100 Surefire Ways to Organize Your BUSY Life › 100-Ways-Organize-Busy-Life.pdf · 100 Surefire Ways to Organize Your BUSY Life Four Simplicity, Time Management And Organizing Experts

100 Surefire Ways to Organize

Your BUSY Life

Four Simplicity, Time Management And Organizing Experts Share Their Secrets!

Ariane Benefit Beth Dargis

Marcia Francois Suzanne Babb

www.NeatandSimple.com www.MySimplerLife.com www.OrganiseYourBusiness.com www.LetsTalkOrganizing.com

http://www.neatandsimple.com/

http://www.mysimplerlife.com/

http://www.organiseyourbusiness.com/

http://www.letstalkorganizing.com/

Table of Contents

Getting Organized Starts with Clearing the Clutter! ......................................................4

What is Your Organizing Style? ...................................................................................13

7 Secrets of the Super Organised ................................................................................18

Weekly Planning .........................................................................................................20

Overcome Procrastination By Eating Your Frog...........................................................22

Systems Check ............................................................................................................24

30‐Second Desk Tidy Up..............................................................................................26

7 Easy Steps To Control Your Inbox .............................................................................27

Organizing and Controlling Voicemails........................................................................30

Using To Do Lists.........................................................................................................34

How to Get to the Bottom of Your To‐Do List..............................................................37

About the Authors ......................................................................................................39

Suzanne

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Getting Organized Starts with Clearing the Clutter!

By Ariane Benefit, www.NeatandSimple.com

Why Letting Go of Clutter is Essential

Letting go of clutter is the first step in creating spaces you love to be in and becoming more organized and efficient. Being a recovering packrat myself, I never fully understood how important clearing clutter is until the first time I decluttered and organized my closet. All my previous attempts to organize my closet didn’t work. Why? There was simply TOO much of everything.

When I finally let go and donated almost half of what was stuffed in my closet, it all changed. Then it was so quick and easy to organize them by clothing type and then by color. I was able to arrange things so that I could see everything I have at a glance.

Even more importantly, because there was room left on the rods, I could easily get things in and out! I did the same thing with all my dresser drawers.

Getting dressed became so easy I could hardly believe it!

I finally understood why it was worth taking time to declutter and organize. The four hours I spent on organizing my clothing was made up for in no time.

Where I used to need at least one to two hours to get dressed, it now only took me 15 minutes.

I finally got it. Now I knew why it was worth the pain of letting go of old clothes I loved, but didn’t wear any more. I was able to sleep in later, and I stressed a lot less about being late. In fact, I was late a lot less often!

A free ebook provided by www.neatandsimple.com www.mysimplerlife.com www.organiseyourbusiness.com www.letstalkorganizing.com

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The same principles applies to your workspace. Less clutter on your desk, the easier it is to work. Less clutter on your To Do List, the easier it is to get things done!

A clutter‐free workspace doesn't have to be bare or look like a page out of a magazine. For some people having a lot of stuff feels good and that's okay. But when the stuff is in your way and prevents you from doing other things ‐ like spending time on things you enjoy, it's too much. It's time to start letting go!

Early in my career I felt that organization would destroy my creativity. Whereas

now, I feel the opposite. Discipline is the concrete that allows you to be creative.

‐Verna Gibson

“Stay Organized While You are Decluttering”

Getting started letting go of clutter can feel overwhelming ‐ especially if you have a lot. The trick is to find a way to get started. A single step in the right direction may be all it takes to gain momentum you never even imagined possible.

The most common reasons for abandoning a clutter clearing project are:

Not having a plan for how you will contain and organize the stuff while you are going through it all

Not using a systematic approach.

Using these tips will help you stay organized as you declutter and prevent feeling overwhelmed. So, even if you can’t finish your project all in one session, you will still be able to find what you need and come back to the job at any time.

Preparing to Declutter

1. Gather containers and supplies you will need.

2. To avoid having “hard‐to‐ move” piles all over the place, I prefer to use containers, but it’s not absolutely necessary. I use anything I can find ‐ boxes, bins, and even paper grocery bags to contain things in case I have to move piles out of the way quickly.

3. Label your piles as you sort. I also use Super Sticky Post‐its and Sharpies to label all my piles – unless they are extremely obvious, like books.

4. Rather than leaving the room each time you find something that belongs somewhere else, set up an Elsewhere container. Place in it things that don’t belong in your office at all. When it gets full, take a break and put those things away all at once.

5. Set up Trash, Recycle and Donate containers.

6. Keep your shredder handy to shred old paper on the spot.

Getting Started

If you don’t have a whole day to clear clutter, do what you can. Review the Sorting Guide below and pick one item you think you do in a reasonable amount of time.

Take just 5 minutes to start working on it. Set a timer and notice how much you really can do in just 5 minutes.


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After 5 minutes, notice how you feel. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish in a short time when you are focused.

Take 5, 10 or 20 minutes once a day and you WILL make progress ‐ which is all that matters! Even if you only clear our a few items a day...you will become less cluttered and before you know it, you will soon notice a huge change in your energy and in your space!

If you are unsure where to start, I generally recommend:

• Start working left to right or right to left.

• Clear the floor first. Keep piles and containers near a wall, not in the center of the room to keep your space functional.

• Next, clear the surfaces. Again left to right.

• Last, empty storage containers and drawers one at a time and get rid of everything you don’t really use or love.

