Inside Out!

IF IT'S IN THE FILE PILE IS IT FILED?

Remember a few weeks ago when we began this journey to Organizationville?  The entry I'm referring to was called "HOW DID I GET INTO THIS MESS?"  That day's assignment was to go through a pile on your desk and divide things into 3 categories:  File, Action and Toss.  Well, I've given you a few days now to work on things --- hopefully you were motivated to do more than just one pile on your desk.  I say that because MY piles have grown larger and I'm wondering if you've been infiltrating my piles with your piles as a way of getting YOUR desk cleaned up!  Not buying it, eh?  Hmmm, and I thought it was just my Pocket Parrot laughing at me just now!

I ran into the grocery store the other day and my struggle over red vs. green peppers was interrupted by a woman who has been reading this Blog since nearly the first day.  Amazing.  I say amazing because I can't believe she recognized me --- I thought I was in disguise --- hair in a pony tail, no makeup, dog paw prints down the front of my T-Shirt.  I hope the Take Home Chef never shows up at MY grocery store.

At any rate, her question was this:  If it's in the File Pile is it filed?  I wanted to say, "Of course not --- what a stupid idea!"  Then I realized that I had not revisited that original thread and probably HAD left everyone thinking that once it was in the File Pile, it was filed!  Hmmmm.

So today we will discuss what comes AFTER sorting out those miserable piles of flotsom and jetsum on your desk.  I also feel the need to reiterate an earlier question --- have you purchased a shredder yet?  If not --- tell the Easter Bunny to give you a shredder instead of chocolates this year.  It will last longer and not on your hips!

Lights, Camera, ACTION!  The Action Pile may seem self-explanatory, but this is where people get into trouble.  Have you ever looked at what the average person puts in an "Action Required" folder?  It's like Pandora's Box.  Toads hop out and snakes slither away.  They become catch-alls for everything you don't want to deal with.

To be useful, an Action Pile needs to be broken down into categories and each category needs its own unique file:

1.    Telephone Calls:  This file is for telephone calls you need to return or calls you need to make to make to gather information or follow-up on a project.  Do NOT include in this folder calls to arrange for appointments.  Those go elsewhere.  This file is only for calls that need to be made to accomplish a work product.
2.    Correspondence:  This file is for correspondence you must respond to or for items which require a letter from you to get the ball rolling.  Things life a letter of reference would fit this category perfectly.  Need to complain to that the groomer that her new assistant made your chihuahua look like a pug --- put it in THIS folder.  This is BRIEF correspondence.  Do not put status report letters in here.  Those types of things need to be entered on your calendar as "To Do" items and the relevant materials need to be placed in the appropriate Project File.
3.    Calendaring:  Place in this file items to be calendared and items on which you must make telephone calls to set appropriate appointments.  Why put the latter in this file?  Because once you make that appointment, you need to calendar it immediately.  If you put these items in the Telephone Call file, you will likely forget to calendar it --- following the call you will lay the note aside ("I'll calendar this later") and you will have started another undesignated pile on your desk --- to be sorted at some later (unknown) date.
4.    Payments:  Keep your payment file separate.  When you receive a bill that needs to be paid, take a moment and highlight the due date, or write the date you intend to pay it on the upper right-hand corner of the bill.  Keep these items in chronological order in this file, according to payment date --- with the bill to be paid the soonest on top. 

You may have a few additional categories, unique to your situation (perhaps a "School File" in which you keep items from your child's school which need some sort of action), but you will quickly be able to determine those files as you sort through the Action Pile.

MAKE A HABIT:  When you first walk into your office, open the Payments File.  Look at what needs to be paid and when.  That way you will avoid those "deer-in-the-headlight" moments when you realize you haven't paid the electric bill and they just turned your power off!

RETURNING PHONE CALLS:  Set a specific time each day when you make and return telephone calls.  Depending on your particular work schedule, try to pick a time when making these calls will not interrupt your project work time, but won't also find everyone you are trying to reach out to lunch!  Playing phone tag is a waste of time.  I try to return phone calls at 11:00 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.  Even if someone takes a late lunch, they have usually returned by 2:30 or so.

Scaling the File Pile!  I used to think the File Pile was self-explanatory.  Since I've started helping people get organized I find that is not necessarily true.  Everyone's mind works differently and there are as many approaches to filing, it seems, as there are to washing dishes.  However, the purpose of filing remains unchanged --- to be able to put your hands on a document when you need it --- whether it is 6 days, 6 weeks or 6 months after you filed it.

Some people file by the month.  Everything which comes in during that month goes in that month's file folder.  Seems logical.  But I'm not sure it is.  At least not for me.  If you are looking for an insurance policy which always arrives in November, then it may work.  But what if your new printer blows up and you need the purchase receipt to determine if it's still under warranty?  Granted, you may remember you bought it from Uncle Joe a month after Cousin Tillie's wedding back in Rhode Island which was in June or July (or maybe August) --- or maybe not!  But wouldn't it be far easier if you could go to a file containing all the receipts for your computer hardware, or a printer file for that printer (I happen to have 3 different printers and a fax machine so it's easier to have separate files for each)?  You get the drift.

You can categorize your files, if that makes things easier.  For instance Family Files could be grouped together in the file drawer with separate files for birth and death certificates, passports, school records, inoculation records, wills and trusts, powers of attorney, etc.  Office Equipment could be grouped together with individual files for laptops, PCs, fax/printer machines, telephones, etc.  Utility files could be grouped together with individual files for gas and electric, water, home/family phones, lawn maintenance, pool maintenance, home repairs.  You could group insurance files, medical files, automobile files, financial files (which SHOULD include separate files for each credit card and bank account you have), etc.  You get the drift.

OR, you could simply put ALL of the above files in alphabetical order in your file cabinet.  Some people do this, but have one drawer for family/home files and one for business files.  Take a few moments to think about this --- I find most people quickly determine which works best for them, once they are presented with the reasonable alternatives.  I say that because we have been led, through the years, to believe that there is only one CORRECT way to file things.  And that simply is not true.  The CORRECT way to file things is the one which allows you the quickest retrieval possible.  So the only CORRECT filing system is that which your particular mind can wrap itself around comfortably!!

Today's Assignment:  Now that you have parameters for sorting and filing those Action and File Piles, get to work.  Files need not be fancy.  Use a brightly colored pen and write the labels out -- being consistent in the way you format the labels (i.e. "Insurance: Sissy's Life Insurance").  Get the kids to help you use that fancy label machine someone gave you as the "perfect gift" that's still in the box on the shelf in the closet.  Don't worry about how it looks to others.  Just get it done and off your desk.  I guarantee you will feel 100% better.  And you'll be one large step closer to Organizationville!!

THE SECRET THE BIG BOYS USE!

Small businesses can benefit from flocking together.  Learn the secret that the Big Boys already know!!  (Photo courtesy of The Beak)

In case some of you wondered --- I took a couple of days off --- not intentionally --- it was one of those things I wrote about the other night.  I let it slip one night because it was just too late and I was too tired.  And then the next night came and went, and then we were on the weekend and I decided to take the weekend off.  Uh-huh!  Smart.  What was that I said about maintaining the habit? See --- you are not alone in your search for Organizationville!

Let's take a different approach today since I've had several discussions with people lately on this subject.  Organization is built on many aspects and phases.  What you are trying to organize will determine your approach as well as the methods you use to accomplish the project.  This is a difficult lesson for many solopreneurs, who are often "control freaks."

Getting a business organized means letting go and letting someone else do some of the labor-intensive projects.  In my experience, delegating work is an art form itself.  Why?  Because the way a project is handed off directly determines its ultimate success.  Frankly, I have found in large companies the hand-off is easier and generally more successful then it is in small businesses.  It took me a number of years to figure out why it works that way.  But the reality of that truth turned things around for me in my own personal business and I hope it will for you too.

In a large company, even if you delegate, you keep the job "in-house" and you see the person working on the project on a regular basis.  But more then that, there is already a frame of reference in place for what is to be done by virtue of the standard operating procedures of that organization.  In a small business, you are more likely to hand a project off to an outside vendor and that frame of reference is lacking.  This is where experience and familiarity come into play.

