I’ve been working with a wonderful lady who first called me saying that she was just plain overwhelmed.

Through my careful questioning to determine what was causing her overwhelm, she explained that there is a lot she needs to take care of before heading into surgery, and she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She did not say she was disorganized. She did not say she had more to do than she had time to do it.

She did not even say that she considers herself a procrastinator, which is often a label that my clients use for themselves.  

In fact, she is retired and is not under any pressure to bring home the bacon each month. She simply said she had a lot to do and didn’t want to do it.

I was concerned that I was not the person to help her.

My initial thought was that she was seeking a “body double.”  You know, someone to hang out with her while she worked through her tasks.  Which is not what I do.

She was referred to me by another client of mine, and claimed to fully understand what I do: create systems of organization, efficiency & effectiveness in office environments.

And she was certain that I was just the person to help her.

Based on her confidence, I agreed to see her. And heading to that first meeting, I was slightly nervous. Was I really about to charge my consulting fee just to handhold and babysit??  I hoped not.

Oh, but how things have a marvelous way of working out!  Once we spent a little time together and I discovered what was going on with her, it was obvious we actually were a perfect fit.

After a few hours of extracting information out of this kind woman, she had FOUR full pages of tasks and projects listed down on paper. And many of them were not simple little just-make-one-phone-call-and-you’re-done kind of stuff.

All that overwhelm had been swimming around in her brain!  She was fearful of what she might forget, and of some of what she remembered! Ick.

As a result, she had been completely, 100% stuck.

I’d compare it to looking over Santa’s list and saying, “All right, you have 2 weeks to get each kid everything they want, and most of the toys will not be found with a quick trip to Toys R Us. Good luck!”

Do you ever feel like that? Like there’s just SO much to do, you literally don’t know where to start, and don’t have any clarity to help move you forward on any one thing, because it’s just all so overwhelming?

Of course, the easiest thing to do at that point is to go watch Dancing With The Stars. Or reruns of Friends.  But that doesn’t get you any closer to a solution. It just makes that icky feeling in your belly grow even stronger. Ugh.

Instead, we did this (see list below).  And while everyone’s situation is different, this is basically what I would recommend when you get stuck:

 1. Perform a HUGE brain dump – in this case we unloaded every last little thought from her mind. If you’ve never done this, give it a try- it’s incredibly freeing!  

2. And just when she thought she got it all out, I would ask, “What else?” And sure enough, she’d sit there a moment reflecting, and remember yet another thing she needs to take care of.

3. Then we organized the big list into a few categories that made sense with her various tasks, including phone calls, legal issues and personal tasks.

4. Determined everything that could be delegated, delayed or deleted from the big, long list.

5. Assigned realistic, bite-sized pieces to be accomplished each day so she could begin chopping away at the list and build some momentum.

6. Set up an encouraging and helpful accountability partner, to ensure she continued moving forward each day. 

Though it sounds simple looking at that list, when you’re the one in the midst of overwhelm, it really can create paralysis. It happens to all of us sometimes - even me!

But if you take action on just the first step, you’ll get a little relief.  And then follow up with selecting just one thing you can do. Then pick just one more thing you can do, then one more thing, and so on… I’ve seen this approach work well in so many different situations.   Once they gain a little momentum, my clients often wonder what had them paralyzed in the first place!

I would love to hear how you’ve moved through a state of overwhelm, and how it turned out!

Very often people say to me, “You’re the organizing professional, what’s the right way to organize my files?”

Here’s the secret:  there is no right way.  But there is a right way for you.

It’s all about what is going to work best for you, based on your needs, your personality, your workflow and your goals.

I’ve spent the past five years consulting with professional offices in a variety of industries, and I’m here to tell you that no two jobs ever look the same. An effective, successful organizing system that will stick has to take your personal preferences & habits into consideration. 

Sure, I often recommend a core set of desktop organizing tools that work well for a variety of clients, but what their labels read, and the boundaries around how to use those files is different for each person.

So this means that if it works for you to always put your unopened mail on the back, right corner of your desk, because you know where it is, yet it’s not taking up your main workspace, that’s fine.

And if you always place your expense receipts upside down in a drawer to your left until it’s time to send in your expense report, that’ll work, too.

If you like to tap your heels together three times before you begin working through your to-do list….well that’s a little weird, but hey, it’s fine too!

As long as you organize in a way that supports you being your most effective self, without added stress or wasted time,  I say it’s a good solution, and likely one that will stick.

