Organizing and productivity

Dec 21

Lovely mature woman looking away in thought, white clothes, relaxed, outside,

My favorite things that keep me organized and my life simple

By Sherry Borsheim Announcements, Blog, Expert Articles, Free Articles, IABO Weekly News, Resources No Comments

Don’t know what to get your boss, friend, or even yourself for the holidays? I am going to share my secrets with you on how I stay organized and enjoy a less hectic holiday season!

Below is my list of favorite apps, gadgets, and gifts that keep me organized and help keep my life simple.

Favorite iPhone & iPad Apps

iPhone Notes, OneNote or Evernote Apps – one place to keep me organized with all my lists and so much more.

Send Out Cards – Quickly send and mail a physical Birthday, Thank You or any other card in seconds. Send a holiday card on me here.

Favorite Gifts

Blueruby Jewelery showcasing jewelery designers from around the world. This is my favorite jewellery store and go to place for gifts.

Home

Bodum Bistro Electric Cordless Water Kettle – Bought mine at David’s Tea at Oakridge Shopping Centre. Finally, a tea kettle I can store in my cupboard and it’s perfect for travelling. Thank you Kim for the great idea!

Spa Mobile – spa treatments in the comfort of your home. A big time-saver! Ask for Amanda.

Flameless Wax Candles from Pottery Barn – battery operated and automatic timer. No more fuss or worries of candle wax dripping and safe to use. My favorite gift to give and my clients love these!

Healthy and Beauty

Bobby Brown tinted eye brighter. Simply the best and goes on smooth!

Laura Mercier compact eye lash curler – Small and compact for traveling.

JJ Virgin’s 6 Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy – her 4 x 4 workout videos really work.

Fresh “Sugar” tinted lip balm with SPF 15 – Color without the lipstick and gloss.

Bumble and Bumble Brilliantine hair product – It’s so amazing for all kinds of hair. Is unique and hard to define. Gives hair polish and a sort of languid slept-in, sexy look.

Oribe Dry Texturing Spray – invisible dry hair spray that builds incredible volume and texture. It’s the best dry shampoo I’ve ever used and is worth the price! Jennifer Lopez hairstylist designed the Oribe products and she uses the Shine and Body Shampoo.

Travel

Pack-it Custom Travel Bottle Set. Label items with you label maker.

Fashion

The Laundress Cashmere and Wool Sweater Wash – Every November I was all my sweaters on gentle cycle or by hand. Our cashmere and wool sweaters and scarves are fluffy and smell so fresh. No more trips to the dry cleaner! Also available at J. Crew.

Technology

Label Maker Brother PT 2100 or PT 2730 label maker – Can’t live without my label maker! It automatically trims off short labels and uses laminated tapes that are easy to peel off. Do not use less expensive paper tapes as they curl on the edges and don’t peel off clean.

Camtasia software – allows me to record an audio and capture my computer screen for quick “how-to” training videos.

Dec 10

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Be Your Own Superwoman: Learn How to Name Computer Files and Get Organized

By Sherry Borsheim Blog, Quick Organizing Tips No Comments

More and more we are expected to be superwoman in our everyday lives. Super wives and mothers, with ours homes and families organized and running well. And great employees or business owners with everything under control! If you are going to have chance of meeting these wild expectations you are going to need to know how to get organized at work. Being organized will leave you with the most time in your day to find success in all your endeavors.

How Can I Save Time and Learn How to Get Organized at Work?

• Plan your day out to suit your strengths. Most of us have times of the day when we are most productive, and times when we are less. If you are at your best right away in the morning, plan to work on your high demand projects right when you get to work in the morning. If you lag the hour before lunch use that time to work less demanding projects.

• Don’t put off a decision that can be made now. Delay a decision unnecessarily and you are wasting time and keeping things on your plate that could be cleared off now! It you need further explanation, ask for it. Asking a question instead of making an assumption could save you a lot of time if it means not doing something all over again.

What is Stealing My Time at Work?

Learning how to be organized at work can help you avoid the traps that steal our time at work. When things become muddled and unclear it is hard to get things done.

• When directions are unclear, and decisions aren’t made everything takes more time.

• Can you say no? It is a problem for many women in their work and home life. Not being able to say no when you need to can destroy a schedule you are trying to keep at work.

• Cluttered, messy, and unorganized work areas are a HUGE problem when it comes to getting things done.

• Not knowing how to name computer files is a problem. When you can’t find what you need you spend precious minutes, or more, searching for it. This applies to paper files and computer files. Developing systems to help you name and find files when you need them will help you stop wasting time.

