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3 Ways to Change Your Organizing Habits

November 23, 2011 By

source: balanced.crafts

A good friend of mine refuses to see a doctor (she hasn’t seen one in years) because she’s afraid that a doctor will find something wrong with her. What she doesn’t understand is that if she never gets a checkup, she may not discover a medical problem until it’s well advanced (and too late).

Change isn’t easy, and some people can’t get motivated to change their habits until they’ve had a bad experience. Or they may hear about something bad happening to someone else, which finally triggers them to make a change.

When you work for yourself, a bad experience could be losing an account, missing an important deadline, or double-booking appointments with two important clients. Bad days are part of life, but you’re a lot less likely to experience these types of setbacks if you take steps to get organized.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Home office organizing, Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: ,

All Dressed Up: A Working Naked Update

November 17, 2011 By 20 Comments

One of my favorite parts of this site is the All Dressed Up page. I feature all types of home offices to inspire you to change, update or tweak your own home office. The only problem with sorting through all of these photos of home offices that I’ve designed and others have designed, is that they make me want to change my own home office…often.

So, I’ve redesigned my home office again.

I started my home office makeover from the ground up, by adding a new rug with circles in different colors and sizes. Whether you pick an area rug, wall-to-wall carpeting, or keep the floor bare, keep sound reduction in mind to avoid the “cave effect” when you’re on the phone.

Normally, my next step would have been to pick out furniture, but since my furniture is fairly new I used the desk and bookcases I already had in my home office. My desk with a return gives me plenty of room for my laptop, external hard drive, all-in-one and lamp. I use the keyboard drawer to hold extra printer paper, and the cabinet that was meant to hold a CPU is perfect for storing extra supplies.

I bought two chairs at my favorite commercial furniture store. One is an animal print chair for reading, and the other is a tan desk chair. Behind and next to my reading chair are an iron floor lamp and a small round table.

I had installed the woven shade last year, but to soften the room I added striped drapery panels. The artwork that was next to the window was boring, so to add a bit of color and interest I found a print from a site that features works from independent artists. Rather than buy the print already framed, I had it framed locally.

Next, I replaced my ceiling fan (it came with the house) with a beautiful pendant. Then I added a few more things to my desk including a multi-circle frame and three jars to hold paper clips, rubber bands and markers.

My new home office is exactly the look I’ve wanted for awhile. It suits me perfectly for now, but I may need to stop looking at so many home office photos!

Filed Under: Home office design, Home office organizing Tagged With: ,

How a Broken Fridge Can Motivate You to Reduce Home Office Papers

November 16, 2011 By

source: NatalieMaynor

A few days ago, my refrigerator stopped working.

When I opened the refrigerator door, the light turned on but everything felt a little warmer than it should. When I opened the freezer and squished an ice cream sandwich that should have been frozen solid, I knew I didn’t have much time to clear everything out.

While I cleared out my freezer, I tossed a few things I’d had a bit too long. I did the same thing with some of the food from my refrigerator. I was making a clean start (no pun intended).

My forced refrigerator and freezer purging and cleaning made me think about people who struggle to toss papers they don’t need. What if the papers scattered all over your home office were fruit, vegetables, or meat that had an expiration date? You’d be forced to deal with them within days instead of within weeks or months from when they hit your desk.

You may have stacks of papers on your desk that you want to get rid of, but don’t know how. There are a few ways to get started.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, click here.

Filed Under: Home office organizing, Home office setup Tagged With: ,

5 Home Office Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

November 14, 2011 By 29 Comments

Is there a statute of limitations for past jobs? If so, then I have a slight confession about the last corporate job I had.

During my last three months at that job, which was around the time when I decided that I was going to go out on my own, work wasn’t very important to me. If I took a long lunch break, it didn’t matter. If I wasn’t productive every hour I was at work, I didn’t care. No one was going to nominate me for employee of the year, which was fine…I didn’t deserve the title.

I can’t say the same about working for myself. As a business owner, every minute counts. If I make a mistake, whether large or small, it can potentially cost me time, money and aggravation.

All of us make mistakes. Without them, how would we learn anything. Save yourself from stress and anxiety by considering (and avoiding) these common business mistakes. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: , ,

Build Client Trust by Keeping Personal Info to Yourself

November 9, 2011 By 17 Comments

Last week while I was getting a haircut, my stylist started gossiping about one of her clients. She didn’t know that her client was a friend of mine. The first chance I could get, I changed the subject. I was also careful not to share any personal information, as I knew she would share it with others.

I gossip less than I used to (it was my New Year’s resolution), but no matter what, I never gossip about clients. That topic is off limits. There are a few things to keep in mind when you work with clients. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Working at home, Working with clients Tagged With:

Think Before You Buy More Office Supplies

November 7, 2011 By 2 Comments

I’m the first to admit that I’m an office supply addict. If I like a product’s design, color, and even material, it’s hard to resist buying it for my home office. But after donating more supplies than I care to admit, I don’t buy anything unless I know it will serve a specific purpose.

Consider a few things before you shop for more office supplies.

