September 30th, 2009
With today’s economy shifting and shaking, many people are searching for health insurance options after losing their jobs.
Morgan Keegan’s “On Wealth” October 2009 Newsletter discusses the options a person has concerning COBRA, state programs, private health insurance, spouse’s insurance coverage, insurance through an organization and others.
A couple other articles are:
- Protecting Yourself From Investment Scammers
- Understanding Principal-Protected Notes & CDs
- Ask The Experts: Should I Lay Off My Employees From My Small Business?
Thank you to Chris Gewin, CFP Managing Director, at the Mobile Morgan Keegan branch, who has allowed us to offer “On Wealth” October 2009 Newsletter to our readers to review.
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Tags: COBRA, economy, health insurance, health state program, investment scammer, job loss, layoff, organization health insurance, principal-protected notes, private health insurance, spouse insurance coverage
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August 20th, 2009
Close your eyes and imagine a room with high ceilings and lavender walls that coordinate with great grandmother’s Victorian furniture in the very formal living room of a busy family home with limited space. The room is rarely used because it has no purpose except to receive visitors on an occasional basis, and the busy executive living there is an avid reader with no place to “escape.” This project would become a dream come true for the entire family!
We began with an idea of transformation – yes, it really can happen! Then the photos taken of a library in another city began to inspire the homeowner to re-create that look and feel in this room. In addition to organizing the clutter the lavender space had collected, we decided to use the room as a home office and also a small media room as well as a library.
The separate areas were designated with traffic flow and furniture placement in mind. Then ideas were sketched on paper and tweaked to perfection with the help of a cabinetmaker, and construction began. As the workers continued to build and install, we organized the items to go into the various spaces and purchased containers to hold the information needed. We used everything from file supplies to cd and dvd containers that fit in the drawers behind the beautiful solid wood cabinet doors.
When the stain was dry and the furniture was in place, we designated shelves and drawers per categories of information. We then loaded the drawers and the bookshelves so that the system could be documented in the computer program for easy reference and also later additions.
With lavender Victorian gone, this English style library is a wonderful addition to the home, and we understand it has dramatically increased the homeowner’s property value. Enjoy the pictures in the before and after photos area of our site.
Office Library Desk
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Office Libary Reading Area
Tags: busy executive, computerized filing system, construction, de-clutter, escape, home office, lavender walls, media library, office library, organizing containers, traffic flow, victorian
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June 5th, 2009
The move day went smoothly because the project checklist had been kept in focus during the entire project. When you categorize the project and move lists and add the responsible party’s name to the item needed it helps each part of a relocation run smoothly.
As each item was accomplished, the list was updated to reflect any new items needed, as well as things that came up at the last minute. The goal was to plan ahead so that there were few last minute details to add. Goal accomplished. The move was completed on time and in good order. The telephones were turned on, the computers worked and the copiers were running well before the end of move day.
The only item remaining is to hang art, and that will be done soon.
It has been said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” We agree! Enjoy these before and after photos of the new office space.
TIP: Phone numbers and e-mail addresses kept in one central place during any project or move make communication with responsible parties easy and concise.
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"Before" Office Entrance
"After" Office Entrance
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"Before" Reception Area
"After" Reception Area
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"Before" Conference Room
"After" Conference Room
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"Before" Storage Space
"After" Storage Space
Tags: legal office, legal office move, office relocation, organizing legal office, relocation, Space
Posted in Legal, News, Space, Tips | No Comments »
June 5th, 2009
Stephanie Denton
Stephanie Denton is an organizing and productivity expert who has been featured on the front pages of both The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Her consulting and speaking clients over the past fifteen years have included individuals, small businesses and corporations such as Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble.
Stephanie is a frequent contributor to national magazines and a longtime syndicated newspaper columnist. She has been interviewed hundreds of times on television and news programs around the country, including CBS This Morning, CNN, and MSNBC and by such publications as The New York Times, Business Week, Inc., Reader’s Digest, Family Circle, Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens and Entrepreneur.
Stephanie is past president of the National Association of Professional Organizers and a recipient of its prestigious Founders Award, the industry’s highest award for career achievements and industry contributions.
We recommend this book by Professional Organizer Stephanie Denton. Please read the brief book description below. You can click on the cover photo to place your order.
The Organized Life: Secrets of an Expert Organizer By Stephanie Denton
The Organized Life
“Hundreds of Proven Tips for a Less Stressful Life*A top professional organizer shares her best ideas for saving time, banishing clutter and staying organized *Gorgeous design–with beautiful full-color images and bite-sized tips this guide stands out among other organizing titles.
From overstuffed closets to towering stacks of paper, today’s busy families are hungry for information to help them win the war against clutter. This essential guide includes easy and ingenious ideas for managing every area of modern life, from photos and holidays to the garage, kitchen, home office and kids’ rooms. Packed with practical advice, this book gives readers the information they need to achieve a neat and organized home, and a happier life!”
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Tags: less stress, organizing, professional organizer, Stephanie Denton, The Organized Life, Tips
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May 21st, 2009
The new law office demolition has begun. Opening the space has made a positive difference in the new office work flow, allowing for easy access to work areas, good storage, added filing, as well as space for client meetings. One of the most important things with the new layout is the reduction of business machine noise, which will be a positive result of the move.
