Blog for New World Office, Professional Organizing for your Business

To Digitize, or Not To Digitize - It's a Big Question

Joanne — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:11:07 +0000

Frankly, it doesn't matter one way or the other for me if my client is still using a paper system (for calendars, contacts, etc) or an electronic one. As long as their system works for them, I don't bother with it. We move on and work on something else. HOWEVER, if their system is NOT working for them, then that's when we have some discussions.

I'll admit it that when it comes to technology, I can go kicking and screaming, dragging my feet into using it. No kidding. I believe if you have something that ain't broke, don't fix it. I also believe that technology changes too quickly and there's always something "better" out there, so that people feel the need to get new phones, laptops, and software every 6 months just to keep up. Yet, that doesn't mean the new stuff isn't bad, and may be worth looking at, even if everything you already have works fine.

Paper calendars are very good tools for the visually inclined, especially those who doodle and like to scribble notes. I was one of those. I would remember a particular date or address because of a doodle I had drawn on that page, or the color of ink I had used when writing it down. Not the most scientific way of remembering, but hey, it worked for me. What didn't work for me was the number of contacts I had and their information and my way of retrieving it. Plus in my business, I have to keep up with what many of my clients are using. It was the job that convinced me to go digital, and my smartphone obsession was born. Ok, it's not an obsession, just a deep, deep respect for what it can do for me.

A smartphone can take some getting used to from someone jumping from a paper system, and there will be a short period of feeling uncomfortable, but everyone I've worked with (and even friends that I don't work with) that I've encouraged to take this step have never regretted it.

Paper System (including datebook, rolodex/address book):

Pros -

it's visual, and writing info is a snap. It's tactile, so it feels good going through the pages. And most likely, it's easy to read.

Cons -

changing dates/names/numbers etc is messy. Unless you write in pencil, your paper system could be full of crossouts and messy scribbles. Moving dates around is cumbersome and ugly.
if you lose this, you are screwed. Royally. Unless you've taken the time to make copies on a daily or weekly basis as a backup, you have none. All of your critical info is gone forever, which could make a huge dent in your business/work.
your system could be big and bulky. Even with a medium sized datebook, it's thick, and doesn't fit well in smaller bigs. And are you carrying your entire rolodex around, or a subset (and then you're missing some information you may need)?

Digital System

Pros -

combine your smartphone with your computer and you've got a system that is easy to access from anywhere. Your entire rolodex, all of your dates (from now until years from now), it's all at your fingertips.
the system has redundancy. If you lose your smartphone, and you've been syncing your info to your computer, there's your backup, And vice versa. You now have peace of mind that you will not lose your critical information.
information is easy to change. No more scribbles or crossouts. It's so easy to move dates around, change times, email addresses, phone numbers, etc. And with people changing jobs and living spaces, it's nice to know this won't take long.
color categorize. Some systems allow you to color categorize, which makes finding information at a glance even easier. And for those visually inclined people, it also makes it easier on the eyes.
faster retrieval. I can find information so much faster on my smartphone or computer than someone with a paper system can. It's proven, and effective, which is important in business when time is money.

Cons -

learning curve. Yup, it's something you have to learn, and for the techno-wary, this is a scary prospect. But jump in. You really have to, because that's the way the world is moving. And then you'll find it's not that bad.
expense. A smartphone and a computer are going to cost a helluva lot more than a datebook and rolodex. Chances are, you have a computer already (how else are you reading this?), so that's one less expense. Most likely, you already have a cell phone, so really, it's not that big of a leap to get a smart phone. And there are some good deals out there, if you have the time to look.
apocalypse. If something should happen where we can no longer have electricity, then all of our info will be lost, unless you've printed out backups on a regular basis. You can no longer use computers or cell phones to get your dates and contact info out. The upside is, that no one else can either, so you don't have to worry about email address or phone numbers. And after an apocalypse, I just bet that 9:30 meeting with your clients/co-workers has been cancelled.

Flexibility is key

Joanne — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:33:23 +0000

Even the BEST laid plans, no matter how cleverly coordinated, can end up in the toilet. Over the next 2 days, I had several appointments set up, some that were not easy to coordinate, that I had to completely re-work. We're having a big snow storm happening this evening and, just like that, the plans are out the window.

