By Holly Uverity CPO®, Office Organizers
As you spend more time in your car while you are conducting business, it’s just as important to keep your car as organized as your office. It’s especially significant that you keep a clean and organized car if you drive with your clients. Would you buy a house from someone whose car was messy? Would you trust your next big deal to a vendor who had files all over her front seat? Your car should reflect the same professional image as your office so here are some tips to help you get started:
- Less in = less clutter. Don’t carry into your car what you don’t need in your car; it’s not a dumping ground. Eliminate what you don’t need to transport and stop carrying files back and forth. Limit the food you bring into your car. Nothing is less professional than inviting a client into a car that has lingering food odors or crumbs.
- Organize your files. If you must carry files, invest in a crate or file carrier. Small ones have handles so they are easily carried and larger ones can be belted into your passenger seat. While technically portable, they are designed to stay in the car and you simply move the files into and out of the container.
- Use a trash receptacle. Any small container (small garbage cans, plastic cereal boxes, etc.) will work as a floorboard trash can. Alternatively, you can use a trash container designed for your particular car. Find the right container and use it. Any zip locking baggie also works great for food debris; everything is contained and you just toss the entire bag.
- Empty the trash on a regular basis. Make it part of your routine to empty the trash each time you get gasoline or each time you exit your car at the end of the day.
- Using small compartmentalized containers like small fishing tackle or jewelry boxes, you can store lots of items in a small space. Depending on the size of the container, you can place it in the center console well, under your seat, or even in the trunk.
- Contain the items in your trunk. A collapsible crate can work well to keep the items in your trunk from shifting while you’re driving. You can use it for personal items (groceries) or work items (sales materials, client files, etc.) When it’s empty, it folds down flat. Any box or bin will also work; the object is to keep your items from moving around in your trunk.
- Organize the glove box. A large cosmetic bag works great to keep small items (eyeglass repair kit, lotion, small pad of paper and pen, car manuals, lint brush, etc.) together so when you grab the bag, you’ve got the item.
________________________________________________________________
Office Organizers is The Entrepreneur’s Organizer. Founded in 1993, they work with business people to create solutions for their organizational challenges. Contact them at 281.655.5022, www.OfficeOrganizers.com, or www.fb.com/OfficeOrganizers.
