Productive & Organized

Answers to YOUR Biggest Challenges to GETTING IT ALL DONE - Setting priorities

Every once in a while, I'll ask a question out on my Facebook Page and it sparks a good conversation. 

So I asked:

I would love to know what is YOUR biggest challenge to GETTING IT ALL DONE?

This is what they said:

 "Setting priorities"

 "I agree. What goes with setting priorites that is an issue is knowing how to select those things which add value to your project , assignment and goals as well need to be done. Also how do you address distractions and what is considered a distraction."

OK so let's tackle those items today.  Setting priorities and focus/distractions.

Discover the Secrets to Dramatically Up-Level Your Business in Just 12 Days

12 Days - 12 Experts - 12 Power Topics

For the last few days I have been out of the office fighting the flu, but I didn't want you to miss out on this opportunity!

As we near the end of 2011, I know you've probably already mapped out your business plan for the New Year. But what if I were to offer you the opportunity to access the top business growth strategies from 12 Amazing Women Entrepreneurs, who are true power players in their niche? What if you could learn some targeted tactics to dramatically up-level your business in 2012?

Interested?

My friend and colleague, Dr. Shannon Reece, has created a fabulous gift for you!

ANNOUNCING THE 12 DAYS OF EXPERTS PROJECT!

The 12 Days of Experts Project was designed with you in mind, because I know you want to become a power player in your niche, and with this series, you can learn how. In this 12 day series you will be introduced to 12 amazing women, who are movers and shakers in their area of expertise, and have generously offered to share some of their best strategies with you at no charge. Awesome, right?!

Go here to sign up

These power-packed videos are for those who want to -

**Dream Bigger**
**Reach Higher**
**Shine Brighter**

True success is not about playing small. So if you are ready, I invite you to join me, Dr. Shannon Reece and the Experts on this exciting 12 Day adventure.

I invite you to register now so you don't miss a thing. Free access to this series runs from December 1- 18th, and then these videos will be gone! And for those lucky viewers who participate in this series, there are wonderful surprises along the way.

Sign up here

Hope to see you there!
To your success
Steph

 

PS - I hope to be back soon with posts and podcasts (when my voice comes back!)

If Time Blocking Does Not Work, What Can You Do?

The other day I delivered a Webinar with Allyson Lewis called Reduce the Clutter & Organize Your Desk - On a Clear Day I Can See The Top of My Desk!

After the session, I received this message:

Stephanie: I have trouble with time blocking. I don't always feel mentally, emotionally, or physically ready to do what I've scheduled for that specific period. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. Ann

I'm glad that Ann asked that question!  She is not the only one that struggles with time blocking.  It is not for everyone.

Today I'll talk about what you can do when the time management technique of time blocking and your brain don't work together.

Join Me in Celebrating #Gratitude with @AboutOne on Tuesday Nov 15 - 1 Million for $1Million

Join me in participating in AboutOne's One Million for $1Million Twitter Party!

One of the best ways to start changing your mindset and finding success in all that you do for your business is to practice gratitude.  I've talked about how you can increase your productivity through gratitude in past posts. Today, I want to share a way that you can practice gratitude and help support some fantastic organizations at the same time.

 AboutOne, the on-line organizer for busy families, will host “One Million for $1 Million”, a charity Twitter party to raise awareness and funds for Operation Shower, HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation, and OPPORTUNITIES.

I participated last year and it was amazing.

Register for the Webinar: Reduce the Clutter & Organize Your Desk!

On a Clear Day …

I Can See the Top of My Desk!

The average person wastes 150 hours per year just looking for things.  To make it worse, the average executive wastes 6 weeks a year looking for things!

Does that sound familiar?  I know it does to many.

The other day, Allyson Lewis and I were talking and she mentioned that she'd love to share office organization with her audience, and asked if I would present on her webinar program. 

I loved the idea and we agreed that you could come at no cost too!

Join Allyson Lewis and Susan Naylor of Seven Minutes, Inc. and me for this Time Management Webinar:

Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 2:00pm CST

REGISTER NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE!

Help this Biz Owner: Small Staff Shift Communication Issues

Can you help this Business Owner?  

Here is the question I received:

"I own a jewelry retail store. There are 7 part time employees working for me, so communication between shifts has been a challenge.  We currently use a "bulletin board" system and it isn't working at all. We have activities all of the time: selling jewelry, buying jewelry, taking items for repair/cleaning and collecting items that the store will sell on e-bay. How can I make sure to keep the communication between shifts working?"
Louisa

Today, I'll share one thought, but I know there are many more solutions that could help this reader with her in-store communication challenges.  So, share your thoughts too in the comments.

Creating a PowerPoint Presentation Fast by Organizing All of Your Presentation Slides - Even if you have 1000s

Last Friday, I shared a post on how you can save time using a Master Power Point (Keynote if you are a Mac user) file to create your custom presentations really fast. 