I am a firm believer in small businesses working with other small businesses?  Why?  Because there is a work ethic there that helps form a common bond.  And one's personal success is directly related to the success of the client --- add to that the fact that word-of-mouth is the best marketing available and you have a win/win situation for small businesses working together.

Having said that, it is important to pick your working partners carefully.  In my opinion every solopreneur or consultant should be working with a Virtual Assistant ("VA").  A good virtual assistant will not only give you more bang for your buck financially, but she will also take time to learn details about your business that will increase the value of her output.   If you are running your own business, do some research on virtual assistants who do the kind of work your business needs.  Take time to read their information carefully.  Ask for work samples or references.  Meet with them --- either in person or by telephone.  I find telephone conversations work well in getting to know my clients.  We set aside time for several different conversations, which gives us time to digest prior discussions and come up with new questions. 

Once you find someone you feel comfortable with, start with one project and take time to follow that work through carefully.  Write out your initial instructions in an email.  Discuss your time-line, how much of your VA's time you are willing to pay for, and what you expect the results to be.  This is important because you have no prior experience in working together.  And without some parameters set out in writing, neither of you knows what to expect. 

Generally a flurry of emails will ensue as the project nears completion --- questions nobody thought about, issues that were not dealt with initially, etc.  Many think this is a waste of time and say, "I could have saved time by doing it myself."  Wrong!  First of all, in the time your VA was working on this project, you were accomplishing other things.  Second, the two of you are investing in each other's businesses by taking time to get to know each other through this work process.  You will not need to cover this ground again with your VA.  And in the future you will have a better grip on the types of things you need to spell out more clearly to someone who is not working down the hall from you.  As a final note, depending on your profession, you likely make much more per hour than you will pay a VA.  Working on new projects or finding new clients during the time your VA is accomplishing the other project will be far more profitable for you in the long-run.

In short, by consistently delegating projects to the same VA, you will develop a frame of reference together work-wise.  Over time, this relationship will become invaluable.  It is, in the end, the secret to getting things done in a professional world.  By developing ongoing relationships with people who are skilled and professional in their own fields, you will have the resources you need to get projects done on time and accurately while you move on to something else.  It is the secret that millionaires use in their personal and professional life.  Unfortunately, most of us dismiss the idea of paying skilled outsiders as something only "the big boys" do.  If you take a good look at your business and what you are trying to accomplish, you will realize that building these supportive relationships is far more important to the sole practitioner than it is to the large corporations of the world!

Today's Assignment: Take a look at all your projects and determine at least 2 that you could delegate to a good VA.  Research virtual assistants who meet your needs and find one to handle at least 1 of those projects for you.  Make a list of what you expect, your timeline, how much money you can afford to spend, and make sure to discuss these and other pertinent project issues with your VA.  The secret is in doing it --- not just thinking about it.  After you successfully complete the first project, others will flow like water.  And I will see you soon in Organizationville!

STEP UP!

I needed to get Bleu, my Indian Ringneck, out of his cage tonight to put him in the cat carrier overnight so I could do something to his cage.  Any of you serious bird people out there will be familiar with the term "Step up."  It's the first thing you teach a pet bird so they will step up on your finger or hand when you want them to.  My birds are all trained to respond to this command.

Unfortunately, I've been so stressed out and pushed to the wall the last few weeks that I haven't been spending much 1:1 time with Bleu.  We talk all day long and I hand him his beloved peanuts, etc., but we haven't spent much time playing together. 

So, of course, tonight when I went to get him to "Step up" onto my finger to put him in the crate, he ran to the opposite corner of the cage.  No amount of cajoling was going to turn him around and the cage is too large for me to physically surround it.  So now I'm stuck with waiting for him to come out of the cage on his own and then trying to get him off the top of the cage without him taking flight.  I haven't trimmed his wings in quite a while, so when he flies, he flies.  I've got the office door closed to confine him --- and to keep my dogs away from him.  But I have a feeling it may be a long night!!

It got to thinking as I sat down to wait it out and write this BLOG --- how often this very thing happens to humans and their organizational skills.  We know we should do something, and normally we WOULD do it, but just for today we won't.  And then tomorrow it's like ---- "Oh well, one more day won't hurt."  Six months down the road we have made a mess for ourselves and we're trying to unscramble it because we need something that is involved with that mess. 

Habits take repeated efforts to become habits --- but they are quickly broken.  Our mind, just like our body, is quite happy to be sloppy if we give it a chance.  Make sure you exercise yourself mentally every day --- it's good to keep the brain challenged.  I like crossward puzzles.  Other folks enjoy Jumbles or all kinds of things that stretch their brain a bit.  Just writing a note to someone in longhand can give your brain a workout.  I find I am so used to typing everything that when I must write something out longhand, I have problems.  My hands are not as comfortable around a pen as they once were.  And my mind works faster then my hand can write.  So I leave words out and get frustrated.

And remember to put a certain amount of routine in your life and maintain that routine.  Just as children benefit from the parameters a regular routine gives them, adults also benefit from the same thing.  Getting to bed at a certain time, rising at a certain time, a regular morning routine --- a regular routine at the office --- it alleviates a lot of stress when your body and mind know what is coming next.

Some of the most successful people I have ever worked with appeared somewhat rigid in their work patterns.  I know one attorney who puts out more work than 3 of his counterparts and yet he goes to the gym from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  It takes an act of God (or a trial) to get him to vary from that routine.  His assistants do not call him at the gym unless the building is on fire.  That time is what keeps him sane.  He arrives at the office promptly at 7:30 every morning and leaves at 6:00 every evening.  He is a wonderful family man with 2 sons and a wife he adores.  He checks email a couple of times a day and responds quickly if necessary.  His phone calls are crisp and to the point.  When he calls a client to handle a problem, he tackles the issue immediately, rather than beating around the bush.  He is an excellent communicator and he loves his work. 

We can all take a lesson from this.  As solopreneurs, it is too easy to let things slide.  We spend 3 hours on email instead of 10 minutes.  This is tricky as it seems like we are being productive.  Often it's merely the virtual equivalent of a coffee break down the street at Starbuck's!  Do the math:  3 hours a day on email x 5 days a week x 52 weeks in a year = 65 hours a month you are spending on email.  That is more than 1 week's work per month spent on email.  Not a productive use of your time. 

So the next time you feel like blowing off a routine assignment or chore, remember to "Step Up" and get it done.  Stepping up to the plate can save you a lot of grief down the line.   

Today's Assignment:  Step up and block out your work week.  How many hours a week do you realistically want to work?  Diagram that time out on paper --- how many days a week do you wish to work --- then block out the various routine things you need to do each day --- set them for the same time so you will remember what you are doing when.  Block out time for appointments.  Block out time for client projects.  Block out the additional hours in your schedule for family time and for resting and relaxing.  Now put this schedule on your wall and copy it to your calendar.  For the first 2 weeks I want you to cross off each entry on your calendar as you do it.  If you don't get something finished in the alloted time, leave it and move on.  As you progress you will learn to be more realistic about portioning out your work.  Getting the routine established is your first goal.  See you again soon in Organizationville!

I LEFT TIME MANAGEMENT AT THE OFFICE!

For years I dreamt of being able to make my own schedule.   I thought it would be so great to sleep in on rainy mornings and -- being a true night person --- I was sure working at night would be a boon.  A year ago that day came.  It took me a while to reach the point of total reversal, but it did happen a few months ago.  I would work until 5 or 6 a.m. and then sleep until 1-2 in the afternoon.  Woohoo --- I'd finally achieved my goal!!

Funny things started to happen in my life, however.  I missed important phone calls and I found I didn't get things in the mail on time (our mail lady arrives between 2:30 and 3:30 daily).  I'd get up at 1:30-2:00 p.m., make coffee and check email and phone messages.  Suddenly it was 5:00 p.m.  Time to eat, my stomach said, so I'd fix my daily meal!  Suddenly it was 8:00 p.m.  Something on TV I wanted to watch.  Suddenly it was 11:00 p.m.  Uh-huh.  I really should get some work done.  So I'd head back to the office and work for a couple of hours.  I found I was burning costly electricity and spinning my wheels on some projects because you really can't call folks at 2 in the morning and say "Is this your mortgage payment or your line of credit?"