Decisions have been made regarding which person will occupy which space. The next decisions to be made are where the existing furniture should be placed and whether or not any new furniture will be purchased. The furniture representative has come by to measure spaces and has placed the furniture on the new office layout for approval. Seeing where the existing pieces will fit they realized they would not need to order more at this time.
With the furniture layout drawings in hand, the next meeting is scheduled with the VOIP service representative and the electrician to determine outlet placement. When that is done, the additional walls will be constructed and the outlets put in place.
Tip: One of the most important things to remember is that the predominant hand a person uses plays a crucial role in where their phone and computer keyboard are placed. A person’s productivity is dramatically affected by this one decision. Take time to get it right.
Next week we will look at the final construction stages before the move.
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Demolition Entrance
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Demolition Entrance 2
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Demolition Storage Room
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Demolition Office
Tags: adding new space, demolition, electrician, law office relocation, office furniture, office layout design, office move, office relocation, office remodel, office work flow, personal productivity, predominant hand tips, VOIP
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May 12th, 2009
One of our wonderful colleagues in the organizing profession has just done a class at UCLA. Regina Lark, CEO of A Clear Path, is teaching the fundamentals of organization when it comes to your workspace.
The following is a glimpse to the article about buidling job skills in which Regina was interviewed. The article is from UCLA Today, dated May 11, 2009:
“When people cut through the clutter in their workspace, it makes them feel more professional and accomplished,” said Lark, CEO of A Clear Path: Professional Organizing for Home, Work, Life. “They love their new space, they feel more productive and they feel like they can find everything. Some people treat their workspaces as extensions of their home, and it comes to look very unprofessional.”
She recalled in-office workshops she’s led where she found herself walking into cubicles and offices littered with old food and overwhelmed by towers of paper and books.
“It’s a health and safety issue,” she said. “One woman had books stacked so high she had a pile of books fall on her and ended up with a lump on the head.”
She offered a mini-version of her course, hitting the highlights:
- Make sure you have time to clean. “Your space didn’t get cluttered overnight, and it won’t get uncluttered all at once. If you don’t set aside enough time, you’ll get frustrated.”
- Acknowledge that clearing your workspace means throwing some things away. “Ask yourself, will my life be better served with or without this?”
- While you clean, make temporary piles: things to toss, things to recycle, things to file and things to send to the office archives.
- After you clean, set up a filing system, and deal with new papers as they come to you, instead of waiting until the papers become new piles.
- Take time at the end of your work day to prepare your desk for the next morning.
“Being able to find things can save money,” Lark added. “You have no idea how much money is wasted on campus buying supplies that someone already has tucked away in the bowels of their desk.”
You can read the entire article here.
Congratulations, Regina!
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Tags: archives, clutter, cubicles, health & safety issue, increase productivity, office supplies, organizing, piles of paper, recycle, Regina Lark, save money, temporary piles of paper, time management, work-related accidents, workplace organizing
Posted in Management, News | No Comments »
May 1st, 2009
Recently, I received a call to help a small law firm move its offices. They were not moving far from their current location, but as I’ve learned over the years, the distance a firm is moving is not the most important thing. The same things have to be done to insure a “less stress” relocation process whether moving next door or across town.
With the new office space drawings in hand, we met with the contractor, the office furniture representative, the computer company, the VOIP providers and others. Planning wall removal, furniture placement and outlet spacing are some of the first things to be done. This is to ensure that when the movers arrive with the furniture, the pieces not only fit where needed, but they also have phone and electrical outlets available in the correct locations.
Making selections such as flooring, paint colors and window treatments are next on the list. The selections for this law firm were made based on current furnishings as well as personal preferences. If you haven’t managed this type of commercial move before, this is a great time to get someone to help who is good with colors and textures. Sometimes that helpful person is an ASID Interior Decorator and, sometimes, it’s the guy at the paint store!
Here’s a tip - if you need to match paint color and can’t remember the number from the old paint can, take off a light switch cover and remove a small paint sample. Most good paint stores will be able to match from that sample.
Now that the initial plans have been made we will begin the demolition phase of the job soon. I will keep you posted as the project progresses.
See the pictures below of the new office space … taken after meeting with the contractor but before renovations.
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"Before" Office Entrance
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"Before" Reception Area
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"Before" Conference Room
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"Before" Storage Space
Tags: ASID, contractor, current law office furnishings, flooring, Interior Decorator, law office, law office furniture placement, law office organization, less stress, match paint color tip, move, office furniture, office relocation, outlet spacing, paint, personal preferences, VOIP, wall removal, window treatments
Posted in Legal, News, Space, Tips | No Comments »
April 30th, 2009
I found an old article about what we do at OAI.
How old? August 1997!
Is it still relevant? YES!
