Small Business Today Magazine APR 2015 POSSIBLE MISSIONS | Page 23

EDITORIAL FEATURE

Getting organized:

7 Ways to Keep your Car Organized
BY HOLLY UVERITY CPO®, OFFICE ORGANIZERS

A

s 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:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

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.
5. Compartmentalize. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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. SBT

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.
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