January 30th, 2012
The question is not an easy one for many businesses. As with many things in business, it’s not always an all or nothing situation. The USPS has offered a television commercial to remind us that an online virus has never attacked a corkboard; and so we are much safer from cyber attack, identity theft, etc. if we keep the physical paper and know where to find it.
There are several things about this commercial that are true and give warm, fuzzy feelings to certain types of viewers. Yes, I agree with you that it would be great if the USPS could deliver on time and for a reasonable fee but that is another matter to be discussed later.
On the other hand, things placed on physical wall boards and in open trays on desks that tend to get covered up (translate “piles”) give us unpleasant thoughts of late fees, wasted time searching for the physical item, possibly missing a sale, as well as other stresses. According to the medical professionals, these are unhealthy scenarios for the heart.
Here are a few questions to help:
1. Are you kinesthetic? Do you LIKE to hold the paper, highlight it, make notes on it and place it in a binder for future use? Is the type of paper the information is printed on important for making decisions regarding your business?
2. Would you prefer to never see another piece of paper again? In your opinion, going to the Cloud is the ONLY way to conduct business, and you do not understand why everyone does not realize how vitally important it is to Go Green.
3. Are you a combination of the two?
If you enjoy using the computer to search for information, for communicating by sending email etc. but you are totally kinesthetic, you print each important email and keep almost every piece of important business paper there is. For you, having a system to keep the paper in order is important. Professions such as marketing and legal come to mind. There are many reasons for these businesses to keep certain types of information in printed form. For ideas and solutions to keep physical information together in a stylish and organized way, check out www.bindertek.com.
Depending on the type of your business and your target market, there are many reasons and ways to go completely to the Cloud. If the Cloud is right for you, chose your favorite method and get going!
If you have a business that needs a combination of the two systems, check out www.mobillogic.com and learn how you can effectively keep and FIND the physical items you need/want to keep while storing related information on the Cloud for future reference. You can have your paper and scan it too!
Tags: Add new tag, Cloud Solutions, filing system, finding lost stuff
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December 14th, 2011
Visit the Birmingham Magazine and read “The Story of the Storyteller” in memory of Alabama legend Kathryn Tucker Windham.
Click here to learn about this amazing woman.
Tags: communication, family, focus on life
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
November 3rd, 2011
One of the most common complaints I hear as an office organizer is about information that should be easily accessible and shared, isn’t. There are many reasons for this, but the most common complaint is that there is not a standardized method of filing information of all types. Whether it’s electronic or physical, information that is created by employees is for the use of the company to further the business function of the company. It is not created for that employee alone.
Over the years I’ve heard many employees’ reasons for hoarding company information, especially in a large company. One of the most common is that the creator of the information wants to be able to find it again. They fear that if they place it on the drive that is the company backup drive they will not be able to get back to the information when they need it. Yes, it does happen sometimes that a drive becomes “full” and the info is moved, but more often than not the creator of the info has had a bad experience with losing information and does not want to repeat it. That person is responsible for maintaining the information since they have created it; however it will not benefit the company if that person is not there to retrieve the information when needed.
This is a true story: A few years ago an employer needed information that an employee had created. As a deadline approached, the employee was on a well deserved vacation and was out of cell phone range. (Good for them!) In a panic, thinking the deadline would arrive before the employee returned, the employer called multiple family members to try to locate the employee, which caused much distress for many. When the employer finally reached the employee, he learned that everything needed was ready and that the employee would return well before the deadline arrived. This episode did nothing to improve their working relationship.
In this case, a good search engine and better communication would have relieved the stress for everyone. Of course, moving to the cloud to create and store information would have helped significantly. Fears of lost information on random drives would be relieved and everything needed would be a search bar away. So when you run into these same issues, try making a change to MobilLogic to solve the problem. The people in the story above made the move to the cloud and both are much happier now. I believe you will be also.
Tags: file management, filing system, finding lost stuff, reduce stress
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October 25th, 2011
According to Richard Paul Wurman:
“We get more mail in a week than our parents got in a month, and more mail in a month than our grandparents got in their lifetime.”
The average time to retrieve and file paper documents is 10 minutes.
An average of 3% of documents are lost or misfiled, and have to be retrieved at a cost of $120.00 per document.
