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Showing posts with label Business Organizing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Business Organizing. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Working from Home - Are You Up to the Challenge? Organizing Your Space and Your Home - Virtually


With everyone staying at home, either working from home or just "social distancing" themselves - there are a lot of things that you can do to become more successful.

If you now have to work from home - do you have a dedicated workspace? Do you have the tools that you need to be successful? Do you have a routine that can guarantee your success? Or are you cleaning your home and watching videos while you are supposed to be working?

Working at home should still be considered "work". You owe it to your employer to be as productive as if you were actually in your office - at work.

It's not as easy as most people think. There are many distractions out there that you need to consider. Especially in light of the fact that everyone else is at home also - including most kids. This adds to the noise level and can distract you from getting your work done.

Having added Virtual Organizing to our business years ago, I can help you set up your office and workspace to be more productive.

As a Life & Business Coach - I can help you get through this trying time and get you back on track and figure out how to make the transition from working outside of your home - to working from home - or even looking into your future plans. Maybe now is the time to take that leap into trying something new - something that you were too afraid to leap into when you had a job and didn't want to jeopardize it for your "dream".

Life is throwing a lot at us right now. It's how you handle it that will make a difference.

Since you're at home - why not work on those "projects" that you have been putting off all of these years! Get your home and yourself Organized!

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

How organizing your space is accomplished Virtually:

*  Make an appointment with a Virtual Organizer - you will need email access and a phone
*  You must be motivated to do the physical work yourself
*  You must be committed to reaching your goal
*  Virtual Organizing sessions are only one (1) hour long - instead of the usual 4 hours
*  Shorter Virtual sessions are less expensive than In-Person Organizing sessions
*  We walk / talk through your space and come up with a plan
* You do the physical work yourself - with email/phone support by the Organizer

Visit the Virtual Organizing  page on our website for more information.

Visit our Life & Business Coaching website - to see how a Coach can help you move forward and be successful in this trying time.



Less Clutter = Less Stress SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services
Visit our Life & Business Coaching website:  North By Northwest

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Productivity & Time Management and Budgets - oh my......


Being organized involves a lot of areas.  It's not only about organizing your space - but it's about organizing your time and your life.

Organization affects all areas of  your life. From your closets, your living areas, your time, your thoughts, your social life, your money and so much more.....

To be successful you need to be organized and have a plan.  Being organized decreases your stress levels - because you know where you are at - and where you need to go.

Being productive requires organization. Time management is a huge part of being productive.

Time management and productivity is something that is usually not taught - yet it is a crucial part in a persons success.

Being successful also entails understanding your finances. Don't put your head in the sand and expect everything to turn out alright! Money is one place where you don't want any surprises!

Below are two products that can help you get a handle on your productivity & time management and help you understand and plan our your budgets.


PRODUCTIVITY & TIME MANAGEMENT PLANNER


Learn techniques for being more productive. Learn your productivity type and why down time is so important. Discover your peak energy time. Learn how to use your calendar more efficiently to become more productive.
 

BUSINESS BUDGETING PLANNER

Learn how to get comfortable with money. Learn how to create a decision making system that allows you to be in control of your finances. Learn now to track plan your long term goals and to create a budget. Not for business only!


BUSTING YOUR MONEY BLOCKS PLANNER


Get to the root of what's holding you back from earning what you should. Learn what  your money blocks are. By changing your inner dialogue you can change your life. Dare to dream big and get comfortable with money.


  
Order at:    Organizational Consulting Services - Product Page



Less Clutter = Less Stress SM     in your home, your business and your life

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Monday, March 13, 2017

Organize Your Office Day



Tuesday, March 14th is "Organize Your Office Day".  Yes, there really is such a day!

So how do you start?

First, clear everything off of your desk. Either put it all into a box or find an area where you can set everything into a pile. Have a garbage can or bag handy.

Second, clean off your desk. You probably haven't done this in a while. Depending on what your desk surface is made of - either use some furniture polish or wipe it down with soap and water. You know this will be one of the few times this actually happens.

Next, you go through everything that you put into your box or pile. If it's garbage - throw it out.