Sorting Guide

1. Create a clear space for sorting. Quickly clear and “rough” sort anything on the floor first as this will make it easier to clear and sort the rest of your workspace. “Rough categories” include: Homeless Office Supplies, Media, Memorabilia, Decorations, Technology, Cables & Cords, Tools and Hardware, Homeless Paperwork, and Paper Supplies.

2. Collect the loose papers on your desk, floor, or other surfaces and put them all in a single container to be sorted out later. Gather your unopened mail in a separate container. Gather all your contacts and business cards into a separate container as well.

3. Put aside in separate containers things that take a lot of time to micro‐sort, e.g., photos, receipts, contacts, kids art, etc. You can do these another day…the important thing for now is to have them all in one container.


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4. Clear and sort all the surfaces. Clearing space on your desk or table makes it easier to sort things out.

5. Create your own “Container Store” as you go! As you empty containers, if you aren’t sure you need them immediately, put them all in one spot for use later when you are putting things away.

Letting Go Guide

Once you see what you have gathered into piles, it’s a lot easier to see exactly what you have and decide what you can part with. In deciding to let go of items, start with the easy stuff! With practice, it gets easier. If it takes too long to decide, keep it. It’s okay to declutter in waves. You'll come back to it another time. After all, decluttering is never really “done”, it must be done just as often as things come in. Just like you eat and eliminate every day to stay healthy, so it is with the things you own.

Ask Yourself

1. Do I really need this item to do my job? When was the last time I used this? If you don’t need it or you rarely use it, give it a home out of your prime working space. You can send it to storage, put it in an archive, give it away, etc. If you need it and use it often, later you can give it a home where it’s handy and convenient.

2. Does this item motivate me or help me achieve goals and get my projects done on‐time? If so, keep it. If not, it’s clutter and has to go!

3. Is this item in good working condition? If it’s broken and you haven’t bothered to repair it for more than a couple months, get rid of it!

4. Do I really love this? If you love it, but don’t use it often, it should be well taken care of, protected, displayed, and placed somewhere well out of your prime working space.


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“To receive that which is worth having,

It may be necessary to lose everything else.”

‐ Helene Bonet

Toss, Donate, or Recycle

1. Get rid of all the junk mail, catalogs, and magazine older than a year. Seriously, don’t even look at them. Just let them go in the name of starting fresh.

2. If you have one, purge your TO READ pile or container. Be brutal, if you haven’t had time to read them in the last three to six months, what’s going to be different in the next six months? If they are reference, put them on your bookshelf in a magazine file ‐ not in a reading pile.

3. Shred everything in your TO SHRED pile and then quit making TO SHRED piles! Move your shredder to be close enough to your desk or work area so that can you shred papers immediately immediately.

4. If you have more office supplies that you have space to easily store then, let go of any duplicates you won’t use in the next 6 months to a year. Most office supplies can be donated to your church, school or favorite charity.

5. Move decorations and memorabilia so they aren’t in your way!

6. Go through the files near you and get rid of paper you no longer need. Start with the thickest files.

7. Every time a bag or box is full, take it to the trash, or recycle bin, or to your car to be donated. Don’t let the clutter linger in your space or you might be tempted to go through it again.

At this point, even if you don’t have a permanent home for all these things, they’ll be a lot easier to find! Once you have sorted everything out and decluttered, it will be so much easier to assess how much you have of things, how often you use them, and figure out creative ways to contain and store them near where you need them!

Ways to Make Clearing Clutter More Fun!

Clearing clutter can be a lonely and difficult task as emotions get triggered while you are going through your things. Here are some ways to make it more fun!

GET HELP ‐ Having someone to talk to can make the job much less tedious.

Family members can be helpful ‐ if they are patient, willing to let you make final decisions, and you get along well

Barter with a friend who also needs help clearing clutter

Hire a college student or handyman if you have heavy things to move or dispose of

Join an online support group or forum such as the Clutter Diet at www.clutterdiet.com I did a trial membership to evaluate this program. The support you get from the team of professional organizers who run it is phenomenal and the quality of the educational materials is outstanding. The fees are around $15 a month, making it extremely affordable for anyone wanting professional help to let go of clutter. Full disclosure: After seeing the quality of the program, I became an affiliate and will get a referral fee if you join using my affiliate link below. My strict policy is that I will never become an affiliate of any program or product that I do not believe in 100%. I recommend only a select few products. http://www.clutterdiet.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=1009_0_1_3


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http://www.clutterdiet.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=1009_0_1_�

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS ‐ Tracking progress along the way is a great way to stay positive and maintain motivation.

Take before and after photos. The photos can be helpful for you to see how far you’ve come, because it is VERY easy to forget how it was. Photos are also helpful in allowing you to let go of clutter more peacefully. I have found it’s much easier to let go of items you want to remember if you take photos of the item.

Keep track of the number of bags of stuff you let go. Put a big post‐it on the wall and tally them as you go. At www.clutterdiet.com they give you an online tracker for “pounds” of clutter.

CELEBRATE YOUR PROGRESS ‐ Use Music. Pull together your favorite energizing and motivating music and do a “happy dance” after each milestone.

Keep a journal, file or notebook of your successes. This can be very inspiring. I have a folder in my desk drawer that I drop notes in when I accomplish something that is a challenge for me.

Plan a reward for when you finish the job, such as getting a massage or getting your nails done.


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“When you begin to make room for what you want, it will begin to appear in your life as if by magic.”

