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Telesummit Series: Fire Up Your Biz-Enrich Your Life!

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Our friend, Stephanie Calahan has pulled together some amazing, giving experts and together they are going to share all!

Visit Fire Up Your Biz – Enrich Your Life! to get signed up for free. You can attend one session or all of them!

As an entrepreneur you need to confidently take your business to the next level… if you’re not, you may be going nowhere fast… In fact if you are like 95% of business owners, you are already there…in the area of a million ideas and nothing getting done. Fire Up Your Biz – Enrich Your Life was created to help you weed through all of that. Say “YES” to getting the right systems and processes in place so that your business can thrive. Say “YES” to getting your message out in a big way and you’re ideal clients say yes to investing in themselves and get great results because they worked with you. Say YES to weeding out all the distractions, fears and other things holding you back so that your business can take root and deliver back to you the benefits that you want from it! The sessions are free and value packed. Sign up today to Fire Up Your Biz – Enrich Your Life!

If you’re like many business owners, you know a ton of stuff about the field you’re in. You’re a hard worker. You have tried a number of things to manage your time, space and information, but systems and processes just don’t stick.

Why is it when it comes to staying focused and getting things done, you feel like a failure? It’s not true, of course, but it can feel that way.

As entrepreneurs, we can be fun, dynamic, creative, inventive, expansive thinkers, out-of-the-box thinkers, quick-think-on-your-feet thinkers, adaptable, sensitive, and frequently have above-average intelligence.

We can also experience what can seem like odd paradoxes in behavior:

- Easily distracted one day and hyper focused the next
- Unaware of details one day and compulsive about details the next
- Assertive and demanding one day and then passive the next
- Amazingly forgetful sometimes and memory for the most minute detail the next
- Very unorganized in some aspects of life but extremely organized with elaborate systems in another aspect.
- Desiring structure but rebelling against it or abandoning structure
- Risk taker that can be stopped by endless “what-if”scenarios
- Even an Outgoing Introvert

“You can’t get there alone. In fact, you can’t get very far at all.”
~ Keith Ferrazzi – author of Never Eat Alone

Does that feel familiar? If so, I invite you to join Stephanie and the expert line-up to Fire Up Your Biz – Enrich Your Life!

Get focused and TAKE ACTION!

Do you wish you had a business consultant right by your side helping you make the hundreds of critical decisions that you are faced with daily? Have you looked at other successful business owners and wondered how they were able to figure it out? Now you can find out!

We’re going to share all of the secrets that you need to get your business — and your life — on track. Get the benefit of advice, brainstorms and business shortcuts from global business consultants/coaches, who are bringing their ‘best game’ to the table.

FireUpBiz Session Titles, Experts and Scheduled Dates

Here are the 20 confirmed sessions, but there are more in the works!
NOTE: dates/times subject to change. Please register to receive updates on changes.

Depressing Desks and Psychic Debris: Cleaning up the Work Space by De-cluttering the Head Trash
(Regina Lark – https://www.facebook.com/AClearPath – 01/18 @ 11AM CST)

Cluttered minds and cluttered closets weigh us down, thwart productivity, and make it difficult to move forward with ease and a sense of clarity. Negative thinking blocks the light of positivity, and overwhelmed spaces block us from the simplistic life. The clutter and chaos of this “psychic debris” often reflects the clutter and chaos of our living spaces, but just how do we clear the debris? Join me in listening in to Regina Lark and Stephanie Calahan present Depressing Desks and Psychic Debris: Cleaning up the Work Space by De-cluttering the Head Trash.

Unlock the Secret to Achieving Your Profit Goals
(Nicole Fende http://www.facebook.com/smallbizfinance 01/19 @ 11AM CST)

Join Numbers Whisperer Nicole Fende, and her trusty companion Fluffy the Finance Feline, for a session that is sure to super charge your profits. You will learn a simple exercise that uses only 4 numbers to boost your bottom line. Stephanie Calahan will be talking with Nicole as she shares the same strategies she uses for her profit coaching clients to help them reach multi-platinum profits.

Mindset Matters: Secrets to a Powerful Mindset
(Des Gray http://www.facebook.com/DesGrayMindWorks 01/19 @ 7PM CST)

Behind every achievement, every action, every communication and every stress point – there hides a mindset. If you want to get more, do more and ‘be more’ – you need to know what’s under the hood, and more importantly, how to drive it. Des Gray and Stephanie Calahan will help you discover insights that will open new doors and opportunities.

We’ve Got To Stop Meeting Like This: How to Run Meetings that Actually Get Things Done
(Debbie Rosemont http://www.facebook.com/simplyplaced 01/25 @ 11AM CST)

Meetings are a critical activity yet people complain that meeting are boring, unproductive and a waste of time and money. Time, energy and money invested are too valuable to waste. Listen in on this session as Stephanie Calahan talks with Debbie Rosemont to discuss how to eradicate bad meeting habits and replace them with good!

