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Archive for the ‘Time Management’ Category:
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Some of you have heard me talk about one of our most popular classes or individual consultations, the Email Intervention. We know (and perhaps you agree) that a lot of people out there are addicted to email. Others may not feel addicted, but are stressed out by the sheer volume they receive and overwhelmed by the time it sucks out of their work day and even their leisure time. There are steps you can take to reduce your stress around email and reduce the time you spend in your inbox. Have a collection of hundreds or thousands (even tens of thousands? We’ve seen it!) emails in your inbox and want to know how to start down the path of enjoying some Email White Space? Please enjoy this guest post by fellow blogger and productivity consultant, Jan Wencel of Life Contained.
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 How does it make you feel to think about COMPLETELY EMPTYING YOUR EMAIL INBOX?
For those of you who use your inbox as a storage place…
This may send you into a panic. Do not fret. You can do this.
Start by setting up two appointments: one in the near term & another in six months. In the first appointment delete by age, from the bottom, all the messages you know are extinct and you’ll not need to reference. Then sort by author & delete all the messages from people you know you can eliminate. Next rank by file size & delete the emails with large attachments that you no longer need. The last step may seem drastic, but there are great rewards. Create a folder called “Expired Email.” Choose a date to draw an imaginary line (I suggest no more than three weeks out), then drag all older emails into the expired folder. Any emails retrieved from the expired folder within six months should be incorporated into other reference folders. All others (with few exceptions!) should be deleted during the second appointment you arranged for six months out.
For those who use your inbox as a to-do list…
We suggest you break this habit. Although more effective than allowing 1,000+ emails to pile up, using your inbox to prompt on-time follow up can lead to mishaps & doesn’t allow for prioritization.
Start by setting up an appointment to create an action file to hold all the reminders you have. Then add reminders for tasks resulting from emails as well as other tasks you need to complete.
Ah…doesn’t the email white space feel peaceful?
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Thanks, Jan, for your insights!
Jan Wencel is a certifiable GTD/inbox zero nerd. She runs a business in Chicago, Life Contained, Inc., similar to Simply Placed. She has been my invaluable accountability partner since 2006. You can reach Jan at 630-803-6650, jan@lifecontained.com or www.lifecontained.com
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 If you don’t feel like this woman when you think about the emails in your inbox, let’s chat.
Have you or someone you know ever experienced a day like this? … You come into the office and open your email to see what’s come in since you left the previous day. You essentially stay in email and on the computer all day, trying furiously to keep up with the volume as it comes in, clicking links, reading interesting things, firing off intelligent responses, researching answers, perhaps even taking a detour to something fun, like Facebook. Suddenly you look up at the clock and realize it’s 5:00. End of the work day (or so you wish), and you can’t figure out where the time went. You look over your task list and wonder what you got done all day. If you know of someone like this (or if this is you), they (you) may benefit from an Email Intervention.
Suggest they seek help (or seek it yourself), beginning this Thursday afternoon. Simply Placed, in conjunction with Kreate Business Events, hosted by Julian Michael, will be conducting a FREE webinar for those who would like to learn how to handle their email more efficiently and effectively, saving them time, money and stress day after day. Sound like a good idea? Register here. Please help us spread the word by sharing this with friends, colleagues, family and others in your network. Put it on your Facebook page, tweet about it, include it in an email you send  …. you never know who you’ll help.
Feel free to comment here on the blog and let us know your biggest challenge around email as it relates to organization and productivity. We’ll be doing a couple of blog posts in the coming month offering some tips and ideas. If you share your challenge we may just solve it here.
“See” you on the Webinar tomorrow.
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 For many businesses the summer season brings a different pace to the office. Anxious to get out and enjoy the nice weather, spend time with kids out of school on summer break, and take a vacation, we seek ways to get our work done faster. For some companies, the summer months also bring a slow down of business. This can be an optimal time to employ some strategies that will both help you get out of the office earlier to enjoy those nice summer days, as well as put you in a position to be even more effective and efficient for when business picks up again. Here are a few tips that can help you leave the office earlier today, while still getting the important things done.
1. Clear the clutter – you know it should be done periodically, but do you know the benefits? You’ll eliminate distraction (those papers in front of you that you don’t really need) and make it easier to find what you need, when you need it (saving time every single day). Go ahead and take one of those slower summer days in your office to get rid of anything that’s getting in the way of your optimal productivity. Clean out old files, toss papers you no longer need, unearth your desk so you have space to work, take out trinkets you’ve collected over time that are crowding your work space. Breathe deeply and enjoy the space!