‐ Linda Miller

Having too much clutter affects you in many ways – whether you notice it or not. It takes up your space and keeps you from being able to use that space for things that you really do need. It gets in your way and takes up your time. It also affects you financially. Letting go of clutter will free you from the stuff that gets in your way and make room for you to have what you truly need and want in your life!

_________________________________________________ © 2007 Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed. Are you ready to conquer clutter, simplify and take charge of your life?

Get free e‐books, clutter quiz, articles and more at www.neatandsimple.com and our blog Neat & Simple Living For in‐depth home office organizing guidance, my book "Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Office" features photos, case studies of real offices and hundreds more tips!


http://blog.neatandsimple.com/

http://www.neatandsimple.com/organizingyouroffice.html



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What is Your Organizing Style?

By Suzanne Babb, www.LetsTalkOrganizing.com

An organizing style is the method in which you organize your thoughts, ideas, projects, files, and customer information. Not one style will fit every single person since we are all different and what would the point be in forcing you to use a system that just doesn't flow with your line of thinking?

Knowing what your organizing style is, will enable you to create an office and a system that will help you keep your sanity and decrease the chaos in your office.

What are your choices? There are three main Organizing Styles you will come across:

1. Visual

2. Logical

3. Inspirational

You will also find that you may be a combination of all three depending on what area you are working on. Before we get to that point, let's go ahead and figure out what each of the areas mean and the products that could help you organize your office.

Visual

What is a Visual Style?

If you are a Visual person, you like to see your files and projects and you probably suffer from out of sight, out of mind. Fear creeps into you whenever someone suggests you file something away because you know you are going to forget all about it as soon as it disappears into the drawer.


You also love color! You color code files, you label everything, and you enjoy the touchy‐feely aspect of an office. You probably have a paper “to do” list or something that is out in the open such as a white board, although you could just as easily put the list into your computer Task List, it probably would be a waste of time since you wouldn't check it regularly and hitting the "Dismiss" button is much easier than opening and dealing with the item at hand.

The downfall for a Visual style is the fact that you probably pile. The paper becomes overwhelming and your desk looks like a tornado came through it.

What Products Would Work Best

Your best bet to control the paper clutter on your desk top is to get the Pendaflex PileSmart Quick View Jackets aka Pile File. Not only will you be able to see through the clear poly cover, they are color stripped with an area to label the project or pile. You can keep your precious piles, but your desk looks a lot nicer and it's easier to find all the documents for a given project.

A desktop organizer is another option for you. Instead of using a filing cabinet, use the desktop organizer. This is what I use as I can't stand the thought of putting my files away. I am very much a visual person when it comes to my projects. It will also cut down on the desktop clutter and will help reduce the "throw on the floor to get out of my way" syndrome.

Since you will now be looking at your files all day long, why not put a definitive color coding filing system in place. Use a different color, theme, or style of file folders to house your projects, clients, vendors, and general business. It will amaze you how much more efficient your office will run and how quickly you eliminate a common time waster.

You can pick up all of the items we discussed at your local office supply store or online. Remember, this is your office and you should definitely have fun with it. Especially since you are sitting at your desk more than you are sitting anywhere else!


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Logical

What is a Logical Style?

The last thing you want to see if you are a Logical organizer is a desk cluttered with files, supplies, and disarray. Needless to say, the desktop filing system is not an option. You like to have things categorized and having a filing system that is clearly marked and alphabetized is essential in maintaining order in your office.

Having a To Do list is a tedious chore and you would much rather have everything in one place where you can get to it easily. Your Outlook task list is going to be your best choice in organizing all of your to do's and projects.

What products work best?

Classification folders are going to be a god send for you. Not only do the files contain the papers you put in them, you can actually organize the section to how it pertains to your business. Example: I section my client files out by: Assessment, To Do List, Projects, Invoices, Meeting Notes, Contact Information. I take my client file with me to every appointment and I don't ever have to worry about my papers falling out, I always have everything I need with me, and it looks incredibly professional. Plus it eliminates the need for filing!

A binder system is a great way to keep important documents, price lists, customer information, banking information, etc. All of these items can be kept inside of a binder versus a filing drawer. If you are tight on space or if you just don't like the idea of a filing cabinet, try the binders.

The Project Concierge by Levenger is a nifty option that has the functionality of a filing cabinet, but doesn't take up the space one would require. By using the Project Concierge to organize your files by category and then alphabetically, you will using your filing system more effectively and reducing the time it takes to actually find the file in question. Have all of your vendors in one section or in a specific color. Clients should be in another area or color. Do not intermix your files, keep them all logically together.


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Inspirational

What is an Inspirational Style?

The way you feel in your office and how your office looks are the keys to your success! If you environment is shabby or cluttered, then your mind automatically becomes the same. The flow, the design, the harmony and balance of your office needs to be dead on or your day is completely shot. Your motivation stems from your surroundings.

Although you may have the perfect surroundings and things feel wonderful, you can also get so caught up in how you feel that you may need a bit more accountability than the average person. If you having an "off" day, you may choose to take the day off and relax instead of plowing through your work load. Understanding that this may occur, will help you determine how to handle the situation as it arises.

What products work best?

A pleasant work environment is a must! Your office must be aesthetically pleasing and you may want to make sure that you have some great motivational music when you are starting to feel a funk come on.

Whoever said that your desk should be filled with plastic accessory holders and ugly pencil cups? Why not do a bit of treasure hunting and use a beautiful candle holder to put your paper clips in and an antique dish to hold your business cards? Do you have a "too pretty use coffee mug"? They make great pencil holders! Think outside the box when it comes to your desk accessories.

