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Take the Time to Purge Your Home Office

June 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

source: Rita H Cobbs

I’d love to invest in a storage facility. You know, the ones where people pay $120 a month to store $50 worth of stuff.

I know it’s hard to get rid of things, especially if you’ve had them for a long time.

My cousin used to have a basement loaded with boxes that she’d had almost her whole life. A few years ago, her basement flooded and she had to get rid of everything. Last year she finally admitted that she was relieved about the flood. If it hadn’t happened, she still would have had a basement full of boxes she didn’t need to keep.

You don’t have to wait for a disaster to clear out your office (or maybe even your garage). Consider these questions to help you take the plunge and purge.

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

 

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4 Organizing Misconceptions You Can Stop Believing Today

May 1, 2012 By 18 Comments

I credit my older sister for putting me over the organizing edge. When we were younger and shared a room, her side was a disaster, and mine was obsessively neat (although I’ve mellowed a bit).

Even though my sister is still disorganized — she’s fine with it — she knows it’s possible for anyone to get organized. But some people are stubborn and refuse to get organized because they believe a few misconceptions about organization.

I want to set the record straight.

Misconception #1—Handle paper once.

This is not only impossible, it’s unrealistic. Whenever I hear an organizing expert tell others to handle paper once, I cringe. Instead of pressuring yourself to handle paper once, get in the habit of doing something to move each piece forward. The point is to keep the paper in play until it lands in a file or in the recycle bin. It’s a waste of time to pick up the same piece of paper and put it back repeatedly. [Read more...]

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How to Jog Your Memory

April 24, 2012 By 4 Comments

source: ganesha.isis

Some people think I’m extra organized because I always enter notes in my iPhone. The truth is that I have the world’s worst memory. I can remember faces, not names, and directions, not addresses.

Over the years, I’ve taken a few steps to try to improve my memory or at least fake that I have a better memory than I do. By using the simple strategies below, I’m able to finish projects on time, avoid annoying friends and clients, and remember important dates.

Consider these four steps tips for improving your memory.

Add an attachment to your e-mail before you write your message.

Have you had to send a follow-up e-mail after you’re forgotten to include an attachment? I have. By adding the attachment before I write the message, I don’t have to send the follow-up message. The best part is that my friends and clients have stopped sending me e-mails — some of them in an annoying tone — asking about attachments I was supposed to include.

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

Filed Under: Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: , ,

5 Organizing Myths Keeping You From Getting Organized

January 11, 2012 By 11 Comments

source: miss.killer!

For years, I’ve worked with clients who’ve tried everything to organize their home offices, but then have finally given up. Either they didn’t know where to start or were overwhelmed by the process. They also started to believe the negative comments their family and friends were telling them about getting organized.

If you’ve tried to organize your home office and have given up, or have started to believe what others have told you for years about getting organized, it’s time to change your thinking. When you stop believing old organizing myths, you can move forward and get your home office organized.

Myth #1 You have to be born organized to be organized

We learn both good and bad habits at an early age and you can change any bad habit, including disorganization. When I was in the corporate world, co-workers who had organized offices told me that their homes were a mess. They focused more on their workspace because that’s where they generated their income. By the time they came home from work every day, they were too exhausted to organize anything. The bottom line is that you can learn to be organized, and it’s easier if you’re motivated to make a few changes.

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

 

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Take Back Your Time By Saying No More Often Than Yes

December 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

source: Horia Varlan

When my sons were younger, I was at the top of the volunteer list (translation: sucker). Whenever someone called me to help with an event, class project or anything else to do with school, I said yes. I did the same thing with two professional associations I was in.

One day I had a revelation. I was spending more time volunteering my time than growing my business. I’m all for helping others but eventually you have to say no more often than you say yes.

How many times have you said yes when you meant no? There are only so many hours in a day and if at some point you don’t say no, you’ll never get ahead (or get any sleep!).

Before you say yes to everything, consider a few questions.

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

 

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

What is Clutter Costing You?

December 15, 2011 By 16 Comments

The show Hoarders is an extreme example of clutter gone wild. I’ve watched only a few episodes, but I’ve seen enough to know that there’s more to the stacks of stuff, and rooms filled with fast-food boxes, newspapers and items that the owners can’t possibly throw away, than just the inability to get organized.

Your home office may not resemble anything close to the homes on Hoarders, but consider how much you own, how much you need, and why you’re still holding on to things you no longer use. Even if you didn’t pay for anything in your home office, the clutter may be costing you more than you realize.

The mental cost [Read more...]

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The Advantages of Hiring Help

December 13, 2011 By 8 Comments

A business owner I’ve known for over ten years has owned several businesses. He sold two of his businesses within two years of starting them.

His last (and current) business was almost a failure. Although he had a strong business idea and product, he grew his business too quickly. Each month he added a few employees and by the end of his first year in business, he wasn’t making enough money to cover his overhead.

At the beginning of the new year he cut his staff in half and reorganized his business. By making a few staffing changes, he has converted his company from pathetic to profitable.

As your business grows, and you have less time to spend on sales and marketing, filing, and accounting, you may need to add additional staff or hire freelancers. There are a few things to consider when hiring others full-time, part-time, or on a project-by-project basis. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Time mgmt./Productivity Tagged With: , , ,

Do’s and Don’ts of Conquering Home Office Chaos

December 5, 2011 By 10 Comments

Source: Betsssssy

Someone who works in a cubicle or a corporate office can leave his or her mess at work. Yet when your business and personal life are under the same roof, it’s more difficult to keep home office chaos to a minimum. By following a few do’s and avoiding the don’ts, you can keep your home office under control.

Do

Set a schedule

When you work for yourself, it’s important to make every minute count.  Each day set a schedule, but make it flexible. If you wait for the right time to work on something, you may never get started.  Your schedule may change based on the appointments you’ve scheduled or the tasks you need to complete, so focus on the top five tasks you need to accomplish each day. Otherwise it’s easy to get sidetracked.

To read the rest of my guest post on Startup Nation, click here.

Filed Under: Working From Home Tagged With: , ,

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

November 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

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.

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Disorganized? No Problem…You’re Still Doing Something Right

March 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I’ve made a career out of helping people organize their home offices, make better use of time and avoid the pitfalls of working from home. Some home office professionals I meet are very organized, while others are so frustrated about the way their home office looks, they work in their kitchen or family room instead.

Last week, I gave a seminar to an incredible group of business owners and after the session I spoke to a few of the attendees.

One woman stood out.

She waited until everyone had left the room and then sheepishly admitted to me that her home office was a disaster. She was ashamed, upset and convinced she was a failure. [Read more...]

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