Just how can those piles of innocent-looking random papers, unopened mail and discarded lunch wrappers hamper your ability to run your company efficiently?

Not only does clutter sap time, it wastes energy you could otherwise use to further your business aims. In addition, those piles of clutter also:
• Causes needless stress
• Leads to spending money re-purchasing things hidden amongst the clutter
• Impairs your ability to pay bills on-time, since they could be lost in the shuffle
• Hampers timely invoicing

Dennis says business owners get themselves in organizing trouble when they “put things down instead of away.” In running her small business, Dennis finds being organized helps her have more free time, since she isn’t wasting precious moments searching for something when she is working.

Not surprisingly, “paper is the number one source of clutter,” says Dennis. She suggests implementing a document retention plan to combat the problem. She says there are several options available online which can be tailored to the specific type of papers and files a business owner must organize, such as IRS forms, inventory lists and client files.

Dennis also advises people to familiarize themselves with regulations promulgating how long certain documents, such as old tax returns, must be kept. “Once you know how long you have to keep things, you know when you can get rid of it,” she says. That way, the decision about whether you need to keep something is already made for you, making it easier to discard, she says.

De-cluttering clues
In the decade Dennis has been a professional organizer, she has learned a few tips of the trade. She is so dedicated to her profession that she became certified in it. To gain that designation, an organizer must have worked with clients for more than 1,500 total hours and pass an exam. To maintain the ranking, the organizer must attend continuing education courses on topics ranging from the psychology of clutter to the ADHD hoarder and more. “There are niches among organizers,” says Dennis.

Some tips Dennis offers her clients on how to rid themselves of clutter include:
• Put it away instead of just down
• Remember digital clutter is clutter, too. She suggests delegating folders to make it easier to differentiate among them

Over the years, Dennis has found a reluctance on behalf of small business owners to hire an organizer to help them de-clutter their workspaces. She finds that ironic because “when you run your business and face an obstacle, whether it’s technology, papers, etc., you would hire an expert to help you resolve it. So why not a professional organizer,” if your work area is too cluttered for success?

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Tami Kamin Meyer is an Ohio attorney and writer. She may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or @girlwithapen.