Top 10 Organizational Tips for Facilities Managers

Not one day in facilities management is the same—which often means too many to-do lists. With all the workstreams you manage, building better systems to get organized can save you time and future stress down the line.

Harpreet Saini, CEO of We Buy Houses in Metro Detroit, says organizational systems she’s implemented have doubled the effectiveness of her operations. In this article, Saini and other experts in the facilities management space provide their best advice on staying organized to maintain peace of mind even during the busiest of times.

Tip 1: Give Everything a Place by Implementing a Centralized Digital Dashboard

You may have multiple workstreams, but that doesn’t mean all your monitoring and tasks need to live on different systems—or pieces of paper.

Building a single, customized digital dashboard with items like scheduling, maintenance tickets, security tracking, and equipment statuses can help bring to the fore what issues are urgent and reduce confusion.

“When I started overseeing several facilities, I was overwhelmed with trying to keep pace with 27 different building systems,” says Saini. “One digital dashboard revolutionized everything, as my team could see all critical systems from a single console. That consolidation cut our emergency response time from 45 minutes to 12 minutes on average.”

Tip 2: Use Color-Coding and Visual Workflows

Once you’ve built a single source of truth, make it scannable and easy to navigate at a glance. Experts recommend using color-coding, icons, and visual cues like process maps to understand what’s happening and what needs attention quickly.

Adrien Kallel, CEO and co-founder of Remote People, says his experience in FM and managing remote teams require systems like these that help him see dependencies between workstreams that might not seem connected at first glance. “You need good visualization tools when managing completely different areas. I use a computerized maintenance management system for tracking maintenance tasks and repairs, plus [the online platform] Monday for keeping tabs on digital security workflows,” he says.

Visualizing not just work stress, but also who is doing what, helps even more, says Alisa Volynets from SEO for Contractors. “We’ve moved beyond basic logs to a visual workflow system. Each maintenance task or security update follows a standardized visual process map with clear handoff points,” she says. “This has eliminated the ‘I thought someone else was handling that’ problem that used to plague our team.”

This color-coding system can even carry on into your calendars. Joseph Passalacqua, owner and CEO of Maid Sailors Cleaning Service, explains, “Our scheduling system uses distinct visual indicators for each service type—blue for regular cleaning, green for deep cleaning, red for specialized services—allowing managers to quickly identify service types across calendars, work orders, and communications.”

Tip 3: Prioritize Tasks by Impact and Safety First

Now, what to tackle first?

A dashboard is only as useful as how you structure it. FMs can start with a “brain dump” task, but the next step is to organize those tasks by their impact.

Daniel Roberts, CEO of Lava Roofing, recommends setting clear project deadlines and milestones. Whether it’s equipment maintenance, security audits, or system updates, this system “prevents things from slipping through the cracks.” He says that once all key tasks and timelines are documented, they begin to prioritize. “When one of our facilities managers implemented a weekly review system, they reported a 14% reduction in missed maintenance tasks,” Roberts says.

Crystallizing your list of priorities really helps, says Kallel. “I start each day with a quick task list ranked by what absolutely can’t wait. Safety issues always jump to the top, whether it’s an HVAC malfunction or a security breach alert,” he says. “This helps me handle the wildly different problems that pop up when managing both physical systems and digital security.”

Tip 4: Task Delegation

But you can’t handle it all alone.

If you’re lucky enough to have a team or the budget to outsource, you can use a more institutional approach for task prioritization. Devin Ramos, founder and CEO of Simplifi Real Estate and Maid in America Cleaning Services, says he uses the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize urgent and important tasks. Ramos tackles those tasks first, delegates the less important ones, and schedules the important tasks that aren’t urgent, like long-term planning, for later on.

Using the Eisenhower Matrix might feel like an unnecessary step before just getting into action, but it’s a practical way to handle prioritization to avoid getting overwhelmed while managing multiple workstreams.

Roberts adds that the most successful FMs can discern which tasks to delegate to whom. He says this approach ensures that FMs aren’t “bogged down by everything.” Delegation boosts efficiency, he says; in fact, one of his FMs noted projects completing 15% quicker after reorganizing responsibilities across their team.

Tip 5: Time Blocking

The adage saying, “If it’s not on my calendar, it doesn’t exist,” can be a helpful strategy to make FMs feel more orderly.