It occurred to me one afternoon, while standing in the shower, that I really needed to get back on a schedule somewhere near that of the "real world."  I'm trying.  Note what time it is as I write this.  But I am trying.  I will be in bed by 1:00 a.m., which will allow me to rise and shine a bit more reasonably then if I had worked until 6:00 a.m.

My calendar has become much more important since I left the "real world."  I recognized during my epiphany that if I intended to get anything done, I needed to make my phone calls as soon as my feet hit the floor.  (That also means I need to set up the coffee before I go to bed --- just as I did when I worked in a REAL office!).  I've also determined that I need to use my calendar more deliberately than in the past.  Now when I make a calendar entry to call someone or do something, I make a detailed note in the body of the entry detailing the questions I need answered or the materials I need to receive from or take to a meeting.  That way when that annoying pop-up shows up on my screen, I have the full concept of what is or should be happening.

About 6 months ago Costco had white boards on sale.  They have a cork board on the side and they came with a full set of colored pens.  The price was right and I grabbed one.  It rode around in the trunk of my car for another 3 months.  When I sold the car I brought it in the house and hung it in the hallway to get it out of the way.  That was the best investment of the last year.  Each client is listed on that board and under that client is a very simple list of what needs to be done for that client and the deadline for the action.  Every time I head down the hall I see that board.  I can't avoid it.  And it keeps me focused on my clients' most immediate needs.

Working for yourself is great, but discipline is more important than ever when you work from home.  Set a time to return calls.  Set a time frame for checking emails (otherwise you will spend the entire day reading and responding to emails).  Set a time to break for lunch or walk the dogs.  And set specific days of the week to run errands and meet with clients.  If you adhere to these basic parameters, you will be successful. 

Someone told me once that the biggest problem with working from home was the distractions.  I disagree.  The biggest problem with working from home is not having a plan that you stick too!  If you have a plan and you work that plan, you will get things done and enjoy yourself in the process.  If you do not, you will be as miserable as you were in the corporate office because you will remain behind the 8-ball!

Today's Assignment:  Get out that calendar and set a schedule you can live with.  Then write in all those things you need to get done and the deadlines for them.  Buy yourself a white board (or use a large piece of newsprint) and hang it on the wall.  List your major clients and under each one list what needs to be done for them and the due date.  Keep adding to the list as appropriate.  And cross items off when they are done.  You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish!!  See you in Organizationville!

IS MONDAY MORNING STILL MONDAY MORNING IF IT'S TUESDAY?

Everyone hates Monday morning!  For years I worked the daily 8:30 - 6:00 grind.  We used to laughingly ask if Monday morning would still be as bad if we didn't come in until Tuesday morning.  I worked on flextime for a few years and had Monday's off.  And of course now I do the majority of my work from home.  But, yes, the first day of your work week is always tough, no matter what day it falls on!

Last fall I worked a trial for a few months and returned to the commuter rat-race that I had so happily left behind.  It amazed me how quickly the Sunday night blues returned to my life.  And it set me to wondering why we are so resistant to Monday mornings.

For many there is a simple answer --- they dislike their jobs.  But for those who love their jobs, there must be a better way to start a week!  I came up with a few thoughts to share.  After all, organization is as much about the mind as it is about the things piled on your desk.

• I thought back to my childhood and how families got themselves out of the door on a morning in the 50's and 60's.  I realized that it was not the mad panic that my children experienced when they were growing up.  We got up, made our beds, got dressed, and sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast as a family.  We discussed what was happening that day and who was going where.  The table was cleared, teeth were brushed and we were out the door with our lunches, etc., and got where we needed to be on time.

I sincerely doubt that many families join each other around the breakfast table these days.  Breakfast is often coffee in a travel cup and maybe a piece of fruit or granola bar stuck in a pocket.  We generally are running a race to the car, often forget what we needed most for the day, seldom pack a lunch, and arrive at our destination breathless and half awake!  Multiply this by 5 days a week and it's easy to understand where the Sunday night blues come from.

• Most of us, children included, do not get enough sleep.  My grandparents lived with us.  They went to bed every night at 10:00 p.m. and were up at 6:00 a.m.  As children, we were expected to be in bed at 8:00 or 9:00 p.m., depending on our age.  As teenagers, however, school work sometimes kept us up until 11:00 p.m., which was considered far too late and was strongly discouraged.  The norm for adults was at least 8 hours of sleep every night of the week.  Children required more.

Today I dare say the majority of adults run on 4-5 hours sleep per night.  Children are often not in bed until 10:00 p.m.  With so many families where both parents work, just getting home and getting dinner on the table is a challenge, and then you add the mountains of schoolwork children are charged with these days, and it is easy to understand the late bedtimes. 

• Many of us now have TVs in our bedrooms and we attempt to lull ourselves to sleep while watching Steve McQueen speed up and down the hills of San Francisco or someone's body be dissected by a coroner.  I am amazed at how many children are sent to bed with their TVs on.  How can we possibly relax our minds and renew our bodies when all this is assaulting our eyes and ears?

I too had a TV in my bedroom for a number of years.  One day it died and it was not replaced.  If I am too tired to sit in a chair in the living room, I need to be in bed and not watching TV.  Unfortunately the late hour that news comes on in most locations encourages us all to stay up later then we should.  My grandparents did not have a TV --- they listened to the news on the radio after dinner, then read for a while --- perhaps listened to another radio show and went to bed.  They slept well and were refreshed in the morning.  A lesson we all need to learn.

• Does anyone read the funny papers anymore?  I can remember many laughs over the comic section of the newspaper in the morning.  It was a great way to start the day --- laughing is good for the soul.  It lightens our mood and it allows others to join us in a joyful experience.  Nothing better than a good belly laugh.  We don't get many of those these days.  Comedy was much more naive when I was growing up --- it was not laced with the sarcasm and outright meanness we experience today.

Take a moment and look at your morning routines.  If you have young children, this is the ideal time to get them into the habit of having a family breakfast in the morning.  Establish bedtimes that are meaningful and stick to them.  Make sure that you are ALL getting the sleep your body needs to regenerate and remain youthful and productive.  TV shows will wait --- they will be repeated --- they can be recorded and played back at more appropriate times.  For too many of us, TV scheduling rules everything in the home.

If you are getting enough sleep, you should be ready to wake up in the morning and happy to spend a bit of time making yourself look presentable.   Over the years of my commute I saw it become perfectly acceptable for women to perform their entire morning make-up routine on the commuter train!  Our grandmothers had a fit if we opened a lipstick at the table after dinner in a restaurant.  After years of watching this (and admittedly participating at times), I've decided some things are better done in private.  How can a woman expect a man to look at her the same way, either professionally or personally, after watching her perform a total makeover on her face while sitting across from him?

What often happens is someone rolls out of bed 5 minutes before they must be out the door of their house.  Morning routines are brief, clothing is often askew, and for those lucky enough to commute on a train or bus, it often signals the ability to get another 20 or 30 minutes of sleep.  Is it any wonder people arrive at work looking hungover?

We stumble into work with our eyes barely open --- and the first thing we do is head for the nearest cup of coffee.  Most of us have not eaten breakfast and if we have had anything at all to eat it was probably loaded with sugar and caffeine.  While there are truly "night owls" out there valiantly trying to survive in a "day person's" world (and I am one of those night owls), it is my personal belief that the whole situation is compounded by a generalized lack of proper sleep and inadequate morning routines. 

I have a retired friend who was always a night owl in his earlier years.  Recently I noticed he'd turned into an early bird and was often in bed at 8:00 p.m.  I asked him not long ago what had changed.  He explained that in retirement he was learning to watch his pennies.  Why pay for lights at night when he could do the same stuff by the light of day.  As he said, "It was good enough for my grandparents --- why not for me." 

