The Paper Chase in Your MLM Business

The Paper Chase in Your MLM Business

One of the problems you may be facing in your MLM business is trying to stay ORGANIZED Without someone else setting your schedule, or giving you deadlines, it is easy to get off track and distracted.

A huge source of distraction is the paper you may accumulate, about events or contacts you have made for your MLM business. How do you organize it so that you can find what you are looking for using the three-minute rule? Does your information disappear into a file, never to be seen again? Do you routinely throw out outdated material?

In order to be able to find information again, here is a suggestion for processing what comes into your office: first throw away everything you know you can discard. Then deal with everything in order that requires only one to three minutes to accomplish. Then sort everything else into a DATE-BASED TICKLER FILE, a PENDING OR WORK-IN-PROGRESS FILE, a DELEGATION FILE, a READ-LATER FILE, or a REFERENCE FILE.

DATE-BASED TICKLER FILE

I maintain a vertical file box on my desk that is organized by 12 months, and then three folders from days one to ten, days 11 to 20, and 21 to 31 behind each month divider. As something comes in that I will be attending, like a Chamber or networking event, I file it in the appropriate file behind the divider for the month. If I need to act on it by a particular advance date, I place it in the folder related to that date. For example, a Chamber event will happen on June 21, and I need to RSVP by June 15. So I place the flyer announcing the event in the folder for June 11 to 21. That way I have plenty of time before the event to decide to attend and RSVP.

I use the same kind of tickler to follow up on MLM prospects. I attach their business card to a larger card on which I can keep notes about when I have talked to them, and anything special I want to remember. Then I file them behind the days of the month that I am in, and every day have an immediate record of those folks I want to call back, or with whom I have an appointment. I never throw any contact information away, and file these cards later into an alphabetical file that I periodically go through in order to update their information.

PENDING OR WORK-IN-PROGRESS FILE

If you are involved in preparing for a business presentation, or getting ready for an event, you will want to keep a file folder for each item. This can be kept in a basket on your desk, or in a file next to your desk. Make sure you put the folder in the Tickler File if you must work on something by a particular date. You don’t want to be shut out or forget to prepare for a dated event.

I also carry a small notebook with me everywhere, so I can keep track of my daily list of Must-Do projects. It’s also great for taking notes at meetings or about people I meet, or any ideas that come to me when I am away from home. You could also make notes in your day planner or on your PDA, whatever works for you. The key here is to keep notes, memos, to-do lists, phone messages, schedules in one place.

DELEGATION FILE

Since you are in a home-based MLM business, it is not likely that you will have much that you can delegate. But if you are working with a team, or in partnership, then perhaps you will be able to divide up responsibilities. I am working with a leader who uses a virtual assistant, because his (s1:MLM) team is so large, he cannot keep up with everything he needs to do to support them. So he delegates those things that can be delegated, like his schedule, to his assistant. A virtual assistant can make a big difference in letting you spend time on what YOU alone can do.

READ-LATER FILE

Do you get items in the mail or magazines that you want to read, but don’t want to take the time while you are sorting your mail or other documents? Ok, then establish a file that you can go in and grab things to take with you when you know you will be waiting for an appointment, or just want to do a little reading before you go to sleep, or any time you have a few minutes. And that doesn’t mean you have to keep the whole magazine: I usually rip out those articles I want to read and recycle the magazine. Then I just take that part I want to read. It easily fits into a purse or briefcase.

REFERENCE FILE

For those things you feel you must keep for future reference, file them in a way that makes sense to you. Is that alphabetically? Great. What ever makes sense, but keep only those materials that are current, and support your highest priorities or interests. This may be a good place for those articles you might want to use later.

JUST 15 MINUTES EACH DAY

Put these organizational ideas into action by taking just 15 minutes each day to sort whatever has accumulated on your desk or in your life. Don’t let the paper in your MLM business rule your life. Remember you aren’t getting paid to sort your paper. You get paid for talking to people.

A great reference for more help: Getting Things Done by David Allen.