I was going to have lunch with a potential client, which I much prefer to do face to face. Fortunately, he was VERY amenable to a video meeting. We had a brief phone conversation about technology, and voila! Meeting back on, in a way I hadn't considered viable for potential clients before. Suddenly, it began to open my mind in how other things are done.

Another appointment was with an associate to catch up and talk about business plans. Due to the snow we're re-scheduling to a day that I was not that comfortable with due to other plans that day making it a very busy one. I wanted to be flexible, so I agreed. I then discovered a friend of hers will also be there, someone I've been wanting to meet to do business with for some time. It's a perfect opportunity to swap ideas with someone new and potentially get into a new market.

Sometimes, when you get thrown a curveball, and you can go with the flow, other, better things can happen. It's all about how flexible you are willing to be.

More about Procrastination

Joanne — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:58:02 +0000

It's not a bad idea to talk about how to avoid procrastinating, especially at the beginning of a new year. Watch the video to get some tips that I hope you find helpful.

5 1/2 ways to prevent post vacation work blues

Joanne — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:51:06 +0000

With summer pretty much here, many of us are sitting in our offices, looking out the windows (if we're fortunate enough to have one) and daydreaming about our summer vacations. When we're brought back to earth by the jarring sound of our phones, or the email alert on our computers, we turn our focus back to work, and wonder how we're going to get everything done in the day. If we can barely finish our tasks in a day, how the heck can we find time to go away for 1 week or more and manage all the work that will be waiting for us when we come back?

When I was working in corporate America, there were times when I wished I had not gone away. I remember a particularly much needed vacation I had in Mexico that felt so good, but within 2 hours of arriving back in my office, I wanted to go away again. I was inundated with overdue work as well as new work, and the relaxing attitude I had from my vacation ran away screaming, just like I wanted to. I was unprepared for work re-entry, and now I didn't even have a vacation to look forward to.

So here are 5 1/2 things you can do to help prevent the post vacaton work blues:

1) Schedule into your calendar before you leave for vacation what you will need to do when you get back from vacation - this way you can jump right into work without that fuzzy headed feeling of "where do I begin?"

2) Before you leave schedule into your calendar "open" times - these are to deal with anything that happened during your vacation that you were unable to plan for before you left.

3) If you don't plan on keeping up with emails during your vacation, schedule into your calendar your first morning to SCAN through your email and prioritize just like your paper work - high, medium, and low priority. That's right - I'm suggesting you do not process your email right away (normally, this is the opposite of what I would suggest)

4) Clean your desk before you leave. Obvious, right? Well, not so much. I don't mean have your desk completely cleared off, but it's important that when you come back from vacation with a clear head, you want to sit down at a clean, neat desk. Anything you know you will need to work on your first day back could be in neat files on your desk. Anything that can wait should be put away. This will help you keep your focus.

5) If you have an assistant, have him/her sort through any incoming paper and divide it into high, medium, and low priority. Then your first week back you will see what needs to be taken care of immediately and what can wait without taking time to do the sorting yourself.

5 1/2) If you don't have an assistant, schedule time the first morning back to sort through any new paperwork and prioritize.

Here's a sample schedule for your first day back:

8am - scan through email and prioritize. Schedule time to process high, medium, and low priority for this week. High priority may need to be addressed today (or now)

9am - "open" time to talk with team/boss/assistant/co-workers and find out the hot spots of news of the company that you need to know re: job/projects/etc

10am - sort through inbox - prioritize as per normal

10:30 - deadline for proposal is tomorrow so look over changes made while away on vacation and finish final draft

12:00 - work on high priority emails

1:00 - lunch

1:30 - work on high priority paper work that came in while away on vacation

2:00 - staff meeting

3:00 - follow up on medium priority work that you were working on before vacation

4:30 - begin scheduling in more catch up work for tomorrow as well as "regular" work week

Keep in mind that your first day back is a "catch up" day (and could be a couple of days) in addition to your normal weekly meetings, phone calls, emails, etc. By scheduling in time for this, the "catch up" part can move along quickly. You may be able to get support from your manager and prevent lots of new work coming in the first day by showing him/her that with this schedule, you can be productive immediately on your return from vacation.

Putting into place what you learn

Joanne — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:21:18 +0000

When I got back from the national conference on organizing in San Diego, I began to put into place some of the things I learned. I went through my notes, typed them up (which also refreshed my memory of things I learned) and made my lists of things to do.