2. Christmas in July – it may sound like a crazy idea, but what if you took care of the task of ordering and preparing your business holiday cards this month? You certainly can wait to send them until early December, but why not take the time now to do the legwork while you have it, and save the time for a busier season when there’s other demands on your time. Not thrilled about the idea of doing this task so early? If you really want to stand out from your competition (who also send out holiday cards in December), send “Happy Summer” cards or “Thank You for Your Business” cards to show appreciation and recognition right now. Consider printing address labels and postage with one of Dymo’s printers to save even more time on the job.
3. Review and revise your plan – If you have an annual business plan, marketing plan, or set New Year’s resolutions, the summer months are a great time to take a look, assess where you are, adjust your sails (if needed) and create a fresh action plan that will help you accomplish your goals for the second half of the year.
4. Eat a Frog for Breakfast – you’ve heard me preach this one before … if you really want to get out of the office earlier while still getting the important things done, then do the important things first.
5. Design a new system – have a process that you do repeatedly? Now might be a good time to see if you can train someone else to do it (helpful for vacation coverage or for ongoing delegation to free up your time for things that only you can do), find a way to automate it or simplify it, or create a system to support it. This might be a new filing system, documenting a process for a policy and procedure manual, or brainstorming with a team that all performs similar tasks on best practices or time-saving ideas to streamline the process. Slower times are perfect for tackling these types of projects that will save you time immediately, and most importantly, when business picks up again.
What do you do when business slows a bit to develop new business and/or to prepare you for the busier times that are right around the corner? What strategies do you count on that help you get out of the office a little earlier or take a break to play, vacation or get some R&R? We’d love to hear from you. Comment away!
Enjoy the lazy hazy days of summer!
Disclosure: This is sponsored content and we have been given nominal gift in recognition of our time to do this post. That being said, we do not blog about anything we do not believe in and Dymo did not edit our post or direct our content in any way.
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 Can you believe that summer is just a few months away? I know if you’re in the Puget Sound area it is hard to imagine with all this rain, but the countdown for summer has definitely begun. It may seem crazy, but if you haven’t already, it is time to start making your summer plans. Minimally, this will give you something to look forward to as we get through our (ahem) “Spring”.
Will you go on any vacations? Will your kids go to camp? Will you plan any day trips in the area? What activities will you and your family do this summer? If you are planning to sign your kids up for summer camp, now is the perfect time to start this process! Registration for a lot of camps has already begun and some registrations are already closed. If you aren’t on top of it, your kids may miss the camp they have been looking forward to all year. We would love to help ensure that this doesn’t happen to you by providing you with a few tips on how to start planning for your summer now:
1. Create a “Family Activity Calendar” where you can record where you will be each week this summer. You can use a different color pen or highlighter for each family member. (ie. Suzy at waterski camp in pink and Jordan at soccer camp in yellow). This way you can take a quick peek at the calendar and know who will be doing what. Be sure to include dates, times and locations.
2. Keep your “Family Activity Calendar” in a central area like your kitchen. This way everyone is able to see the calendar and Mom or Dad can add/make changes to it. If you prefer to go digital, be sure to sync calendars so everyone knows what’s going on.
3. Create a file for “Summer Activities” now that you can be placing notes, registration forms, packing lists, etc. in so you have it all organized and in one place. This way you won’t spend time searching for your packing list the night before camp.
4. Create a reference file for “Future Vacations,” “Future Activities,” “Summer Camps,” etc. This will provide you with a home for papers you get throughout the year that are of interest to you. Again this will save you time in the end so you aren’t searching for that Football Camp Registration form that your son brought home from school last month. Instead you can go straight to your “Summer Camp” file and pull out the form. How great would that be?
5. Need ideas for what to do with your kids this summer? Check out Extraordinary Mama - a great new subscription service that for pennies a day will deliver customized, targeted emails to you each week with specific, age appropriate ideas and links to great activities and summer camp alternatives in your geographic area.
We hope these 5 simple tips will help you and your family get more organized for the summer. If you would like ideas for a reference filing system for your family, please let us know. We would be happy to make a recommendation.
Do you have any great tips for summer planning? We’d love to hear your ideas! Feel free to share them with us.