The objective of organizing is to ensure that you can kick ass in your line of work and avoid drowning in chaotic paperwork or becoming overloaded by the to-do list you’re tempted to keep in your head. 

So don’t get bogged down by trying to do it the “right way”.  Instead, consider what’s right for you!

Last Friday I left a message – during regular business hours – with a local house cleaning service.  My message stated that I was interested in contracting their services, and to please call me back with general pricing information.

I heard back from them on Tuesday.

Of course, by that time I had already spoken with a few of their competitors.  And while I hadn’t yet selected a company, I knew I wouldn’t be choosing them.  Why not, you ask?

If it takes three business days to return a call to a prospect (which equals additional income during a down economy…), how long must an existing client wait for a return phone call?  I certainly don’t want to find out.

As a business owner, I can’t help but wonder what these guys might be wasting in marketing dollars, only to have potential new clients turned off by a slow-response staff member?

I realize I’m making a presumption that any service business should be thrilled with new clients right now.  Perhaps their business is booming and returning client calls is taking priority over getting back with price-shoppers like me. 

But I suspect something else happened.

Calling me back just fell through the cracks.

This is where I have to say that being organized is absolutely vital to our bottom line.  And while it’s not always easy to see how directly it impacts our bottom line, the truth is, it does.

What if this company had a more efficient system in place? Perhaps an end-of-the-day routine, where before they leave the office, they review all messages, and return phone calls to customers, right then. Sure, things come up, employees don’t show, technical difficulties arise, but what about Monday? What if they had a start-of-the-day routine, where before they check email, or do anything else, they review their messages, and are sure to call back any customers or prospects who happened to call just after closing time on the prior business day?

Are there areas in your business, where you could use some “cement”? – You know, a little routine or practice that prevents things from slipping through the cracks? Even if you’re 92% organized, efficient and on top of it all, what about that remaining 8%? What could that small percent be costing you? Is it worth it to examine what areas you could use to cover the cracks? Potential customer follow-up, perhaps?

Or perhaps you’ve already implemented something along these lines – with great success?  Do tell!

I was recently out of town for a few days for my sister’s wedding. As any responsible business owner would do, I checked email occasionally – using my Blackberry.

But here’s the thing: I purposely do not have my email dumping into my phone automatically (And this is something I strongly recommend to many of my Crackberry-using clients). So my email does not chase me when I’m away from my office – I have to purposefully seek it. And I usually only do that when I’m expecting something important.

To see email using my Blackberry, I log onto the GoDaddy server that hosts my email – this is where my email lives before it dumps into Outlook. (And in Outlook I’ve turned off the auto-send/receive function, so I have to tell it when I want to see email. Until then, it stays in GoDaddy-land, accessible via the web).

Make sense? Have I lost you yet?

So when checking my unfiltered email online during that trip, I was thrilled to discover that due to the effective “rules” and junk-mail filters I have set up in Outlook, that I usually only see 40% of the email being sent to me. Yes, this is a good thing! 

When checking my unfiltered email online, I was overwhelmed at the amount of junk, and other interesting but not- vital email that I receive. If that was everything I would have to filter daily, I’d be spending twice the amount of time and energy on email. No thank you!

What rules or filters have you set up for your email?

In Outlook, you’re just a right click away from setting up a rule on any email that comes in your box. Tired of all that junk mail? Don’t just send the email to junk, but take a second, right click and make them permanently go to your junk mail. The good news is, you can quickly scan your junk folder any time and make sure you’re not missing anything vital.

Trust me, you won’t be.

Guess what I did last night?

I organized my files.

And here’s the big news: I enjoyed it.

And while it’s true that I gain a certain amount of pleasure in transforming a physical environment from near-chaos to a kickass productive workspace, that’s not what had me tackling my file system last night.

I want the results it brings.  I want to find things quickly & easily, with no distractions from unrelated paperwork lurking around.  Where are the tickets I need for tomorrow?  Right here.  And the tax forms for next week’s meeting? In there.  Ahhhh. 

Kind of like exercising.  Do I like stopping my busy day to drive to the gym and run on a boring treadmill when it’s 100 degrees outside?  Not so much. Do I like fitting into my pants?  Yes. Very much, thank you. 

But here’s the key takeaway to my confession listed above (the one about organizing, not the one about how I like fitting into my pants): 

My files needed the attention. 