That started me thinking along similar lines.  We have lost a lot in the last 40-50 years in terms of quality of life.  Oh, we have more gadgets and faster cars and food from far corners of the world.  But we've made some mighty trade-offs too.  We are most often tired, short/ill-tempered, late and behind on projects; we spend less quality time with family members and friends; we do fewer things we really enjoy; and we live as though there will always be a tomorrow --- maybe we should just listen to Jimmy Durante sing September Song one more time!

Today's Assignment:  Declutter your mind and organize your evenings and mornings so that you get the rest you need and have a decent breakfast with your family.  If you are alone, eat breakfast and read the comic page of the newspaper.  Have at least one good laugh every morning before you walk into work!  Try it and see how gorgeous a morning can be in  Organizationville!

ELIMINATE CLUTTER!

Did you know that clutter is one of the biggest sources of frustration in our lives?  Want to know something else?  Most of us tolerate it as if it were a force majeure.  Force majeure is a common clause in legal contracts and it basically frees one or both parties from obligation or liability should some extraordinary event occur which is considered beyond the control of the parties.  A war, riot, earthquake, erupting volcano, flood (i.e. an act of God) is generally considered a force majeure.  You can read more about it at Wikipedia, if you feel inclined.

But folks, I am here to tell you that cluttered handbags and briefcases do NOT qualify as a force majeure!  Men --- you can stop laughing.  Some of the messiest, smelliest, nastiest briefcases I've ever seen have been carried around by attorneys with sterling reputations in court!  I'm still wondering about the stinky gym shorts I found glued to the bottom of one briefcase (by mildew) when I emptied it of files that his staff had spent 2 days searching for!

Women --- we have come a long way, Baby, but we still haven't learned how to cope with the purse/briefcase thing effectively in most instances.  I remember taking a rolling briefcase down to the person in charge of supplies and office equipment maintenance.  One of the wheels was broken and the case was being sent in for repairs.  When I opened it before handing it over to this person I found the bottom knee deep in a collection of paper clips, binder clips, pens, Post-It Notes and rubberbands -- all coated with a gritty white powder.  No self-respecting assistant could turn that bag over to anyone like that.  So I turned it upside down to empty the contents into a box and found the culprit.  The white powder resulted when a bottle of a well-known OTC antacid medication opened up, spewing it's contents all over the bag.  Now I'm sure that the pills did NOT disintegrate in a matter of a few hours --- it obviously took a lot of work (and file shuffling) to pulverize those tablets into this exquisitely fine powdered substance.  I wanted to ring the woman's neck and yet there was little I could do except clean up the mess, which included wet-washing the inside of the briefcase and tossing a large number of perfectly good supplies!

Men laughingly refer to women's handbags as "bottom-less pits" and yet on more than one occasion I've seen a husband hand his wife items, telling her to put them in her purse --- as though it were the family filing cabinet.  In some cultures men do carry small bags and I would love to be the first to hand one of them my lipstick to carry around for the evening!

The point I am trying to make here is that clutter is clutter --- wherever it occurs.  And nothing is more frustrating to you and everyone around you then watching as you search in what appears to be utter futility to find your cell phone as it rings off the hook --- or to wait in the rain while you look for your car keys. 

Brief cases should be emptied daily of all but the basics.  To continue carrying around files that you used last week or the week before is not only weighing you down, it is asking for those files to be lost in the shuffle somewhere.  Think about this for a moment:  if something happened and you lost your briefcase today, would you know exactly which files and important documents were in it?  Wouldn't you be happier to know you only lost files and papers applicable to ONE or TWO projects instead of a month's worth of documents?

Pick a briefcase which meets your needs, but do not buy the biggest one you can find.  Briefcases are like storage units --- what goes into them expands to fit the available space.  Have you ever noticed a nicely attired gentleman walking down the street with a very sleek looking briefcase.  Doesn't he impress you more than one carry an old medical satchel that is ready to burst at the seams?  When I see someone like that, with a tidy, trim, beautifully made briefcase, I automatically think he must be a very successful businessman. 

Women fall into the same category.  A few weeks ago I got on the elevator with two women attorneys.  One I know well --- the other I have passing knowledge of.  One had a slim, tidy briefcase and a small handbag on a shoulder strap of an appropriate length.  She looked professional and ready to go.  The other one got on the elevator carrying a briefcase that was overflowing with file folders stuck in every which way, a huge tote bag purse slung over her shoulder and a gym bag that had tennis shoes sticking out of the zipper.  This woman was frantically digging in her tote bag for her cell phone and in the process a hairbrush, sunglasses and her Daytimer went dancing across the elevator floor.  Everything about her said harried, weary and disorganized.  As the door opened and we exited, she ran into her secretary and I heard her telling the poor lady that she could not find her keys and the secretary would need to drive her to the airport!

Let's start with women's handbags, since they are the source of so much ridicule:

1. Contrary to popular myth, you do NOT need to carry your entire make-up collection with you all day long.  Put your make-up on in the morning and carry only what is necessary for a basic touch-up during the day --- generally powder/foundation in a compact and lipstick. 
2. Do NOT use your wallet as the repository for every receipt you've received for the last year.  If you must keep receipts, buy a supply of small manila envelopes and keep one in your car or bag.  Start a new one each week and label each one with the dates for the receipts it contains.  Saturday morning take the envelope out, sort and toss the unnecessary receipts, return the rest to the envelope and file it for the bookkeeper.
3. There's a neat little gadget out there called a Purseket.  It's a removable, flexible panel of pockets designed to organize your handbags and tote bags.  It comes in a variety of sizes, shapes, fabrics, etc., and it allows you to quickly and easily find anything if it will stand up in one of the pockets.  Once you have the pockets filled you simple wrap it around the inside of your bag and there is room for your wallet or a small Daytimer in the center.  The added feature of this organizer is you can quickly move it from one bag to another.  So if you have a penchant for handbags and are frequently moving everything from one bag to another, this is the perfect tool for you.  I first saw it on "The View" and it has since been featured in many high end magazines such as Oprah, Redbook, etc. 
   
4. Limit the contents of your handbag to what you would take to lunch or dinner with a friend or your spouse.  Anything else should go in a work tote or a briefcase.

Next, let's take a look at briefcases.  And to restate an earlier point, few of us actually need a briefcase as large as a weekender suitcase. 

1. Take a good look at your current briefcase.  Has it outlived its usefulness?  Is it looking pretty shabby and stretched out of shape?  Do the locks or zippers no longer work?  Then chuck it!  This IS a big part of your image.  You deserve something better and your clients will have more respect for you if you respect yourself.
2. Get a case that will carry the basics comfortably and neatly.  Make sure the interior has pockets for things like pens, business cards, file folders, writing pads, etc.  If you carry your laptop with you, you might consider a rolling laptop case --- there is a very nice one out there which has a separate laptop compartment that unzips on one end of the case --- it has a separate padded and zippered bag (with handles) for your laptop, which then fits inside the special compartment in the briefcase.  If you do not carry your laptop with you normally, then get a sleek briefcase which will hold the basic files you need to get the job done.
3. Find yourself faced with a situation where you need to tote large numbers of files?  Visit an office supply store and look at the crates on wheels which are now available for such things.  You will be more inclined to return the files to the appropriate filing location in a timely fashion if they are in a rolling crate then you will if they are in your briefcase!

Lastly, I can hear many of you saying, "but my office is my car and I MUST carry everything in my purse or briefcase."  Nonsense.  Your clients don't come to your office dragging staplers, paperclips and rubberbands behind them!  Neither should you.  Set up a work station in your vehicle --- get a mobile filing case with a few hanging files inside.  Go to the school supply section and buy a small plastic pencil box --- that will hold Post-Its, tape, highlighters, a small stapler, paperclips, binder clips, etc., and will fit in the file box.  A box of staples will also slide into the bottom of the file box generally without a problem. 

If you feel you need more, get a banker's box and put your supplies in there and stash it in the trunk --- with the cover on it so that everything inside stays secure and clean.  Here again, a plastic pencil box kept in the main part of the car will meet your immediate needs and keep everything together in a tidy fashion.