Each piece of paper on your desk will distract you up to 5 times per day.
People spend an average of 22 minutes a day looking for things on or around their desks.
More than 80% of the cost to maintain paper records is in the personnel time required to retrieve and replace documents in the filing system.
The personnel cost to handle a record throughout its life averages over 20 times the original cost of the record itself.
According to Forbes, today’s typical executive wastes 150 hours a year – almost 1 month – searching for lost or misplaced information. For someone earning $50,000 a year that translates to a loss of $3,842.00. What could you do with that much money?
According to Bill Gates, paper consumption has doubled every 4 years and 95% of all information in the United States remains on paper compared to just 1% stored electronically. Paperwork is increasing faster than technology can replace it.
Tags: file management, paper management
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October 19th, 2011
Leave a bad mood at home. Use business time to deal with business issues not personal ones.
This is a simple thing to say and not always so simple to do. There are many variables and those may change daily depending upon the situations or extreme circumstances you may be facing in your life. But for this discussion we will focus only on the “routine” personal issues that so many people take to the office.
One issue is just being in a bad mood because of a negative comment or suggestion that someone made that is annoying to you. They didn’t like something you did or said and you let it interfere with your daily work by continuing to think about it and focus on the comment all day. It becomes a distraction and will take away from the quality of your work and increase the stress in your life.
According to Sandra Sieck RN, Director of Cardiovascular Development at Providence Hospital, “Chaos leads to stress, which takes itself out on the body.
The primary organ affected by stress is the heart.” So in order to reduce the stress on your heart, reduce the mental chaos in your life by refusing to let unnecessary comments affect your day. Take a walk during your lunch break and again when you get home. Exercise will usually help reduce the stress, and give you time to think clearly about the issue at hand without interruption.
Another issue that people take to the office is their personal relationships. Anything fitting into this category is best left at home and not discussed on the phone or otherwise at work. Remember – if you are texting and emailing during the work day regarding personal relationship issues, it is as if you are stealing time from your job.
Do not use the company computer or phone for personal communication. It’s a bad practice. Make time to handle these issues in private when on your lunch break or after hours; your co-workers will appreciate not having to listen to the details of your life that should remain private.
To change a bad mood before you arrive at the office try listening to upbeat music or audio books. Talk to a happy person while driving to work. Think of something enjoyable you will do over the coming weekend or a fun vacation you have taken in the past. Turn your thoughts to things that are positive and let go of the negative. You will be much happier, your work day will be much more enjoyable, and your co-workers will appreciate it.
Tags: Bad Mood, Heart, less stress, Providence Hospital, Sandra Sieck RN
Posted in Health, Tips | No Comments »
October 11th, 2011
Is customization the way to go or is standardization better for you? Doesn’t it depend upon the solution you require?
For instance, if you think you require a solution that is specific to what you do, then of course the obvious answer is customization, right? Maybe not! Think of the type of work you do or product you produce whether it’s a report or a widget, it doesn’t matter – there are still steps to take.
Now consider the number of steps you are taking to accomplish a given task related to production. Count them – each one. Are there more than a few steps that are repetitive or is each new step or direction in which to turn determined by the previous step taken? Is there a decision to be made by someone other than you? These are just a few of the questions that should be answered before you make a decision regarding whether or not to fit your business into a system already designed or whether to design one specifically for your company or department.
If what you do fits into A, B then C every time, with no variation, then there is probably a standardized solution available to you or your industry. Check it out and weigh the cost of start up in terms of man hours at implementation and maintenance as well as monetary costs. If all are acceptable to you then it may work well for you. Standardization is not always a bad thing. However if there are usually variations with each A B C step and the associated costs of implementation, maintenance and financially are not acceptable then it is probably more cost effective and efficient for you to use a customized solution.
When hearing the words “customized solution” sometimes managers and owners get nervous and only see dollar signs. However when they realize that taking this approach will save worker time and company money over the long term they realize this is the best approach. Designing a system specifically for their needs can be the wisest thing to do.
So whether you decide to standardize or to customize, be sure you get what you really need to help solve the issues at hand.