See, even with my daily rituals built around keeping a great working environment, things can still get a little out of control and require a bit of an overhaul. 

Typically, I tackle my files twice a year, ideally in the fall and spring.  In such a session – which doesn’t even have to be lengthy - I’ll eliminate old paperwork, revise the file system based on how my business has evolved over the past six months, and maybe even pretty it up a little.  (Yes, you can make fun of me, because I do have a bit of the ‘organizing dork’ in me.  Which I guess makes sense since I’ve made a career out of helping others get organized).

So I decided to switch over to Avery top view file labels, which are just fun and colorful, and they spice up our oh-so-boring file drawers (Caution: dork alert).

INSERT IMAGE HERE

Here’s what works for me*:  The top file drawer is dedicated to personal files, and the bottom for business.  The files are alphabetized, with the tabs running in a straight line, one right behind the other. (This is easier on the eye, and also makes maintenance a snap).

* By this I literally mean “here’s what works for me,” which is not the same as saying “this is what will work for you“. My office situation is different than yours, my business is different than yours, my brain is different than yours…on and on and on.  In order for a system to work for you, it needs to suit you and your particular situation, not mine.  End disclaimer!

Admittedly, reorganizing a file system is often not considered top priority in the midst of a growing, thriving business.  But I find that all too often we just accept the state of our disorganized files even though they are causing wasted time and effort, and create loads of frustration.

So if the thought of organizing your files is even less appealing than sweating it up at the gym, focus on the results you’re seeking – that should provide a bit of motivation.  Just imagine: you will soon be able to find your notes for tomorrow’s meeting and fit in your pants!

Is there a beast lurking in your office?

Ten bucks says you have a few of those long, put-off projects that you swear you’ll get to someday. Everyone has at least one.  Even me. 

I used to call these dreadful projects ”beasts” because they tend to be ugly in appearance and – bottom line – we’re afraid to tackle them. That box of mish-mashed cables that needs matched up to their owners, that shoebox with nine months of business receipts that needs to be categorized for Quickbooks, the messy garage, the box of stuff from your previous office that never got unpacked, etc.

When working with a client recently, it became clear that her beast was an overflowing binder with a huge collection of various exercises, ripped from different health and fitness magazines.  A Personal Trainer, she’d been collecting these clippings over the past five years. As we were making great progress on organizing her office, this “beast” was getting louder, uglier and harder to ignore. 

Although we were creating order in her office and making progress at a very good pace, this “beast” was lingering around in the background, sucking up my client’s mental and emotional energy.

I quickly realized that having the two of us refer to that pile as a beast was not helping the situation. The mere term “beast” is a bit imposing,  and our repeated use of the phrase was giving power to her unwieldy project.

So I suggested that we use a different term for it.  Was there something we could call it that would be less scary?  So that we could begin to see the unwieldy project as something less intimidating than it was feeling to her at that moment.

She named it “Shrek”.

Such a perfect – and much friendlier – way to view the beast!  Changing its name allowed her to coexist with her project and not be intimidated by its “in process” status.

Sure, ideally you’d slay your beast immediately and be done with it.  But as you are well aware, that’s not always possible.   If you know you’re not going to get that shoebox of receipts organized right away, there’s no sense in allowing it to scare you as it lurks in the background, sapping your energy and creating feelings of guilt. Just make peace with it – as my client did with Shrek – and it’ll lose its power over you.

What’s your Shrek? Is it truly a beast, or have you just turned it into one? Do tell!

Even the most organized office can have a nest of tangled cords hidden behind a desk or cabinet.  Now, this may not affect your day-to-day operations, but when it’s time to upgrade or change a piece of equipment, we never want to deal with this, do we?

Today I have two tips that will lead you to a more organized office. 

First, be sure to check out Dotz Identifiers.  They are nifty little color-coded contraptions that slip onto each end of a cord, so you can quickly and easily remove the proper one when disconnecting a piece of equipment tied up in a maze like the one pictured above. 

And now on to my second tip…

How to best contain that mess and create a more organized office?  Check out this creative solution:

You likely have a few spiral notebooks lying around anyway, right?  This is the most economical solution I’ve ever seen for corraling cords.  Bonus benefit: you’ll feel like MacGyver when you implement it!

Well, they’re right:  When it rains, it pours.