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Often we’re asked about the ROI of our services – the return on investment. We can easily explain the value that is realized when someone increases their organization and productivity. Another term for ROI is “Risk of Ignoring” – meaning – what’s is the risk of doing nothing about disorganization or productivity challenges?
 The Cost of Disorganization: Greater than we Think We all know that being disorganized undoubtedly leads to stress. And stress undoubtedly leads to numberous pain points within your daily life, whether at home or at work. But have you ever really sat down and thought about what disorganization is costing you?
As Professional Organizers, our goal is to help reduce your stress. As such, we have put together a list of common “pain points” that often result from disorganization. Not only do we wish to make your lives at home and work easier, but we want you to keep in mind that short-term investments yeild long-term results.
Common Pain Points to Consider:
1. Lost Business Opportunity. If your business/company is disorganized, chances are you are missing out on a fair amout of potential business opportunities. Curious what disorganization is costing your company? Click here to calculate it for yourself.
2. Customer Service is Suffering. Forgetting or simply taking too long to follow-up does not make your customers happy. The last thing you want is for your customers to think you don’t value them. Not to mention, it makes your company look bad and can result in a loss of customers and a dive in sales. Haven’t we all had a bad customer service experience that makes us never want to give them our business ever again?
3. Overworked and Overwhelmed. When you are feeling overworked and thus overwhelmed, everything seems to crumble and fall apart. Why? Because you aren’t on your “A” game. Yes, we all have “one of those days” every so often, however, when you are being pulled in too many directions, you become less productive and efficient.
It’s time to be honest with yourself and re-prioritize. Realize you are not superhuman. More importantly, keep in mind that trying to constantly multi-task actually decreases performance. (Insert “Multitasking” into the blog search bar over to the left to read our evidence on that fact). Focus on one thing at a time, complete it to the best of your ability, and move on. Done is better than perfect.
4. No Work/Life Balance. We cannot stress this enough. Which is why we encourage you to check out several of our blog posts about how you can find more time for the things you love most in life. Find that “me-time” you deserve.
5. Your Health is Suffering. Did you know that 80% of our medical expenditures are stress-related? Yikes! We can do something about that. Whether you’re an individual or an employer, health care costs make an impact on your bottom line.
Common Situations Where Being More Organized Could Save You a Pretty Penny:
• Late payments. Misplaced bills ultimately lead to interest and penalties. Avoid these by having a solid bill paying system in place. Who wants to pay more when you don’t have to. These situations are avoidable.
• Pending rebates. You purchase that new cell phone only to realize you did not collect the necessary information to receive your $100 rebate in time. Missing out on a rebate is like setting that $100 bill on fire. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to have some extra cash in my pocket.
• Duplicate purchases. This is especially true when it comes to food. Consider organizing your pantry or refrigerator every so often to ensure you aren’t purchasing multiples of anything. What are you going to do with 10 bottles of ketchup? Organization helps you find what you need, when you need it. You’ll avoid needing to buy another _____________ (fill in the blank), just because you can’t find the one (or several) you know you already have.
• Unused gift cards. We see this a lot. Have you ever gone into a store and you are at the counter digging through your purse or wallet for that gift card you know you have only to realize you left it buried in a drawer or pile at home?
When you get a gift card, put it straight into your wallet that way you will always have it with you when you are out and about. Don’t want to fill up your wallet with gift cards? We recommend the card cubby. Cute, portable, perfect for gift cards.
• Overdraft fees. In other words, failing to reconcile. These fees can really add up over time. If you are ever in doubt, check your balance before making another purchase. Thought you were good to go but still received an overdraft fee? Reconcile it ASAP. The sooner you do, the greater the likelihood your bank will be more willing to work with you.
• Multiple trips to store. There’s nothing like the feeling you get when you come home after a trip to the store only to realize you forgot “X” and “Y.” Our time is valuable and we always say we need more of it. Save time by creating a shopping list. Check out our Meal Planning Made Easy system to help you plan and save you time, money and gas each week.
• Repairs. Neglecting maintenance can end up costing you much more than it may have if you had attended to it in the early stages. Take your transmission for example. Putting off changing your transmission and power steering fluids (which can cost around $300-depending on your car) could turn into thousands when your transmission goes out. Several hundred or several thousand…hmm?
• Tax Deductions. Remember to always track your mileage and business expenses. Create an expense report if you don’t already have one in place. Unsure of what you can and cannot deduct? Check with your manager or CPA. You may be missing items you could have been reimbursed for.