Make four (4) piles:
             * action (something needs to be done with it - you need to make a decision, send an answer...)
             * pending (you are waiting on something or someone else before you can deal with it, or it is  due later)
             * file (put it into an appropriately labeled file)
             * read (articles or things that you need to read)


Next, you through your drawers (where you probably have a lot of "junk") and sort everything into categories. Throw out the garbage and things you don't need or use (you all know you have it). Get some drawer dividers and put in only the things that you really, really need. The dividers can be as simple as using checkbook boxes or other small boxes. Anything that will divide the drawer into smaller compartments. You don't need to buy fancy or expensive things.

If you have files in your desk - go through all of those and make sure that only things that you still actually need/use are in the files. Get rid of (or store if you are required to keep them for tax purposes) things that you are not currently using. Be sure to shred things that have your personal or identifying information on it.

After everything has been gone through, sorted and gotten rid of - it's time to start putting things back. But - only put back what you really need. Don't clutter your desk with a lot of useless stuff - or things that take up too much room. You need room to work.

An uncluttered desk gives you room to work and presents a more professional image.



Less Clutter = Less Stress SM     in your home, your business and your life 

Organizational Consulting Services

http://www.organizationalconsultingservices.com/

Monday, February 1, 2016

Business Organizing - Paperwork, Schedules and Client Satisfaction


Small businesses are crucial to the economy and we like to use and support small local businesses as much as we can. And for the most part we always get better and more personalized service when working with a local business.

But sometimes we are disappointed because the business "forgets" to return our calls or "forgets" to come out and provide the service we requested on the day they arranged to come out. Most often the business will apologize and they will come up with some excuse. The problem is that the excuse shows how unprofessional they are and how unorganized they are.

Having run a number of small businesses my first priority was always to create the feeling of a bigger company. At least in the eyes of the client. Some clients don't trust that a person that runs a business out of an office in their home will be "professional" or "experienced" enough for them. One has nothing to do with the other. Today many businesses are run out of home offices to save money and for convenience and life style choices. As a business consultant and professional organizer I work at my clients home or office - so I don't need to rent an office space to look "professional".

One of the first accounting firms that I did business with had their office in the basement of their home. Once  you got into their basement office you would have thought that you were in a high class accounting firm. The office had the highest quality equipment and beautiful furniture. they saved money by not pay thousands of dollars a month in rent and therefore passed that on to their clients.

Having professional looking forms and invoices that can capture client information is crucial. Not only does it present a professional image but it also allows you to capture the needed information without forgetting anything. Even if you are a roofer or plumber you need to present a professional image when it comes to paperwork.

Writing quotes down on a scrap of paper does not present a professional image and chances are that you will lose that scrap of paper. It's happened to me and I knew it the moment he started writing my information down on a ripped piece of scrap paper. I lost all confidence in the vendor at that time.

Which is what happened to one of the plumbers we tried to do business with. He lost the order...somewhere..... He couldn't find our contact information and didn't call us.

Having a filing system and logging phone messages and client schedules is crucial to a small business. Being organized in a small business is even more important than in a larger company because the smaller business depends on client referrals more than a larger company that has a big advertising budget.

By having systems in place to capture client information and having a process in place to follow-up on that information will save you time and your clients will be happier when they get the service they need on the day they need it.

Being organized in business is crucial. Start today. Step back and take a look at your business and see how you can improve and make your clients happier. You won't be disappointed in the end result.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Friday, October 25, 2013

Help to Organize Your Office


Whether you work in an office at home or in a regular office being organized is crucial to your success.  By being organized you will be able to complete your work in a more efficient manner with less stress.

By organizing your files, your email, your schedule.... you will be able to look more professional and won't constantly be looking for things.

File management, paper management - is very time consuming. Keep your business and yourself on track by being efficient.

Read some of the following posts to learn how to be more productive.



Organizing Your Email: 

http://professionalorganizer4u.blogspot.com/2013/04/organizing-your-email.html


Organizing Your Files:

http://professionalorganizer4u.blogspot.com/2012/03/organizing-your-files.html


Organizing Your Home Office:


http://professionalorganizer4u.blogspot.com/2011/02/organizing-your-office-move.html


Business - Organizing Your Schedule and Paperwork:

http://professionalorganizer4u.blogspot.com/2011/05/business-organizing-your-schedule-and.html


Organizational Consulting Services



Monday, April 15, 2013

Tax TIme - Avoid the Stress Next Year

It's April 15th - Did you file your Taxes?

A lot of people wait until the very last minute to file their taxes. It's something that everyone hates doing. It takes a lot of time - especially if you didn't keep all of your needed receipts or records in an organized system where they were easily accessible.

