Category: Taking Care of Business

Less Searching, More TIme, Less Dirt, More Focus? Must be Clean Off Your Computer Day!

Today is “Clean Off Your Computer Day”, designated by savvy IT people to clean old files off your computer – Embrace it!  I am a PC user, and not familiar with Mac, but some suggestions are universal, so read on for ideas to make your system work better for you!

Here are my suggestions:

  1. Grab a note book.  These types of projects generate a lot of other to-do items.
  2. Clean up your actual computer:
    1. Turn off and unplug (if possible) everything.
    2. Locate and wipe off your computer’s fan(s).  My IT guy says this very important step is often neglected, and skipping it can hamper computer performance.  Keep your computer area de-cluttered to maintain good airflow.
    3. Grab your can of compressed air, and blow out your keyboard.  It’s amazing (and disgusting) what lands in there.
    4. Since everything is turned OFF, with an ALMOST DRY antibacterial wipe, wipe down your keyboard and mouse. I said ALMOST DRY, so if you do this wrong and screw up your electronics, I have 100s of witnesses who read “ALMOST DRY” and who know I am not responsible.  Let everything dry completely.
    5. With a DRY and clean microfiber cloth, wipe off your screen.
    6. Since the compressed air is going to blow stuff around, use a slightly wetter wipe and wipe down your work area.  It’s typically a very germy place.
  3. I often get asked:  HOW DO I WIPE AN OLD COMPUTER SO I CAN RECYCLE IT?
    1. Every computer is different, so run a google search on “How do I remove the hard drive from xxxxxxxxxxx (brand and type of computer)”.  You will receive an instant answer involving a screwdriver and about 20 minutes of your time, and perhaps even links to you-tube videos to walk you through the process.
    2. Once the hard drive is removed, google E-Waste recycling in your area and get rid of the old computers, monitors and printers.  Many towns have permanent drop sites for such things as old computers and printers, TVs and almost anything else with a cord.
  4. Storage:  Back up, back up, back up.  External hard drive or cloud, take your pick.  This will be a blog for another day.  Just know you should be backing up your computer.
  5. Manage Your Hard Drive Better:
    1. Operating systems are getting cleverer with their search capabilities, but you can still save time by setting up your system better now to find things later.
    2. When you search for something, sort documents in your hard drive in reverse chronological order, all the time.  Click on the “Date modified” column on your Documents Library page until your most recently used documents are listed at the top.
    3. DO NOT just have one large folder with everything in it.  Just thinking about that idea makes me cringe.  A single cluttered directory makes finding anything very frustrating.
    4. Use Naming Conventions and subdirectories when you save your folders and documents.  For example, my business subdirectory contains a folder called “Presentations”.  Within that folder, I have subfolders for each type of presentation I give (so, Time Management, Kitchen and Menu Planning, Paper Management, etc.).  Within those folders, I have the actual presentation notes, but also the Handouts associated with the presentation, all starting with HO plus the presentation name, so I know which is which.  I use similar rules for naming other things, too, to quickly find files when I need them.
    5. My IT guy saves his documents first to large folders per Application.  For example, he has both a C:Excel and C:Word folder.  He suggests this strategy helps him find things faster.  Within those very broad “type” names, he then breaks down his files into categories.
    6. My saving method is categorical.  For example, I volunteer with Cub Scouts, Choir and Baptismal Prep Ministry.  Each of these important-to-me categories has its own sub-folder in my main drive, with a folder for each year or project, again to help me find my files quickly.

My clean-out-your-computer day activity may be deleting any documents more than 2 years old, or within category folders if those categories no longer pertinent (for example, “completed clients from 2012 and before”, etc.).  Clearing computer clutter will help you save time and focus more clearly.  What will your clean-out your-computer day activity look like?