3x5 Cards with bleachers from Levenger is another great way to jot down your thoughts and ideas. You have brainstorms throughout the day and you need to capture them before they are gone. A 3x5 system allows you to write them down regardless of where you are and the stand gives you an outlet to view, organize and act on those ideas without the hassle of structure.


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Applying Your Organizing Style

Applying your organizing style to the different areas of organization within your office is going to help you create your very own customized organizational system that will meet all of YOUR needs. As you think about the different styles you probably have noticed that you are actually a combination of all of them. Perhaps your filing system is more Visual than Logical, but you are definitely a "put it in the Microsoft Task List" kind of person. Being able to identify the style of organization in each area is key to making your system work for you.

Start by making a list of all the different areas in your office or routine. These could be:

Filing system

To Do's

Office Set Up

Routine

Schedule/Calendar

Next to each one of them, write down the organizing style you feel matches you best. If you need a quick refresher on the styles and what they are, check out our website at www.letstalkorganizing.com they are listed on the home page and you can click through to get a better understanding of each one.

Once you have your areas clearly identifies with your organizing style you are ready to start implementing! Happy Organizing!

Suzanne Babb, www.LetsTalkOrganizing.com



7 Secrets of the Super Organised

By Marcia Francois, www.organiseyourbusiness.com

We all know people that seem to be Super Organised. They never forget birthdays, can find an email within seconds and know exactly where to find anything in their homes.

The actual definition of organised is being able to find anything within a minute or two. This is from items in your home to an email, document or photo on your computer.

Shhhh ‐ I have a confession. Some people say this about me too ;) so I'm going to let you in on some of my own secrets and also those I've observed from watching fellow Born Organised people. Super organised people:

1. Plan their lives

Set aside time every weekend to plan your activities, events and meals for the week ahead. Before you finish up your work for the day, take 5 minutes to quickly plan your main priority tasks for the next day.

2. Have a place for everything and everything in its place

Everything in your house should have a specific home. The goal should be that if anyone asks, "where do I find the _____?" you should be able to tell them immediately. I'm talking about paper too!

3. Have effective systems, and are willing to change systems if necessary

A system tells you what to do when something happens. For instance, as you run low or finish foods, they immediately go on your shopping list. That's a system. The morning and evening routines we work on in the Simplify your Life e‐course are also example of systems.


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http://2006takecharge.blogspot.com/2007/02/march-2007-make-your-life-easy-with.html

http://takechargesolutions.org/syl.html


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4. Write things down

My pastor always says, "a blunt pencil is better than a sharp mind." The truth is when you write things down, it clears your mind so you can focus on more productive and creative thoughts.

5. Declutter regularly

Make time to go through your clothes and other possessions and then get rid of anything you don't love or use regularly. Make a regular date to also declutter your documents and emails.

6. Put things away

If you take just a few minutes to put things back where they belong (see number 2) every day, you always have a home that's comfortable and ready for company. In the office, take two extra seconds to file or delete an email immediately.

7. Do regular maintenance

Preserve your organising systems by doing a quick touch‐up when you see things start to go awry. It's like touching up your roots every 6 weeks ;) Don’t wait and let it get so bad that you have to totally rehaul your system.

Start building just ONE of these secrets into your daily routine every week until you create a habit and you too will be Super Organised ;)

______________________________________________________

Marcia Francois is a time management and organising coach who teaches small business owners and other busy people how to have more time, less stress and a more organised and fulfilled life. Visit http://organiseyourbusiness.com for your free Organise your Life e‐book and the rest of your organising success pack.

http://organiseyourbusiness.com/

Weekly Planning

By Beth Dargis, www.mysimplerlife.com

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time to spend 30 minutes every day planning my day. So, I like to plan a week at a time. Weekly planning also allows for better balance in the week. I usually do my weekly planning on Sunday afternoons. Friday afternoon and Monday mornings are good times as well. Here is my step by step weekly plan:

1. Look over emails and see what still needs to be actioned and write it down in a notebook.

2. Gather any papers from around the house/office and put into your inbox. Go through your inbox and process the papers. Any actions go into the notebook.

3. Listen to any voicemails and put actions with phone numbers into notebook.

4. Empty head of other insights, actions and ideas and put into the notebook.

5. Put any actions from the notebook into iScrybe.com or use whatever task system you prefer. Computer or paper depending on how you operate best. It’s helpful to keep your tasks in categories like home, office, errands, personal, family, etc.

6. Decide which projects or goals to concentrate on for the week. Keep it simple. Don’t have too many projects and goals at once. I like to limit them to 4 a week.

7. Open up the calendar – paper or computer. I use Google Calendar: http://www.google.com/calendar/

8. Check last week’s calendar and see if anything needs to be put onto this week’s calendar. Add any appointments for the week.


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http://www.google.com/calendar/

9. Now add in time for your projects and goals on the calendar.

10. Next add your physical exercise time and at least 15 min of relaxation time a day. Make self‐care a priority.

11. Put in a date with a significant other or yourself.

12. Add one on one time with your kids or friends.

Now daily planning is a snap. Check your calendar to see the outline of your day. I like to get appointment reminders sent to my email. Then pick out the 3 most important tasks from your action lists. When those tasks are done, you can pick 1‐3 more depending on time. Enjoy your week and doing your highest priorities.