Remember, it is business and no matter how great your relationship is, if you don’t bring it to their attention, they probably aren’t going to bring it to yours. Why would they if they can save some cash themselves?
• Late fees. I’m sure most of us have received a letter or bill in the mail with the words “Payment Overdue” in bright red. Maybe you let out an angry sigh and throw it in an already growing pile of papers telling yourself, I’ll deal with it soon. But guess what? You don’t have to ever see those nagging words again.
When you go to get your mail, automatically separate the junk and any recyling and get rid of it, NOW. All you are left with should be anything that requires action, like bills. Open all of them up, and enter the dates into your calendar or online bill paying system (unless you have auto-pay). Remember, do not enter the date they are due! Remind yourself a few days prior and make that your due date as it sometimes can take a few days for things to do through. Always give yourself a little cushion.
We’d love to hear how you’re saving time, money or stress, or improving your business or life through organization. Leave a comment here on the blog.
Feeling the pain? Contact us today and let us know how we can help. It would be our pleasure to be a resource to you!
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Would you like to meet some local companies (25+) that specialize in organizing products and services? Perhaps you have some burning clutter questions you’re dying to ask a local Professional Organizer?
You’re in luck! The Seattle NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) is hosting their second annual Spring Into Organization Fair and Ask the Organizer Panel this Saturday, March 19, 2011 at the Bellevue Sheraton Hotel (100 112th Ave NE) from 9:00AM-1:00PM. This is a great opportunity to learn to simplify your home, business and life from local vendors and Professional Organizers (like Simply Placed!) working in your community. 
Simply Placed will be there as a vendor and Debbie will even be one of the Professional Organizers on two of the three panels including “Paper Management” and “Ask the Organizer.” So if you would like tips/ideas on how to conquer your paper files or just find yourself saying, “If I could just get organized…” we’d love for you to attend! For a detailed descriptions of the panels click here.
Open to the public, event costs are $10 at the door or $8 if you prepay through www.seattlenapo.com. Did we mention a continental breakfast is included? Come hungry and full of questions! We hope to see you there. Make sure to find us and say “hello”.
Warm regards,
The Simply Placed Team
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 Beginning this spring, if you live in the Puget Sound area of Washington, chances are, you’ll be affected either regularly, or periodically by the new tolling that will take place on the 520 bridge that connects Seattle with the Eastside. Of course there are alternates – taking the I-90 bridge, but I’m betting that it won’t be a walk in the park either once the tolling on 520 starts.
Now what does this have to do with organization and productivity you ask? Great question. Here’s a prime example of where a little planning and organization can save you time, money and stress. Consider implementing a few of these ideas:
1. Chunk errands, tasks or meetings to minimize trips across the bridge.
2. Plan in advance to conduct a meeting via video call, conference call, or another alternate means of communication if you can accomplish the same goal without the travel.
3. Plan to travel “off peak” when possible. This will save you time (less traffic) and money (lower tolls during off peak hours). Schedule meetings, plan errands and outings so that you can avoid rush hours and other higher traffic/toll times. Be familiar with when those times are.
4. If you’ll be a regular on the 520 bridge, sign up for a Good-to-Go account. Its a pre-paid account and your account will be debited each time you cross. The alternate is to receive a bill for your fees, but then you have to remember to pay the bill. Again, if you know you will travel regularly, the Good-to-Go pass seems the simplist way to go. In fact, beginning today, if you sign up for a Good-to-Go account online before April 15th, you’ll get a free $10 in tolls. Learn more here.
5. Eliminate unncessary trips – make sure that when you cross, you have what you need to accomplish your tasks on the other side of the lake. If you’ll cross for a meeting, see who else you might be able to meet with while you’re over, as opposed to waiting until later in the week, only to have to cross again. If you’re going for just one event, destination, or errand, see what else you can accomplish “on the other side” while you’re there anyway.
Check out this video, put out by the Washington DOT – it has more information about the upcoming tolls,why they’re happening, how they’ll be assessed, the Good-to-Go accounts and passes, and other details you’ll want to know. We hope you find it helpful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVIokh0jSBs
We’d love to hear what you plan to do to lesson the impact of this new toll on your life. Please share!
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 Sure, you’re passionate about your job, feel great about those you serve when you volunteer, you love your family and spending time with them, but we also realize that sometimes, your life can drive you a little nutty. Don’t worry, you are only human. And being human means from time to time, you need a breather to de-compress.
