8 posts tagged “organizational tips”
If you happen to use a computer-based scheduler (like outlook) for your calendar, a lot of them have a handy section called something like 'category' or 'label'. By categorizing each entry and/or labelling it a different colour it helps your organize a little tighter.
As an example, if you have a 'category' for blogging time, and you click that each time you enter your time block on your schedule, you can later do a 'search' for 'blog' and determine exactly how much time you spent on that task. This is ideal for people who charge by the hour -- IF they remember to put their times in the scheduler as they do them. I use this to track my time for Greystone Retreat. At the end of each month, I do a search for 'greystone' and, voila!, there are my total hours for billing. It's very handy once you catch on to it. My personal penalty for not bothering to put things on the scheduler -- simple -- I lose that income. Since that is painful in my wallet, I pay better attention to tracking my time. This method of tracking can also be useful if there is a discrepancy with when and how you spent your time down the road for whatever reason.
The label feature is handy if you're like me and are a visual person. Each broad category can be assigned a different colour; they are editable. That way, when you are entering your item and category, you simply click on a 'label' at the same time ... it takes less than 1 second. Now, when you glance at your day's schedule (once you get used to your colour scheme), you can spot instantly what you either are supposed to do or have done, depending on how you work your scheduler (in advance planning, or fill in as completed).
To organization...
Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach
When I mentioned the big question that I knew was on the way in my last post, was it perhaps something along the line of: “What about all the emails I don’t get to each day? What about all the emails I have never gotten to over the past week … past month … past year(s)? What about the emails I would read IF I only had time?”
There are really only two choices:
You haven’t gotten to them yet … the odds are not in your favour that you will get to them any time in the near future. The chances of magically developing more hours in your day to read them are close to nil … unless, of course, you are actually implementing your baby steps to success. Then – there is hope. But, it is only a small pinpoint on a very distant horizon at this time.
It’s harsh to say it, but I will. If you haven’t read a business email that arrived in the last week, you have lost an opportunity and it isn’t likely to reappear … although, if the potential client is really patient they might give you the benefit of the doubt it you contact them TODAY. If it’s been a month or more on business emails – give up – you’re toast on any opportunity that might have been there. No one will wait that long for your response.
The best and correct response here is to definitely DELETE all emails over a year old.
You haven’t opened them, you have no idea what they are about, they are wasting important space in your mailbox and they are useless at this point.
I know, I know.
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You can’t bear to delete them –- you must know what you missed –- you feel guilty -- you’re one of those people who can’t throw out paper too, aren’t you?
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Fine. For you … make a little folder that says “unread emails 2007” (also 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. Yes, I know you’ve been hoarding). By the way, are your income taxes up to date?
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Click ‘sort by date’; select all the emails you want to file in the folder and drag and drop them there now. Make a separate folder for each year (or whatever category you choose).
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Do them all at one time. Get it over with. It will waste an hour or two (well, maybe a day or two) but it will be done.
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You may as well sing a little good-bye song to them while you’re at it. I bet you $10 you’ll never open that folder again.
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But, if it makes you happy to file them … file away. At least you’re practicing filing which is, of itself, a baby step to success.
This year, when you book your vacation through the road warrior, choose a pleasant location that has wifi service; take your trusty little laptop along with you and spend your entire vacation looking through all the emails from previous years that you never had time to look at. There … doesn’t that sound like fun? It would be wise to take your vacation alone too since, if you follow through on this, it is highly likely all your future vacations will be alone. Not even April, the romance coach, will be able to help you out of this one.
To purging (in a good way) …
Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor and Success Coach
Baby Steps to Success
Yesterday we discussed how to save a lot of time and energy while increasing efficiency by simply allowing the answering machine to take your calls and answering them at scheduled times. I realize that not everyone is in a position to do this depending on the type of business they are in. Remember, you can apply the concept to your personal life as well.
So, to the next black hole in your time management dilemma …
The wonderful and evil email inbox.
Start by only looking at your emails at specific times during the day. 3 to 4 times is likely enough for most people at work … when you arrive, after a break, after lunch and after afternoon break, about ½ hour before you leave. Not taking breaks? Tssk. Tssk. We’ll get to that another day.