Little Pieces: Paper Management to Fix My Dinner Dilemma

To sum up the article you are about to read:Image

  1. Create paper management systems that work for you, and look at them critically once in a while to make sure they are still working;
  2. Regular maintenance is key to the success of any system;
  3. Binders are a great way to store papers that you plan to use again;
  4. Look critically at your practices regularly, and be open and willing to change; and
  5. Imagine different ways that new technology can make your life easier or solve a problem

Some of you may stop there, and that’s fine.  But read on for the rest of the story….

It’s almost 2014.  And my personal resolutions revolve around healthier eating for my family, and getting fit.  So I admit to you, instead of writing my blog, I really want to clean up / clear out my recipe binder. My recipe binder project is a study in good paper management

There are a few motivators working here:

  • I just placed a 3 month order for my awesome nutritional supplements (Reliv, ask me about them!)
  • I also just signed up for a “Figure Friendly Freezer Meal Party” in January
  • I need to menu plan for the next two weeks now that we’re done traveling and hosting parties
    I plowed through my reading pile over the weekend while traveling, and have a pile of new recipes
  • I have a backlog of recipes to try

I read a couple of magazines regularly, pulling out the recipes to use later.  There seems to be so much promise, so much hope and happiness in those shiny pictures in a magazine.  Years ago, I created a binder to keep my favorite recipes close at hand.  My binder is separated into categories that work for me and my family – favorites, appetizers, main dishes, baking, sides and salads.  When I collect recipes from my magazines, I tuck them in the front pocket of the binder.  When I feel like trying something new, I pick one out and we try it.  If my family likes it, I’ll file it in the right category area.  If they don’t, I’ll toss it.  I have purged the occasional cook book, too, when I go back to it for only one recipe repeatedly.  I’ll tear the page out or make a copy in my printer, and purge the cookbook.

So here are the problems I am facing:

  • The front pocket has gotten very full, and I have more to add.
  • There are recipes that have been in the pocket for months and even years, and I have yet to try them.  Which means they no longer appeal to me, and probably never will.
  • I am turning over a new, healthier leaf and many of the backlog recipes don’t fit that vision.
  • I sometimes collect recipes on-line now.

So, this evening or tomorrow, I will spend an hour and

  1. Re-file all the favorites that we’ve pulled out over the holidays (recipes for our favorite holiday cookie recipes, sugared walnuts, and a lovely sauce for our Christmas roast
  2. Grab a sheet protector, put two new soup recipes we’ve tried and loved into it, and add it to the binder.
  3. Look very critically at this weekend’s new pile and the handful of recipes in the front pocket, and ask myself some questions.  Such as:  Is it just too complicated?  Does it contain ingredients I can not pronounce or easily find at my regular grocery stores?  Will my family turn up their collective noses?  Is it healthy?  Do I already have a recipe that is very similar?  Can I find the recipe again on-line?
  4. Start “collecting” more recipes on-line, bookmarking the pages and adding a link to my menu plan spreadsheet so I can find the recipe again when I need it.  An article I read suggested using Evernote (which I love!!) to catalog and organize recipes, too.

What can you spend an hour on this week, a small project, that will reap big rewards?  Imagine, and get to it!  Happy New Year!

Stay Productive When All The World Is a Distraction!

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This time of year, do you struggle to maintain focus in the midst of all the holiday hustle, bustle and hype?  I know I do.  After a busy family weekend of volunteering, parties and activities, I sat down Monday morning at my desk already tired, and opened my in-boxes to hundreds of email.  Gah!  I fought the temptation to run and hide, but it got me thinking about how to Stay Productive and On Task When all the World Seems Like a Distraction!

So here are some tips to help us all out:

1.  Clear the clutter in your work space.  Spend 10 minutes and file your filing, tidy your resources, clear the trash, wash your coffee mug (and swap it out for a holiday themed one).  Take a few deep breaths and enjoy your cleared space. Then get back to work.