Get the Right Support for Your Business, Inside and Out
(Marcia Hoeck 01/26 @ 11AM CST)

In order to be excellent at the things you and only you can do, you need the right support from people, both inside and outside your company. It’s difficult going out and slaying the dragons every day, and without the right people around you, it will be a lot harder. Join Marcia Hock and Stephanie Calahan as they uncover how to get the right team in place and make them thrilled to thrill you.

Get Time and Tasks Managed Quickly
(Michelle Panzlaff http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tidy-Tiger-Solutions/104767006250472 01/26 @ 7PM CST)

Do you have a pile of to-dos on your desk? Will one more sticky note completely cover your monitor? Mastering how to get things done without guilt and without costly rework is critical to moving your business forward. Join Stephanie Calahan as she talks with Michelle Panzlaff to learn how.

Conquering Your Fear with a Knockout Punch
(Dr. Shannon Reece http://facebook.com/drshannonreecefans 02/1 @ 11AM CST)

To succeed in the competitive world of business you must learn the right skills to combat the enemy within. The truth is that everyone experiences fear. Knowing how to deal with it, and defeat it is the difference between average and excellence in business. Discover how to change your fear from a liability into an asset. Stephanie Calahan will be talking with Dr. Shannon Reece to help you uncover and eliminate the fears that are holding you back.

The 3 Surprising Keys that Open the Door to Small Business Abundance
(Andrea Feinberg http://www.facebook.com/andrea.feinberg 02/02 11AM CST)

A recent survey of 3000 small business owners revealed a shocker: 91% believe the dream life they imagined when they first started in business will never be real. Well, it can be but it takes a massive rejection of the conventional route to business success. In this conversation, long-time business owner and coach to business owners Andrea Feinberg will talk with Stephanie Calahan and share 3 critical mind sets that must be in place if you want a business that runs like a well-oiled machine, whether you’re there or not, and allows you to focus on building all your tomorrows; this is life on your terms.

A Busy Family’s Guide to Getting Organized So You Can Live Your Best Life and Still Enjoy Your Family
(Ellen Delap http://EllenDelapProfessionalOrganizer 02/02 7PM CST)

It’s 5pm… no dinner on the stove but laundry is in the living room and your kids are nowhere to be seen! Join Certified Professional Organizer and Certified Family Manager Coach Ellen Delap as she is interviewed by Stephanie Calahan to learn how to pull it all together: your family, your time and the rest of the stuff too!

From Procrastination to DONE!
(Carrie Greene http://facebook.com/carriethru 02/08 11AM CST)

95% of the population is prone to procrastination AND 25% are chronic procrastinators. Procrastination is more than just annoying. Procrastination leads to loss of money, time and energy. Procrastination leads to overwhelm and stress. It’s time to stop putting off till tomorrow what you can get paid for today! Listen as Stephanie Calahan talks with Carrie Greene on how to go from procrastination to done!

5 Keys to Social Media Success: Do it Right, Stop Wasting Time and Get Results!
(Janet Slack http://facebook.com/solopreneurbiz 02/09 11AM CST)

Social media is the most powerful new marketing tool in decades and you owe it to your business to have a true understanding of how it works. It’s time to get down to the nitty gritty on social media and find out how to use it effectively to grow your business. There are lots of myths and misconceptions about social media marketing and it is time to learn exactly what works and what doesn’t. Learn what you need to do BEFORE you begin and how to maximize your use of your time on the sites. Whether you are using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Google+, you’ll want to join Stephanie Calahan and Janet Slack as Janet shares tried and true ideas on how to leverage these hugely powerful tools to benefit your business. You won’t want to miss this session – we are going straight to the heart of the matter – with a focus on specific strategies to make you successful.

How to Overcome your Mental Money Barriers, and Break Free to Success
(Georgina Sweeney 02/09 7PM CST)

Join Stephanie Calahan as she talks with Georgina Sweeney about How to Overcome your Mental Money Barriers, and Break Free to Success. In Georgina’s exciting breakthrough session, not only will you learn new ways of thinking that you can apply immediately in your business to achieve greater success, you’ll also experience mindset shifts right on the call! Georgina will share the strategies and exact same thinking that she used to take her business from nearly standstill to over $100,000 in less than four months – without a website, a list or even business cards! This and more awaits you!

Networking for Success
(Heather Townsend http://www.facebook.com/theefficiencycoach 02/15 11AM CST)

The strength of your network can literally mean the difference between success and failure. Get your networking right and the business will start pouring in. Get it wrong and it just becomes a demoralising time-consuming activity. The rules of the networking game have been changed by the social networking – have you adapted your networking strategy to harness the power of on-line AND offline networking? In this session, Stephanie Calahan will talk with Heather Townsend as she explains how she managed to grow a six figure business (and secure a lucrative book deal in the process), by building a powerful network – without any prior sales or marketing experience.