______________________________________________________

Beth Dargis is a simplicity consultant who would like to help you create a saner, simpler life.

For a free Declutter calendar with one simple action to take every day go to: http://www.MySimplerLife.com/decluttercalendar.htm

For more ways to create a saner, simpler life visit the blog: http://www.MySimplerLife.com/blog/


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Overcome Procrastination By Eating Your Frog

By Marcia Francois, www.organiseyourbusiness.com Eat your frog? By now you’re wondering if I’ve gone stark raving mad! No, I’m not mad.

I first learned of this principle from Brian Tracy. Your frog is the most important task of the day. It is the one thing which, if done quickly and effectively, will ensure your greatest success. You see, when most people get to work, they already have some idea of what they have to do for the day. Let me give you a specific example.

Okay, imagine that these are the 5 tasks that await you on a particular day:

1. Read and respond to emails.

2. Phone somebody to resolve a query.

3. Set up a meeting.

4. Compile monthly report.

5. Draft a process email and send out.

Most people would probably do the tasks in this order – 1, 3, 2, 5 and 4.

Why? Because that’s the easiest way to get through the list. After all, by 10:00 nearly all the items can already be ticked off the list.

But then a “typical day” happens – client phone calls, queries left, right and centre, you’re called into a couple of meetings and before you know it, 4:30 has rolled around and you still haven’t done that monthly report.

Sound familiar? That’s because you haven’t eaten your frog. Your most important task is still undone.

So let’s change it all around.


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What if you walked into the office and did nothing else until your report was done? You’ve eaten your frog. And it’s only 9:00.

You then catch up on emails, and draft the process email to send out. The “typical day” still happens but because the most important tasks are done, you can squeeze setting up the meeting and phoning the other person into the tiny five‐minute slots you do find during the course of the day.

You see, it’s what I’ve been teaching my time management clients for years when I tell them to ask themselves, “what’s the most important use of my time right now?”

If you get used to eating the frog first, the rest of your day can only get better. Your most horrible task is over and done with and you can almost…but not quite…relax!

And if you have TWO frogs, then you eat the ugliest one first! My challenge to you is this – just try it for a week and see how your productivity soars. You know I’m the go‐to gal if you want to increase your productivity so I made a worksheet to help you get into the habit. Download it at http://takechargesolutions.org/downloads.html .

I can’t wait to hear how it works out for you. By the way, I thought I ought to practise what I preach. So this month, I did exactly that. I wrote my newsletter article a week earlier than I usually do so that it’s done and out of the way.

And you know what? I feel great!

___________________________________________________



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http://takechargesolutions.org/downloads.html


Systems Check


For me, being more productive isn’t to get more work done. It’s to get work done faster, so I have more time for the rest of my life. For the most part, I love what I do. But, as in any work, there are the boring, repetitive, administrative type duties. The faster I can get these done ‐ the better.

So I like systems ‐ ordered ways to do actions. Every time you have to think, “OK, what do I need to do next?” you waste time.

I have a daily checklist for home chores and work routines with what needs to be done every day so I can go, go, go and check, check, check. I like to get all my routine stuff done at once (usually at 10:00am and 4:00pm) so I am not doing busy work all day. And I have a weekly and monthly checklist to help me remember those less often tasks.

I have a checklist for sending out my newsletter. You would think it would really be simple and it is. But, if you don’t do it in a certain order you end up backtracking and wasting time.

A checklist for my month end accounting helps keep me organized. It is located on my computer and has links for places online I need to get stats or accounting info right in the document.

I have the computer file folders I use most, right on my Task Bar so I don’t have to click my computer–> my documents–>docs–> encouragingcoach–> projects. One click and I am there. In Windows XP, unlock the task bar. Open up to the folder you want to put on your task bar and drag it right to the bar.


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My email processing system is taped under my monitor along with the times I check email. I action every email so I am not playing with emails all day. The emails either get answered if they are quick, archived (I use Gmail which has a fantastic search feature), put to an action folder and written on my to do list or put in a to read folder.

Mail processing is listed on my in box basket. I get through my mail about every other day. Bills get filed in a to pay folder, things to do go into an action folder and written on my to do list, junk gets recycled, events go on the calendar and if I need to keep the invitation for directions I put it in my 1‐31 tickler accordion folder. I have a data entry folder for business cards, etc. If it is something I need to keep I put into my reference folders. The in box should be empty, unless I am having trouble making a decision.

I love spending less time on routine things and more time on fun projects, coaching and leisure time.

• So what are the things you need to do often?

• Can you experiment with finding the fastest way to do them?

Write down your new systems and see how much faster you can get to the fun activities.

_________________________________________________





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http://www.mysimplerlife.com/decluttercalendar.htm

http://www.mysimplerlife.com/blog/


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30‐Second Desk Tidy Up


"I can't stand working at a messy desk, it's cluttered, it's distracting, and quite frankly, I don't want to work." That is a comment I get frequently when I'm organizing offices and who can blame them? Your desk is your domain and since you probably spend at least 9 hours a day living at it you shouldn't cringe every time you open your eyes. If you do not want to continue living with a messy desk, the only thing left to decide on is how to go about cleaning it up.

How much time do you want to spend cleaning your desk? How about 30 seconds? Yep, a half of a minute. In the time you spend contemplating answering another a call or trying to find the cell phone buried underneath a splattering of papers, you could be sitting at a beautiful and clean desk!

