This week I wanted to cover something that is very important to me personally in my business: organization! Luckily, I come from a long line of list makers. We are princesses of Post-its and Maharincesses of Memos (if you’ve watched enough I Love Lucy, you will get that reference). My grandmother has two-year calendars on her walls and my mother’s fridge is plastered with magnetic note pads and weekend to-do lists.

So, how we you use something as simple as a calendar and a stack of sticky notes to improve your business? Let’s make a list!

1. Use a calendar to chart your sales. I use a highlighter to mark the days I make sales. This lets me know week to week how my sales are doing and also lets me make an easy count at the end of the month.

Below is a shot of my first quarter of this year.

2. Use a calendar to track your marketing efforts. The best way to see which marketing strategy is paying off is to keep track of when you did it and for how long. I keep track each day of how many blogs I comment on, when I sponsor a blog, when I buy an ad, and perhaps which key words I searched under on Google to find new buyers. If you feature people on your blog regularly, penciling them in on the calendar is a great way to remember week to week who you need to contact.

3. Use a bulletin board for inspiration. Fill it with pictures that inspire you. Write down the goals you want to achieve with your business and stick them up. Print out nice feedback from buyers. Put your bulletin board near your desk so that you can look at it for instant inspiration.

Unique Memory Board by Kay’s Krafts at http://www.etsy.com/shop/kayskrafts

And be sure to invest in some push pins like these ones from Uncorked (http://www.etsy.com/shop/uncorked)

4. Use Post-Its to keep day to day to-do lists. I always make mine the night before. This ensures I’m ready to go the next morning and also helps me get to sleep easier since I’m not thinking about everything I have to do the next day. It’s already written down.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MichelleBrusegaard

At this point you may be rolling your eyes and thinking all of this is overkill. It may be that I have an unhealthy relationship with sticky notes and calendars. But there’s a reason all of the business majors dressed nicely and carried briefcases: they were organized. They knew what they had to do each day and what they needed to bring with them. Even though we pride ourselves on saying we are artists, when it comes to the business end of our work, we need to be as uncool as those business majors and remember which days we’re supposed to dress in our heels.