Top Tech Tools for Busy Business Owners
(Brandie Kajino http://www.facebook.com/bkajino 02/15 7PM CST)

So many choices! If you are like me, you know you need tools in order to get the important things done in your business. Too many choices, not sure how to decide and fearful of choosing the wrong tool? It can be a bit frustrating and overwhelming! Join Stephanie Calahan as she “gets the goods” from Brandie Kajino talking about Top Tech Tools for Busy Business Owners. Feel empowered by the new technology rather than confused & feeling like pulling your hair out! Don’t miss the 10 essential tools you might not be able to live without!

Conquer Email Overload
(Stephanie Shalofsky http://www.facebook.com/organizingzone 02/16 11AM CST)

How often have you started your day by checking email only to find that two hours later you are still checking email? It’s time to take charge of your email so that you’ll have more time in your day. Stephanie Calahan will be talking with Stephanie Shalofsky to uncover the juicy details of email management. By the end of this session you will have a list of email strategies and tips that you can start applying immediately.

Passion Management: How to Juggle/Prioritize all of the Passions We Have
(Lisa Montanaro http://www.facebook.com/LMOrganizingSolutions 02/16 7PM CST)

Do you have more than one passion and get overwhelmed with trying to decide which to do and which to implement? In this session Stephanie Calahan and Lisa Montanaro will take a look at “Passion Management” and how to manage all of the passions that you want to tackle in your business and life.

Five Secrets to Streamline Your Work Flow
(Miriam Ortiz y Pino http://www.facebook.com/morethanorganized 02/22 11AM CST)

Listen in as Stephanie Calahan interviews Miriam Ortiz y Pino about the Five Secrets to Streamline Your Work Flow. Discover how to clear space to create and support for your ideas to flourish, so you feel energized and essential. Learn why workflows increase the appraised value of your business and how to save over 6 weeks a year, so that you can do those things you have been putting off.

When Life Interferes: Making it through Life’s Transitions as a Business Owner
(Sue West https://www.facebook.com/SueWestOrganizingCoach 02/23 11AM CST)

Changes interrupt life. Big life changes need our attention, yet so does our business. Join Stephanie Calahan as she and Sue West, Certified Organizer Coach® discuss time strategies, work strategies and home management strategies to get you through the life change.

TiME Strategies for the Busy Entrepreneur
(Allyson Lewis http://www.facebook.com/AllysonLewis.SevenMinutes 02/23 7PM CST)

TiME™ STRATEGIES for the Busy Entrepreneur offers proven concrete steps for prioritizing, organizing and simplifying your work in today’s over stimulated and interrupted life. This interactive session with Stephanie Calahan and Allyson Lewis provides an extensive step-by-step program with strategies for achieving results in today’s work place by offering the fundamentals for radical change.

Solopreneur Motivation Secrets: Create the Work Environment and Results You Want
(Elaine Quinn http://www.facebook.com/pages/No-Place-Like-Working-From-Home/196504717026980? 02/29 11AM CST)

Working from home isn’t for everybody. There are unique challenges that face almost all solopreneurs. Among the most uncomfortable are the lack of structure, systems and support. However, with a little mindset adjustment it’s possible to stay motivated and productive. Join Stephanie Calahan as she talks with Elaine Quin about Soloprener Motivation Secrets: Create the Work Environment and Results You Want.

Tags: Declutter, life balance, mindset, Organize, Organized, success, time management, work space
Posted in Stephanie Calahan | No Comments »

Overwhelmed? Use the 3-Folder Sorting Technique

Monday, December 21st, 2009

This article by Meggin McIntosh is a great method to get your document management filing system back to order. If you have piles of paper files stacked up, use this method to get you back on track. Then go from there using The Paper Tiger Document Management and Filing System Software to stay on track … and don’t go back to ‘overwhelmed’!

Use the 3-Folder Sorting Technique
By Meggin McIntosh

You know perfectly well when the overwhelm is present in your life. It shows on your desk, in your piles of to-do’s, in your in-box, and in your brain. Here are the symptoms:

Your desk is covered.

Your in-box is full.

You get things out of your in-box or tickler file and shuffle through them, and then put them right back where they came from – with no action being taken, whatsoever.
You feel stressed, frantic, and sometimes almost paralyzed by not knowing where to start or what to do.

This, of course, leads to even less productivity – and more overwhelm. I want to share an idea that I discovered for MY OWN USE when I was paralyzed in this way (and I still use it on occasion). I hope it helps you, too.

The 3 Folders

When I’m overwhelmed (and engaging in the behaviors in the list above), I get out my 3 special folders. You can label your folders any way you want, but these are the three I have labeled and use:

Red folder: Today/This Week
Yellow folder: Current Month
Blue folder: Whenever/If Ever

These three categories are ones that seem to be helpful when I need to do a rough ‘sort’ (vs. a refined sort). They are meant to provide some sense of order and control over what is feeling completely out-of-control and disorderly.