The post was shared on Facebook and I received some great comments. 

But, what if you have 100s or even 1000s of slides to manage?  What if the files are huge? 

Today, I'm sharing one of the comments (with permission of course) and expanding on the idea of a Master File.

Adam Urbanski Great tip, Stephanie. My challenge is that have thousands of slides. I'm not kidding! I have over 2100 slides - many of them very, very elaborate, with moving graphics and movies. Those files are huge and the inserted files must be in the same folders when the files are moved or they won't work correctly. Plus, many have different, custom designed backgrounds to fit the program. My solution is to keep all the training programs in one master folder with a sub-folder for each new program/pp presentation. As soon as I create a new presentation a master copy of it is placed in that master folder. That's the best I could come up with to make it manageable for myself! Any tips?/
Friday at 12:39pm

 

I've had the opportunity to attend a few of Adam's virtual and live events and I can tell you #1 they are well worth your time and #2 I have no doubt that he has that many files!  His presentations are filled with videos and great content.  So, what do you do if you have massive content like that?

Answers to YOUR Biggest Challenges to GETTING IT ALL DONE - Everyone Wants Stuff NOW!

For the last few weeks, I have been talking to my communities on Facebook asking them:

I would love to know what is YOUR biggest challenge to GETTING IT ALL DONE?

One of the responses I heard quite a bit was:

  "Everyone wants everything right now!"

Does that feel familiar?  Today, we are in a instant gratification society.  We can get information SO quickly that sometimes we forget that people are not machines. 

One of the biggest time stealers is interruptions.  A lot of people, especially in today's "I need an answer now" society feel that they need to be able to respond to people immediately.

Let's talk about what you can do to combat that feeling.

How to Calculate the Cost of Disorganization

The other day I was on a radio show and the host asked me a question that I thought you might like to hear about.

She asked me:

You told me when we first met that there was a way to actually calculate the cost of disorganization to my business.  I thought that was fascinating.  So I was wondering if you could share that with my listeners.

So I shared:

You know there are a number of different factors that go into calculating the cost of disorganization.  A lot of them are soft costs.  So, they're not the bottom-line-hard-dollar perspectives that a number of people are used to looking at.

I want to talk about those for a minute and then we'll talk about how you can get to the actual dollar amount.  There are three major areas of costs for disorganization. 

Do You Speak for Your Business? Then You Don't Want to Miss This Time-Saving Trick

Do you deliver presentations for your business?

When you are preparing those presentations, do you recreate a PowerPoint every time?

The other day I realized that I have been using a time saving trick for years and have never shared it here.

This technique has allowed me to prepare for an event very easily.  Since a 1/3 of my business is speaking (keynotes, workshops, etc.) it is important that I can be effective with my prep time!

Musings from 40,000 Feet - Secrets to a Smooth Flowing Business from a Flight Attendant

Yesterday was a day of travel for me.  Up at the crack of dawn, a few car rides and two plane rides and I was at my destination.

My first flight was on a very small plane.  My dad would call it a "puddle jumper."

As I was waiting for the plane to take off, I had the opportunity to observe our solo flight attendant getting ready for the flight as well as her operation procedures during the flight.  It was truly artistic to watch!

I know, you are probably thinking, how can watching a flight attendant be artistic? 

Psychology of Clutter

What do you think of when you think of the word "clutter"?

Do you think of the piles of papers on your desk (and/or floor)?

Do you think of your over stuffed closet?

Do you think of your schedule, stuffed to the max with obligations?

Clutter is often represented by piles of stuff, but did you know there is a psychology of clutter? 

Have you ever had someone come to your space and help you get it cleaned up and organized, only to find that it was a big mess a few weeks or months later? 

Maybe it is because you only addressed the stuff.

Barbara Hemphill coined the phrase "Clutter is Postponed Decisions."

I often say that clutter is 80% emotion and 20% stuff.

Here is a great short article from the Denver Post on Psychology of Clutter.  What do you think?

http://www.denverpost.com/recommended/ci_8060057

"You Can't Connect the Dots Looking Forward; You Can Only Connect Them Looking Backwards " Steve Jobs

Back when I was in college all things "geeky" was my focus.  I was studying for two degrees: computer science and human resource management. 

Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple Computer, NeXt and of Pixar Animation Studios) wasn't somebody that I studied in class, but he was someone I admired and studied outside of class then and now.  I am very sad to have learned that he passed away. 

He was a unique individual.  Uncommon.  But you have to be uncommon to be successful.  You have to do what it takes that others are not willing to do.

Today, I share a video of one of my favorite talks of his and a few quotes from that speech. I connect with the message he shares and often find myself using similar thought processes when I choose to work on (or not work on) activities.  I thought these words might help you with priority setting too.

