Steps to Organize your Home Office

Follow the lead of a well-organized home office. Using the checklist below, incorporate many of the organizing tips found on the list. You will have both a professional and efficient home office.

ORGANIZE YOUR BOOKKEEPING

Prepare and send invoices to clients
Enter monthly transactions into bookkeeping software
Reconcile bank, credit card, and other account statements
Send reminders for paying bills on their due dates
Write and prepare checks to be signed to pay bills

ORGANIZE YOUR DESKTOP PUBLISHING

Design and print brochures and business cards
Create flyers, price lists, and other marketing documents
Lay out, printing, and mailing regular client newsletters
Prepare professional-looking certificates for seminar participants
Print labels using company logos or clip art

ORGANIZE YOUR DATABASE MANAGEMENT

Enter business card data into a database
Send an introductory letter to new prospect leads
Send scheduled marketing pieces to clients and prospects
Track marketing efforts and summarize the results in a report
Send regular follow-ups, reminders, and communications to clients
Call people for missing contact information
Send fax and email broadcasts

ORGANIZE YOUR TELEPHONE AND FAX SERVICES

Receive telephone calls while a client is out of town
Forward important messages that require immediate attention
Retrieve voice messages and responding to routine requests
Receive and handle faxes while a client is out of town

ORGANIZE YOUR TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES

Type letters and memos from tape or handwritten notes
Type legal transcripts from cassette tape
Type medical reports from tape or handwritten notes

ORGANIZE YOUR WORD PROCESSING

Type handwritten notes from a meeting or seminar
Type letters, printing on stationery, addressing, and mailing
Proofread, edit, and check spelling / grammar
Lay out larger documents

ORGANIZE YOUR MARKETING SERVICES

Send out the appropriate sales brochures for inquiries
Create and mail a customer feedback questionnaire
Track the responses to this questionnaire
Summarize the responses and suggestions in a report

ORGANIZE YOUR INTERNET SERVICES

Maintain a newsletter subscription database
Post announcements and newsletter issues to the list
Perform an internet search for an item or piece of information
Edit or upload new information to a website

ORGANIZE YOUR MAIL AND EMAIL SERVICES

Retrieve email and mail, sort, and get rid of junk
Respond to routine email requests
Forward items of importance to the client for attention
Track and forward urgent issues while client is out of town
Prepare packages and mail out products as orders arrive

ORGANIZE YOUR RESEARCH

Research potential locations for an upcoming seminar
Find which locations have the appropriate dates available
Find which can accommodate the size and type of event
Research the services available (decorating, food, entertainment)
Obtain written quotes and specifications from each location
Monitor periodicals and clip articles of interest
Visit the library to copy specific articles

ORGANIZE YOUR PERSONNEL SERVICES

Send reminders for annual performance reviews
Prepare or update resumes and introduction letters
Review resumes and summarize each in a short biography
Sort resumes for a job according to pre-arranged criteria

ORGANIZE YOUR PRESENTATIONS

Prepare PowerPoint slides from sketches of diagrams and charts
Send questionnaires to seminar participants before the talk
Track completed questionnaires and call non-responders
Summarize the questionnaire results in a report

ORGANIZE YOUR SECRETARIAL SERVICES

Confirm upcoming appointments
Schedule or reschedule appointments
Get directions for a meeting or appointment
Store back-up computer tapes for safekeeping
Track birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates
Send out the appropriate cards or gifts for special events
Manage lists of necessary office supplies and ordering refills