When It’s Time to Use the 3 Folders, Here’s How

The 3-folders strategy is not for everyday use…it is for for times when it feels like you are in an emergency state. Here’s how to implement the strategy, when needed:

Clear off the top of your desk or credenza so that you have a place to lay out three separate piles (categories).

Place the red (today/this week), yellow (current month), and blue (whenever/if ever) folders in the space you have cleared.

Pick up the first pile of things that represent your to-do’s and start sorting. You can actually sort quickly because you are in a crisis and so you KNOW you have to make tough decisions.

ONLY put something in the red (today/this week) folder if there are serious consequences if it doesn’t get done. If you jam everything back into that folder, you haven’t helped yourself at all – and you’re not in touch with reality, either.

Keep sorting through whatever it is that is stressing you out – folders, papers, brochures, or anything else that feels like it has an ‘action’ attached.

Once you are finished, put the piles into their respective folders. Put the yellow and blue folders away (off your desk).

Take what is in the red folder out and get started. You’ve identified what is in there as needing to be done today, tomorrow, or this week (however it is you think about it). So get going. These are your top items and you don’t need to be working on – or even looking at – anything else.

I find that I have an incredible sense of purpose and relief once I’ve prepared the red folder and tend to be able to work with a fair amount of speed and focus. It feels great!

You Want to Have These Folders Ready When You Need Them

The first time I created these folders, I was already in a melt-down mode and luckily, since my office resembles an office supply store, I was able to rustle up what I needed. You may not have what you need, so I recommend that you take steps now to be ready…just in case.

Go to your favorite office supply store or just order online. My preference is to use the 5 1/2 inch expandable file folders (vs. a flimsy and small regular folder) – and you can buy packets of 5 different colors at Office Depot.

Once you get your folders, label them with three separate words or phrases, similar to what I use or come up with your own categories.

If you’re in a melt-down and need them now, then put them to use. If you are doing just fine, then put these 3 folders away, knowing that you might need them someday. You’ll be so happy to have them prepared and ready for you…next time you need them.

And if you know the paralysis that sometimes comes when you are completely overwhelmed and you’re seeking ways to be ‘just whelmed,’ then I hope you’ll take advantage of the free weekly suggestions and ideas I send out to those (worldwide) who belong to the ‘just whelmed’ group. Just go to
**I Want to Be Just Whelmed (http://www.JustWhelmed.com)

If you would prefer quick, short weekly tips, then the following site is another place to find suggestions and other tools to support you in your quest for peaceful productivity (free):
**Top Ten Productivity Tips (http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com)

(c) 2009 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh changes what people know, feel, dream, and do. Sound interesting? It is!

Article Source: Meggin McIntosh

Use the 3-File Folder Sorting Technique

Tags: Document Management, document management software, Organize, Organized, paper filing systems, Productivity
Posted in Meggin McIntosh | No Comments »

Consolidated Files Work Well with an Indexing Document Management System

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Whatever your document management issues, Paper Tiger Document Management and Filing System Software is the ideal solution to help you control the paper flow in your company.

Some businesses have so many files that they must consolidate at times. They may have rules that state that files can be moved to basement storage periodically, to an offsite location, storage shed, or a corporate storage location. When this happens, how do you handle the filing on those still important, yet archived, files? Let’s consider…

1. Basement Storage

Whether you store your files in a file room, unused office, or a basement storage room, you need to keep track of them with your filing system. Some people may think you can’t use an indexing system with archived files, but that’s far from the truth.

Document management via an indexing system makes more sense now than ever because your files are farther away from your “regular” office space. This means you’d have to go further to find the files you need, which of course takes more time and creates added expense.

When you index archived files in remote storage areas, you’ll be able to search the Paper Tiger database to find where the file is located, then go right to the location, pull the file, and be able to get back to work with the file in hand. Then you can quickly return the file to the same location when finished.

An indexing system handles the information required so you know which files are in the basement or other storage area compared to the file room. There’ll never be confusion as to where a file is located with an indexing document management system.

2. Offsite Storage Location

Offsite storage locations can be different than other storage areas. The main reason being you don’t have the ability to easily browse where your files are in those storage facilities. Using indexing to manage your documents stored in an offsite location, you can manage these files the same way as any others. Note the location of the files, add keywords to help you index them and file as needed. The hardest task then will be beating the traffic in your drive to find a file.

3. Storage Shed or Unit

Some businesses use storage units either on location or within a locked gate at a different facility. With this type of storage, you’ll want to use shelves so archived file boxes aren’t directly on the floor. Shelves will protect the files and still allow you to use your indexing file system easily.

For best results, mark each shelf so you’ll know specifically where boxes are located. You can, of course, use file cabinets, but you might not want to purchase new cabinets when you move files to archived storage. Metal shelves will work just fine while still allowing you easy access to your documents.

4. Corporate Storage Location

At times when corporations have small divisional offices, they may not have the room to store archived files, and they don’t want to send them to an offsite storage location. In this case, those files may be sent to the corporate office for safekeeping.