Lastly, establish a regular routine maintenance program for your handbag, tote bag, briefcase or whatever you use.  At that selected time go through your bag and empty it of anything you no longer need to carry with you.  Return files to the proper location.  Replace missing pens and other important items.  It matters not whether you do it Saturday morning or Thursday afternoon.  What matters is that you do it regularly.  It is less time-consuming on a weekly basis then it is on a monthly basis.  And those important receipts will be less likely to get away from you in the process.

Today's Assignment:  Go through whatever bags you use on a daily basis and determine what needs to be cleaned out, tossed, replaced, etc.  Take a look around your local office supply store for ideas on setting up a "mobile office" for your vehicle and consider your choices for replacing or refitting your current work tools.  Start your work week without the clutter!  I guarantee if you do this, you'll be smiling all the way to Organizationville this next week!

FAILURE IS NOT A PERMANENT CONDITION!

“Never Let Yesterday Use Up Today”
  Richard H. Nelson

Time and time again I hear from clients that they have tried in the past to become organized, but always fail in the long run.  They come armed with a mile long list of organizational failures and stand ready to convince me that my attempts to organize them will also fail.  I generally listen without comment, letting them vent their frustration right up front.  It's hard NOT to be frustrated when all your efforts have been fruitless.  So there is little point in trying to move forward until they have let go of the past.

I love Nelson's quote because it applies to so many areas of our lives.  We've all heard tales of people who hated someone or something with a vengeance all their life --- only to get sick and die at a young age.  My grandmother used to say that so-and-so's anger killed him, and I suppose in a way it did.  Had they led a happier life they might have lived any longer, but they surely would have found more joy in the time they had --- I know their friends and relatives would have felt better about things!

So I let folks talk for a bit --- to get it out of their system.  What they don't realize is that my appraisal of their situation starts from the moment we meet.  Their body language tells me how they feel about themselves, their office (or whatever room we are meeting in) and me.  Next, while listening attentively to what they are saying, I observe the room we are in. I watch what they do with their hands.  Do they fidget?  Do they move piles of things around? Do they play with the cat or the dog?  Do they drink coffee or soda or tea --- is there a trail of dead cups and granola bar wrappers residing on their desk?  Do they have a wastebasket within reach of their desk (you'd be amazed at how many folks don't even OWN a wastebasket!)?  Is their filing system within easy reach of their desk?  Do they have room on their desk to address an envelope?

Most people approach organization with the idea that they need to set up these super-duper organizational systems that are akin to what IBM or ENRON would use.  The problem with that is most folks, especially on their own, do not function like large corporations.  They don't need to.  So the systems fail.  It's folly from the get-go.

I like to look at what people do naturally and then work with that.  If the appropriate file folder is right at your elbow, and if it is not overstuffed, you will most likely stick the new letter in it when you finish reading and responding to it.  If you have to walk across the room to file it, you will put it in a pile on your desk and tell yourself you'll file everything at the same time . . . "later!"  Do I need to tell you that "later" seldom comes?

Work with your natural tendencies.  Do you dump your purse, keys and coat on the first chair you pass in the living room?  Why not put a couple of attractive coat hooks by the front door.  If company comes over and you need the hooks for their coats, you'll take a moment to hang yours where it belongs.  Otherwise, at least it is on the hook and not on the chair looking cluttered and preventing someone from using the chair all evening. 

Are you one of those who spends 20 minutes every morning looking for your keys?  Try putting a hook next to your coat hook and hanging them there when you come in.  Or put them in your "Out Box" on your desk.  When my son was young and found my keys great fun to play with, I started putting them on top of the refrigerator (one of the few places where the little monkey could not manage to reach by climbing on something).  The habit became so ingrained that when visiting friends I would toss my keys on top of their refrigerators.  My friend's husband would come in the back door and greet me before he saw me because of the keys on top of their refrigerator.

I might add a note of caution here for women.  Never leave your purse within easy view of the front door.  It is way too easy for someone to enter your house and grab the purse and run.  Happens frequently --- especially if you are dealing with someone at the door and have to go get a pen or answer the phone.  A moment's distraction and the purse is gone.  The same thing goes with putting your purse on the back seat of the car and driving around with the windows open.  Someone riding by on a bike can easily do a grab and run.  So, if you are going to hang your purse up with your coat, make sure your coat is OVER your purse.  In most situations the wall where you hand your coat will be behind the door when the door is open, so if you hang your coat over your bag it will be less obvious to the casual observer.

Let's continue our scenario.  Do you doodle when you talk on the phone?  Then don't try to use one of those carbon set phone pads for your messages.  You'll just scribble all over the note and you'll be unable to read it in duplicate!  Keep a small notebook by your phone.  Make your note at the top of the page and then use the rest of the page to doodle, if you must.  My doodles often refresh my memory about the conversation several months later --- or at least when I'm looking for the telephone note I will remember what I doodled.  Funny how my mind works that way.  Ideally, of course, when you are finished with the call --- you should take an additional moment and transfer the contact information and details to your computer or Daytimer --- while you can still read your handwriting.

Get some attractive stacking trays and put them within easy reach of your desk.  Label them:  Outgoing; Incoming; Action Required; In Progress; etc.  Keep the number down to 4 or 5.  As you open your mail, calendar items that need to be calendared, file things that need to be filed -- remember, the filing cabinet should be close to your desk --- roll-abouts on wheels are very handy for everyday filing!  Then anything that needs to be mailed out or delivered goes in the "Out Box."  The "Out Box is also a handy place for your car keys --- when you leave you grab your keys and whatever needs to be mailed or delivered.

The In Box is for mail or deliveries.  That way, when it is your appointed time to go through the incoming materials, they will be there waiting for you --- not in a pile on the dining room table.  So don't use your In Box as a dump box --- only put deliveries and incoming mail there.

The "In Progress Box" is for things in need of outside input.  If you are waiting for someone to send you a piece of the puzzle or additional directions or a signature page --- it goes into the "In Progress Box."

Things which need a response from you go in the "Action Required Box."  These differ from "In Progress" as they require YOUR attention --- these are not things where you are awaiting a response from someone else.

Now take a moment to look around your office and home.  Where are the trouble spots?  What is causing those trouble spots?  It may be habit.  It may be a bit of laziness.  It may simply be that you are too rushed to handle anything more.  The point is --- quit trying to fight the way you function --- work with it.  Maybe you need some extra waste baskets strategically placed.  Maybe you need to set up a routine so that whoever loads the dishwasher at night sounds a "last call" warning.  That means it's time for you and everyone else to bring out those errant coffee cups and dirty dishes from the various rooms they have slithered into.  Doing the dishes at night gives you that extra few moments to do the clean-up, instead of trying to squeeze one more thing in the morning rush.

Maybe it means getting rid of the bedspreads in your house and using quilts which can be quickly shaken out in the morning to simplify making the bed.  There are many beautiful quilts or duvets out there which will look every bit as good as that fancy bedspread that ends up in a heap on the floor by the closet.  And while we are at it --- what's with all those pillows that you have to toss in a heap before you can go to bed at night?  How often do they migrate back onto the bed?  Hardly the fashion statement you were looking for.  Why not opt for a couple truly LARGE pillows, for those times you want to sit up and read in bed.  Two huge pillows are easier to replace in the morning then 10 little puffballs rolling around the floor. 

Look in your closet --- let's get real here.  Do you really wear all the clothes that are hanging in there?  If you haven't had it on in 2 years, give it to charity.  No let's look at what is on the floor of the closet --- old sweats, T-shirts (are they clean or dirty?), shoes, dirty laundry, belts, etc.  Why not invest in a couple of nice baskets for the CLEAN T-shirts and sweats.  Fold them from the drier then toss them in the baskets.  If the baskets are the right size they might fit on the overhead shelf.  Go to a closet store and get a couple of 2-shelved units for your shoes.  They are easy to assemble (I even use them in my office for paper supplies, etc.) and inexpensive.  Use them for the shoes you wear all the time.  Put the rest in clear plastic boxes stacked on the shelf up above.  Invest in extra laundry baskets --- the new mesh ones that fold up flat are wonderful.  They are lightweight and you can keep several for times when you have a lot of laundry you are moving between the bedrooms and the laundry area.  A few hooks are the back or the end of the closet will easily handle belts and every day scarves. 