A fresh flow of new clients, increased referrals from prior clients, and a few unexpected speaking opportunities have filled my schedule so much that I’m feeling very Crazy Busy about my upcoming seminar – the topic of which is teaching people how not to be such Crazy Busy Entrepreneurs!

Of course, I’m thrilled with these new developments, and would never complain about the increased growth in my  business, but I’ve got to at least mention the irony!

There’s another blessing regarding my upcoming seminar: I have saved my prospective clients some money. 

I’ve met a few people in the past week who are seeking assistance with organizing and prioritizing, but who did not have the budget for the one-on-one services I provide.  Solution?  Attend my upcoming seminar!  They were pleased with the price (just $59!) and I still have some breathing room in my April schedule. 

If you’re interested in learning how to maximize your time, how to create systems specifically suited to your needs, or how to prioritize intelligently so you’re always completing the most vital tasks, join me at the Organizing & Time Management Seminar for Success-Minded Professionals and Entrepreneurs.

Here’s a peek at some of the content I will cover:

Learn the SECRETS of hugely successful professionals:

• Maintain an organized office and actually see your desktop
• Maximize your time so you accomplish all you set out to do in the short and long-term
• Prioritize intelligently so you’re always completing the most vital tasks
• Overcome procrastination and say adios to stressful moments of waiting until the last minute
• Learn the best ways to deal with all that never-ending email
• Know immediately, what to keep, for how long, and what to throw away
• Find paperwork instantly with an organized file system
• Avoid the hidden dangers of multi-tasking
• Conquer those distracting ADD tendencies and learn to focus
• Get more done, in less time with streamlined systems
• Manage your tasks effectively, so nothing can fall through the cracks

So, if you’ve been meaning to take action in any of these areas, I’d love to have you join us on April 22nd.  For the $59 tuition, you’ll walk away with as many actionable, easy-to-implement ideas as my clients typically receive in a one-on-one session!

I have had the good fortune of personally meeting and spending time with Dr. Edward Hallowell, one of the top ADD psychiatrists in the world.  This best-selling author has first-hand experience in the crazy busy lifestyle that so many of us are now in. His incredibly insightful book, Crazy Busy, was recently expanded into a hugely popular audio program by Nightingale-Conant, and he has appeared on Oprah five times, which, of course, is pretty cool.

I’ve learned so much from Ned about my own Crazy Busy propensities and challenges, and these lessons also apply perfectly to my Crazy Busy clients!  

Here is one of my favorite concepts from the book - I’ve summarized it briefly in case your attention span is as short as mine!

F-State vs C-State

F-state is when we’re frantic, frenzied, forgetful, fearful.  And perhaps using some other choice words beginning with the letter F.

Here’s an example – you’re running late, racing to a meeting and realize you: a) forgot to bring the paperwork you need for the meeting and  b) your car is running extremely low on gas.  How do you feel? And how do you react?  When we’re in F-state, we’re dangerous! This “mode” can apply to anytime in our workday, when we’re feeling overwhelmed and all over the place. In F-state, we don’t do our best work.

C-state is when we’re calm, cool, collected, careful, and courteous.

This might occur when you start off your day with a clear desktop, knowing exactly what you’re going to accomplish for the day, feeling fresh and motivated. C-state is when you are likely to get high-quality work done,  and though we all drift to F-state at times, having an awareness of the difference helps to bring us back to C-state, where we are most productive.

Want to learn more?  Grab a copy of Crazy Busy today!  I’d love to hear what you think of it.

Tired of managing all those passwords?

If you spend any time online, you’re likely selecting a user name and password at least once a day, right?  Whether you’re shopping, visiting online forums, or viewing photos of your nieces and nephews, the quicker you can access your passwords, the more productive you’ll be.

But finding those passwords quickly can be one big pain in the you-know-what, because we’ll find ourselves wanting to use the same word for all of the sites so we don’t forget them, yet for many of us, it can be a challenge and time suck to manage several different passwords.

Some of my clients choose to track their passwords in an Outlook contact card, or a Microsoft One Note tab, or even in a mobile device (although I don’t recommend that one unless you can password protect it).  The shortcoming with each of these solutions is that they are device-specific, so if you are away from your computer or mobile device, you’re out of luck.

If you are seeking a simple, safe place to keep different passwords, check out www.passpack.com, a secure site that holds all of your passwords in one simple format, and the great news is, it’s free! 

Just think – no more sticky notes on your monitors or unprotected excel spreadsheets.  Check it out and let me know what you think!