When this happens you can use the same indexing system you’re currently using, even though the files aren’t in the same location. You manage it the same way you would with any other offsite storage location. Simply note the location, the box number and keywords in your index file and you’re good to go. Document retrieval is a cinch, regardless of where your files are stored.

One advantage with corporate storage is that you will typically be able to contact someone in the corporate office and ask them to send you any files you need without you having to make a trip to the office. With another offsite storage location, that wouldn’t work, of course.

At times businesses may run into storage problems and will need to move files around to accommodate space or a change in facilities. Using an indexing system for your document management needs will make this an easy transition and still allow you needed access to your files.

Whatever method you use to archive files, be sure and use the Action Date function in Paper Tiger to remind you when these archived files need to be pulled and destroyed based on your company’s records retention policy. If you don’t already have a records retention policy, see our ‘Retention Guidelines: How long should you keep records?‘ articles that might be helpful to you.

Try Paper Tiger Document Management and Filing System Software today and see for yourself!

Tags: document management software, filing software, how to archive paper files, Organized, paper filing systems, records retention, what to do with paper files
Posted in Document Management | No Comments »

Controlling the Chaos: 8 tips for organizing a small-office

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

This article gives us 8 tips for organizing a small real estate office (the tips are applicable for many small offices) and controlling the chaos. The article deals with getting organized, managing clutter and setting up a paper filing system or document management system, using The Paper Tiger software. You can read below a short portion of the article and then click on the link to read the entire article. See The Paper Tiger Document Management and Filing System software mentioned under “Let your computer help”.

********************

REALTOR® ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE

Controlling the Chaos: 8 tips for organizing A small-office

Any association executive who oversees a single-person office will tell you that organization is key to keeping dozens of duties and tasks in order. Yet for many executives, being the sole staffer can lead to serious lapses in organization, unchecked clutter, and unique filing systems. Although everyone is disorganized in their own distinctive fashion, here are some general tips for bringing order to small office chaos.

Read the full version of the article by clicking here.

Tags: Document Management, Organized, paper filing systems
Posted in Get Organized | No Comments »

Instructions for decluttering your home

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

Use these Instructions for decluttering your home and use The Paper Tiger filing system software to keep track of your documents and many other things you decide to keep!
Instructions for decluttering your home
by Alex Fayle (in less than 500 words)
taken from unclutterer.com

Again we want to welcome guest author Alex Fayle, the writer behind the helpful anti-procrastination website Someday Syndrome.

One of the most frequent questions I ever get asked about organizing is the process. How do you make the decisions to get rid of things? While there are many tips and tricks you can use to ease the streamlining process, it all comes down to 5 easy steps:

1. Set yourself a goal “I am going to sort half this room before bed” or “I’m going to streamline the contents of this one box.”

2. Figure out broad categories and where you are going sort each category into.

3. Sort your stuff, moving systemically through the space, and not bouncing back and forth.

4. Purge what you don’t want.

5. Stop when you’ve reached your goal.
Use the sorting time to reminisce about the objects — don’t make any decisions at this point. Allow the emotions to come up and clear themselves out so that when it comes to the streamlining stage you are free from the emotional ties and can make more objective decisions about them.

If the idea of sorting overwhelms you, give yourself some early victories and do a walk-through of the space, choosing to remove a few large things that will open up the space quickly.

After sorting:

* Take one category and if you can, move it out of the space in which you are working, and into a clear space (like the dining room). This allows you to concentrate on the one category and not have to face the rest all at once.

* Ask yourself two questions: Need it? Love it? If you can’t say yes to either then get rid of it. Life is too short to fill out our spaces with things we’re indifferent to.

* Take the things you are not going to keep out of the house as quickly as possible. The longer they stay the more likely they will come back into the house.

* Give yourself rewards – for example out of fifty childhood books you’ve never reread but have kept for sentimental reasons, keep five and store them in a place of honor where you can see them and appreciate the memories associated with them.

There are two instances in which you stop for the day even if you are not done:

1. If you find yourself hitting a “brain fog” where nothing makes sense or you find yourself holding on to everything you are reviewing.

2. If you have hit a manic state and start tossing everything without looking at it.
Simple, yes? So now tell us, what are you going to streamline this week?

Posted by Alex on February 17, 2009

Tags: Document Management, Organized, Productivity
Posted in Alex Fayle, Declutter, Productivity | No Comments »

Take the Pulse on Your Productivity – How is the ‘Health’ of Your Organization?

Monday, October 19th, 2009

By Meggin McIntosh

Take your pulse right now – and then answer these questions:

Is it racing?
Is your pulse rapid?
Do you have a steady pulse?
Can you even find your pulse?
Now, let’s think about the pulse of your productivity. Ask and answer these questions:

Is it racing?
Is your pulse rapid?
Do you have a steady pulse?
Can you even find your pulse?
If you are in business (or really, in any other type of profession), you need to periodically take the pulse on our productivity and the overall health of your organization.

