Do You Love Your Stapler?

In my last post, we discussed how to evaluate your systems to find out if they are working for you, or if you need to make some adjustments.  One segment of that process is to evaluate your tools to find out if you like them.  While working with a coaching client a few weeks ago, I discovered how truly valuable and overlooked this piece of the process is.

While chatting with her about the folders she intended to use for her file system, she mentioned that she needed to find them, but she didn’t like them very much.  The statement that she didn’t like the folders immediately sent up a red flag.

Often when people are purchasing tools to support their systems or new organizing projects, they tend to buy whatever is readily available without really putting much thought into whether they actually like the tool or not.  For example, basic green hanging folders are widely available at office product stores, but you may not like the color.

When systems are set up with items like this, that aren’t very appealing to you, more than likely, you will not be very excited about using them.  As simple and maybe a little silly as this may seem, choosing tools that are aesthetically pleasing increases your chances of using them!

If you love beautiful office tools, try SeeJaneWork.com for aesthetically pleasing items.  I have developed quite a fan base for this site among my clients and audiences!  The larger chains have also introduced some items that are both functional and beautiful.  Remember that your tools need to be functional as well.  You don’t want to sacrifice function for beauty, but there are resources for finding tools that have the complete package!

So, as you are setting up new systems and looking at the tools you have chosen, ask yourself if you really love these items.  Do you enjoy looking at your files or stacking trays?  Do you really love that stapler you’re using?  Examining all these details and making adjustments where necessary will help to ensure that you are on your way to having a functional system that you love!

Happy Organizing!

Ellen

Paper Everywhere: Get Control over Paper Scraps

Imagine this scenario.  You begin checking your voice mail, hear an important message and grab the first piece of paper you find to jot down the messages.  Later, you remember that you need to return that call and can’t find that little piece of paper anywhere!  The same holds true for important ideas, contact information, and just about anything else you might write down.  The objective is to help you remember or to capture the information for future use, but when you really need that information, it’s impossible to find among the sea of other little pieces of paper you’ve written on.

It’s a common complaint among my clients.  There are little scraps of paper everywhere and they can never find the information they’ve written on these scraps when they need it.

Banish Scratch Paper

The solution has two parts.  The first is to get all of those little pads out of your office.  These pads are supposed to be “scratch” paper to jot things down.  The problem is that there is usually no system in place to keep those little scraps organized. For those of you struggling with paper organization, scratch paper is your enemy!  Remove all the little pads you’ve received at conferences or that your company has printed from your office.

Sticky notes pose a similar problem.  Sticky notes are excellent when used for their intended purpose which is to make notes on larger pieces of paper.  They can also be very effective for capturing ideas and information when there is a system for retrieving that information later.

For example, one of my clients uses sticky notes to capture ideas during brainstorming sessions.  She then uses one wall in her office as a canvas to capture and organize those ideas.  This is a great way to use sticky notes!  You could also do this for messages and other information as well.  What usually occurs is that stickies are used to capture voice mail messages and ideas and just end up stuck to unrelated notes or lost with other papers.

Choose Your Tools

Part 2 of the solution is to choose one method for capturing information and consistently use it.  There are two tools that I recommend to do this.  One is a voice mail log.  This is just a simple document with columns labeled Time/Date, Name/Phone Number, Message, Status, and rows which are blank for filling in.  Print out several copies of the voice mail log, staple together, and have this readily available when you are checking voice mail. Rather than writing voice mail messages on random pieces of paper, you now have one tool for capturing those messages.  I usually recommend that clients print these on brightly colored paper so they are easy to find.

The other tool I recommend is a simple notebook for capturing ideas and meeting notes.  In addition to all the little paper scraps, you may have lots of legal pads floating around half used.  This makes it difficult to locate notes and ideas when you really need them.  If you use only one notebook for all notes, you will only need to look in that one notebook when you are looking for something.

Find a notebook that you really like.  I use Russell & Hazel one subject notebooks and recommend them highly to my clients.  The covers are very sturdy and the paper is high quality.  Once you find a notebook that you really love, buy a few of them so that you will be prepared when you fill up the current one.  I date my notebooks and store them in case I do need to go back to one for any reason.

So, to get control over the paper scraps:

1)      Remove all the different types of paper pads from your office.

2)      Develop systems for capturing information and consistently use them.

Happy Organizing!

Ellen

Are Your Office Organizing Systems Working For You?

Each year getting organized and being more productive top the lists of New Year’s Resolutions.  It’s exciting to imagine your life without paper piles and clutter consuming your office.  And it certainly would feel great to accomplish your goals each day.  Time after time I hear the same complaint.  You started off great then something happened and the system fell apart.  Often people give up at this point calling their systems and themselves failures.

