Productive & Organized

7 Tips for Organizing Your Home-Based Business

Home based businesses are more than a passing fade.  In fact, they continue to grow in numbers. According to the Small Business Administration:

• Small businesses make up more than 99.7 percent of all employees.
• The latest figures show that small businesses create 75% of the net new jobs in our economy.
• Home-based businesses account for 53% of all small businesses.
• 24 million Americans are self-employed from home on a full-time basis
• 1 in 5 businesses located in an office or industrial area started in the home, including Ford and Apple.

This is an exciting time for the entrepreneur!   There are many advantages to owning your own home-based business.  You can fold laundry while you are on a conference call or do a little gardening when you are stuck on a problem.  Many people dream of owning their own business some day, but are afraid to try it. Indeed, being in business for you involves risk. 

Getting organized is a challenge for most business owners.  It is often more difficult for individuals that operate their business out of their home.  Many distractions can keep you from focusing on your business - a sunny day, your children, etc.  Many home based business owners frequently do not have someone to hold them accountable other than themselves.  The following items are provided as tips for your success.

Top 9 Mistaken Organizing Statements

There are a number of statements that I have heard people say over the years with regard to their organizing projects.  They are the top mistakes that you can make when thinking about getting your space and time under control. 

This is the Year & NOW is the Time - Take the Self-Assessment to See If You Qualify for a F'ree Strategy Session

"I'm not making excuses anymore.  I'm tired of looking for important papers.  I'm tired of wasted time.  I'm tired of not focusing on my business like I should. This is the year and now is the time!"  That is what I heard from a new client as I was talking to him this week, and I could not agree more!  2009 was rough on a lot of us.  2010 is the start of something new, something better.  Success IS in your grasp!  Do you feel it?  I hope you do.

I want to support that success, so I've decided to open my calendar and offer a limited number of f'ree strategy sessions via telephone or skype.

Interested?  Then start by taking this self-assessment:  http://www.calahansolutions.info/self-assessment.html

You will get your results online and via email immediately and if you qualify for a strategy session, we'll contact you to set up a time to talk. 

What are you waiting for?  Make a change to make 2010 your best year yet.

To your success!

Mon. Motivation: Create a Work Environment that Enhances Your Goals (@GinaParris Video)

I'm out on Twitter meeting new and interesting people all of the time.  A while back @GinaParris and I connected.  She is a great business coach and all-around entertaining person.  Anyway, I was out on her blog the other day and saw this video showing her very unique desk setup and I wanted to share it with you.  Check out the video and tell me what you think.

The Great Organizing Giveaway is Here!

The new year is a great time to think of ways that you can improve your life -- Getting Organized always lands in the top 10 lists of New Year Resolutions.  There are many outstanding resources available help you, but I often hear that it is hard to find them.  Our solution was to get the resources available in one spot!

The Great Organizing Giveaway is Here!

Free Yourself From Car Clutter: Five Easy Ways To Keep Your Car Organized When Traveling

(Guest post: Barbara Hemphill)

It’s a common sight: soda cans, gum wrappers, and snack bags strewn all over the floor; books, magazines, and carrying cases haphazardly placed on a seat; and miscellaneous papers and
trinkets shoved into any nook and cranny available. What is this disorganized place? A college frat house, a mad scientist’s office? No. It’s the typical disorganized car--and it could easily belong to you or someone you know. Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, the automobile is still the most common means of getting to your destination. In fact, for many people, their car has become their "home away from home," with extended car trips a part of daily life.

Office Organization - 5 Steps to Setting Up Your Core Systems

(Guest Post: Tracey Lawton)

For many solopreneurs they think that once they've set themselves up in business it's all about marketing, marketing, marketing. But there's one very important piece of the puzzle you need to have in place before you start your marketing ... and that's your managing.

Building a successful long-term profitable business isn't about "marketing" your business, it's about "managing" your business - the marketing comes once you have your management systems in place... this is a really important concept, and once you've got to grips with this, marketing becomes a whole lot easier!

You cannot begin to market your business if you can't find the information you need, don't know who you are marketing to, and don't know where you are in your business.

So what I'd like to share with you today are my top 5 steps to setting up your core office organization systems.

I've Had Enough and I'm Doing Something About It!