Seven key areas to take your productivity pulse are:

people,
physical arrangements,
paper,
planning,
projects,
procrastination, and
pixels
When you attend to all seven of these on a regular basis, you’ll see your organization’s health improve. And, let’s tell the truth, your personal health will also improve since the stress of living and working in a ‘sickly’ organization takes its toll.

So right now, using your list of the seven areas listed above, give your productivity a checkup.

How would you rate the organizational health as it relates to the people?
How about to the physical arrangements?
What would you say about the paper situation?
How does your planning rate?
What is the status of the various projects in which you’re involved?
Is procrastination on the rise or is it disappearing?
And, last, but not least, how would you assess the productive (or non-productive) use of pixels in your organization?
Now that you have thought this through a bit and done a quick diagnosis, do you have a sense that it’s time for some changes? Is there a need to make some adjustments that will increase your overall productivity?

Choose one of the seven areas to focus on first. Just as a patient who goes in for a yearly check up may have multiple areas that the doctor recommends need attention, the doctor knows that no patient can change 15 behaviors or practices in one day or even in one week. So just choose one area and determine one change you can make in the next day. Now, repeat that change for at least seven days….and then move on to the next change. Watch for improvement. You’ll see it.

And remember, just as your physical health needs to be monitored, so, too does the health of your organization. An excellent way to keep checking the pulse of your productivity is to join others (worldwide) who receive Meggin’s weekly emails (and check out what is available for download at no cost at the following websites):

**Top Ten Productivity Tips (http://www.TopTenProductivityTips.com)

**Keys to Keeping Chaos at Bay (http://www.KeepingChaosatBay.com)

(c) 2009 by Meggin McIntosh, Ph.D., “The Ph.D. of Productivity”(tm). Through her company, Emphasis on Excellence, Inc., Meggin McIntosh works with bright people who want to be more productive so that they can consistently put their emphasis on excellence. If this sounds like you, I look forward to having you in our group!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Meggin_McIntosh

http://www.meggin.com/

Tags: Organized, Productivity
Posted in Meggin McIntosh, Productivity | No Comments »

How Do I Find More Time In The Day?

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

by David & Lorrie Goldsmith
Published 2/09
Reprinted from frogpond.com at http://www.frogpond.com/articles.cfm?articleid=dgoldsmith23
http://davidgoldsmith.com/

Finding time to plan is a Catch 22. Poorly designed systems force you to put out fires all day, leaving no time to plan. The longer you go without time-saving systems, the more problems you face, robbing you of planning time and fun time.

Saving time is like saving money. Put $2000 in your IRA from age 20 to 30, and you accumulate over $1 million in savings at retirement. Start the same retirement program at age 30, and you accumulate far less money.

Find time with good planning. If you can save only 15 minutes each day, at the end of the year you’ll have gained more than eight days of free time to spend as you choose. That’s a full vacation. Eliminate 60 wasted minutes each day…(it IS possible)…and gain an additional month of time for a vacation, a new endeavor, or to dine with your family.

Finding time is easier than you think. Here are 11 useful tips:

1. You might be the problem. Before jumping to something new, make sure that you’re using what you have properly. Plan each day the night before, not that morning when you’re already on the move. List priorities and rank them by importance of results, not urgency.

2. Delegate. For some this is difficult, but worth doing. Don’t trust that others will produce top-quality results. That’s a sign of flawed leadership. Educate others to take on responsibility and deliver results. Only keep tasks that belong to you.

3. Budget your time. Assign a realistic estimate of time for daily activities to prevent overbooking. Allow 20% to 30% of your day for the unexpected: impromptu meetings, returning phone calls. A good rule of thumb is to book only 6 hours of work for an 8-hour workday.

4. Batch similar activities to save time. If you will be conducting 10 personnel reviews, pull all 10 employee files at once. Planning in advance enables you to group similar tasks.

5. Run meetings with purpose, time limits, and focus. Use meetings to discuss ideas already thought about, not to start thinking. Exchange and benchmark progress by having participants bring completed work when they arrive. Each person should leave with an assignment due for the next meeting.

6. Turn off email pop-ups and instant messaging. They cause you to react at inopportune times. They’re no different than having someone barge into your office uninvited. When you need blocks of time, hold non-emergency interruptions and address them at your convenience.

7. Reduce interruptions from staff through strategy, systems, and education. Strategic plans set direction. Systems control flow of operations. Education produces empowered and independent employees. Jonathan Shultz of TCN Worldwide says that his job is to deliver the “vehicles for others to be successful.”

8. Take control of clutter. Trashcans and filing tools free up workspace, mental space, and time. Select a filing system based on how easy it is to find information, such as Paper Tiger Software (www.thepapertiger.com). Documents are filed by number, and numbers are retrieved in “less than 5 seconds” via software.