They key to getting organized is first and foremost not to give up after the first little mishap.  We all get overwhelmed, have a big project, or life circumstance that causes us to get off track.  Rather than give up just start again!  It’s really that easy.

Sometimes the systems that we try don’t really work for us and it’s important to be able to identify what went wrong.  Starting over with a system gives you the opportunity to really observe what the problem is and to make adjustments as necessary.  You may find that you really don’t like the folders you used to set up your action system.  Or maybe your desk isn’t set up in a functional way.  Look at your system with a critical eye rather than just throwing your hands up and declaring it a disaster!

Here are some things to look for when evaluating your system:

1)      Do I have all the tools I need?

2)      Do I like the tools I am using?

3)      Can I find the documents and files I need when I need them?

4)      Are things I use often readily available and accessible?

5)      Can I easily reset the system when needed?

Remember, systems only work when you use them!  Very few organizing systems work without some effort on the user’s part. Set up maintenance routines to be sure that you are keeping up with filing and other similar tasks.

What challenges do you face when trying to get organized or trying to keep up with your systems?

Will Your New Year’s Resolution Stick?

Each year getting organized and being more productive top the lists of New Year’s Resolutions.  It’s exciting to imagine your life without paper piles and clutter consuming your office.  And it certainly would feel great to accomplish your goals each day.  Time after time I hear the same complaint.  You started off great then something happened and the system fell apart.  Often people give up at this point calling their systems and themselves failures.

They key to getting organized is first and foremost not to give up after the first little mishap.  We all get overwhelmed, have a big project, or life circumstance that causes us to get off track.  Rather than give up just start again!  It’s really that easy.

Sometimes the systems that we try don’t really work for us and it’s important to be able to identify what went wrong.  Starting over with a system gives you the opportunity to really observe what the problem is and to make adjustments as necessary.  You may find that you really don’t like the folders you used to set up your action system.  Or maybe your desk isn’t set up in a functional way.  Look at your system with a critical eye rather than just throwing your hands up and declaring it a disaster!

Here are some things to look for when evaluating your system:

1)      Do I have all the tools I need?

2)      Do I like the tools I am using?

3)      Can I find the documents and files I need when I need them?

4)      Are things I use often readily available and accessible?

5)      Can I easily reset the system when needed?

Remember, systems only work when you use them!  Very few organizing systems work without some effort on the user’s part. Set up maintenance routines to be sure that you are keeping up with filing and other similar tasks.

If you would like to get 2010 and the new decade started off right and need a little help, I am offering a very special discount on my Conquer Chaos VIP Coaching Program.  The first 10 readers to sign up for two months of coaching will get a complimentary third month!  Visit www.anewleafpo.com/conquerchaosVIP to learn more about the program.  To take advantage of the complimentary month, enter the coupon code HOLIDAY at check out.

I would like to thank all of you for reaading and for supporting my business over the years.  I wish all of you a very Happy New Year!

Happy Organizing!

Is Your Electronic Information Out of Control?

Searching your computer for a proposal you wrote three months ago?  Or maybe you are looking for an email that you just know you sent to a client in June.  If your email and computer files aren’t organized, you could be losing a lot of precious time searching for your electronic information.

Think of electronic files just the same as ordinary paper files in a file cabinet.  A computer file system can be set up in the same way as paper files are set up.  Create folders and subfolders for the files and be consistent in your naming scheme.

When saving documents be sure to click “Save As” and then navigate your way to the appropriate folder for that document.  This will keep the document from going to that mysterious place that computers sometimes send our documents when we don’t specify exactly where we want them saved.

Put thought into naming your files and be descriptive.  Take advantage of the 255 character limit on file names.  Use descriptive words that will ensure you know what the file contains. Think about the different ways that you might think of the file the same as you would for physical files.  If you are saving a budget form, when you are looking for it again, what will you look for?

Think of all of the possibilities and name your file accordingly.  Taking this much time to think about it on the front end will also help to trigger your memory when looking for the file later.

If you don’t have time to create folders and move files around, your computer’s search tool can help.  Search features in newer versions of Windows are much more efficient than they have been in the past.  Tools like Google Desktop can also make finding documents on your computer faster and easier.

How to Stop Wasting Time Now

“Waste Time Faster.” This is a phrase on a billboard advertising high speed internet.  I laugh each time I see it, but it also makes me think about how much time we do waste on the internet.  Playing around online is just one of many activities we use to avoid getting things done.  Of course, the things we are avoiding are usually things that may be difficult or not so pleasant.