I've had a lot of clients over the yearsthat have waged war on their paper, but a while ago I received a letter in the mail that made me smile and say, "You GO Girl!" 

Mary and I had completed a strategy session that included ideas for how she could manage the ever mounting piles of paper in her home office.  She had good ideas about what she needed to keep and what to let go of, but over time, the piles had just accumulated and had grown to an overwhelming amount.  We came up with an idea that was fun and managed the situation really well.  I'll tell you about it today.  See if any of her statements resonate with you too.

Don't Get Your Time Stolen -- 6 Mistakes to Avoid

You can't call the police and file a report on today's topic, but it is one of the worst thefts that can happen in life.  Time theft is stealth--it sneaks up on you.  Don't let this happen to you!  Today we need to be vigilant with our businesses.  Every expense must be reviewed, even investments of your time and energy.  Here are 6 areas for you to get under control this week and know you won't get your time stolen again.  First, the mistake --> then what you really should do.

Sometimes You Just Need a Template - Excel Templates for Business & Home

TGIF!  Today's post is short but sweet (hey I have to give out something sweet around Halloween!) with a great no cost resource I found a few days ago.  If you have a need for tools that help you with your budgets, loans, calendars, financial statements, business forms, contacts, diet and fitness, lists, sports pools, home organization, or childcare then you should check out this site. 

They offer no cost downloadable spreadsheets for a number of business and personal needs.  Each template that they have created work in Excel and some even work in Open Office and Google Docs.All templates on this site work in Excel. Most also work in Open Office and Google Docs.

Added bonus: If you are looking for tips on effective use of Excel, you can find them on the site too. 

Go there now! http://www.practicalspreadsheets.com/index.html  Check it out and let me know what you think.

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To your success!

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Got Office Supplies and Equipment Overload? Have a Corporate Sale!

When I work with clients in their businesses, I often get tours of the space before starting work.  Almost always I find myself in a room that is filled with previously used equipment.  When I ask about the equipment, I'm frequently told that they don't know what to do with it.  So, today I'll share some ideas for what you can do if you have a similar room!

Don't Bother Keeping Your User Manuals! Let Owner IQ Do It For You

 

This past week we decided to sell a weed whip that we no longer used.  It was in new condition and still worked (well my husband could make it work, I could never get it started, that is why we were selling it!)  The person that bought it from us asked if we had the user's manual.  

Office Safety Checklist - Be Ready

Disasters strike every day and they strike QUICKLY!  People don't plan to participate in a disaster.  Unfortunatly, many don't prepare to avoid consequences either. 

Yesterday we started a series on being prepared.  Today I'm going to share an office safety checklist as well as some awesome web sites.

Is Your Business Ready? 72% of biz that lose data in a disaster are not around 2 years later.

Disasters strike every day and they strike QUICKLY!  People don't plan to participate in a disaster.  Unfortunatly, many don't prepare to avoid consequences either. 

According to a University of Wisconsin report, 29% of businesses that lose data in a disaster are out of business in 2 years &  43% never re-open their doors at all!  Are you prepared?  No?  Not Sure? Keep reading to find out what you should be doing to limit your risk.

AAAAhhhhh! and Other Utterances Because of Computer Slowdown

"I WANT TO THROW MY COMPUTERS IN THE LAKE AND START OVER!!!"

I'm sure you have felt this way at one time or another... Computers are fantastic when they work for you and about the worst thing on earth when they don't do what you want them to do.  Did you know there is more than one way for your computer to get cluttered?  This clutter can lead to significant slow down in operating performance, or a significant slow down in your ability to find information you want.  Today I'll share some tricks to speed things back up.

Organizing In the News Here There and Everywhere

There are great articles and blogs all over the net, but sometimes it is hard to determine which articles are worth the time to read and which ones are better left alone.  So, I've started a new posting on this blog.  As I find great content, I'll share it with you weekly.  Keep reading for this week's great items.

There are great articles and blogs all over the net, but sometimes it is hard to determine which articles are worth the time to read and which ones are better left alone.  So, I've started a new posting on this blog.  As I find great content, I'll share it with you weekly.  Keep reading for this week's great items.

Organizing in the News - Clips from Across the Globe

There are great articles and blogs all over the net, but sometimes it is hard to determine which articles are worth the time to read and which ones are better left alone.  So, I've started a new posting on this blog.  As I find great content, I'll share it with you weekly.  Keep reading for this week's great items.