Tags: Management
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October 4th, 2011
Listen Well, Communicate Effectively
1) Be aware that the WAY you speak often has a more lasting impact than the words you use. Think through what you will say and HOW you will say it before initiating an important discussion of any kind. There are certain words and phrases that are good to use and others that are not based on the person you are talking with.
2) When someone is talking to you focus on the person talking. Make eye contact. Whether they are 4 or 40, it shows respect and helps you stay on the proper train of thought rather than planning what you will say next. If you need to remember to answer something being said, make a quick note and then re-establish eye contact.
3) Do not interrupt someone while they are speaking. They will appreciate being “heard”. If you don’t know the answer to their question or dilemma, be honest and say so! A polite answer that lets them know they have been heard and that you care enough to get back with them with an answer will serve you well in business and at home.
Tags: communication
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September 27th, 2011
Prioritize Tasks, Schedule Time, Minimize Stress.
If you have a problem with being on time, try setting your watch ten minutes early to be sure you won’t be late. Act according to the time on the watch not the “real” time. Remember your travel time to and from an appointment and schedule that as well.
One way to reduce stress is to SCHEDULE your workday.
Prioritize your TO DO List, 1-2-3 in order of importance – Do the most important thing first, or when you are at your optimum mental performance level. It may be early in the day or late in the afternoon. Determine when it is for you and work accordingly.
Do not schedule too many high priority items or tasks for one week or one day.
Do not let 3’s become 1’s due to inattention.
Make appointments with yourself to get work done. KEEP the appointment!
Wasted time is doubled effort, and increased stress. Searching for misplaced items and information wastes time. Be sure everything in your office and home has a place to “live” and keep it there, whether it’s the stapler on the desk, or electronic files. Take it out and put it back where it belongs. (Wasn’t that Day 2 in Kindergarten???)
Break each project into manageable steps. Be Realistic. Do not keep adding to each step unnecessarily.
Delegate when possible – if you are not the only one involved in accomplishing a task or project, others should share certain responsibilities throughout the cycle of completing the project.
Projects will expand to fill available time, so schedule the time. Set completion dates for the overall project and also for each step. Work toward each date until it is done.
Remember that when you are scheduling your time, one of the hardest things to do is to say NO. Mastering the art of saying “no” to unrealistic expectations is not easy, but can be one of the most freeing things that you ever learn to do.
Tags: delegation, reduce stress, simplify life, time management
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September 21st, 2011
Improve Efficiency - Reduce Steps.
Store the items you use most closest to their point of use. Whether it’s storing your stapler on your desk or your spatula in the drawer, or hanging the keys near the door you use to go to the car, if you will determine the closest point of use and design your storage for the items around that area it will reduce steps and help you become more efficient.
Being efficient also means using schedules and your smart phone and computer for things you used to use paper planners and address books for. Learn to use the programs that help you with the work you do. This will serve you well. It will save time, and reduce clutter. I will admit that when the electricity is out for a period of time, I’ve known many people with paper planners and a land line to be able to continue their work without interruption. The lessons we learn!
Set up a good filing system at the office and at home, USE it, and teach others in your home to use it as well. Knowing how and where to put things away, and using a calendar to know when to take them out again are invaluable tools at work and at home. Color code the files for young students. Teaching them this one small thing will begin training your child and give them tools for a lifetime of organization. One day they and their bosses will thank you!
Tags: filing, simplify life, Space, time management
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September 12th, 2011
Think Vertically and Visually!
Look up – up the wall, up the desk area, up the closet door. Use that climate controlled space you are paying for even if it’s not flat! There are many organizational tools available to maximize vertical spaces. Determine the need and then decide upon the organizing tool to help. For instance, there are all kinds of over the door shoe storage containers, but have you thought about using these same tools to store office supplies as well? What about gift wrapping supplies or paper flier dividers? If you can see that you have what you need when you need it then you will not waste time or money to buy more.
And all those shelves or book cases that are in the area – have you thought about ways to maximize that space? There are so many options of dividers that are designed to work on bookshelves. Do you need to store sticky notes, or stationery, or pens? Look at the items you need to sort and store and then find the best shelf divider for your items. Don’t overlook standard metal bookends – they serve many purposes. Using the correct storage tools in your Waterfront Property© area will help you have more productive working space available because now you are using vertical space to your advantage.
Tags: finding lost stuff, organizing, Space, vertical filing
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