I'm a huge list maker and one of the things I learned about were some online tools for list making. I've been trying Toodledo, but have yet to try the others. Here are the sites I'll be practicing with:

Toodledo

Remember the Milk

reQall

If anyone has any experience with these, let us all know!

Avoid Inbox Pile-Up

Joanne — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:37:55 +0000

Does your inbox end up becoming the dumping ground for everything you bring into your office? Mine does. When I walk into my office with my arms full of mail, papers, and industry journals, I usually plunk them all into my inbox, then get down to my “important” business (email, sales, marketing, client communication, etc). However, if I don’t pay attention, my inbox pile will soon get pretty high, the middle of the inbox will begin to bow, and it will feel overwhelming to think about going through it.

So I don’t wait for that overwhelming feeling to happen. I have a certain height that I will allow my inbox to get to, then I schedule time to go through it. For me, if the pile goes past 1.5 inches high, it’s time to go through it. Sometimes this means looking at it a couple of times a week, sometime I can go for weeks without it getting that high. On that note, I try to process my inbox at least once every other week. This way, the work is do-able, and anything important will be attended to.

Small Steps

Joanne — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 18:17:59 +0000

Feeling overwhelmed by all the projects and stuff you need to do? Don't look at the big picture - yikes that's scary! Do things in smaller steps.

For instance, don't "organize your office". You'll feel like it will take too much time and effort and already feel defeated. But you can clear out your inbox, then get rid of some old files, maybe clear a little space on your desk...soon you'll feel like you got some stuff done and it wasn't all that bad!

Analysis Paralysis

Joanne — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:22:07 +0000

When it comes to organizing, sometimes you just need to jump in and start. Whether it's a pile of clothes, a pile of papers, or you can't see the floor anymore because there's so much stuff covering it, thinking about what the first move should be can be overwhelming. And if you think about what you need to do for too long, you can become stricken with fear about making the wrong move, thus causing you to do nothing. This, my friends, is what I call analysis paralysis. I've encountered it myself.

When looking at a client's workspace that needs a lot of help, I want to make the most efficient moves. I don't want to have to re-do anything, and the containers that I use need to be the most effective for that client. However, I have caught myself analyzing the situation over and over in my head, sifting through many different possibilities, to the point of not making a move on any of them. Once I'm cognizant of this, I then force myself out of this by just moving my body towards a corner of stuff, and begin work. Then the answers come to me more easily.

Physical movement can shake us out of paralysis, and free us from the fear of doing something incorrectly. Because, frankly, nothing is permanent, or wrong, when it comes to organizing. Do your best, and know that you're at least doing something, working towards a positive goal!

Getting a new perspective

Joanne — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:30:51 +0000

Sometimes we just need to look at things from a different angle to learn what works for us. Lately I've been a little antsy at my desk, my mind wandering, finding it difficult to buckle down and do some work. I had my desk facing a window because I wanted to see some natural light, but my position was such that my back was to most of the room. I'm sure feng shui experts would have a field day with this! Finally I decided to move my desk 90 degrees to the right. Now, I'm facing the inside of my office, even the door and hallway, with my back to the wall. I have a new perspective, and it feels more comfortable. Now I'm more comfortable in my office, most importantly, more productive (see, I'm even writing my blogs more frequently!).

Avoid the My Documents default (Microsoft Word 2003/2007)

Joanne — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:59:14 +0000

I got this tip from New Horizons and thought that a lot of you could use this.

When you choose Save As or Open, Word automatically opens the My Documents folder in the resulting dialog box. If you tend to work from a folder other than My Documents, you'll save valuable time by setting that primary folder as your default.

To do this, choose Tools | Options from the menu bar, and click on the File Locations tab. Select Documents from the File Types list box and click Modify. In the Modify Location dialog box, open your preferred folder, and then click OK. Click OK to close the Options dialog box. Each time you start Word, it opens the folder you designated as the default working folder the first time you access the Open or Save As dialog box. (In 2007, click on the Microsoft Office Button, then click on Word Options. Click on Save, then find the Default File Location text box and click Browse to change your working folder.)

Regardless of which folder you've selected as the default, Word remembers which folder you navigate to during your Word session and sends you there for subsequent saves or opens. For example, if your default is the C: drive, that folder opens when you first launch Word. But, if you navigate to a folder on your network to open or save a document, Word opens that folder next time you click Save As or Open. When you close and reopen Word, the Save As or Open dialog box again defaults to the C: drive.