So....what did you learn from this?

Do better next year !

You can start now by making up a few folders and putting anything tax related into them as they come in. That alone will save you a lot of time, frustration and stress next tax season.

A few quick ideas for file folders:
  • Tax related
  • Medical / Health Care
  • Donations
  • Investments
  • Mortgage info
  • Banking
Just by having these few folders and putting anything related into them - you will have cut down your tax preparation time tremendously.

Get into the habit of filing these important papers into the appropriate files as soon as they come in - you will save yourself a lot of time next year. Time that is well spent this year.

Getting organized and staying organized is a lot of work.  But well worth the effort!




Organizational Consulting Services

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Paper Shuffle


 Organizing spaces is easy and fun (well, for some of us).  Paper - not so much. Getting your paperwork and files organized is time consuming and draining (both physically and emotionally). You have to make decisions about every single piece of paper. There can be hundreds of pieces of paper in an inch. Hundreds of decisions that have to be made about what to do with each piece of paper.

Is the piece of paper important?

Do we have to keep it or can we pitch it?

What do we do with it?  File it?  Where?

And so the paper shuffle begins. From one stack to the next. You can't make a decision so you move the paper from one pile to the  "I'll get to it later" pile.

But you never do. And the pile just continues to grow.

So what's the answer?  Well, it all depends on your "style" and the ability to adapt to a new "plan".  A Professional Organizer always takes the clients "style" into consideration when coming up with a solution. There is no "one size fits all" in organizing.

But no matter what the solution is - there is not getting around the fact that you have to "deal with the paper". Go through the process once, come up with a solution and hope that you will "stick with the program".

Coming up with an easy, yes, you will (not "CAN") do it plan is the first step.  By having a system in place the time spent filing your papers into the appropriate and meaningful files will be drastically reduced.

When a bill or some other important piece of paper comes into your home or office, you will immediately be able to put it into its appropriate place instead of just piling it on top of an already ignored "pile of things" to deal with.

By handling each piece of paper only once you will save a lot of time and your desk will be a pleasure to work at instead of somewhere you would rather not be.

Organizing paper takes a lot of  thought and organizational skills. Not everyone has it. So don't be concerned that you are the most disorganized person out there.

You aren't!



Happy Organizing!




Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Monday, March 12, 2012

Organizing Your Files

Organizing is an on going process. It's not a "one-time deal". And it's not something that you have to set aside an entire day for.

Organizing your files and your paperwork is extremely time consuming because you have to look at each piece of paper and make a decision. It's emotionally exhausting. So why wait until year end to go through that process?

For best results and the least amount of trauma make it a habit to go through your filing cabinet, files or desk drawer and clean out your paperwork at least once a quarter or every few months.

Go through each file and toss anything that you really don't need, anything that is expired (coupons or notices that are past the deadline....) or anything that you have not dealt with. This does not include anything related to taxes or any legal papers.

People tend to keep too much paperwork because they are afraid to get rid of things or because of their "good intentions" of doing something with it.

Make sure that your files are labeled according to what makes sense for you. Don't use a system that is too complex and that you will never use or keep up. It might work for some people but that doesn't mean it fits into your lifestyle.

Make sure that all of your papers are filed at least monthly to keep the mess at bay.

Only keep "current" files in your filing cabinet. Archive old files and store them out of the way. If your filing cabinet is too crowded and you cannot get into the files easily it will give you another excuse for not filing.

Keep it simple. Keep it organized.


Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Taxes and Paper Piles

It's the end of January and everyone has been swamped with paperwork. All relating to taxes. I know that it's overwhelming. Papers everywhere. Piles everywhere. Come on. I know about the piles. But for tax purposes i'll let it slide.

You can start out with one big "tax" pile or you can separate your piles into piles such as personal, medical, business related, house expenses.... Anything that makes sense to you, depending on how you do your taxes.

By grouping your papers into more manageable piles you will make it easier on your accountant and yourself. And you will be able to tell, at a glance, what papers you might be missing.

Once you have all of your papers in organized groups you can turn it over to your accountant and let him do the hard part.

But don't let this be the end of your paper organizing. Let this be the start. By creating your "organized piles" you have also created your very own file system. Use these piles to make new folders for the upcoming year. When you get any papers that might be related to taxes put them into their proper files and make your next tax year even easier.