2.  Clear the clutter in your in-box.  Ruthlessly delete emails. A tip from my paper management classes that applies to email, too:  Catalogs and email advertisements are sent with the specific intention of making you buy stuff.  If you don’t want to shop right now, delete the emails.  Or put them in a folder to open later, and put “Review sale emails” on your to-do list with a date and time and time allotment attached (give it 10 or 15 minutes, then move on).

3.  Decorate your work space, but just a little. For safety sake, no candles.  And for health sake, no candy jar or food-scented anything (it will just make you hungry)!  I have a single lovely large decoration hanging in my window.  I bought it from a crafty friend, and it is the extent of my decorations around my desk.  Remember, any decorations you put out now will be clutter in 4 weeks.

Saying this again, for the people in the back:
Remember, any decorations you put out now will be clutter in 3 weeks!

4.  Clear the clutter in your calendar and on your to-do list.  I started the day with a dozen quick and easy tasks on my work to-do list – send invoices, follow-up with emails / schedule a client for Wednesday, etc. (and I deleted over 200 emails accumulated over the weekend in my personal and business email accounts).  Whew!

5.  Employ hard stops.  We all know when an event will start, but we don’t always know when it will / should end.  A friend opened her home to a group of us over the weekend, and served us a lovely meal.  It was wonderful.  And then we all packed up and left 2 hours after we started, so she could get to her next event.  She gave us a hard stop, a specific end time, before we began and we tried to stick to it.  We should employ hard stops all year ‘round, but especially when time and productivity are at a premium.

6.  Don’t get distracted.  Check in many, many times a day / hour / minute to make sure you are on-task and doing what you actually intended to do today, and not mindlessly browsing the internet, watching tear-jerking videos on Facebook, or chatting too long with a friend at the grocery store (a little while was awesome, though, catching up with a friend in the produce section).  Compartmentalize, and set timers if you must.

7.  Multitask.  Put the cookies in the oven, then write your blog (oh, maybe that’s just me – molasses cookies with white chocolate kisses right now).  I don’t often recommend multitasking, but sometimes we must.   Run errands on your commute, use your time well.  I have taken to checking my email remotely on my phone so I know how to order my tasks when I get home.

8.  Set professional goals, even though you’re busy with other things.  Keep your professional focus, and make one or two more goals for this month, to give you some accountability and keep you on track.

9.  Start the January list.  What are important work tasks that need to be completed, but can wait until January?  OR personal tasks, as well? Expectations are high enough this time of year without adding unnecessary stress.  Look at that to-do list and ask yourself if anything can wait for a few weeks, or months! , and then schedule those tasks for January.   And, I know I always say this, but leave notes for future you when you think of something!  For example, we loaded up the car to drive home from MI on Thanksgiving night, and my son opened up an app on his phone and said – Notes?!  (He gets me.) Notes for next year like less mashed potatoes, less dressing, more games, more beverages, etc.

I hope this helps you clear some brain and life clutter and maintain focus on your professional goals this time of year.  Merry Christmas!  Now get back to business!

Healthy Time Management: 10 tips in 5 Minutes or Less

breakfast2The Holidays are a wonderful time of year!  Unless you come down with a cold or flu, and then you’re miserable, regardless of the decorations and parties.  Your best time management would be to not get sick or rundown this time of year, right?!

I worked with a very wise client today – one of the first goals she mentioned is “making time for self care around the holidays”.  Awesome!!!

Make room in your schedule for these healthy habits.  Use your time better, be organized and less stressed, feel and live better.

  1. Drink a large glass of ice-cold water every morning when you wake up, to stay hydrated and boost your metabolism.
  2. Make a habit (maybe buy a pill sorter?) to regularly take your medications and supplements – with breakfast?  Dinner?  At bedtime?  Just make the habit.
  3. Clean out your briefcase, stand straighter and travel lighter.  Clean out the backpack, handbag, etc.  Pare down to what you really need.
  4. Strapped for time in the morning?  Grab a healthy and portable breakfast, like an apple and granola bar, on your way out the door.
  5. Pack your lunch – saves money, saves time, is much healthier!
  6. Every week, grab an antibacterial wipe and wipe down your computer area, keyboard, desk phone and cell phone.  And if you or people around you are sick, do it every day!
  7. Grab your calendar, and make your medical appointments for your annual physical and screenings, and twice annual dental visit.
  8. Take the stairs / park farther from the door
  9. Floss.
  10. Go to bed.  Early.  You know you want to, so just go to bed!  You’ll feel better, be more productive and more positive tomorrow!