30-Second Desk Tidy Up

• Put all of the pens/pencils in your pencil cup or drawer. • Remove all of the cups, food wrappers, etc. from your desk and throw them in the trash. • Throw away all of the empty, torn envelopes and junk mail. • Put your receipts in your receipt envelope / file folder. • All the papers you are working on right now, pile it up and place it to your left...or right,

whichever is easiest. • All of the other papers, stack and pile AWAY from your computer monitor. • Take a deep breath and enjoy a clean desk for at least a moment or two!

You are now on your way to clean and more productive day!

Happy Organizing!




7 Easy Steps To Control Your Inbox

By Marcia Francois, www.organiseyourbusiness.com


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When you open Microsoft Outlook, what do you see?

How many messages do you have? Do you have to scroll down to view all of them? Are many of them unread? Does just the thoughthem all overwhelm you? Some of my clients tell me that they feel paralysed at the thought of their inbox bursting at its seams. Your inbox is not a place to hold all your mail just like your physical mailbox outside your house doesn’t keep all the letters, accounts and junk mail you’ve ever received.

t of

When I check my mailbox every day, I don’t bring all the mail in, read through it all and take it right back outside to put back inside the mail box. Do you? Then why do we do that with our computer inbox? It’s because we don’t want to make decisions and because we don’t have a system. E‐clutter happens when you open an email, can’t decide what to do about it and so you close it again. And there it sits waiting for you…

When I see 1427 and 1658 emails in clients’ inboxes, first I start twitching and then I ask why they torture themselves like this. The reply I always get is they want to cover themselves. Sound familiar?

I have a solution that is quick and easy for you.

Make a new folder, call it @today’s date (where today’s date is the actual date, e.g. …), drag everything into that folder and start afresh. Now if you need an email from there, click Find on your menu bar and use the search function to track the email.

Take charge tip – if you know who sent it, double‐click on that person’s name in your Contacts, click on Activities, wait just a second and Outlook will list all emails with their exact location. Try it – you will LOVE it.


Then after that, create these 7 new habits:

1. Set a goal

Decide to have an inbox with no more than 20 (or whatever your comfort number is) items at any one time. Play a game with yourself and make a point of deleting a certain number of items daily. These can be from your inbox, sent items, folders, etc.

2. Set times during the day to read and process emails

For the most part, emails are a distraction so check emails only after you do your most important task of the day. Decide on one or two other times to process emails, maybe around lunch time and then just before you leave the office. Take charge tip – while you’re getting into the habit, make an appointment with yourself two or three times a day to process email.

3. Delete junk mail immediately

Junk mail is anything you have not signed up for and includes chain letters, petitions, solicitations, scams, etc. Take charge tip – before deleting, right click the email, click Junk Mail and then add the sender to your Blocked Senders list.

4. Process email using the two‐minute rule

Discipline yourself to action anything if it can be done in two minutes or less. I cut down my email processing time by 30 minutes a day just by doing this one thing! If you have to forward an email to someone, do it there and then. If you quickly need to change someone’s address in Contacts, drag the email to the Contacts button and release. It opens up the contact and you can save changes and then delete the email.


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5. Identify the next action

Even if you can’t completely process the email in two minutes, at least identify the next action. If you have to phone someone to discuss the email, use the subject line to write your next action step before dragging it into a sub folder, e.g. chat to Michelle, write report, etc. Then save. Now the next time you look at that message, you know exactly what to do.

6. Make folders

Most people don’t use folders correctly. You don’t make individual folders just to drag all the contents of your inbox into these folders. First of all, limit the number of folders and second, have meaningful folders like @Follow up, @To read, @To phone, etc. The @ sign in the front means that I have to action those folders. In my schedule, I have time blocked out to do some phoning, following up, reading, etc.

7. Set up rules

Even if you can’t completely process the email in two minutes, at least identify the next action.

Go to Tools, and under Organize, you can set up rules to send emails automatically from certain senders to specific folders. I use this function for all personal emails.

Take charge tip – you can make a folder called read and set up a rule to send all your newsletters directly to this folder.

The main thing to realise is that your inbox is not a place to store your e‐junk and that with a system, you too can manage your inbox.

______________________________________________



Organizing and Controlling Voicemails


The System

You have a cell phone, a house phone, and an office phone and you receive voicemails on all 3 of them. Plus you are expected to return all of those voicemails at the speed in which the person who left it expects you to. Talk about insanity! We haven’t even touched on what you are currently using to jot down voicemail messages on…Post It’s, scrap pieces of paper, the back side of a report, random piece of paper.

What do you say we streamline this process a bit, get all of those homeless messages a place to stay, and your sanity back in check? The way our system works is we tell you the tools you will need, how you will use them and then the reason behind our organizational madness. Feel free to tweak the system now and again until you find the right groove that fits your voicemail needs, but the basic foundation has been laid out for you. All you need to do is, Organize!

Items You Need

• Composition Book

• Highlighter with Flags

• Binder Clip

• Really Nifty Pen (optional)


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Getting Started

1. Every time you receive a voicemail, label the page in your composition book with the date and a V (for Voicemail). If you are feeling frisky, go ahead and take it one step further and put a VC for cell phone, VW for work, and VH for home.

2. Follow it up with the person’s name and phone number.

3. Jot down the pertinent details of the call.

4. As you go through and return phone calls, mark them off with a highlighter.

5. It doesn’t matter if it’s a nice line or a diagonal line through the whole message, just as long as it’s visually shown that it is complete.