Title: Organizers Clear Out Company Clutter
It talks about improving proficiency, getting organized and increasing efficiency in the business environment. Here are some snipets:
“Professional organizers now are a hybrid mix of interior designer, schedule adviser and occupational engineer. Throw in a little psychology and lots of common sense, and a fairly accurate image of the modern-day professional organizer comes into focus”
“I go in and look at the job, then determine the client’s needs based on what the client tells me,” Ms. Donald said. “Some have space needs, some have systems needs. Some just need to maintain or regain control of their clutter.”
“Every office has to be organized differently,” said Ms. Donald.
“If I had suggested the same organization with Equity Technologies that I have for this client, it would have caved in.” she said.
Equity Technologies is a fast-growing Mobile business run by Cathy Anderson-Giles, who retained Ms. Donald several months ago.
“We started out about seven years ago warehousing equipment for companies,” Ms. Anderson-Giles said.
As the company and related enterprises grew to more than 50 employees, Ms. Anderson-Giles said she needed to delegate more responsibility to her staff and reorganize her office operations.
She heard about Organizing Associates Inc. through a sister-in-law whose professor at [the] University of South Alabama had hired Ms. Donald.
“My sister-in-law was very impressed with the changes she saw in the way the professor was handling classes, meetings and schedules,” Ms. Anderson-Giles said. “Lee came in and studied the way we disseminate information, the way we communicate with each other and with customers. The main thing she helped me do personally was change my focus from being a manager to being a leader. She really helped me with that transition.”
According to Stephanie Denton, the national chairperson for NAPO who will be among the speakers at the upcoming conference in Point Clear, professional organizers assist everyone from the homeowner who can’t seem to get a garage straightened out to major corporations going through mergers.”
Click here to view the entire article with pictures.
Tags: be a leader, buisness environment, clearing clutter, clutter, communication, company clutter, corporations, delegation, efficiency expert, focus change, getting organized, improve efficiency, information, interior designer, manager to leader transition, NAPO, occupational engineer, office organization, organizing, reduce clutter, schedule adviser, transition
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April 24th, 2009
In a recent posting, I told you about the “30 something” tax attorney who was dealing with unrealistic expectations form his clients. They wanted everything done “yesterday” even though they didn’t tell him about it until today! He had some good advice for everyone using the services of not just attorneys, but all service providers, and I want to paraphrase some of those suggestions and share them with you.
One of the first things he suggested was to think through questions you may have regarding your situation. To the best of your ability consider everything that may have an effect on your question. This takes time. Don’t do this as you dial the number or compose the e-mail, but rather set aside time to thoughtfully think through your situation.
Write down the questions and the possible answers that you come up with. Sometimes by going through this exercise you may discover other options to consider, which will help you improve communication with the service provider. If there are others involved, such as family members, then be sure to have all necessary information readily available like full names, SS #s and dates of birth. If your question is related to your business have necessary information available.
When you have prepared and are ready to make the call or send the e-mail, realize that the recipient may have a very full schedule and may not be able to respond to you immediately. Allow for a reasonable amount of time to pass before following up on your service request. Sometimes the office assistants will be able to help you with your question or will be able to tell you when to expect a return call or message reply.
Most importantly, do not procrastinate! No matter the type of service provider, there is little that can be done in a timely manner if you wait until the last minute to make the call, or send the message. If at all possible, plan ahead. When you don’t, your stress is increased, the service provider’s stress level increases, late fees increase, and your bill is increased when things are postponed until the last minute. If you will initiate service when there is time to consider options carefully, you will almost always be more satisfied with the outcome.
Tags: control costs, family members, follow-up etiquette, improve communication, legal advice, options to consider, organize thoughts, plan ahead, procrastination, reduce late fees, reduce stress, unrealistic expectations
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April 18th, 2009
Recently, in a meeting with a successful “30-something” tax attorney, I was discussing with him the things he wanted to change or improve in his practice. I asked him what was the most frustrating thing about his practice in which he quickly replied, “some of my clients”.
I asked him if he was ready to leave the practice and open the upscale restaurant, he had discussed earlier. He said, “No, but I do want to figure out a way to get it across to my clients that calling or e-mailing with a 5-part legal question is not like going through a drive through restaurant and placing an order to be picked up in seconds.”
He said that so often a client waits to call until the last minute or until something has escalated to the point that it will take hours to correct rather than minutes and then they don’t understand why it’s not done “immediately”.
“The perception is that lawyers only fill out forms that they get online at the “Get a Form” site for their state and that is all it takes to be a good attorney. They do not realize that I have to take ALL of their extenuating circumstances into consideration for each part of their 5-part question and then decide the action that will be best for them now AND later. There is just a lot more to do than they realize.”
I thought, “No wonder this firm has an AV Rating!”
In trying to come up with some possible solutions for that issue, I asked about developing a client education page for his website and he didn’t think much of that idea. ”Too much time to put into something that the clients will not read anyway,” was his reply.
Another idea was to develop a “let the call come through” list of clients to help his assistants make decisions regarding interrupting his time. He thought about that and rejected it as too strict.
Then we discussed time blocking - he tried that and it didn’t work for him. When he finally decided he is not truly ready for a change, we left the situation as is - yet - during the exchange of ideas, we realized he needs a better filing system!
Tags: client call list, client education webpage, filing system, legal forms, legal office, organizing legal office
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