Use your time better, feel better, live better – Enjoy!

5 Tips for the Wake Up / Clean Up / Eat Up / Get Out Process!

I recently read this blog article, “20 Unproductive Habits You Should Let Go“, and this was #10:

“#10:  Not having structure.  You don’t need to set a rigid schedule for yourself, Sergeant Crazy! Creating a general morning and evening routine will give you creative pillars to depend on so you can take more risks throughout the day.”

I l-o-v-e this statement. – imagine, general morning and evening routines give us a base for operating more fearlessly throughout the day.  Awesome!

There once was a teenager who abandoned her routine on days off.  Sleeping late, eating irregularly, not showering or getting ready as usual.  Sounds pleasant enough, until sleeping and eating late caused migraines, and not-getting-ready meant that she couldn’t be spontaneous or on time when she made plans with friends.

We can see the trouble so easily with the teenager, but fast-forward this scene to adulthood.  We all know, and may even occasionally be, the late sleeper, irregular eater, unwashed masses or non-routine person, which is fine once in a while.  But most days require us to get up and moving.  And a little planning can make morning time and anytime flow smoothly, providing both strength and structure, and flexibility and creativity.

Here are some tools and tips to make the wake up / clean up / eat up / get out process go better.

  1. Make it your Own.  Wake up early and do yoga or write.  Wring every ounce of sleep from your pillow and sleep late.  I won’t judge.  But if you tend to sleep late, minimize your shower routine, lay out your clothes the night before, and grab granola bars and apples for a portable breakfast.  Don’t let me tell you what to do, do what you want.  Just plan ahead.
  1. If you’re in charge, Focus!  Eyes on the goal, Mom or Dad!  The Goal for the Morning Routine is  getting everyone to school / work prepared and on time! I get up and shower by 6, so everyone else can stick with their routines.  But early morning focus and motivation are often lacking!  So I have to look past my pillow, or my IPad for email and Facebook, or my work and to-do list, or even the novel I was reading in bed last night.  Some mornings require lots of internal reminders and hard-won discipline, but I must keep my eyes on the goal to get us where we need to be when we need to be there.
  1. Make it a Team Effort: Whenever I present to parents, I encourage a team approach and asking for collaboration from children when establishing morning routines.  We all want to feel that our opinion matters, and that we have control over our situation.  Set the examples, and discuss what needs to happen and how.
  1. Keep it Simple. It may sound counterintuitive, but if you are maxed out, keep morning chores to a minimum and just cover the basics.  I have a bad habit of loading too many things into my morning: juggling wake up times with drop off times, fitting in writing and emails and billing and scheduling around drop-offs, drop-ins, laundry and spelling words occasionally makes me me crazy.  So I try to limit my work tasks before 8:30 to bare essentials.  As a self-employed business owner with a non-traditional schedule, that’s a challenge, but I try!
  2. Slack off occasionally, but still stick with routine:  Even on days off, I still get up early, shower and get ready.  So when the little guy asked to get donuts at 7:15, the answer was yes!  We could have fun and be flexible over a box of munchkins and a bagel because we had stuck to our routines.

So, rise and shine, give your morning routine some thought and Get Going!!  Have a great day!

Scared of your Late Afternoon? Conquer the Witching Hour!

witch hatAround our house, we call the 3pm to dinner-time span the Witching Hour.  I find that time of day the most challenging.  At work, my energy and focus lag in the late afternoon.  At home, the kids arrive home from school hungry, and tired but wired.

