If you spent just ten minutes per day, five days a week looking for misplaced items, that would add up to fifty minutes per week and over three hours per month. Over the course of the year, that is more than forty hours. Imagine that - a whole work week spent looking for lost items!

Many people spend more than ten minutes per day looking for things, so just imagine how many work weeks they are wasting each year.

It's easy to see why organized people get more done in their business. They are also more likely to have happy clients that come back for repeat business and pass their name on to referrals.

In the opening paragraph, we mentioned that when people want to earn more in their business, they generally look for new clients. If they simply took a few steps to become more organized, they would have more working hours available which will help them earn more, plus they will be retaining clients and reaching new ones through referrals.

Being organized definitely equals more success. Here are a few quick tips to help you get more organized:

* One of the easiest ways to start getting more organized is through using a planner. Some people like paper planners, while others prefer electronic planners such as a PDA, or a web-based solution like Google Calendar.

* Keep the contact info of all of your clients in one place, such as the contact section of your email program.

* If you like to keep magazine clippings in an "idea folder", scan them into your computer and store them digitally rather than in a paper manila folder.

* Speaking of filing systems, the one you choose should be simple and easy to manage. When things get complicated, you'll be less likely to follow through on the filing.

* Color-coding your planner, files, email, and even your storage drawers will help you keep everything organized. Having things in different colors makes it a snap to find what you are looking for.

* Instead of multi-tasking, try batching your work. For example, plan all of your client meetings on one or two days, or create all of your blog posts for the week on one day, and edit the timestamp so they are published throughout the week.

You'll find that when you batch your work, you'll get more done. When a person tries switching back and forth between different tasks, it actually slows their mind down!

Taking a little time to get more organized can actually save you lots of time in the future, not to mention the fact that it will give your business a big boost.