6. At the end of the day, check through your notebook and make sure you have marked off or called back all of your messages.

7. Mark the messages that you were not able to get to with a Post‐It® flag. You will now visually be able to tell which calls you need to make first thing the following morning.

8. As your composition book starts to fill up, use a binder clip to clip together all of the previous voicemails so you can easily get to the next available space. This will help keep your voicemails in chronological order, eliminating the confusion of random placement.

System Success

You now have the HOW to managing your voicemails, but now let’s get to the WHY of the system and how you are going to turn this into an organizational success.


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Composition Book: You don’t necessarily need to use a composition book; you can use any type of notebook you feel comfortable with. I personally like the composition books, because they come in great colors, it’s portable, I can flip it to the side, and I do not have a tendency to use it for anything other than VOICEMAILS; which is KEY to making this system a success. You should not keep “notes”, action items, grocery lists, and please abstain from playing tic‐tac‐toe with the kids in your Voicemail Log. If you start corrupting it with other information, it becomes useless.

Highlighter with Flags: We have all seen them; we have all “wanted” one, but couldn’t really determine why we needed it. Well, now you have a reason! The nifty highlighters with a flag in the barrel are perfect for voicemails! You need to have them both, you need to have them at the same time, and you certainly don’t need to have more tools than necessary.

The highlighter portion of the system is an important part of the process in that if you used a pen, a marker, or any other bold marking pen there is a very real possibility that you will lose an integral piece of a voicemail message. With a highlighter you can visually see you have accomplished the task, without losing the information itself.

The flags are nice to help identify those pieces that need to be boldly identified without being obnoxious or subdued. You will automatically notice any red, orange or yellow flags staring you in the face as you see your voicemail notebook. They won’t go unnoticed and it won’t be an eye sore.

Binder Clip: Your notebook will quickly fill up with voicemails and you will not want to be wasting your time flipping through the book to find an empty page. It is imperative that you never turn to just any open page in the notebook and start scribbling voicemail messages. This will not only result in losing the integrity of the chronological order of the messages, it also looks sloppy, and you will end up wasting valuable time.

By using a binder clip to keep the pages of past voicemails together you won’t need to worry about the messages. These messages have all been called back, they aren’t getting in the way of progress, and they are still there if you need to refer back to them to get a phone number or verify information.


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Organizationally Empowered

The wonderful part of organizing, even a small portion of your daily routine, is in knowing that YOU DID IT! I may have showed you where to start, how to get there, and given you a few helpful tips along the way, but in the end, you have done this yourself. Just like any habit that you want to break or create, it takes repetition, consistency, and dedication. If you can do this for 10 business days, you will be on the fast track to a life without chaos!

Happy Organizing!




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The Art of the To Do List

By Ariane Benefit, www.NeatandSimple.com

If you like to make To Do lists using paper rather than your computer, here are some ideas for organizing your To Dos.

1. Consider grouping action items by context (as recommended by David Allen in “Getting Things Done”) – calls to make, things to buy, emails to send, etc.

2. Put only non‐date driven actions on your To Do list. Record date driven Action Items in your calendar allowing enough time to get them done BEFORE they are due.

3. Enter the To Do on your list or in your calendar. Keep a file (or set of files) for paper that requires future action – Like PAY, SIGN, ENTER IN COMPUTER, DISCUSS WITH MY HUSBAND, THINGS TO ENTER IN QUICKBOOKS. Make sure you routinely go through those files! Consider giving each folder a Review Day to help remind you to go through them regularly. For example, PAY ON FRIDAYS, ENTER IN COMPUTER ON SATURDAYS

4. Consider keeping a To Do Notebook. Start a new page each day.

5. Consider using pre‐printed, lined, super sticky Post‐its like those shown below that already have little boxes on them you can check off when you are done.

6. If you are the type that generates LOTS of ideas and to dos for yourself, try this. Keep a Master List or Notebook called “Might Do”. This will help you distinguish what you MUST do from what you would LIKE to do. Another trick is to keep a Master notebook just for Client‐related or Business Building to dos, one for Creative Pursuits such as writing or crafting. Each week pick 1‐3 projects to work on and on your daily list, only put 5‐10 items that MUST get done that day or the next.

7. For visual – tactile people who constantly tell me they need visual cues and forget to check their to do lists, sometimes it helps to layout all the papers that need your attention on a big table. Then pick them up in the order you want to do them in and just sit and work through the stack.


Alternatives to To Do Lists

To Do Lists don’t work for everyone! They are effective for many people, but many people struggle with traditional to do list approaches. For one thing, they lose them! Here are a few non‐traditional action management methods that allow you to delete each action as it’s done and not have to keep rewriting lists.

For one very visual client of mine, we created her a TO DO board on her wall (see photo below) simply using Blue painter’s tape and post‐its. WE created categories for her action items like shopping, home repairs, work projects, etc. Now her notes are not scattered all over the place and she can avoid a messy list by removing one To Do at a time.

Track each action item on a small piece of paper or on an index card. Use an index card sized holder of whatever size you prefer 3x5, 4x6, or 5x8.


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Create a tickler file system. One way is to get a set of index card divider tabs and label one for each day of the month and put notes of date driven actions in each one. Alternatively create categories such a Calls to Make, Things to Buys, etc.

Track each action item on a separate post‐it. Use a poster, white board, clip board, binder or file folder or any container that fits your style to stick the post‐its on. You could even use your wall. Sort them however makes sense to you.

Use your email system.