Keep extra sets of cleaning materials where you need them.  Each bathroom should have it's own little pail of cleansers, paper towels, brushes -- whatever you use -- tucked away under the sink.  Makes it simple to clean up when you don't have to go looking for things.  Do the mirrors steam up with the morning shower?  Grab a paper towel, spray a little window cleaner on the mirrors and instead of just wiping the steam off, get rid of the toothpaste splatters and the water splashes.  You'll use the same paper towel you were going to use to get rid of the steam, but the mirror will be clean!

Work WITH your natural tendencies and you will find that organization will work for you.  Trying to paddle upstream all day long is not only futile, it leads to surefire failure.  Organization does NOT mean being perfect --- it means establishing ground rules that YOU and your family can work with and maintain.  What works for someone else may go against ever fiber of your being.  But if something works for you and you are comfortable with it, go for it.  That is what organization is all about.

Today's Assignment:  Take a look around your house and figure out what problem areas you have that could be quickly and easily remedied by the addition of a few well-placed hooks, trash cans, storage containers, cleaning supplies, or storage units.  Then get what you need and go to work.  You will be amazed at how much better you will feel afterwards.  Honor your strengths and don't let yesterday use up today.  See you in Organizationville!

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!

OK, we've had a couple of days of fun --- now let's get down to the nitty gritty of life --- those jobs you hate and will avoid at all cost.  Cleaning the bathroom --- grocery shopping --- mowing the lawn.  You know what they are --- all you have to do is look around the house or office and they are very apparent.

Take out a piece of paper and draw a line down the center.  On the left side list those jobs you can't stand --- the things that make your life miserable.  You know --- the stuff that would make you run away from home if you could.  Next to each item list the amount of time that job would take you each week.  On the other side of the paper list what you could do to improve your life in the amount of time each of those jobs takes:  make phone calls to prospective clients ---- file receipts for the accountant --- send out invoices --- plant those tomatoes you've been thinking about all winter --- you get the idea! 

Now, at the top of the page write down the hourly rate you charge your clients.  Total the amount of time listed for the jobs you don't like to do and multiply it by your hourly rate.  Consider what it would cost to have someone come in once a week or twice a month to do basic cleaning.  Write that down on the left side of the paper.  How much would it cost to hire someone to mow the lawn and trim the weeds once a week?  Write that down.  Do the same thing with each of the jobs you hate.  Maybe you hate doing laundry.  You could pay the cleaning lady to change the beds and do the laundry when she comes to clean.  You get the idea.  Now subtract the total amount it would cost you to hire these jobs done from what it would cost YOU to do these jobs at YOUR normal hourly rate.  If you are like most consultants and sole practitioners, you charge quite a bit more per hour then a yard man or a cleaning lady. 

The point is this:  while they are doing the jobs which make your skin crawl, you could be working at furthering your career.  Consider the money spent on getting help an investment in your business.  It is, after all is said and done, just that.  People who get ahead in the world learn to delegate.  And they learn where to make trade-offs.  The cleaning woman and the yard man (or the person who does your grocery shopping or runs errands for you) are your employees.  They are your staff.  You delegate work to them that you would otherwise have to do.  By doing so, you free yourself up to make more money.  Now THAT's organized thinking!

Want a great place to get folks to do those odd jobs?  Check out a website called Hire Patriots!   It's a national website which allows you to hire active and nonactive military personnel and their families for jobs large or small, temporary or permanent.  It's a wonderful way to support our military men and women and their families.  Check out the website.  You will be amazed at what you find there.

The trick to having staff --- even at your home office --- is communication.  Don't assume they know what you want done.  Talk with them when they arrive.  Develop a relationship with them.  If necessary, make up a chart or check list to make sure the right things get done every time.  The person can check things off as they are done and return the checklist to you at the end of the visit.  If you have a special request one week, you can add it to that week's checklist.  Save the checklists in a file.  At the end of the year you have something to give your accountant to prove that you did indeed have office maintenance expenses.  It will also help you remember the last time the eaves troughs were cleaned out.

Hate grocery shopping?  Most of the grocery store chains now offer personal service.  You can sign-in online, put in your grocery order and have it delivered the next day.  Extra cost?  My local Albertson's will do your shopping for $5.95 if you pick it up at the store, and $9.95 if you have it delivered to your house in climate controlled trucks.  There are days when that is a bargain.  You just need to get your order in by 10:00 p.m. the night before.

Pets Make Things Lively!

My friends and clients know I'm an animal lover.  No doubt in their minds.  Some folks think pets are more trouble then they are worth.  Now there are some days when I'll agree with you --- other days you couldn't separate me from my pets with a blow torch. 

Pets keep me real.  And they give me someone to talk to during the day when I'm tired of talking to the computer or answering the phone.  In fact Bleu, my Indian Ringneck, sits in his cage right next to my shoulder here in the office.  Occasionally, when I put the phone down to look for something
on my desk, he will surprise folks by asking them what they are doing.  They know it's not MY voice and they can't figure out who is talking to them.  Oh, and I should add he has memorized my most common telephone scripts and often repeats them back as I talk on the phone:  Hello -- uh-huh -- OK, whatever you want to do -- cool -- works for me -- keep me posted -- bye!   My Severe Macaw used to call the dogs!  I also have a Parrotlet who sits behind me in my office --- he REALLY jabbers --- spouting such lines as "I can talk, can you fly?"  The Ringneck and the Macaw were bred by Pat Bush, a good friend of mine who hand raises the birds which she hatches in an incubator.  Visit The Beak in Alpine, CA.  If you visit her website you'll be amazed at how peaceably all the birds, 2 cats and a dog get along --- you have to see the picture with the cat snoozing on top of one of the warming tanks containing baby birds!  These feathery critters add a lot of humor to my day and that keeps me going when things get tough.

How does this relate to organization?  Well if you are going to have pets, organization makes it much simpler to care for them.  For instance, I found the 13 quart kitchen trash bags are just the right size to fit over the catch trays in the bottom of the bird cages.  I slide the tray in the bag and put the tray (and bag) back in its place under the bird cage.  I place a layer of paper towels or newspapers where it belongs in the tray, only on top of the plastic bag.  When it's time to clean the cage, I carefully pull the tray out and invert the trash bag as I slowly pull it off the tray.  All the mess, newspaper and all, are captured inside the trash bag which I then toss.  No mess; no fuss; no washing necessary.  Yes --- it costs me a few pennies for the trash bags.  But it is worth it in the end as I don't have to worry about feathers flying as I try to dump the tray in the trash bin and then have to go to the sink and wash and dry the tray.  It's like liners for kitty litter boxes.  It works.

I use PetBlinkers on my dogs at night. Check them out at Southern California Giant Schnauzer Rescue!  One of my Giants being black, if she gets loose I can hardly spot her in the dark.   The blinkers are small and easy to lose, so I attach them to the leashes I regularly use when I walk the dogs, instead of attaching them to the actual dog collars.  This way they are always ready when I am --- daytime or nighttime.  And it also reminds me to turn the blinkers off when we return from our walks.

The leashes hang on a coat hook by the front door.  I also keep a couple of extra ones on the hook by the garage door and a few in the van.  You may be driving somewhere and find a dog running loose.  Having an extra leash is handy.  If the girls happen to get out of my fenced back yard and I see them run, I dash to whichever leash supply is closest.  The cost of a few extra leashes is well worth it when time matters.

I have a chain link dog pen in the back yard that generally only gets used when we get a dog in rescue that I can't have mix with my girls for some reason.  I took a lesson from my dog groomer on this one.  When the dog goes into the pen, the  leash gets hung from a link on the side of the dog pen.  That way I don't have to go looking for the right leash when the time comes.  Simplicity --- that's what makes things work.