Perhaps some of you are rolling your eyes thinking to yourself, sure, “me-time”, that’s easier said than done. You are absolutely correct, but you also have to ask yourself, where do I fit on my priority list? Did you even put yourself on the list to begin with? Perhaps you should!
Its important, and good for your overall productivity and life balance to make yourself a priority periodically. Here are some ways to help you show yourself the love and keep that “burnt out” feeling at bay. After all, aren’t we all more efficient and productive after a little R&R?
- Take a step back and reflect. So you know you want more time to yourself, but you have to ask yourself WHY you want that time. Think of it like goal setting, if you have a goal in mind, maybe you want more free time to catch up on some casual reading for example, you’ll be more inclined and motivated to make the change.
- Make an activity list. Take a few minutes to jot down a list of all the activities you currently participate in AND the ones you would like to do more of. Next to each one, also write down how the activity makes you feel. Do you feel more relaxed when you do this activity? Happy? Energetic? Any that make you feel stressed, timed, bored or anxious? Can you eliminate them? Now prioritize your list. Rank each one in order of importance and then pick a limited number you would like to really devote so time to. Why? Deeper engagement. Not spreading yourself so thin. Remember, you can do it all, just not all at the same time.
- Know where your time goes. There may be a surprising disparity between how you imagine you spend your time and how you are really spending your time. Consider keeping a time log for a reality check (yes, you need to be honest with yourself when you keep it). Think of it like a food journal. Start tracking how long you spend on tasks and activities you do during the day. A diary, journal, or small spiral notebook would work. Ask yourself if you are spending your time on the right things. The results may surprise you.
- Edit your list. Here’s where you really want to be selfish. Now that you have a more accurate picture of where your time is going, it’s time to see what you can get rid of. Eliminate, delegate or reduce time spent on low value or enery draining activities. This frees up time to focus on priorities and activities that energize you or that you love, contributing towards overall increased productivity.
- Minimize distraction. Turn off the lights, lock your door, whatever dramatic gesture you may need to take to let others know, hey, this is my time and I’ll come out when I’m ready. Ok, maybe not so dramatic but you get the idea. Let your family members, friends, or co-workers know that you are taking some “private time” and will get back to them later. Hide your cell phone, step away from your email/computer, or delegate a task to someone else. Maybe you can outsource something. If you are worried about budget, scrutinize your spending and you might find that you can reallocate your resources. Many times it pays to delegate a task; analyze where you’ll get the best return on your investment.
- Leave white space. This is especially true of your calendar. Keep in mind, just because you have an empty box doesn’t mean you have to fill it. Don’t have any white space on your calendar? Time to make some! Start by completely clearing one day a month on your calendar. This leaves room for creativity, spontenaity, and rejuvination. Ahhh … now doesn’t that feel better?
Remember, it is all about balance. If you don’t give yourself the time you deserve, other elements in your life will suffer, and that’s not good for anyone. Check our one of our latest blogs on to have a healthy work/life balance. Here’s to being a little more selfish without feeling a shred of guilt!
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 What "shiny objects" distract you or make it hard to focus? If we want to get more done, we should focus, right? Easier said than done?
We now know that multitasking can be counter productive (when we do so, it takes longer to complete multiple tasks than if we were to focus on one at a time, our rate of error increases, our ability to learn new things and remember things decreases and our stress level rises – enough evidence for you?). See past posts on this topic with additional fascinating facts here and here.
So why is it so hard to focus? Even when we’re not trying to multitask, we can be distracted. We can be distracted by things around us, by technology, by other external factors (noises, smells, etc.) and by our thoughts. I recently reread and wanted to share a Psychology Today blog post by Dr. David Rock, titled Easily Distracted: Why its Hard to Focus and What to do About it. Dr. Rock talks about distraction, our brain, and some strategies to to help us focus. Thanks to Chris Crouch of DME Training for originally bringing this article to my attention. (Chris has a great blog as well, called Smart Stuff 4 Work that’s geared towards busy professionals that want to work smarter, not harder. Check it out!). Let me know what you think about the article and if its helpful to you.
Now go FOCUS and get the important stuff done!
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 We were interviewed for, and our ideas featured in, an article on Womansday.com last week. Enjoy our tips, along with some other’s in the article, Conquer Common Time Traps.
What are the most common Time Traps that you slip into and how do you avoid or escape them? We’d love to hear from you.
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