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Have a scheduled time(s) blocked off to check email. Within that time:
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First, do a quick scan for emails you are waiting for.
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Respond quickly and efficiently to those. If they need research or more work, respond and say you have received the email are looking for the details and will send them asap.
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Delete all items that appear to be junk that were not caught by your spam filter. Don’t be tempted to open and read them. You’ll be sorry … they’ll waste time and could mess up your system which will waste even more time.
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Do a quick check through what is left (the delete should have narrowed them down to a manageable amount) and send short responses to them.
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Try not to get tempted into clicking on embedded links within emails unless they are work related. All of a sudden, you’ll look up and an hour (or more) will be missing from your day. The internet has a way of sucking you in, not unlike the Bermuda triangle.
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Do not get involved in answering personal emails at work – you’ll automatically respond at an emotional level increasing stress and decreasing efficiency. This starts a cycle of panic because now you are behind on your work that has a deadline. Personal emails should be kept that way – personal and not on work time.
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When your scheduled time block is up, you know that the important emails are looked after so you will be less stressed. The rest can wait until your next scheduled check-in time when you repeat the routine starting with completing items you promised to send out in the previous time block, followed by important and expected emails as a priority.
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Repeat as often as you need depending on your particular situation.
I already know the big question that’s on the way but I’m not going there today.
To your efficiency….
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success
Everyone has been ahead of me this week on organizational ideas. No doubt everyone is already incorporating this little time-saver idea into their working hours (it also works well for personal time) but I thought I would mention it just in case.
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Allow your message service to take ALL your calls (unless you are expecting a call at a specific time and/or are to be on a conference call).
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Then choose two or three times a day in a defined timeframe to pickup messages and return the calls.
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Prioritize the calls before doing any.
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Keep your callbacks short, to-the-point and on schedule.
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When your timeframe is up, do not call anyone else. Wait for the next call back timeframe.
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Repeat the sequence.
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Return all calls within a 12 hour window – it is bad business etiquette to take longer than that.
I know it’s difficult in the beginning and it takes practice but once you catch on to it, you’ll be surprised how much more efficient you become.
To your success…
Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor and Success Coach
Congratulations! Many of you are already very organized with your keys. This is excellent as most people I know are not.
Now, since you’re putting your keys in a specific spot when you enter your home, today I offer another suggestion.
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Put a little open jar or container that is decorative and not see-through right next to where your keys are.
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As soon as you get in the door at home, unload all your coins into that jar.
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Every day, every time, when you get in the door.
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Do NOT peek into the jar … that’s the reason it is not see-through. It will help avoid you ‘stealing’ from yourself to buy your coffee in the morning when you leave for work. Take from it even once and you’ve set yourself up to do it again … and again … it will ruin the whole point of the exercise.
On a specific day (such as the first day of the month; first Sunday of the month; last day of the month; 15th … whatever you choose), empty the jar and roll up the coins. Put them in a safe place somewhere else in the house (like a shoebox on a shelf in the back of your neatly organized closet) for now. You can buy bags of coin rollers at the dollar store for pennies each. Whatever you do, do NOT take your coins to a grocery store and put them into one of those machines that ‘cashes’ you out. You may not be aware of it, but if you read the fine print, the machine keeps a portion of your money – around here it is 10%! Ludicrous! On the other hand, being lazy deserves a penalty.
At the end of the year (or, if you’re always short of money around Christmas to buy gifts, do it then), go and get your stash of cash. Take it to the bank (this is why you rolled the coins. There is a rule on what amount of coin is considered to be ‘legal tender’ – generally one coin less than fits in a roll for that coin is the legal tender … example: $9.75 in quarters is acceptable, but not $10 or more … good luck trying to pass off a lot of coinage, most stores are not interested) and deposit it in your savings account. You will be amazed at how much money you have ‘saved’ over the course of the year. Now, the only decision is to choose what you want to do with it – I would suggest you treat yourself with a portion of it and invest the rest. It’s your life and your money, enjoy it as you see fit.
Want an idea of how much this could be, without you having to do any math? From now until December 31, there are approximately 270 days. Say you put in an average of $1.50 a day in the coin jar – you’ll have just over $400 by year end. We could all use that! Remember the old adage “a penny saved is a penny earned”. In Canada, we are fortunate in that we have $1 and $2 coins and they sure add up quickly!