There are great articles and blogs all over the net, but sometimes it is hard to determine which articles are worth the time to read and which ones are better left alone.  So, I've started a new posting on this blog.  As I find great content, I'll share it with you weekly.  Keep reading for this week's great items.

Organizing Topics in the News

There are great articles and blogs all over the net, but sometimes it is hard to determine which articles are worth the time to read and which ones are better left alone.  So, I'm going to start a new posting on this blog.  As I find great content, I'll share it with you weekly.  Keep reading for this week's great items.

Purging Your Space is Good for Your Soul & Wallet

Howard Cohen wrote an article titled "The clutter catharsis - Sorting, purging and reinventing your space is good for your soul -- and wallet." 

"In these times of economic woe, ''People want to feel more on top of things -- all of a sudden a finance charge is a big deal,'' says Standolyn Robertson, president of the National Association of Professional Organizers in Massachusetts. At one point, tossing your credit card bill on a growing stack and forgetting about it for awhile might have been doable. You could swallow the late fee. Today, maybe not."

Check out the article and let me know what you think!
To your success!

Strategies for Working From Home

It is happening more and more every day.  People are working out of their homes.  Some work from home as a telecommuter for a large corporation, while others own their own business and use their home as a base camp.  What ever your reason, understanding that working from home has advantages and challenges is important. 

The Best Leaders Dont Have to be in the Office

If you want to run a successful business, one of the first steps is to learn to implement systems so that you don't need to be at your business all of the time. Your office should be able to run without you. In fact, there are very few successful entrepreneurs that are also micro-managers. As a business leader, your focus should be on growing your business, not the day to day operations. For many that is a really hard transition. So, take it step by step. One great place to start is by making sure that your business can function when you are ill or away on business trips. Here are three tips to help you kick that process off.

9 Tips for Effective Telephone Use

Today we are busier than ever.  Our systems need to work with us to make the most of our time.  Telephone and Voice mail usage has increased and being able to effectively manage the tools is what this article is about. Here are 9 tips to help you make the most of this great tool.

Supplies - Keep them in Order

Americans waste 9 million hours per day searching for misplaced items according to the American Demographics Society.  In the office, this often occurs with supplies.  The following tips will help you find what you need when you need it without wasting time.

Are You Financially Responsible With Your Business?

Where do you spend your time? Where you choose to spend your time directly reflects the financial outcome for your business.

Today, I'll focus on ways that you can evaluate and adjust how to spend your time so that you can positively impact your bottom line.

Save Money - Work from Home - but be Ready for Mobile Challenges

With the rising cost of gas, many employers are looking to telecommuting or 4-day work weeks to help defray the cost of commuting.  Employers look at cutting down on workers' commutes  I love this idea! 

However, if you are considering making a change to your schedule, or to where you conduct your daily work, there are some things you should consider:

What is on your desk? Does it help or hinder?

There are different articles in the news every day that cover the topics of organization and productivity.  Some are good and some are not so good...  However, today I read an article that shared a tip I had never heard of before!

Favorite Organizing Products

Rob Collins from WCIA asked me to come back on the morning show this week.  So, up at the crack of dawn I go!  I love working with different media personalities.  It is so fun to see how different media outlets operate.  As always, Rob makes things really easy.

In any case, they put both segments up on their web site so that I can share!  I talked about how to make an action system as well as overviews of some of our favorite organizing products.  You can

Organizing CDs, DVDs, Software and other Discs

Do you struggle with organizing your discs?  Many people do!  If you are like a lot of people, you have tried the disc books and other popular organizing strategies.  Today I'll tell you about a different alternative.

Organizing WGCY Radio Recording

Last March I had the pleasure of spending some time with Jim Killian, News Director for WGCY radio.  He was fabulous.  It was really easy to talk with him and he made me feel at ease. (Thanks Jim!)  To make things even better, Jim provided the recording of our conversation for me to share. 

What's Under Your desk?

Do you get as frustrated as I do when you have to check the back of your computer?  The other day, I had to have a tech come over to my office to get my laser printer running again.  There are what seems to be 100s of cords and wires that get tangled no matter how hard you try to tame them. 

Eva Wallace shared a great post about a contest for anyone with major cord clutter under their desks. Looks like fun AND a good cause! 