We struggle to strike a balance between: warm, welcoming and relaxing; and the business of our lives, dinner, homework and getting back out the door for evening activities.

So, if you find the late afternoon a challenge, too, here are some ideas to make it a little less evil….

  1. Take a moment or two when your energy starts to lag, and refocus your brain and energy.  Assess what you still need to accomplish today, clear out brain clutter, and recommit to getting your tasks done.
  2. If you need a break, take a walk, grab an ice-cold glass of water, and take a few moments of calm.  At work and at home, everyone around you will benefit from a calmer, more-focused you.
  3. Lay out tasty treats.  I was inspired by this after a party, when the kids re-plated on a serving dish veggies and dip, and crackers and cheese after school.  It takes no time to chop some fruit and add a couple of sliced hardboiled eggs and crackers.  I have been trying to reach those recommended 5-9 servings of fruits / veggies a day, and this could help!
  4. Banish the TV and any other screens unless they’re used for homework. For example, computers and IPads for homework purposes are fine, but not for play until the homework is done.  And if the homework is done quickly, send them outside for some exercise or to the family room for some Wii action!
  5. Put your family to work.  Kids of every age can help make dinner, set and clear the table, take out the trash or put laundry away.
  6. Encourage independence and organized habits.  Have hooks available for everyone (kids and adults, too!!) to hang jackets, accessories and backpacks, and make it a habit.
  7. Remember the homework basket (http://colleencpo.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/an-organized-work-space-for-student-success/)?  Keep a basket at hand with the supplies your children need for completing their homework.
  8. Collect papers and process all at once.  Pile today’s mail, the contents of my briefcase, any papers that came home from school, etc.  Then open the mail, recycle/ shred / purge anything you don’t need, file papers you want to keep, and act on the papers that need completion.

A word here…. As I wrote up these ideas, it occurs to me that all of these ideas are good for all of us, adults and children alike.  Take a breather, refocus, eat a healthy snack, banish the TV, help each other, encourage independent and organized habits. Good for all of us, all the time!

I hope these ideas help you with your Witching Hour, too.  Try one or two this week, and let me know how it goes!

Ways to Find Ideas, Keep Them and Act on Them!

Ideas are everywhere, wherever inspiration strikes! But, how do we save them?  And then use them?

What is an idea?  Dictionary.com says “a thought, conception, or notion.”  To me, ideas are more than just random thoughts, they’re sparks of inspiration.  A thought can become a task on your to-do list (ooh, remember to buy milk, order that gift, or make that phone call), but an idea seems bigger than that, like the term the “big idea”.  So bigger than a thought, grander than a task.  An IDEA.

Ideas for what, you ask? 

Anything!  Everything!  That is the great part!  We just have to be open, aware and seeking those sparks of inspiration.   What are you looking for?  Vacation ideas?  New business ventures?  Adventures?  Hobbies?   Better and different ways to deal with challenges or people?

Where are these ideas? 

I have come to realize that big ideas are rarely in my office, or waiting on my laptop.  To generate new ideas, I require new stimuli and information, or a different way of viewing things.  You can’t force creative ideas to come, but you can invite them.  For me, Ideas come to me when my mind is relaxed:  In the shower; as I drift to off to sleep; very typically in the car; or in my reading pile.  A few months ago, they were at the Museum with me and my kids.  My six year-old niece says they’re under the table.

So, if you are looking for ideas or solutions, go where the ideas are.  And if you are looking for new insight, go some place new, read something new or hang out with different people or in different places.