1. Create a Folder with a name like TO DO. Using !!! in front the name will help keep the folder at the top of the folder list.


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2. You can use one email per type of To Do, or send yourself a new email for every To Do.

3. Write your To Do in the subject line and you will be able to see everything you have to do at glance.

4. You can also move emails that will take more than a minute to respond to into the To Do folder.

_________________________________________________ © 2007 Ariane Benefit, M.S.Ed. Are you ready to conquer clutter, simplify and take charge of your life?

Get free e‐books, clutter quiz, articles and more at www.neatandsimple.com and our blog Neat & Simple Living For in‐depth home office organizing guidance, my book "Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Office" features photos, case studies of real offices and hundreds more tips!





How to Get to the Bottom of Your To‐Do List


I finished my whole daily to do list yesterday. Yes, the whole thing. It happens rarely, since I am still not the best time estimator. But, I am playing with estimating time. I am timing how long it takes to go through my email, how long it takes to go through the daily paperwork and how long it takes me to do other daily type tasks.

I’ve been doing that for almost a week and am amazed at how long certain tasks take. No wonder it is hard to cram more into a day.

If we do the basics every day like exercise, eat healthy, keep up with email and paperwork, do daily household maintenance, sleep, work, and spend time in relationships, we don’t have time to add another 20 things to our list.

We rush through the dailies of life to get to the “real stuff.” Maybe we would enjoy our lives more if we thought of the dailies as our real life. We could enjoy the cooking with beautiful fruits and vegetables. We would feel proud at the shiny polished table. We might write a thank‐you note as we go through our papers.

We might have cleaner homes and healthier bodies. We might not have a backlog of tasks we think we should do that drains our energy. Think how freeing it would feel not to pressure yourself to do more all the time.

So how can you get to the bottom of your to‐do list?

1. Write down how long it takes you to do your daily tasks for a week.

2. Average the time out and see how much time you have left over.

3. Are you trying to fit in too many goals, projects, volunteering, etc. into your schedule?


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4. What can you move from your to do list, to a someday/possibility list?

5. Keep in mind that every new commitment has to go somewhere. And if your life is already stuffed with activities, you may need to unload one of your other commitments before committing to something new.

6. When you create your to‐do list, add actions that you think could be completed in the time left over after daily tasks. Now take off at least two actions for those unplanned life interruptions.

7. Note how many actions you have completed each day. Keep track for a week and average out your finished tasks.

8. Use this number to make future to‐do lists. If you start adding more tasks then that number, it is unlikely they will all get finished. So you would want to delegate something, get rid of tasks/projects or put actions down for a later date.

Don’t let an unrealistic to do list bring you down. Let me tell you, it feels great to complete a to‐do list!

_______________________________________________





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http://www.mysimplerlife.com/decluttercalendar.htm

http://www.mysimplerlife.com/blog/

About the Authors

Ariane Benefit

About Ariane: Ariane has been helping businesses and individuals improve productivity for over 25 years. She is the author of the "Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Office" . As an organizing coach, she loves working with creative professionals, busy moms, people with ADD, the chronically disorganized, and anyone who works from home to create the homes and offices of their dreams. Are you ready to conquer clutter, simplify, and take charge of your life?

Ariane can be found at:

Visit www.neatandsimple.com where you can read lots more articles, take the Clutter Quiz, and access the Neat & Simple Living blog.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beth Dargis

About Beth: Beth Dargis works with overwhelmed women to create saner, simpler lives.


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Are you in need of a break? Take the self‐care quiz: http://www.encouragingcoach.com/projects‐selfcare‐quiz.htm

Beth can be found at: www.MySimplerLife.com where you can download the free Declutter Calendar and sign up for weekly simplicity tips. You can also see her e‐book, “365 Tips for a Saner, Simpler Life.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


http://www.neatandsimple.com/coaching-and-consulting.html

http://www.neatandsimple.com/press-articles/chronic-disorganization-chronically-disorganized.html



http://www.encouragingcoach.com/projects-selfcare-quiz.htm


http://www.encouragingcoach.com/365simplicity-tips.htm


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About Suzanne: For over 20 years, Suzanne has been helping corporations and small businesses organize their time so they can spend more time and energy doing the things that are most important to them. With a philosophy of "life is too short", she thrives on making the most of her time and trying to encourage those around her to do the same.

As an organizational consultant, public speaker, and former radio talk show host; Suzanne has been offering her Organizational Quick Tips to anyone and everyone who will stand still and listen for "30‐seconds".

About Marcia: Marcia Francois is a time management and organising coach who teaches small business owners and other busy people how to have more time, less stress and a more organised and fulfilled life. Visit www.organiseyourbusiness.com for your free Organise your Life e‐book and the rest of your organising success pack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://letstalkorganizingpodcast.blogspot.com/ www.LetsTalkOrganizing.blogspot.com

Marcia can be found at: www.organiseyourbusiness.com

Suzanne can be found at: www.LetsTalkOrganizing.com

Marcia's take charge blog Organising Queen blog

Marcia Francois

Suzanne Babb



http://organisingtips.blogspot.com/

http://takechargeofyourlife.blogspot.com/


http://www.letstalkorganizing.blogspot.com/

http://letstalkorganizingpodcast.blogspot.com/

Documents

100 Surefire Ways to Organize Your BUSY Life › 100-Ways-Organize-Busy-Life.pdf · 100 Surefire Ways to Organize Your BUSY Life Four Simplicity, Time Management And Organizing Experts