How to Name Computer Files.

If you don’t have a system when it comes to naming files, especially shared files, you may be losing precious time searching for them. Using a consistent file naming system means you will have fast easy access to your information.

Create a footer at the bottom of your working documents. Your footer should include: “Path and Filename”, “Page X of Y”, “Originator of the Document”, and the “Date”.

When your document reaches its final form remove your footer.

Use this format for naming your files:

Main Subject_Keyword_Keyword_VersionNumber/Final_YYYY¬¬¬-MM¬-DD

For example: Budgets_Board Manual_v1_2008-08-25

Unclutter Your Desktop.

While you are organizing your files finish uncluttering your workspace by cleaning up your desktop. If your desktop is a big cluttered mess it is just as distracting and just as big of a time waster as paper clutter.

Use shortcuts to folders you use frequently. Folders are also important for files that may be saved on your desktop currently. Keeping the right files in the right folders will make it faster to find what you need, all while eliminating visual clutter.

So when you are learning how to be organized at work there are several important things to keep in mind. First, make a decision when you can! Procrastination can be destructive and a real time eater. Clutter and disorganization are a big way to lose time in your day. Knowing how to name computer files well can help you become more organized. Once you save yourself time at work you have more time to take care of not only your family at home, but also yourself! Remember it is important to take care of yourself so you can continue to be the wonder woman we know you are.

I want to hear from you! What have you learned about how to name computer files and getting organized at work that has helped you save time?

Dec 03

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Organizing Holiday Card Addresses

By Sherry Borsheim Blog, Business Organizing, Expert Articles, Free Articles, Quick Organizing Tips No Comments

This time of year mailboxes overflow with greeting from friends, family, and people we have done business with in the past year. Sending out personalized season’s greetings to your clients is a great way to impress on them the importance of their business to you.

It can motivate an old client to call you up again, pass your name onto an acquaintance, or build your relationship for your next interaction. In a world where your client can simply hop on a computer and find a dozen other businesses to use going the extra step to build relationships is crucial.

Getting Organized

Now that you’ve decided to send out cards you need to get organized. Without a system in place this process can take countless precious business hours, and not many of us have that kind of time! You need to create and keep up-to-date a holiday card address database.

Keeping it on Paper

You will likely opt to create this spreadsheet on a computer, however, pen and paper are always an option. If you prefer to keep a paper address book that can be carried with you, consider keeping a second copy. You can scan or photocopy your book occasionally to keep up with your updates. Keep your backup in a safe place. This way you won’t lose all your contacts if your address book is lost, spilled on, or otherwise damaged.

Holiday Spreadsheets

Creating a spreadsheet of addresses on your computer is an efficient way to store this information. As a benefit many times this information can be imported to other programs which create your address labels, saving you time. You can spend that time adding a personal note to your cards!

Clearly label this file so it is easy and fast to find. This way you can add addresses to it during the work year. When you collect a client’s information simply add it to this spreadsheet, you’ll be ready to go when the time comes to address your cards.

Include your client’s name, title, and business address in your spreadsheet. Other notes you can include are what specific holiday your client celebrates. It adds a personal touch if you can make your card unique to them. If you don’t know that’s okay, don’t guess, prepare a general season’s greeting.

Taking it Online

There are programs, like Google spreadsheets, that allow you to share your spreadsheets online. If you are combining lists with a business partner, an employee is helping to compile your list, or you are merging lists from several sources this could be a great option.

Storing information online can also be a great way to keep information safe from a potential computer meltdown. Remember you’ll want electronic back-ups, just as you would want a paper back-up.

Extra Addressing Tips

Don’t go through all of the effort of sending out beautiful holiday greetings only to have your client question your attention to detail because of a simple grammar error. There are several commonly made mistakes that you should avoid.

Don’t use an apostrophe on your envelope. “The Smiths” implies you are addressing the card to the entire Smith family. “The Smith’s” implies ownership of over something. You want to use the plural, not the possessive.
There are a few cases when simply adding an s is not enough. If the name you are addressing the card to ends in a “s, sh, ch, x, or z” you must add an “es” to achieve the plural. So to create the plural of “The Williams” you would add an “es”, and get “The Williamses”. Want to avoid the “es”? Skip the plural and address your envelope to “The Williams Family”.

A Final Note

Spending a few hours this time of year to express appreciation to clients can pay dividends in your upcoming year. Staying organized and efficient with your holiday address list will ensure this is a smooth process.

What works for you? Share your successes in getting your holiday cards organized!