Happy savings!
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Financial Success
Do you know exactly, this instant, where your house and car keys are? If you do not have an IMMEDIATE ‘yes’ answer, today’s tip will be very useful to you.
Upon arriving home, place your car and house keys in the same location EVERY time you enter. The location should be convenient and accessible on the way in and the way back out. If you are left handed, keep it somewhere on your left; if right-handed, on your right. A decorative tray or bowl on a side table is a perfect location. It should be shallow so you can scoop out the keys on the run out the door.
If, for some unknown reason, you leave your keys in your car … I would suggest you rethink that. Why make it easier for anyone to help themselves to your vehicle. It can really ruin your day when you go to leave for work in the morning and discover that your car is missing.
When you get out of your car, always put your keys in either the same pocket (mine are always in my right coat pocket or zippered front pocket of my purse) or a specific spot in your briefcase or purse. That way, when you need them later … tadah! … there they are, right where they belong. If they are not there, you lost them and you are about to waste yet more time in your life while you search for them.
In a short time, by always placing keys in the same location, you will no longer have to be concerned whether or not you know where your keys are … you will have more time in your day for important things rather than scurrying around hunting for them yet again … life will be just a baby step easier that it was. Develop the habit and it will become second nature very easily.
To more time in your day…
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success
Did you go through the entire stack of stuff yesterday?
If yes:
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Set the timer for 15 minutes.
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Go to the ‘give away’ pile.
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Put it all in a box or a bag.
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Label it ‘give away’.
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Stop.
Go to the ‘discard’ pile
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Go through it, quickly categorizing into garbage, recycle bin, shredder.
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Take the garbage to the garbage bin.
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Take the recycling to the recycling bins and sort.
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Shred all the paper if you have time. If you don’t have a shredder yet, put all the paper in a bin to be shredded along with the stuff you will find in the next area.
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Skip to “CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS” below…
If no:
Repeat yesterday. Keep repeating until your answer is ‘yes’. Then do the ‘yes’ list.
When the timer buzzes, stop right where you are and walk away.
Repeat until that area is completed.
CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS! (If you don’t have a shredder, this is a perfect excuse to ‘gift’ yourself one).
Now … move on to another area. Keep the areas very small so you are guaranteed success. Choose to do this every other day, 5 days a week, once a week – whatever schedule works for you right now. After a while, you will enjoy the feeling of success so much you will actually want to do 15 minutes of cleanup every day.
You can do it!
As you could well imagine, this blog entry could go on for years…
Today, we want to start dealing with ‘clutter’. If your home is generally cluttered and/or chaotic, you would do well to spend some time working on decluttering and organizing it. After all, chaos begets chaos (I think it breeds in the night when the lights are off!)
Because this task is so overwhelming to most people, it never gets started. Therefore, it keeps growing into a larger and more formidable foe not to be reasoned with and, eventually, not to be approached at any cost. This is such a serious problem there are even television series based on it!
This task requires itsy bitsy baby steps – baby steps to success are far too large here!
Choose a very small area (to build your confidence and your likelihood of success) to work on today. A ‘junk drawer’ or one corner of your desk or one stack of junk on your kitchen counter are good starting points.
Choose a time when you will least likely be interrupted and during your perky time of day (this is not a task to attempt right before bed).
Set a timer for 15 minutes.
This is an important step … set the timer.
RULES: You may not leave the area. No answering the phone. No lame excuses like washroom or smoke break (I’m sure you’ll make it for 15 minutes) or other procrastinating techniques.
Now … get to work … you only have 15 minutes. Get moving!
Pick up each item individually and quickly put it in one of three piles:
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Keep
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Give away
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Discard (no recycle, garbage, shred categories – just one pile for now). That’s it. There are only three categories – no subcategories allowed.
Quick decisions are required here. No mulling it over, thinking if you might need it in the future, reading or getting sidetracked in any way.
When the timer buzzes, you STOP.
Do nothing else.
Stop.
Leave the area.
Walk away.
No, do not come back.
You are not allowed back until tomorrow.
Tomorrow, we’ll meet again…
Until then,