Desk Office Furniture Can Impact Your Productivity

Do you hurt?  I mean, when you sit at your desk, does your neck get soar, or your back?  The furniture you choose can make a big difference in your productivity.  Sometimes you will be aware of the impact and other times, you may not even notice you are slowing down.  Read this article in The Times for more: The right office chair is a must

Have you invested in good furniture for your office?  What kind of difference did it make for you?
To a pain free day!
Steph

The Office Clutter Cure

The Office Clutter Cure If you're surrounded by piles and stacks of paper, haven't seen the top of your desk in years, or you're afraid to even look into your file cabinets, this is the book for you! It takes a hard (but hilarious) look at the state of our offices and cubicles, and serves up at least two dozen convincing reasons to clear all that clutter out (vividly details all the obvious and hidden ways office clutter is hurting us.) Then it outlines the cure, including how to deal with those big bad backlogs of paper, how to reclaim your desk, how to make better use of briefcases, how to halt the flow of clutter into your office.  Have you read this book?  Let me know what you think!

Business Owner Has Cleared the Clutter and the Stress to Find a More Productive Business

  Before                           After

At one time, Cathy considered herself an organized person, but life has happened since then. Having twins and starting 2 different businesses has changed all that. Even still, she felt she had it pretty together and was progressing positively with her career

Getting Things Done! The Stress Free Way!

Is it possible to really live a life that is stress free and focused on what matters?  It is!  But you have to be willing to make some choices along the way.  How do you even know if you are focusing where you should?  How do you know that you are defining things the "right" way.

Are You More Productive at Home or the Office?

So, which is better - working from home or working in an office?  Are you more productive in one spot vs the other?  Does it matter?  Well, of course I have an opinion, but first I thought I would share some research from the Basex company.

Organization Success Stories!

They say that a picture says 1000 words, so we thought that we would share those with you.  Sometimes seeing what other people have been able to accomplish with their own organizing efforts helps you find inspiration.  You can see more before and after images in our Client Success Stories. 

Today, I'll share a bit about this success story.

Home Office Organization and Design Resources

Do you work from home?  Would you like to know how to set up your office so that it functions better for you?  Did you know that there are now more home-based businesses than there are "store front" small businesses?  Keep reading for some resources and tips on setting up your office.

Document Retention Not What It Should Be

I was reading InnerBusiness Issues Magazine today and read an interesting article on record retention.  Greg Dickerson of Iron Mountain wrote "The 10 Deadly Sins of a Corporate Retention."  Information management is a struggle for many companies because it is not a direct money making activity.  It does not seem important too late - you need information and cannot find it.   He notes the following 10 items.  How many of them match your company?  Take a look at his article to learn more.  Tell me what you think!  Do you make any of these mistakes?

To your success!

Make Time for Success!

If you're like most people, you never seem to have enough time to get done what you want to accomplish.  Twenty-four hours in a day just does not seem like enough to get everything done.  Your to-do list continues to grow.  You feel like you are working harder and harder, yet, your time with family and friends is not what you would like.  You don't exercise the way you want and downtime seems to escape you at every turn.

I found an awesome site that helps you with a number of time and productivity issues.  It is called Mind Tools.

The Way you Sit at Your Desk Matters

Rosalind Joffe has a great site for individuals that struggle with Chronic Illness.  Today, when I was reading some of her posts, I found a great one that has graphics and commentary discussing the proper way to sit at your desk.  Many people don't know exactly how to set up their desk to work for their body.  If you cannot appropriately see or function in your area, you can have challenges with their organization of their desk.  Check it out!  There are great graphics that show you exactly how you should be set up.

To your success!

Supply Management - 8 Tips for Keeping Your Supplies in Order

So how many push pins and paper clips do you really need at your desk?  Office costs are going up by the minute and we are frequently to blame!  Walking by the supply room...  we grab a few boxes "just in case" not really knowing if we need the item or not.  So, we end up with a bunch of stuff in our office or cube that takes up room and that we do not use!  So, consider these tips for your space.

Filing So You Can Find it Again

According to the National Association of Professional Organizers, it costs $120 in labor to track down a misplaced document or $250 in labor to recreate it.  YUCK!  Filing systems that work with the way you work are critical to cost management.  The following tips will aid you in setting up systems to meet your needs.