I have plenty of ideas.  For me the challenge is not finding them, it’s keeping them and then acting on them.  So, first things first –

  1. As an idea comes to you, Filter It.  You may come up with a great idea, but is it really something YOU need to act on?  The construction idea that comes to someone who is not a builder.  The song lyrics that occur to someone who is not a musician.   The hot and tropical vacation idea that looks beautiful in pictures, but then I remember I really hate to be hot. (!!)   I am not suggesting you abandon your big ideas, just determine if they are ideas You need to act on, or perhaps you can stick with your strengths, and Pass on the ideas to someone else.
  2. Make a Habit:  Write it down.  I get very frustrated when an idea disappears Aqua Notesbecause I didn’t write it down.  In positive terms, Writing down an idea makes that idea more likely to become an action.  Give your self opportunities everywhere and anywhere to capture your ideas.  I have pen and paper in the car, beside my bed, and even in the shower (thanks again, Steph and Lauren, for my Aqua Notes, seen here).
  3. Make a habit: Capture ideas technologically.  If you find inspiration on-line, there are all sorts of ways to capture those ideas, too: I have a “Pin It” button in my toolbar for posting images to Pinterest. and I can add gift ideas to my Amazon universal shopping list via another toolbar button on my Toolbar.  You can also save ideas to your Facebook timeline, or bookmark a website page for later.  Just set up your bookmarks with categories, to file the ideas for later.
  4. Make a Habit: Keep Lists, files or bookmark categories for different types JKs post it Ideasof ideas. Then make sure the new ideas get there.  These lists or categories could be “home improvements”, “recipes”, “restaurants”, “self-improvement”, “cub scout craft ideas”, etc.  Corral your ideas (like the colorful pile of post-its used by my friend Jan, seen here), and then disseminate them to their most useful list / destination.  And if the idea is a really great idea, or perhaps a time specific one (a seasonal weekend destination that’s available for only a few more weeks), add the action steps to your to-do list.   If it is a new restaurant to try, make a Date and go!
  5. Make a habit:  Review your Ideas periodically.  Once a week / month / year?  Make a habit of reviewing and prioritizing your ideas.  Pick an idea or two that is most important to you right now, and add the next action steps for that idea to your to-do list for today or this week.  It is October now, and the holidays are on the horizon, with all the Big Ideas that go along, so “Look at November and December Travel schedule” just went on my to-do list.

So, what are your Big Ideas?!  Make habits now to Find, Keep and Act On Your Ideas!

Prioritize Your Tasks And Get Them Done!

Our Daily To-Do lists can overwhelm us, so it is important to Prioritize our tasks.  We juggle many responsibilities, each with it’s own set of to-do’s.   To avoid planning more 001that we can actually, feasibly accomplish in one day, here are a couple of tools that I employ –

  1. Put the Three Things that absolutely have to get done today at the top of your list.  At many times during the day,  I stop and ask “Is that what I really want / need to be doing at this moment?”  (preempting mindless email checking or web surfing!).
  2. Spend 5 minutes, and move non-essential tasks to    a different day’s list.   Divvy up your to-do’s into:
    1. Today
    2. This week
    3. Next week
    4. Someday
  3. Time allotments.  Once you have today’s To-Do list, allot time estimates for tasks.  This helps me plan my work flow and determine if I can really get through everything.
    1. Time allotments let me decide how long to dedicate to a task.  I could easily spend all day writing my blog, but there are lots of other things that need done, too. I block out a couple of hours to get it done well, then I move onto something else.  Conversely, some tasks really only take 5 minutes.  So get them done!
    2. If the time allotment for a task is just too big, break the task into smaller pieces.  For example, re-vamping my website is a time-consuming task.  But this week, I can complete the first couple of steps, “Review site and determine what stays / goes”, and “check out links recommended for templates / hosting”.
  4. Put your tasks in order of intended completion.  Order them as you like:
    1. Shortest to longest.  Complete the quick and easy tasks first, to motivate yourself and clear the way for the more time-consuming tasks.
    2. Order of importance: Get the Three Things done first, so you are sure they get       done.
    3. Work for others first, and then yourself.  If you have timely work that matters to others, complete those tasks first so the other people can get started on their tasks.
    4. Prioritizing to the Revenue Line (from Julie Morgenstern).  I own a business, and businesses are supposed to make money.  I can order my day based on income – make the bank deposit, complete the client hours, teach the class, book more client appointments and classes, etc.  When all of those are complete, THEN I can look at non-essential tasks like website research.
  5. Stop wasting time and energy on Avoidance and Dread.  Pick a day, Man Up (I have sons) and do the 2 or 3 noisome tasks you’ve been avoiding.  Allot the time, set a timer, get them done, then move on.  “Avoiding something” is still an action, and drains our energy.  Just do it.
  6. Be Kind to Yourself.  I will not vaguely suggest you “Should make time for You”, because being told that just irks me.  But add a few things to your daily To-Dos that are kind to You, that give you strength to complete your tasks.  The top of my To-Do list every day reads “Proverbs 14:15 says, ‘A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.”.  Also at the top is a list of tasks I complete  every day to live a better life.   They’re habits, but I like the reminders: “Take vitamins”, “exercise”, “read Scripture”, my household tasks for my home hour, etc.