Avoidance behavior is a component of procrastination.  Some causes of procrastination are task related anxiety, fear of failure, perfectionism, and lack of knowledge.  When you think about that it’s no wonder we find such creative ways to avoid tackling those tasks.  Imagine that you have agreed to take on a new project at work.  You are pretty excited because you know that the success of this event will have a positive impact on your career.  Once the excitement wears off a little, you realize there are some pieces of this project that you aren’t quite sure how to get complete.  Each time you sit down to get started on the project, you feel overwhelmed or don’t really know where to begin.  So, what do you do?  Maybe you start some project related research on the internet.  Then you remember that you really wanted to check out the scores from Sunday’s football games.  Ladies,  your example might be a little different, but I think you know where I’m going with this.  As you check out the football scores, you see a link to a video of a spectacular play.  You proceed to watch the video and see some other videos that look interesting.  An hour later, you’ve caught up on all the football scores, watched some re-plays, and maybe a few hilarious videos of kids dancing to “booty” music.  It’s time for lunch so you head out the door having accomplished nothing related to the project.

Does that sound remotely familiar to anyone?  I will be the first to admit that I do this very thing when I am doing something new or something that might push me a little outside my comfort zone.  But we also use these techniques to avoid everyday tasks.  Here are three steps to help minimize your task avoidance time wasters.

Three steps to curbing avoidance behavior

1)      Awareness is the first step in changing any behavior.  If you recognized yourself in the example and you want to change this behavior, pay attention to what avoidance behaviors you are engaging.  Surfing the internet is just one form of avoidance behavior.  Some other examples are watching television, reading magazines, hallway conversations with colleagues, checking email.  To be clear, none of things is necessarily bad, but when used to avoid other, more important tasks, they will kill your productivity.  Identify your avoidance techniques.

2)      Minimize distractions. Once you have identified your avoidance behaviors, it’s important that you come up with strategies to reduce the likelihood that you will engage them.  My top two avoidance behaviors are checking email and internet surfing.  When I need to work on important project it’s best that I am in an environment where the internet is not available.  Or the connection is so slow that it’s annoying!  I have also discovered that I work best away from my home office and in a place with something pleasing to look at.  Those of us working from home have so many potential distractions. Laundry, dishes, kids, spouses, and pets.  It’s really helpful to find a place that allows you to concentrate.  So, what can you do to minimize your distractions?

3)      Get things done.  Finally, get it done!  Sometimes tasks seem a lot more difficult that they really are.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much you will get done when you minimize your distractions and truly focus on the task at hand.

I hope this information helps you to get more done this week!  Remember that the objective is not to cram your life with “things to do”, but to get things done in less time so that you can spend more time enjoying your life!

I’ve got 2000 emails in my inbox….now what?!?

When email takes over it’s sometimes a little difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  When you have hundreds or thousands of emails in your inbox, where do you begin to take control? Some issues that add to the stress are that you may not be sure if there is something important in all that old email that has been accumulating.  You may not have any system in place for filing away important information that you need to keep.  You may be reacting to email alerts every couple of minutes as they come into your inbox.

The first step is to decide what you are trying to accomplish by organizing your email and developing a new system.  For example, I try to keep my inbox as empty as possible.  At the moment I have 9 emails in my inbox, all of which require detailed thought and response.  What do you want to see when you open up your email program?

One of the best ways to cut back on the number of new emails you’re receiving is to stop them from coming in the first place.  Are you receiving notices from organizations you are no longer interested?  Are you receiving newsletters that you don’t have the time to read?  Ask to be removed from these lists.  Another area to examine is email coming from co-workers or colleagues that you may not need to receive.  If you consistently get reports that you don’t need to get, ask to be taken off the distribution list.  If you are being copied regularly on correspondence that you have no interest in or have no involvement with, again, ask to be removed from the distribution of that information.

Over the next few months I will share various ideas and tools that you can use to make email more manageable.  I would also like to hear from you about what challenges you are facing with email.  Send an email to me or post a comment.  

Happy Organizing!

Getting Organized Takes Too Much Time

I was on a conference call today with a client. We recently implemented a piece of software to help with task management. He was feeling very frustrated because he felt that it was taking too long to get his tasks organized into the system.This happens often when people begin the organizing process. Whether they are organizing tasks or paper, it always seems that the process takes a little longer than they had hoped. When you factor in years of piling papers and avoiding tasks it’s no wonder it might take a while to get all of that straightened out.

Getting an organizing system set up takes time, but the payoff is that you will be able to work smarter, find things when you need them, and put them away when you are done. Remember the payoff…when you are finished sifting through the papers or tasks or stuff in the attic you will probably not have to do such an extensive organizing job again. If you set up the organizing system, the work will go faster even if you do fall off the wagon a few times.

Unfortunately, this is a barrier to people starting the organizing process in the first place. They think that they don’t have time to get organized. Let’s imagine what you might be able to do if you invested a few hours in organizing your office….you can find files the moment you need them…You can easily handle disruptions and distractions…You know exactly where things are and can find them in a snap!