Passalacqua agrees. “Rather than constantly switching between diverse workstreams, we schedule dedicated time blocks for each service type with intentional buffer periods between them,” he says. “This reduces the mental switching cost when moving from operational to technical service management and prevents context bleeding between different workstreams.”

Tip 6: Create Quick-Reference Resources for Repetitive Work

No need to reinvent the wheel every time. Templates, checklists, and internal wikis can save countless hours when dealing with recurring issues or onboarding new team members.

“Outdated documents can lead to confusion, so regularly updating all procedural documents is essential,” says Jason Rowe, founder and CEO of Hello Electrical.

For instance, revisiting and refining HVAC maintenance checklists and cybersecurity protocols can make routine tasks no-brainers. Rowe says that creating and updating these resources provided more than 15% improvement in process compliance.

Tip 7: Regularly Review Big-Picture Work

It’s easy to get bogged down by the smaller tasks on your list of priorities, especially when they’re urgent. But this might mean that your team becomes overly focused on putting out proverbial fires instead of zooming out to focus on the big picture every once in a while.

An antidote to this tunnel vision is scheduling recurring, semi-regular reviews of your bigger goals and projects. Here are a few agenda items to keep in mind when you have your next meeting:

• Regularly Review Vendor Contracts and Performance: Don’t be stuck without options if you have a vendor contract expire or part ways. Regularly review your vendor service contract, especially for essential services like HVAC or cybersecurity, and gauge how the vendor is performing and how much you’re paying for their work. Looking for alternative vendors helps make sure things continue running smoothly when the unforeseen happens.
• Weekly Reviews of Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Ongoing Projects: Justin Carpenter of Jacksonville Maids runs his business by regularly reviewing schedules to ensure responsibilities are clear and no area is overlooked. He says, “By implementing detailed checklists, we maintain consistency, which helps in keeping the facility orderly and efficient. Regular inspections are key because they help us promptly address any problems and maintain a high standard.”

Tip 8: Conduct Regular Inspections and Preventative Maintenance Days

Now, to more hands-on work to make you feel on top of what’s happening on-site.

“Prevention Wednesdays” have been the most impactful change of Volynets’ team, she says, and help uphold high standards of service. This dedicated day is for the team to exclusively focus on preventative maintenance and security upgrades.

Kallel also says that a fixed schedule for routine HVAC maintenance and cybersecurity audits keep things on track. He says, “This strict adherence to schedules has saved me countless headaches when unexpected issues arise.”

James Heartquist, founder of Modern Property Solutions, says that regular property inspections are about more than just preventing problems, noting, “We believe maintaining organization not only boosts productivity but builds trust with our clients.”

Tip 9: Centralize Communications

Like developing a digital dashboard to oversee all of your systems, having a streamlined communications hub for large FM teams helps prevent crossed wires. Saini says that streamlining all FM communications into one system greatly improved communication between colleagues.

Or to keep it more lo-fi, Rowe says that his team uses regular cross-departmental meetings to ensure everyone stays aligned and reduces the chances of miscommunication when everyone understands their responsibilities.

Tip 10: Automate Routine Tasks and Predictive Maintenance

2025 is all about automation wherever possible, say many of the FM experts interviewed.

You can automate maintenance reminders easily within your calendar. But to really make your organizational systems work for you, analyze whatever data you have on your equipment usage and performance trends to predict breakdowns before they occur.

Saini estimates this strategy has enabled her to prevent 83% of equipment breakdowns and saved her business $230,000 in replacement costs last year.

Ramos uses building technology to monitor his operations’ energy consumption levels and security. Then, automation can use these data to build a routine maintenance schedule for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

Kallel adds, “I ask all my vendors from HVAC contractors to our cybersecurity firm to provide historical data on what we’ve purchased and scheduled. This gives me patterns to plan around and helps anticipate needs before they become urgent problems.”

The Bottom Line

Being an organized FM isn’t about adding more to your plate; it’s about designing systems that work with you, not against.

With better systems, clearer priorities, and smarter delegation, you’ll spend less time scrambling—and more time leading.

Ali Hickerson is a freelance journalist, content writer, and strategist based in Brooklyn, N.Y. Outside of Facilities Management Advisor, Ali’s recent bylines on health and workplace issues have crisscrossed the country and helped advocate for programs and policies that work to create a healthier, more humane, and equitable world.

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