9. Use customer resource-management (CRM) tools such as ACT, Seibel or Goldmine software to organize digital communications. Notes taken during correspondence are available at the press of a button…no more searching through stacks of papers or file folders. But, if you have it and don’t use it, others won’t trust the system.

10. Put computer files in chronological order using a dating system. Year-month-day: February 4, 2003 reads 03-02-04. Now all 2000s group together, as do 2001s and 2002s.

11. Cut ties with negative people, especially if they’re employees. They easily suck away time. Challenged and excited people achieve more than the living dead…so do their supervisors.

There’s no substitute for great planning. Pushing off planning will bite you later, whereas great planning puts you in charge of your life. “Create” time with useful tools such as strategic and tactical planning, priority management, and systems. Strategic and tactical planning saves time and directs everyone toward the same goals. Priority management brings balance and achievement to work and personal life. Systems and procedures focus activities, maintain order, and reduce waste.

Once you’ve mastered the art of planning, you’ll need to find something to do with all that extra time.

For other articles written by David or Lorrie: http://davidgoldsmith.com/editor.php

Tags: Organized, Productivity, The Paper Tiger 'Finding' System
Posted in Career Coach/Consultant/Speaker, David & Lorrie Goldsmith, Productivity | No Comments »

Productivity — Increase Your Productivity by Letting Go

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

The following article by Barbara Bartlein, The People Pro, recommends The Paper Tiger filing system software!

After coaching executives for more than twenty years, it is clear that one of the greatest stumbling blocks for productivity is the difficulty successful people have in letting go. They hang on to routines, paper, people, and even meetings that suck their time, energy, and creativity. Consider:

* The average US executive wastes six weeks per year retrieving misplaced information on desks or in files. At a salary of $75,000 per year, this translates into $ 9225.

* Office workers spend 40-60% of their time working with paper. Despite visions of a paperless office, 95% of all information is still transmitted using paper.

* 80% of filed papers are never referenced again.

* Negative employees cost companies millions of dollars in lost productivity and sales.

* Of 1,037 full or part-time workers polled by Opinion Research USA, 27% ranked disorganized, rambling meetings as their top frustration.

Highly creative and energetic people seem especially prone to hang on to things and routines. After all, this was part of what made them successful. They view “stuff” as opportunity and people as resources. But sometimes it doesn’t work and the clutter, negative employee or useless routine gets in the way of attending to what is really important.

There are steps you can take to “let go” of the things in your life that are stifling your success. Some suggestions:

* Let go of perfectionism. Perfectionism is paralysis and often 80% is more than good enough. Sometimes it is better to just complete something than obsess over details that won’t make a difference. Set time limits for projects and stick to them.

* Let go of energy suckers. Get rid of negative, non-performing employees on the payroll. When management at 3M laid off the bottom 10% (the poorest performers) at one facility–their productivity skyrocketed up eighteen percent. 3M learned that negative employees not only produce less, but they also cost more. Negative employees destroy morale and turn off potential customers. As one employee said, “an energy sucker is the person you go on break with and come back more exhausted than when you left.”

* Let go of meetings. The great corporate time waster. So many meetings aren’t really necessary and too often they are poorly organized and run. Conduct training for effective meetings for all management personnel. This should include an evaluation checklist whether to have the meeting at all. Make sure that meeting organizers know how to create an agenda, start on time and keep control of the proceedings.

* Let go of filing. Make your office paperless by using some of the new on-line filing systems such as www.thepapertiger.com. Easy to implement, you can manage both paper and electronic files. It eliminates duplication of materials and does not require scanning.

* Let go of crisis management. Avoid the tyranny of the urgent so that you can focus on what is important. Often the result of someone else’s poor planning; it can result in spending most of your day putting out fires. Let co-workers know that you plan your day and don’t jump from project to project. Insist on realistic timeframes for projects.

* Let go of interruptions. Train yourself and your co-workers to stop the frequent interruptions that block creativity and “flow.” Every time you are interrupted, it will take an average of 15 minutes to get back into the task at hand. Make sure you are not interrupting yourself with frequent breaks, cups of coffee or chatting in the hall.

* Let go of useless tasks. Do you really have to do all the stuff on your “to do” list? I have seen executives typing their own letters, doing computer entry and other everyday jobs that could be easily delegated to someone else. Evaluate what you really need to do.

* Build white space in your life. UN-schedule time on your calendar and in your life to just think, read, walk, and relax. Have a weekend from time to time where you have nothing planned. Don’t schedule every hour of the day with no breathing room for the unexpected.

* Know what is draining your resources. Take a careful inventory of where your time goes and with whom. What activities/people deplete your energy? Evaluate how you can handle them differently. How do you re-charge? Structure your week with some re-charging activities such as exercise and hobbies.

* Start plugging the leaks. Start letting go of the problems areas. Get rid of clutter, let go of your bottom feeding employees and control access to your time.