All the bird seed used to be kept in the kitchen.  That meant a trip to the kitchen every day with my hands filled with dishes.  I decided to put them in storage containers and stow them near the appropriate cages.  Make sure the containers have tight-fitting lids to keep the bugs (and hungry critters) out.  I collect little scoops and/or tiny plastic dishes that I keep inside the containers for scooping out the contents.  Since my guys all get veggies and fruits during the course of the day anyway, I change the water dishes out when I bring the fruit/veggie mixture in.  Here again, I have an extra supply of dishes.  The new stuff comes in; the dirty ones go out and are either washed and stacked for use the next day or are put in the dishwasher for a run-through later in the day. 

I keep a small plastic bowl under the seat in the car --- anything will work, but I often use old cottage cheese containers just because they are handy and if something happens to them I won't feel bad.  That, along with the gallon jug of water in the back of the van (or trunk of the car), means that my dogs or ANY dog in need that I come across will always have water available without my having to look for a gas station or a fast food restaurant. 

Hopefully you've found some useful ideas in today's ramblings.  Or maybe this will inspire you to come up with your own shortcuts.  Personally, I think people give organization a bad rap.  It really is nothing more then simplifying the things you do over and over again.  Take them down to their lowest common denominator.  Figure out what it is about them that gives you trouble and fix it.  If it means buying multiples of something, do it.  Time saved getting the job done will more then compensate you for the cost of a few extra dishes, leashes or whatever ---- when and where you need them.

Today's Assignment:   Make a list of jobs you absolutely detest.  Now find a way to either delegate or simplify those tarnished gems.  You'll feel so much better when they are done on a regular basis.  See ---- you're on your way to Organizationville!

SPAM WHAT AM --- CONTROL THAT EMAIL!

Email is one of those things that easily gets out of control.  And since I'm a pack rat at heart, this has always presented a great problem for me.  But I like email for two big reasons:

1. It gives me a tracking record with clients, friends, organizations, etc., so that I can go back      and see what has been done and what needs to be done.
2. I waste less time per email then I do on a phone call used for the same purpose.  Even a lengthy email will be finished more quickly then a phone call where so-called pleasantries end up being exchanged. 

Spam goes hand-in-hand with email and that drives me nuts too.  Someone said it's the "electronic version of junk mail."  Well that fits --- seems to be most of what I get in my REAL mailbox too --- and I always visit the trash can on my way in the house.  Although you can't eliminate spam --- you can reduce it.  But I've worked out some methods for handling email that seem to be working and I decided to share those with you today.

• Use more than one email address.  I have different email addresses for the various things for which I use email.  Lately I've gone to GMail (www.gmail.com) because they offer lots of space and they group the emails by "threads".  So as long as the other party and I communicate using the same original email, when I open that email I can have access to every email that has been part of that discussion. Makes things quicker for me in the long run.  Also, since I can visit GMail from any computer, I have quick access to my emails at any time.  You could also get accounts at MSN or YAHOO. I have email accounts for many different purposes.  Below are some of the more generic:

Shopping - By getting an email address at one of the free locations, you will only need to use this account when you have ordered something and are looking for a confirmation.  Since frequently places where you shop put you on their emailing lists, you will generally end up with a lot of spam in this email account.  If you have no outstanding orders, you can quickly go in and zap ALL the emails in that account without having to bother reading them --- unless you have a particular place that you might get interesting offers from. If the spam gets too heavy --- dump the account and open another.  Works really well to keep spam out of your main email boxes.

Newsletters - Newsletters can be a distraction.  You see them and you want to read them --- even if you are working on a rush job and shouldn't be reading that stuff.  So get a separate email account that you use ONLY for newsletters.  Then some rainy (snowy or sick) day when you don't feel like doing anything else, grab a cup of tea or coffee and catch up on your reading.  That way you will have time to make notes on your calendar of things you may be interested in and you can delete the email on the spot.

Personal- Keep your personal email address personal.  And I mean REAL friends --- not just sometime acquaintances who forward every joke that comes along. Generally you will use your permanent email address for this.  Here again, I've gone to using a free account online because then if you change internet providers you don't have to notify everyone in the world of your new email address.  When you feel like catching up on correspondence, you can spent some time checking out and responding to personal email in this account.

Business- This should be the account that you check frequently throughout the day so that you make sure you are responding to your customers' needs in a timely fashion.  Be forewarned --- do NOT use your business email when you go shopping because you WILL be spammed.  And once the spam circuit gets your business email in their web, you will most likely never get rid of the spam which flows to it.  Since it's generally difficult to change one's business email, it's best to keep it sacrosanct from all but business colleagues and clients.

• Email account names can be as confusing as anything else.  Since I try to use the same email provider for each account, I try to name my account something that reminds me of the purpose for that email account.  For instance, for gardening things I use something like "garden789@xxxxxx.com."  This tells me that it is my gardening account.

• Usernames and passwords have become the bane of my existence.  Everyone from the bank to the grocery store seems to require some kind of username and password, and they all have different criteria.  Keeping track of all those passwords became a fulltime job at one point in my life.  Then I discovered a relatively simple way of handling things:  I use the same username and password most everywhere.  The trick was to find a password that would meet a wide variety of criteria.  I find most places want at least 7 digits.  Some want a mixture of alpha and numbers.  So, I replaced one letter in the word with an appropriate number:  lower case L becomes a numeric 1; lower case O becomes a numberic zero.  Add to that a couple of numbers at the end of the name.

• At first I hated it when my name was taken and they wanted me to use numbers after the name.  Then I discovered (quite by accident) that the accounts with numbers at the end seldom got spam!  I think it's the nature of the systems that the spammers use --- they may guess the names, but not the numbers at the end.  Try it --- might work for you too.

• Take the auto responders off your email accounts.  When I started a business website we had a link from the website to a special email account.  I set up an auto responder on that saying this was a computer generated response and they would hear from someone within 24 hours.  I suggested they call if they needed my services sooner.  The interesting thing I found was that the auto responder messages were always returned as undeliverable.  And after a few of those messages came back at me, suddenly I was swamped by spam. Obviously people had visited the website and "harvested" the email address (which spammers do) and once they got the auto responder message their system knew it was a valid email and they just started shoving the spam to this email address.  I emptied the account and dropped the auto response.  It took a while, but the spam slowed down, so this proved my point.  If you have a special email account like this for your business, you can generally set it up to forward all messages to another of your accounts which you check regularly.  That way you don't have to give out your "good" email address to the    public on your website, but it cuts down on the accounts you have to check frequently.
• In a related topic, do not respond to spam messages or use the links contained in them.  As      noted above, spam relies on certain methods of generating email addresses and finding out which ones are active.  They try variations of email addresses at certain domains and will often contain messages saying you can click or reply to "unsubscribe." Resist the urge to do so.  All this will do is allow them to verify that your address is valid.  Rarely, if ever, will it get you removed from their list of "gullible parties."
• Almost anything you sign up for (including newsletters) will give you the option of receiving mail    from them about other products and services.  If you do not DE-select these, you WILL receive lots of mail ---- most of it not stuff that you really want.  So make sure that whenever you sign up for anything, either DE-select or do NOT select the additional options they offer --- unless, of course, you lead a boring life and want a mailbox full of special offers and junk mail.
• If you use Outlook, disable the automatic downloading of graphics in HTML mail.A large number of today's spammers have gone highly technical.  They send HTML mail with a linked graphic file that tracks when an email message is opened.  When your software downloads the graphic from the web server that message advises the spammer and they know your email address is valid.  If you view all email in plain text, if avoids those problems and problems often associated with virus delivery too.

• Perhaps this doesn't fit here, but I'll assume you're as gullible as the next soul.  Always watch for hoaxes and frauds. And yes, the Nigerian Bank Scam is alive and well and has hit the email world with a vengeance. So have the various charitable contribution scams, the sick children hoaxes and a million other fraudulent games that have been unloaded on unsuspecting individuals.  My favorite is that if you send this email to 15 people some huge mega corporation will give the child money for medical equipment, etc.  It's not going to happen --- tracking forwarded email is not possible.  Before you forward something like this STOP!  Run it through the Google or Yahoo Search Engines and see what comes up.  Check it out on Snopes (www.snopes.com) or      Hoaxbusters, Symantec's Hoax Page or Urban Legends.  You could spend a whole evening just reading THEIR web pages.  Interesting stuff is found there.