So, the next time the Daily To-Do List gets a little out of hand, try one of these ideas to help you focus in and Prioritize what you really need to do today!

“Cleanse Your Power Center”: I organized my office, not my chakras.

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work shelf photoI received an email last week entitled “Cleanse Your Power Center”.

I thought “Great idea!  My ‘power center’ sounds like my office, and it does need cleansing.”  Upon actually reading the article, I realized the writer had a more spiritual intention, and I was supposed to be cleansing my chakras.  I organized my office instead. My chakras will have to wait.  And for the record, I did the deep breathing recommended while reviewing papers!

A few years ago, I had a work space custom-built, including a flat work space, a shelf above my work space and closed cabinets above the shelf, and 3 drawers for supplies and things.  I also have a file cabinet, though after this weekend only ¾ of one drawer contains files.

So how to get started?  Set aside a few hours and focus on your space.  As with any project, focus your efforts on small spaces to start.  Attacking the office all at once can feel overwhelming!  And imagine if I tear apart my office and then have to stop organizing to go somewhere or do Work – I’m left with a torn-up mess and no place to work.

1.  Start with the Easy Stuff.  I removed a small table because it just collects stuff.  I took out the trash and recycling, emptied the shredder and took some old electronics to the car to be recycled this week.  Whew, better already!

2.  Organize Your Horizontal Work Space.  Your office will look better immediately!  I intentionally built a not-too-big work space.  I don’t store papers on it, and I am dedicated to putting stuff away at the end of every day.  The work space is  comfortable, well-lit, welcoming (to me), and typically clear.  This is actually the easiest place for me to start, requiring 5 minutes to clean out pens, clear off my bulletin board, and wipe everything down.  My Power Center is looking cleansed!

3.  Tackle Valuable and Visible Storage Space.  This is where you should store really important, active papers.  Perhaps this is on your desk top.  In my office, it’s the shelf above my desk.  The items on it are physical reminders of projects and responsibilities I need to tend to.  It is literally and figuratively Work hanging over my work space and head.  If it starts to look overcrowded, I start to feel stress!  So maintaining a clean and streamlined appearance on the shelf helps me feel positive and motivated about work!  In addition, this shelf is visible to everyone walking by, so it’s important that it looks nice.  This shelf, too, needed just a little work.  I cleared out my reading pile, re-labeled some items, and set aside a few binders that hold in-active materials.

4.  Tackle Valuable but Closed Storage Space next, like the cabinets above my desk. I cleared out old books (donate pile), obsolete organizing and tech products and manuals (recycle!), and Cub Scout resources that I can store in our scout storage room at our program location.  Clearing out just these three types of materials opened up space for the binders of in-active materials from the open shelf.

5. Drawers:  I took a quick glance through my drawers next, but they, too, are pretty tidy.  Mostly, I dumped some old marketing materials and more dead electronics, and cleared some space.   It’s easy to waste lots of energy organizing these little spaces, so don’t fall into that trap.  Spend just a little time on the desk drawers and supplies, then move on.

