Ideas

Ideas come and go all day long. Make a habit of writing down all your ideas as you think of them. You can revisit them later and screen out the bad ones.

First Things First

You have a long to-do list for the day. Where do you start?

Do the most important task first. Schedule and complete the most important task on your To Do list during the first 15 minutes of your work day. Not only will get the most important task done, but the feeling of accomplishment will set the tone for the rest of the day.

#1 Productivity Tip

If I could only give you one tip to help you be more productive, it would be...WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN.

Don’t rely on your memory. You run the risk of letting tasks and appointments fall through the cracks. The best way to never forget an appointment, a deadline or a detail again, is to write everything down.

Clear Your Desk and Brain, Too

An uncluttered desk frees your mind from distractions and keeps you focused on tasks that require immediate attention. Keep only the items on your desk that relate to your current project.

Your Peak Time

Are you alert in the mornings? Hit a second gear in the afternoons? Use your most productive time to do your most productive work.

No Such Thing as Miscellaneous

Be specific in labeling your file folders. Filing papers in vague folders labeled miscellaneous, future or stuff wastes time having to go through that folder each sheet of paper one by one. If the paper is important enough to file, it should be clearly categorized in your filing system.

Find Your Organizing Style

There are many different ways to be organized. Do what works for you. Some people like their papers filed out of sight, others need to have certain papers visible. Some like color-coding, others find it too much of a bother. Some people like to keep their calendar on a computer, some prefer a paper planner.

Are your employees very busy doing paperwork which is no longer necessary?

Questions to ask to answer this question:

Why are we collecting the data?
Where does the data go?
Who uses the information?
Even if we continue all or part of the process, what shortcuts can be taken?

Time, Money & Energy

Time: If you want to have enough time for the important things in life, you have two choices:

1. Use your time more efficiently.
2. Decrease the activities in your life that require the use of your time.

Energy: If you have adequate energy, you have two options:

1. Increase the activities that generate energy for you
2. Decrease the activities that drain your energy.

Money: If you want to have an adequate supply of money, you have two alternatives:

1. Make more money
2. Decrease things in your life that require money

How to Become Your Own Best Friend

If you want to be a better friend to yourself…

1. Stop the guilt trip. Guilt is nothing but judgment about something you should have done or should be doing. Either clean up your act, or become happy with your current decisions. Feeling guilty is a complete waste of time.

2. Be true to yourself. Don’t betray yourself by saying yes when you need to say no. Your attitude will improve because you will be taking responsibility instead of trying to be a people pleaser.

3. Respect others enough to make them pull their weight. Speak to them about the situation and explain where you need help. Be prepared to deal with excessive pouting on their part as they try to guilt you into reverting to old ways.

Be kind to yourself. You can’t give to others what you can’t give to yourself.

12 Things You Can Do While Talking on the Phone at Home

1. Polish your toes

2. Wrap a gift

3. Organize a shelf or cabinet

4. Set the table

5. Clear the table

6. Fold laundry

7. Clean our the fridge

8. Load the dishwasher

9. Empty the dishwasher

10. Clean out the junk drawer

11. Feed the dog

12. Organize coupons

How Not to be Late for Your Next Appointment

Leave time to get there. Leave yourself plenty of time to get to your
destination. Don’t underestimate traffic time or try to squeeze in a stop to the
bank or dry cleaners. Think in terms of when you need to leave in order to be
there on time, every time.

Be considerate. Squeaking into a meeting or event at the last minutes looks
unprofessional and insensitive to the host. Show courtesy to others by
respecting their time. If something unexpected does arise, call immediately to
let your party know you are running late.

Write down all appointments and meetings, the dates and time. Don’t
rely on your memory.

10 Tips to Work More Effectively at Your Desk

1. Handle each piece of paper only once, keep paperwork moving.

2. Remove all the papers from your desk you are not working on. This prevents lost or mixed up files.

3. Put limits on visits and phone calls, if you can.

4. Use your high productivity hours for your top priority projects.

5. Establish a place for everything and put it back in its place.

6. Concentrate on one task at a time.

7. Do not over schedule. Leave some time each day free from appointments.

8. Tackle time-consuming projects in stages.

9. Plan your day the last 15 minutes of the day before.

10. Write down your ideas.

Top 10 Reasons We Procrastinate

1. Fear of Failure
2. Feeling Overwhelmed
3. Avoidance
4. Low Self-Esteem
5. Undervaluing the Reward of Completion
6. Resentment
7. Low Priority
8. Perfectionism
9. Lazy
10. Lack of Commitment

11 Tips for Working More Effectively

1. Control interruptions. Limit visits and phone calls.
2. There are only three things you can do with a piece of paper. FAT - File it, Act on it or Toss it.
3. Keep only the project or papers you are working on out on your desk. Put away other files and papers.
4. Keep like items together and put everything back in its place.
5. Take breaks and relax every so often.
6. Doing one thing at a time will help you focus and get tasks done quicker.
7. Do not schedule 100% of your day. Leave at least 30% for interruptions.
8. Break projects into small, manageable tasks.
9. Do your most important tasks during your peak energy level time.
10. Determine your priorities before you start the day. Use the last 15 minutes of the day before to plan for tomorrow.
11. Write everything down. Appointments, ideas, phone numbers, people's names...everything.

Simplify: 7 Tips for Simplifying Your Life

A dear friend gave a lot of thought to a birthday gift for me last year. She knows that I don’t care much for gifts that create clutter so she gave me a metal sign in large, bold letters that spells “Simplify”. What a perfect gift for me! I had just the place to hang it in my office. It reminds me as I am writing and working on ideas for my organizing clients what organizing is about.

Here are 7 tips for simplifying your life:

1. Simplify your work day. Reduce interruptions and stay focused on the task at hand. Turn off your email and phone if you are working on an important project. Set aside routine time for business reading and for working on projects.

2. Simplify your desk. Clear your desk of unnecessary papers and knick-knacks. If you don’t use something on your desktop daily, put it in a drawer or on a bookshelf to free up your work space.

3. Simplify task completion. Focus on one task at a time instead of multi-tasking. One finished task is worth more than three unfinished ones.

4. Simplify your surroundings. Eliminate clutter. Clear out your closets, chests, pantry and cabinets. If you don’t use it, love it or need it – lose it!

5. Simplify cleaning. You can’t clean clutter. Simplify your cleaning by completely de-cluttering first. Cleaning becomes simple, easy and quick when you are not trying to clean around stuff.

6. Simplify your schedule. To keep your schedule simple, think twice before adding anything new. Before signing up for another activity or starting a new hobby, decide what you will give up in its place.

7. Simplify shopping. Avoid running out of staples and making last minute trips to the store by keeping an extra of regularly used items on hand. When you get the last of an item out of the pantry or cabinet, put it on your grocery list immediately to pick up next trip.

Saved By My To-Do List

Even organizers have "those days" once in a while. I had something on my mind yesterday and was stressing. I know better than to worry or let things I can't control bother me, but sometimes it just happens.

My to-do list saved me. Every evening before I CFB (close for business), I choose the things from my Master List that I want to get done the next day. That is my to-do list.

My Master List is a list of all my thoughts, ideas, tasks to be done, wants, needs...all the stuff rattling around in my head. I write it all down so I don't lose my thoughts and ideas or forget something important or even the small stuff.

As I mentioned, my to-do list is the things I want to accomplish that day. Yesterday, when my mind was elsewhere, I would lose focus, but my to-do list kept bringing my mind back to where I needed to be and helped me get back on track. I won't say it was my most productive day, but I did manage to get the most important tasks on the list done. As distracted as I was, the day would have been a complete waste without my to-do list.