look at your list. Ask yourself:

• What’s urgent?

• What’s moat important to grow my business?

• What can wait?

Highlight or mark the items that need immediate attention and set aside anything that isn’t relevant right now.

2. Organise the Results of Your Brain Dump

Now that you’ve decluttered your mind, it’s time to organise your thoughts into something manageable. This will help you turn chaos into organisation, so you can move forward without feeling overwhelmed.

Group similar tasks together

Look at your list and group similar tasks into categories. For example:

• Admin tasks: Updating records, responding to emails, invoicing clients.

• Marketing tasks: Writing social media posts, planning campaigns, updating your website.

• Finance tasks: Pay an invoice

• Personal errands: Grocery shopping, booking appointments, etc.

This approach is one of the best small business organisation tips. It helps you stay focused and stop wasting time jumping between unrelated tasks, which can be mentally exhausting!

Choose a system that works for you

Decide where you’ll keep track of these tasks moving forward. Here are a few options:

• Digital tools: Apps like Trello, Asana, or Notion are great for organising tasks into boards or lists.

• A notebook: If you prefer pen and paper, create sections for different categories of tasks.

• Calendars: Use Google Calendar or another scheduling tool to block out time for specific tasks.

The key is to pick a system that feels natural and easy for you to stick with.

3. Break Big Tasks Into Actionable Steps

Once everything is organised, the next step is breaking it down into bite-sized actions. This helps prevent procrastination because you’ll know exactly what needs doing and how to tackle it.

Turn big tasks into smaller steps

If any task feels overwhelming, break it into smaller steps that are easy to manage. For example:

• Instead of “Write blog post,” list steps like “Research topic,” “Outline key points,” “Draft introduction,” etc.

• Instead of “Launch new product,” list steps like “Create product description,” “Take photos,” “Set up sales page.”

Smaller steps feel more achievable and give you a sense of progress as you tick them off.

Set deadlines for each step

Give each task a deadline - even if it’s just an internal one - to keep yourself accountable. Be realistic about how long things will take but avoid leaving deadlines open-ended, as this can lead to procrastination.

Start with one thing at a time

Pick one task from your list (preferably something quick or high-priority) and focus on completing it before moving on to the next one. Multitasking often leads to distractions and half-finished work.

Bonus Small Business Organisation Tips

Here are some extra ideas to help you stay on top of things as a small business owner:

• Set aside time to plan your week: Spend 15–30 minutes at the start of each week reviewing your priorities and scheduling tasks for the days ahead.

• Use time blocking: Allocate specific blocks of time in your calendar for focused work on certain categories of tasks (e.g., Monday mornings for admin, Tuesday mornings for research tasks etc).

• Declutter your workspace: A messy desk can add to mental clutter, so take 5–10 minutes daily to tidy up your workspace.

• Use Virtual Assistant Services: If there are repetitive or time-consuming tasks bogging you down, consider outsourcing them to a virtual assistant so you can focus on growing your business.

Ready To Get Organised?

Learning how to stay organised as a business owner doesn’t have to be complicated - it just takes some effort and the right tools.

If staying organised still feels like an uphill battle for you, I’d love to help! I offer flexible virtual assistant services and can take those time-consuming tasks off your plate so you can focus on what really matters - growing your business.

Get in touch today by emailing me or booking a call, and let’s get started!

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