Increase Your Productivity by Letting Go

According to Albert Eistein, there are three rules of work: “Out of clutter find simplicity; from discord find harmony; in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

FREE E-mail newsletter, sign on at http://www.ThePeoplePro.com. Barbara Bartlein, is The People Pro, and President of Great Lakes Consulting Group, LLC, which helps companies sell more goods and services by developing people. She can be reached at 888-747-9953, by e-mail at: barb@barbbartlein.com or visit her website at http://www.ThePeoplePro.com

Barbara Bartlein, The People Pro may be contacted at http://www.ThePeoplePro.com or barb@thePeoplePro.com

Tags: filing software, letting go, Organized, Productivity
Posted in Barbara Bartlein | No Comments »

The Ultimate Virtual Filing System For Sermon Resources (And Your Entire Office)

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

The Sermonators interview Dr. Brad Whitt from Temple Baptist Church in Simpsonville, SC

If you are a member of the clergy, this audio tells you in detail how to use The Paper Tiger software to better manage content that you use for your sermons. Use The Paper Tiger to create your own personal library. Remove or photocopy articles of interest from magazines or newspapers or print internet articles. File them now, and read them when you have time.

Ultimate Virtual Filing System For Sermon Resources (And Your Entire Office)

Note: interview regarding The Paper Tiger actually starts about 7-9 minutes into the podcast

Tags: Church, filing software, Ministry, Organized, Pastor, The Paper Tiger 'Finding' System, Tips for Using The Paper Tiger
Posted in Clergy/Churches | No Comments »

Dump your to do list and keep your sanity? See article from Lifehacker.

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

Dump Your To-Do List and Keep Your Sanity
By Rosa Golijan, 5:00 PM on Tue Sep 1 2009

Quickly jotted or carefully plotted out, to-do lists are a staple of many productivity methods. Yet in the wrong hands, these lists somehow morph from helpful road maps into overfilled energy-wasters. Could it be time to dump the to-do?

Maybe you were lazy, maybe you had an emergency stop your week in its tracks. Either way you haven’t kept up on your to-do routine for a few days and now you’re repaying every precious second with interest. If you use something similar to the Gmail GTD Inbox, now your whole inbox might feel like that dreaded post-vacation email buildup. If you stick with pen-and-paper for your to-dos but let things pile up on your desk for a couple of days, it feels like you’ve been ignoring the mailman. Except that unlike your email or snailmail buildup, you can’t simply take your whole to-do list and dump it into the trash… can you?

When Gina covered the art of the doable to-do list, she reminded us that a successful to-do list requires purging:

Just like you should be able to see what tasks are top priority on your to-do list, you should be able to see what items have been on your list the longest as well. Chances are you’ve got some mental blockage around the tasks that have been sitting around forever, and they’ve got to be re-worded or broken down further. Or perhaps they don’t need to get done after all. Deleting an item from your to-do list is even better than checking it off, because you’ve saved yourself the effort.

Today I’m taking Gina’s advice to a bit of an extreme and encouraging you to try the same: Rather than spending the day sorting through a flood of tasks drowning every category to find the ones which can go, I’ll be dumping my inbox-based to-do list entirely and taking a completely fresh start:

That is my moment of bliss. By tomorrow, a new to-do list will be taking form gradually and I’ll add the important tasks in, but today I’m saving myself … time by starting off fresh. Am I running the risk of missing a task or to-do item? Yes. Will that task have been significant? Most likely not. The productive time I’m gaining by taking the risk of skipping the tasks which would be purged in a few days to begin with is worth it. And there are always e-mail archives for reference, just as there are filing cabinets for physical to-do/GTD materials.

Since I’m the kind of person whose to-do list almost always hits the over-filled, under-processed stumbling block, dumping my to-do list will become an occasional to-do from now on as a clean starting point can turn into a productivity booster and give a productivity method of choice the power up it needs. In a perfect world I’d always keep a pristine to-do list, but I’m realistic, and every now and then, this dump is exactly what I need.

If you’re not ready to follow my potentially crazy approach and dump your to-do list, despite the safety net of archival methods, then keep in mind that you can at least tweak your routine to be more effective by incorporating could-do lists, did-do lists, or maybe even some paper and sticky pads. No matter which route you take, try to stick with one task at a time in order to actually get through your to-do lists.

Whether you are in fact taking the “dump the to-do” approach, just plain tweaking your routine, or not doing anything at all, I’d love to hear your to-do list methodology or general productivity horror and success stories in the comments. How do you get back into your routine after vacations, emergencies, or planned breaks? Do you start with a clean slate or do you stoically battle your way through all the build up? Does it work?

Many apologies to Gina for taking her incredible pointers and abusing them in a way she may have never promoted and many thanks to the crazy inbox-clearer who inspired me to do such a thing in the first place.

See full article, make comments and see others’ comments at http://lifehacker.com/5350360/dump-your-to+do-list-and-keep-your-sanity

Tags: Organized
Posted in Get Organized | No Comments »