  • Fight the urge to buy one more product. Even if that product is guaranteed to help you get organized, think twice before you buy it and bring it home. Consider whether you already own something similar that you tucked away in a closet years ago. If you don’t look for supplies you thought you bought, but aren’t sure, you’ll find those supplies when you move or decide to overhaul your home office. That’s when you’ll say, “I was looking for that!” and either use it or donate it to a charity that can use it. [Read more...]
Filed Under: Home office organizing, Home office products Tagged With: ,

How Public Relations is Like Dating

November 3, 2011 By 6 Comments

Guest post by Lizzy Shaw

There used to be all kinds of old-fashioned rules about dating – all these “tried and true” methods for getting a boy or girl, or as we got older, a man or woman, to like you. And, once they liked you, hopefully he’d ask you out or she’d say yes when you asked her.

©Alessandro Melillo RonJe

Well, times have changed and a lot of those guidelines and traditions have flown right out the window, but funny enough, a few of those old dating rules still work really well when it comes to PR.

As a publicist, or as a business owner doing your own PR, you need to figure out how to make journalists like you and want to work with you. Instead of them asking you out on a date, this translates to getting press placements and mentions, because all things being equal, people like to work with people they like and with whom they have a comfort level. So pretend it’s the 60’s and follow a few rules for PR “dating.”

  • Get to know them. This means do your due diligence. Read the magazine, newspaper or blog; watch the movie or TV show before you pitch. See who is writing about your business, product or service. And see what kinds of stories your journalist has been writing. Let your journalists know you’re pitching to them, specifically. [Read more...]
Filed Under: Working at home Tagged With: ,

How to Get Your Family to Respect Your Business, Not Resent It

November 2, 2011 By

Starting a business can be exciting, terrifying and a dream come true, especially when you have a cheering squad — your family — behind you. When your family is on the opposing team, though, your new business venture can be a nightmare.

Before I left my last job, I designed my new business so that when I was ready to have kids, I would be able to work from home and raise a family. I wanted to be able to grow my business and see my kids grow up at the same time.

It hasn’t always been easy to juggle my business and personal life so that my family doesn’t resent my business. Ask anyone who works from home about being pulled in all directions and they’ll admit it’s not easy to give your business and family 100% of your attention, all of the time.

To read the rest of my guest post on Success Your Way, and to learn tips for including your family in your business and making them part of your team, click here.

(I’ve closed comments on this post so you can post a comment on Success Your Way.)

 

 

Filed Under: Balancing home/office Life, Working at home Tagged With: ,

How to Create More Storage Space in Your Home Office

October 31, 2011 By 10 Comments

Have you ever heard anyone complain about having too much room to store everything they need to have in their home office? It’s about as likely as someone saying they have too much money, they need to gain weight, or they have plenty of free time. (I wouldn’t mind having more of the first one, less of the second, and plenty of the third!)

Finding extra storage space in your home office can be frustrating and challenging. Before you start stashing extra supplies, products and equipment in other parts of your home (where you’re likely to forget you own them), be creative. Either make use of what you already own or invest in a few storage pieces. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Home office organizing, Home office products Tagged With: , , ,

Look for New Ways to Work With Old Clients

October 26, 2011 By 8 Comments

One of my clients, a business consultant, has worked with the same clients for years. She helps a client solve a problem, the client’s business grows, and then she finds other ways to help that client again. She knows that if her clients are happy, they’ll refer her to new clients…and they do.

When your business is thriving, you may not be worrying about getting more clients. On the other hand, if you’re waiting for the phone to ring, hoping that prospects will fill out your “get more info” form, and you have more bills to pay than clients to cover them, you’re probably thinking about ways to find more clients.

You can go after new clients, which can cost time and money, or you can find new ways to serve old clients. Studies show that it’s less expensive to service an existing client than to market to a prospect.  Consider these tips before you spend more time and money trying to find new clients.

  • Anticipate your clients’ needs. You don’t have to be psychic (although it wouldn’t hurt) to gauge your clients’ thoughts and concerns. Some people use intuition while others use a more direct approach: they simply ask their clients for other ways they can help them. If you ask the same question rephrased differently each time — try not to be annoying — you should get the information you’re missing.
  • Be a resource to your clients. If a client asks you to do something that’s outside your area of expertise, recommend someone else. Your client will appreciate your willingness to help and when they need your help again, you should be the first person they call. Make sure you recommend someone reliable, because if they drop the ball, it reflects poorly on you.
  • Create new products or services based on your clients’ needs. For years I’ve heard from clients who have moved from one part of the country to the other, but still want to work with me individually. Some weren’t able to fly me to their home offices, so I had to refer them to a colleague in their city. The light bulb finally went off and I started offering consultations via Skype. At first I didn’t think the virtual consultations would work, but they do, and have become a large chunk of my business.

Before you give up on a client who hasn’t contacted you lately, ask yourself it there are any other services you can offer them. They’ll enjoy hearing from you, you’ll enjoy reconnecting with them, and the bottom line: you’ll be able to help them again.

How have you found new ways to help old clients?

Filed Under: Making money from home, Working at home, Working with clients Tagged With: ,
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