How to Create a Simple Action System Using the SMEAD Stadium File Organizer

Do you have piles of paper all over your desk? 

Would you prefer to have a clear space to get your work done?

We frequently keep piles of paper all over our desk and other horizontal surfaces because we have things that we don't want to forget to do. 

"If I put it on my desk, maybe I'll see it later and remember to do it!"  That is what a client told me recently.

When I asked her how that was working for her, she admitted -- not so well.  The piles just became bigger and sometimes she would see the item requiring action AFTER the date it was due. 

That is no good!

Today I share a simple method to create your own ACTION/Quick Reference system.

You Can Double Your Energy Balance Your Life

Over the last few years, I've heard from many of you asking about creating more focus and energy in your lives.  You have told me that you want to get more done with less effort.  

 Many of you have also told me that one critical element of your life that is holding you back from that dream is your health!

I've shared my own health story in the past and have also shared posts on how taking care of your health increases focus, attention, ability to make decisions and overall productivity.

Today I'll tell you about a great program coming up soon that a friend of mine and professional fitness trainer, Michelle Melendez, has put together.  It is called "Double Your Energy Balance Your Life" expert interview program and it begins October 11, 2011. Keep reading to learn more about this great F'REE resource.

60 Second Trick That Will Make It Easy For Your Prospects to Contact You

Sometimes a very simple tweak can make a huge impact for you and your prospects.

Have you ever had this happen?  You read an email from someone that really impresses you.  You are inspired to take action right away and then you realize that the email does not include contact information.

You don't have the desire to go to their site to look it up, so you put it off until later.

Don't let this happen to your prospects! 

Today I'll share two tricks to make it easy for your prospects to pick up the phone and give you a call.

Business Networking - How to Grow Your Online #Networking Into Real Relationships #smmanners

You have got to be on social media sites!!!

Isn't that what you hear all of the time?

Maybe you have created the Facebook page and the Twitter profile.  You post consistently, but you're really not seeing the benefit.

Maybe you have decided that it is time to "hang it up" or "throw in the towel" because you've decided that social media is a waste of time.

Maybe you've decided that social media is a waste of your time, or you are frustrated that it is not bringing the business you would like it to.

Maybe you have not even started down that social media road because you don't see how being on those sites can help you grow your business.

I have to tell you.  YOU ARE RIGHT!  If you think that the way to grow your business is through posting and publishing over and over, it is likely that your business will not grow much faster than if you did not post at all.

However, there is a social alternative that is rich and prosperous.

I have had the pleasure of meeting and partnering with a number of fantastic individuals as well as selling services and products via my social media connections.

The trick is that you have to build relationships!

Today, I'll share some strategies from my expert panel on how they do the same thing.

I asked my expert panel:

Social Networking is a popular activity, but truly effective business people know that using online communication tools is about more than publishing content.  Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN, Quora and others are fantastic tools for meeting and connecting with potential business partners, clients and more.  How do you use social networking to grow connections into relationships?  Please share the social networking tool and the technique you use.

What is Your 1400 Plan? Don't Have My Tradgedy! #businesscontinuity #productivity #dontwasttime

I've mentioned before that prior to founding Calahan Solutions, Inc., I worked for a large consulting firm in the Chicago area.  As I look back at those days, of course, I miss the people I worked with, but in my business I miss 1400.

Do you have a 1400?  I really wanted one these past few weeks.

Back then, any technical problem that I had -- phone, computer, palm pilot (remember, there weren't smart phones back then...), pager, etc. -- I could dial extension 1400 and all of my problems would disappear.  Our IT support department just plain ROCKED!

My daily work and that of my staff, rarely got interrupted with trouble shooting.  When problems came up, they were resolved efficiently so that we could get back to work.

Of course, I now work in a small boutique consulting firm.  We don't have a team of 100s that can jump to our technical challenges. Truth be told, I have more technology knowledge than anyone else that works here.  So, when my computer crashes (it did a week ago) I have to deal with it--somehow--and dialing 1400 is not an option.

Today I'll share my saga, what went well and what didn't and how I plan to make my own 1400 so I never have to have this type of frustration again!

Work Near Anaheim CA? Claim Your Office Miracle Today!

Information is power!

If you can find it when you need it.    

Statistics show that the average executive/entrepreneur wastes 6 weeks a year just looking for stuff.  Do you really want to do that with your time?  Or would you rather be growing your business?

If you are in the Anaheim CA area, now is the time to unleash your profit potential!.  I'll be going to a conference in October and will be making my flight plans early this week.

If you schedule your appointment directly before or after my conference, I'll waive my travel fees. 

If you have been thinking about getting your office under control, we should talk this week.  Click this link to be taken to my contact form and let me know you would like to explore the possibility of working together. 

