15 Benefits Of Organizational Skills Businesses Can’t Afford To Overlook

How organized are you? A lot of people fall somewhere in between extremes and can benefit from improving their organizational skills. I feel fortunate that organization has always come naturally to me, it’s a large part of how I function. But organization is a struggle for a lot of people and it takes practice and patience to develop. I find it frustrating that organizational skills are often highly undervalued and neglected in the workplace. And the negative consequences are bad, leading to all sorts of fall out, disappointments, and failures. Let’s look at 15 benefits of organizational skills businesses can’t afford to overlook.

1. Positive First Impressions: 

   We all know how important first impressions are. Organized people know how to nail introductions and important client meetings because they always show up prepared. If you’re organized you’ll arrive on time in the right place, have all the necessary documents and supplies on hand, and will come across as calm and composed. People who lose directions, show up late, and forget things continually are an embarrassment and put a company’s branding at risk.

2. Professional Presentation & Cleanliness: 

   The way your desk and work environment look reveal a lot about you and your company. There’s one guy at my office who everyone knows is under qualified for his job and one way it shows is his desk. It’s a total joke. There are dirty cups and stacks of paper eight inches high all over it. Anytime someone asks him a question he starts fumbling around frantically because he can’t find anything. Don’t be that guy. And keep your entire area hygienic! I had to use someone else’s desk when I was on a business trip a few months ago and I almost vomited when I saw how much crust was on the earpiece of his phone. Seriously?! That was so nasty I dropped the phone, grabbed my hand sanitizer, and made all my calls from my mobile phone instead. Organized people know to regularly clean their desks and keep confidential documents in secure locations.

3. Inventory & Supplies Are Stocked Without Leakage: 

   Keeping track of office supplies and inventory is critical in business. It sounds easy to do yet so many companies can’t keep track of things properly and lose a lot of money this way. People always tend to take more than they need when it comes to supplies, and things often wander off site never to be seen again. Keep office supplies locked up with a list of what’s left and who took what/when to stop stealing and reduce waste. If your business requires managing inventory, make sure you have reliable tracking methods and security systems in place.

4. Resource Management & Delegation Are In Sync:

   Among the benefits of organizational skills is effectively managing resources. Workers can’t do their jobs properly without the right resources accessible to them. And companies need leaders who can delegate assignments in an organized manner to specific individuals and groups that best match their skills and availability.

5. Prioritization Is Clear:

   Having strong organizational skills helps you prioritize. If you have a list of all of the things you need to do it’s much easier to identify which tasks need to be done first. But sometimes employees may not know how or be able to recognize what should be treated as higher priority, so clear instructions and guidance are essential.

6. Data & Documents Are Easily Accessible

   : My nerdy side makes me super organized when it comes to data. I have a specific place for everything whether it’s digital or physical format. Although I don’t have an actual label maker, I do label all my folders and boxes clearly which makes finding things a breeze. I don’t know about you but it drives me crazy how some departments at work are so disorganized with their electronic files. Someone could delete tons of data and it’d probably take them months (if ever) to even realize it. Protect your business’s valuable files and keep track of everything. Make sure you have a data recovery system because you never know when your server or hard drive could die.

7. Planning & Scheduling Lead To Success:

   Another one of the benefits of organizational skills is staying on top of scheduling and planning. Organized people know to schedule meetings in logical order with sufficient time to get from A to B to C. Various stages of projects and product development are also planned out with clear targets and timelines. Organization also helps put resources in place ahead of time so they’re there when you need them. This keeps employees and clients happy.

8. Things Don’t Get Lost:

   Because I’m a really organized person, I rarely lose things. So I get really upset when I do lose something, like when I lost my wallet, because I can only blame myself for being careless. When you’re an entrepreneur, you can’t afford to lose any of your hard earned work because you’re always racing against time and the competition. Stay organized and you won’t have to worry about losing things anymore.

9. Less Stress & More Trust:

   In our crazy world, we can always use more tips for stress relief. Staying organized really helps reduce stress because you’ll have a clear path of what needs to be done when, where, how, and why. People will also have more trust in you because you’ll be reliable and responsible. You won’t be frazzled or franticly running around trying to find things anymore and more people will want to work with you.

10. Easy To Keep Track Of Multiple Open Items:

    One thing that really drives me crazy at work is when I have to tell someone more than once to complete a task. If you can’t keep track of what’s outstanding, you’re putting yourself at risk of getting fired. And if you’re running your own business, you’d be putting yourself at risk of penalties and fees, and even going bankrupt if you aren’t able to keep track of multiple issues. Well organized people know exactly what’s outstanding at all times and that helps them excel.

11. Better Efficiency:

    You can save a lot of time by sorting and organizing data and resources in consistent, logical ways. Improved efficiency is one of the most common answers people give when asked what are the benefits of organizational skills, and it’s really true. Disorganized companies take longer completing orders, make more mistakes, suffer more employee turnover, and their customer satisfaction really suffers.

12. Deadlines Are Met:

    It’s so much easier meeting deadlines when you know exactly when they are, what has to be done, and by whom. People with strong organizational skills have an updated calendar and to-do list on them at all times. I know I couldn’t function without all of my task lists and calendar reminders! They’re a life saver for hitting deadlines and staying on top of multiple projects.

13. Better Communication:

    The bigger a business gets, the harder it is to keep communication flowing smoothly, and the more important it becomes. The benefits of organizational skills when it comes to communication are consistency, clarity, cohesion, and being able to track large scale projects across multiple departments. Check out my article on how to improve communication at work.

14. Invoices Get Paid On Time:

    If you’re so disorganized that you can’t keep track of your invoices and bills, sooner or later the credit agencies are going to come after you. Staying organized lets you take advantage of features like automated payments, and setting alerts to remind you of any physical checks you need to cut. I’ve seen a lot of startups struggle with disorganization, especially between sales and accounting teams, and that leads to a lot of unhappy clients and disolved partnerships.

15. Transferable Skills:

    If you’ve ever had to hire employees before, you know how hard it can be to find a good fit. Sometimes the hiring pool can get really dry, especially if you’re in a small location or work in a really specific niche. So another one of the great benefits of organizational skills is they are transferable abilities across positions and industries. So candidates that might be lacking in work experience but are strong organizers can bring valuable skills to the table.

Untemplaters, how would you rate your organizational skills on a scale of 1-10? I’d put myself around a 9. How does your rating compare to your colleagues? What other benefits of organizational skills have you come across?

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