Now, the next question is one I hear all the time --- what do I do with emails that I'm interested in?  There are several possible solutions.  You can set up relevant folders in your email client and move the email to the appropriate account.  That works, to a point --- but someday you'll have to clean those files out.  You can print them out on paper --- that's a messy solution ---- and it requires more waste of paper and is frequently frustrating when you can't find the one you want.  Besides, you need space in which to file them.

I've found the easiest solution --- I print them as PDFs to a file on my computer.  You can either send them to an appropriate topic file or to a general "email" file.  Then you can delete them from your Inbox.  At some point, as necessary or prudent, you can burn those PDFs to a CDrom.   I can hear many of you now --- "I'm technically challenged and don't know how to make PDFs."  Well, child, I've got the perfect thing for you --- it's a program called "Cute PDF" and I --- and many of my clients --- have used it for years.  It's shareware, so it's free.  You go to www.cutepdf.com and down load the 2 files necessary to run the program.  Install them and you are up and running in no time.  The next time you see a web page or an email that you want to save, press "Print" and the print window will open; change your Printer to "CutePDF Writer"; hit the "OK" button.  It will act like it's going to print to your printer, but in a moment a box will open up and ask where you want the item saved.  Make sure you give it a name that will make it readily identifiable when you go looking for it a year from now!

Today's Assignment:  Go have fun cleaning up your email accounts and make some new ones for future use!!

HOW DID I GET INTO THIS MESS!!

It's tax time again!  Bet you didn't need to hear that --- guess it's on my mind because I've spent several weeks entering a year's worth of accounting into QuickBooks for a new client.  She's an extremely busy consultant who lost her right-hand helper more than a year ago and hadn't had time to find a replacement. We have jointly slogged through not only her professional bookkeeping, but the bookkeeping for her family and for a rental property that she and her husband own.  As I've told her several times, from here on out it will be easier as we doing the books on a weekly basis.  And that is the first principle of organization:  It's easier to do small amounts frequently than it is to do huge amounts once a year! 

The good news is you still have a chance to keep that New Year's resolution you made that this was the year to get organized!  After all, it's only March and you have to sort through stuff before you do your taxes anyway.  Might as well work a little bit of organization into the project.

Psychologically and emotionally, being organized is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.  It makes us feel good when we can walk into a place, find exactly what we need when we need it, and get where we need to be on time without breaking a sweat.  When I was growing up we lived with my grandparents.  We had one bedroom in the back of the house which functioned as a 50's version of a recreation room.  It was the only room where my brother and I could make a mess without receiving a lecture from my Grandmother.

In later years my Mother and I often laughed over Grandma's Victorian attitudes about every aspect of daily life --- she would definitely be consider a candidate for OCD in today's atmosphere.  With Grandma everything not only ran on a schedule, it was was done in a very precise way.  No tossing a wet towel over the shower curtain to dry, or cluttering the dining room table (which was used for eating twice a day) with today's mail, school books, car keys, etc.  Breakfast was served promptly at 7:00 a.m. every day -- oatmeal on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; poached eggs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; fried eggs and bacon/sausage on Sunday.  Come Monday morning, if Grandma didn't have 2 loads of wash on the line by breakfast time she was sure the neighbors would be talking about us!  Oh --- and the laundry had to be hung on the line in a specific order too.  Sheets, towels and table clothes (yes, we used them) went on the outside lines, thereby embracing the inner lines where our undies and nightclothes were hung out of view of neighbors' inquisitive eyes.  Tuesday was ironing day --- and we ironed everything, including towels, underwear and sheets!  It sounds rigid --- it WAS rigid.  But in reality, the house ran like a well-oiled engine.  We knew exactly what had to be done when and how it was to be done and there was no time wasted arguing about it.

I'll be the first to admit my house is nothing approaching orderly at this particular moment --- clearly a case of the cobbler's kids having no shoes!  I tell myself the dogs and birds don't care what a mess it is and I'm not quick to open my door to those who stop by unannounced.  However, it DOES affect how I feel about myself and I have already decided next week will be MY week to get organized again.

Organization gives us freedom --- it gives us extra time to do the things that are important to us.  Think about it for a moment.  You decide you have 45 minutes free and think maybe you'll plant some seeds in the garden.  You go looking for your tools --- you need a trowel, your gloves, the packages of seeds, your stake line to mark off the rows, knee pads and a watering can.  Wow, the watering can is on top of the workbench.  This is going to be easy.  Uh-huh!  After 10 minutes of searching, you finally find the kneepads in the coat closet (just how did they get there???).  The seeds, it turns out, are in the pile of papers on the dining room table where you left them after you opened the mail.  The trowel is nowhere to be seen, but you do find your gloves with the the stakes and line on the planting table out back.  One moment of brilliance ---- when was it you repotted that begonia?  Aha!  You finally find the trowel --- in the bag of potting soil.  How much time has all this taken?  Most likely the entire 45 minutes. 

Well, at least you will be ready the NEXT time you have a few minutes.  What would I suggest you do now?  Go get a bucket or a box and pile all this stuff inside.  Put it by the workbench or wherever you would LIKE your gardening tools to live.  Next time you will be ready to go.  Congratulations.  You have just taken the first step towards getting organized!

The main component to getting organized is to break the job down into manageable projects.  You didn't get this way overnight and unless you have a full staff of organizers come in to help, you won't get organized overnight.  But you CAN get started.  And once you have worked your way through a few projects you will get a rhythm going and you will want to continue.  Success is a great motivator. 

None of this is new.  You've heard it 100 times.  What is new is working through this process on a daily basis with someone helping you along . . . that someone is ME!  I can guarantee you will get more accomplished if you stop by here every day and complete your assignment.  As my new client found out, it took only a few hours to get her office organized and cleaned up when I was on-site.  Why?  Because doing something undesirable WITH someone makes it more fun and easier to accomplish.  So, here is your assignment for today.

Today's Assignment:  Take one stack of papers from your desk and break it down into 3 piles:  File, Toss and Action.

1. File Pile:  The file pile should only be things that really need to be kept.  Once a bill is paid you can generally toss it.  Unless you need it for a specific purpose, there is no reason to keep it.  Be vigilant --- this is where most people make mistakes.  We are pack rats by nature and it is hard to throw things out after decades of holding onto them.  With the advent of today's computerized systems, most major companies can provide you with copies of your bills nearly instantly --- often via the internet.  Why clutter your files with copies of them?   Note: Did you know that many companies will give you a discount for viewing your bills online instead of having them sent through the U.S. Mail?  Check it out.  Maybe you don't really need to get all those paper bills after all.
2. Toss Pile:  For obvious reasons this should be your largest pile.  Get rid of all the ads, junk mail, fliers, etc., that you have no interest in.  If they've been sitting there for a while they are probably outdated anyway!  Having said this I must also add that I trust anything of a personal nature that you toss will be SHREDDED.  Shredders are reasonably priced these days and with identity theft growing daily, nobody should be putting personal items in the trash without shredding them first.
3. Action Pile:  Your action pile will be things which need your attention:  bills to pay, correspondence that needs a response, orders to be placed, etc.  You may be amazed at what you find hidden in that one stack.  Just remember that getting these items in a folder where you can find them will allow you to deal with things when you find a few spare moments.  Not having to look through 20 piles to find a bill that needs to be paid probably means it will be paid on time and you will avoid a late fee --- a small reward for your organizational efforts.

Don't worry about filing the stuff in the File Pile yet.  If you happen to already have a file set up for something, fine.  If not, just put these things in a folder labeled "Filing" and put it in that clean spot on your desk.  If you have the time and feel motivated, go through a couple more piles.  But if you only do one pile today --- pat yourself on the back.  You've taken the first step on your trip to Organizationville.  That journey will reveal much about you and your lifestyle.  As they say --- getting there is half the fun, so enjoy the view along the way.