6. Files:  My last stop was my File Cabinet.  I am slowly moving towards a paperless      office, but I am not there yet!  And my challenge, just like everyone else, is finding the time for maintenance.  I file papers in my files, expecting to refer back to them some day.  But I rarely do go back to them, and there they sit.  I cleared out almost every paper that was more than 2 years old, and re-titled files to find important stuff more quickly.  I even went the extra step, grabbed my label maker and made all the tabs consistent and snazzy.

For a couple of hours of work, my “Power Center” is “cleansed”, my office runs more smoothly and feels better, and the ideas are flowing freely.  I feel better, and I’m pretty sure the “power center” article writer would approve.  What one or two ideas can you take from this article to work on your office this week? Let me know!

Boost Summer Productivity with Tech and Routines

my portable office

my portable office

My sons are home with me this week since school has ended for the summer and activities are just starting up.  And while I really like my family, they are quite fabulous, the schedule changes and having them home with me in my office threaten my professional and personal productivity.

The lure is strong, to ditch my computer and take everyone out to lunch, or go on an adventure, or curl up on the couch and watch movies with them.  Also, the interruptions increase, which is a small price to pay for being with my family, but again, those interruptions damage my focus and make simple tasks take way too long, or not get done at all.

So….. what is a working parent to do? A dear client last week suggested that I get a desk that folds out of my van, so I can work anywhere.  I like the image of folding out a desk, but I already can work from anywhere, thanks to cool technological tools.  Here are some of my ideas, maybe they will work for you, too!

  1. Know what is in your in-box.  I have been making a conscious decision to check my work email on my smart phone while I am leaving a client appointment or meeting, instead of waiting to get home.  This may seem like another distraction, but I actually find it beneficial to my focus, deleting unneeded messages right away and spending some of my commute time mentally preparing for the work waiting for me when I get home.
  2. Make your office portable.  I take my IPad everywhere.  I can write up client notes and send them right away, instead of having to wait to get home to compose, edit and send the notes. I also added duplicate apps to my IPhone and IPad, like WordPress for managing my blog, Paypal for invoicing clients, and Evernote for sharing documents among all my devices.  We traveled this past weekend and I took just the IPad instead of my laptop.  I had everything I needed for work and for fun (downloaded movies and my Kindle App) right at my fingertips.
  3. Make it easy to manage and receive your money.  I have been using Paypal a lot lately for my client billing, which shortens the wait between completing client hours and payment – awesome!
  4. Go Paperless.  I cancelled my PO box in May, which may seem trivial to you, but for me it is huge!  I’ve had that PO box since I started my business!  However, steadily over the last 12 months, I have moved my correspondence to strictly on-line so that I could let go of the PO box, with its added expense and maintenance.  In addition, I receive some monthly publications on my IPad now, instead of in print.  My office is not yet Paperless, a goal for 2013, but I am one step closer.
  5. Share the calendar.  I am slowly warming up to the idea of sharing our family calendar online, through google calendars or a similar platform.  I figure summer is the time to decide, before the school schedules start up again in August.

Routines:

  1. Get up early.  I am still getting up before 6 am.  I heard a quote recently, something about how you never hear about the hero of the story sleeping in and taking it easy!  So, I get up and enjoy a very productive 60-90 minutes before my boys get up.
  2. Shave your head (or not!!).  I shaved my head back in March for a fundraiser, and it has taught me a lot (a blog for another day).  It seems extreme, I know, and I am NOT recommending that anyone should shave their head just to save time in the morning, but it is remarkable how much time this change has opened up!  Are there parts of your daily routines that you can streamline for summer?
  3. Maintain your focus.  I am so grateful for my accountability partner, especially right now.  Most summers, I struggle to get even the basics done some day.  With the focus that comes from accountability, I feel I am still moving forward on professional goals despite the summer urge to slack!.

So, what will you try this week to streamline your work and increase your productivity this summer?  Give one of these ideas a try, or share one of your own, I would love to hear it!