By having a system in place you will make your life (and home) a lot less cluttered and a lot less stressful. You will be able to find things easier.

But remember, make a system that works for you. Don't over thing it. Don't make it complicated. Make it "your" system. It doesn't have to be fancy. It just has to work for "you".

Now get going....and get your system in place.

Have a great day !


Less Clutter = Less Stress SM in your home, your business and your life


Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Monday, May 30, 2011

Business - Organizing Your Schedule and Paperwork

Small businesses are crucial to the economy and we like to use and support small businesses and neighborhood businesses as much as we can. And for the most part we always get better and more personalized service when working with a local business.

But sometimes we are disappointed because the business "forgets" to return our calls or "forgets" to come out and provide the service we requested on the day they arranged to come out. Most often the business will apologize and they will come up with some excuse. The problem is that the excuse shows how unprofessional they are and how unorganized they are.

Having run a number of small businesses my first priority was always to create the feeling of a bigger company. At least in the eyes of the client. Some clients don't trust that a person that runs a business out of an office in their home will be "professional" or "experienced" enough for them. One has nothing to do with the other. Today many businesses are run out of home offices to save money and for convenience and life style choices.

One of the first accounting firms that I did business with had their office in the basement of their home. But once you got into their basement office you would have thought that you were in a high class accounting firm. The office had the highest quality equipment and beautiful furniture. But they saved money by not pay thousands of dollars a month in rent and therefore passed that on to their clients.

Having forms that are professional where you can capture client information is crucial. Not only does it present a professional image but it also allows you to capture the needed information without forgetting anything. Even if you are a roofer or plumber you need to present a professional image when it comes to paperwork.

Writing quotes down on a scrap of paper does not present a professional image and chances are you will lose that scrap of paper.

Which is what happened to one of the plumbers we tried to do business with. He lost the order...somewhere..... He couldn't find our contact information and didn't call us.

Having a filing system and logging phone messages and client schedules is crucial to a small business. Being organized in a small business is even more important than in a larger company because the smaller business depends on client referrals more than a larger company that has a big advertising budget.

By having systems in place to capture client information and having a process in place to follow-up on that information you will save time and your clients will be happier when they get the service they need on the day they need it.

Being organized in business is crucial. Start today. Step back and take a look at your business and see how you can improve and make your clients happier. You won't be disappointed in the end result.

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com

Monday, February 14, 2011

ORGANIZING YOUR OFFICE MOVE

Congratulations, your company is growing and you are moving into a bigger office space. It’s an exciting time.

Business has not been good and you need to downsize to a smaller space. It’s happening everywhere.

Your lease is up and your landlord has decided not to renew your lease so you need to find new space.

It doesn’t matter what the reason is…. a business move brings with it a lot of details that you don’t have to deal with in a house move.

For companies that are open 24 / 7 and have clients that need their attention it becomes even more complicated.

Having a very organized “moving plan” is crucial in making the transition as painless as possible. Plan ahead and send a letter to your clients and customers with your new address and contact information. Have new literature and business cards printed with your new information (or print new address labels).

When I moved my first company to a larger office space I had every detail worked out. As always, nothing in my life ever goes as planned. I woke up on the morning of the move covered in hives from head to toe! I had no idea what was happening to me but I was expecting the carpet installers, the phone company, the electrician, the computer people, the movers and my staff…..so I wore a turtleneck and covered up and met the movers at my old office and didn’t say a word about my “unexpected dilemma”.

Prior to moving day and to make the move go smoothly I had everyone first clear out their desks and offices of anything that was not crucial and had them purge as much as possible. I then assigned everyone a color and had them put colored dots on their computers, phones, files, desks, chairs and anything else in their office.

When the movers came to the new office space there were colored dots on the office doors and they were easily able to figure out where everything went. One person was assigned to answer the phones while everyone else set up their offices.

By noon the entire office was in place, the phones and computers were connected and my staff could continue with business as usual. I then went across the street to see the doctor to find out that I had an allergic reaction to some antibiotics. No one ever knew and the move was painless for everyone else.

By planning ahead you reduce the stress on moving day. Not everyone has the luxury of shutting down their business for a day or two so that they can move. Have a backup plan for everything because something will go wrong. But by being prepared for the worst you can be pleasantly surprised by how smoothly a move can go.

Enjoy your new space !

Organizational Consulting Services

www.organizationalconsultingservices.com