I'll contact you via phone (no charge) and we'll talk about what your current challenges are.  I promise I'll give you some tips you can put into place right away.  We'll also determine if one of my programs could work for you.

Discover the One Key Thing that is Killing Your Business Networking #business #productivity

A while ago I wrote about how followup is one activity that many entrepreneurs fail to do, yet it is also the one activity that can really make you stand out from your competitors.  

Think about it!  If very few business owners are able to effectively follow up after networking with someone, shouldn't that be a "no brainer" thing for you to get into place today?

Productive networking is about more than collecting cards.  It is more than small talk over a drink.

It is about making a connection that will last and build your business.

Today, my a few from my expert panel share their techniques for following up to build relationships. Read through their tips and share some of your own ok?

I asked:

How do you make sure that you stay in contact and grow a relationship after meeting someone for the first time at a networking meeting, trade show or other event?  What is your most effective technique?

Business Networking - Breaking the Ice & Starting the Conversation #business #productivity

Business Networking!  It is either something you love to do or something you would rather not do. 

Many of my clients tell me that they would rather have a root canal than go to a local event to network!

Does that feel familiar?

Maybe that is because you don't make the most of the meetings you go to.

Maybe that is because you are uncomfortable and feel like that kid that stood on the wall at school dances.

There are a number of elements to effectively networking and growing relationships that ultimately grow your business.  Being comfortable with those elements helps you to unleash your potential!

The first step is to BREAK THE ICE!  Today, my expert panel shares some tips that help them open up conversations and begin to build relationships. Read through their tips and share some of your own ok?

I asked them

When you have the opportunity to meet someone face-to-face, what is your most effective networking tip for breaking the ice?  How do you start a conversation that turns into something more than talk of the weather?

Unique Way to Think About Your To Do List - Be a Dog with a Kong! #Productivity

When you look at your to do list, how do you determine what you should spend your time on?

Is your business flowing? 

Do you have as many clients as you would like? 

Are your projects done on time, or do you scramble at the last minute?

Are you spending time on the right things? 

Do the important tasks get done by you and your staff?

How do you decide where to spend your time?

I suggest that you be like a dog with a Kong! 

Sound a bit weird?  Today, you'll discover why this simple dog toy could inspire you to get just the right things done to explode your potential!

Link Lineup: Productivity Through Processes, Marketing and More

Once a month, I share links to a number of different blogs and sites.  Today, you can see content on:

• Building Effective Processes in Your Business
• Effective Marketing Measurement
• When to Let Go of a System
• Successful People Tips

Fabulous Drop Zone / Grab & Go Zone Tools for Your Office or Home

When I attend a meeting and someone shows up late, I have a tendency to ask them (later of course) what caused their delay.  Over 85% of the time they are late because they could not find their keys or their phone.

The search for critical items often causes stress and irritation for you and for everyone else that you might be holding up.

The good news is that you can put one simple thing in place to fix that problem once and for all. 

Add a grab & go zone to your office and home!

Change Your Mindset / Focus and Get More Done #Productivity

We all know that "If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you've always got."

Wildly successful professionals modify to stay alive and running. They take chances. They take risks.  Most fail over and over, but they often turn those failures into great successes.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Is Your Mindset Holding You Back?

"Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear." ~Anthony Robbins

Robbins helps us to remember that a positive focus aimed in your desired direction is way more productive than focusing on the things that make us afraid or nervous.  

Success and productivity is sometimes about effective systems and sometimes about the mindset that you have about your situation.  Often it is both.

Everyone has fear -- it is a natural feeling.  Sometimes our fears help us -- if you are afraid of getting burned, you won't put your hand in a fire. 

But, sometimes our fears are not real and they actually hold us back -- if you are afraid that no one will like you; you may not attend an event that will help grow your business.

Be An Unforgettable Speaker – Organization Techniques That Make You Easy to Work With

As a speaker you have a number of things to juggle -- proposals, marketing collateral, networking conversations, presentation material, contracts, travel, etc. 

Unless you have business processes in place, you may find your business growing "out of control."

How well you balance everything that needs to get done determines how fast your business can grow. But there is one consideration that could really make you stand out as a top speaker.

Do you ever consider what event coordinators are juggling?  What can you put in place in your business to make sure that the event coordinator has a fantastic time working with you?

This past Monday, Michele Price interviewed me on #SpeakChat.

We talked about 3 different areas of productivity for your speaking business:

• Be Powerful – Productivity tips to keep you and your business in control.
• Be Unforgettable – Organization techniques that make you easy to work with and easy for them to market you.
• Be Empowered — Tools to help you get there.

Today I'll share a few of the "Be Unforgettable" tips that I shared this past Monday.

How to Organize Business Cards & Networking Conversations - Interview & Giveaway @ContactKeeper

When you attend tradeshows or networking meetings, do you later experience the business card pile up? 

Do you have great conversations and then get back to your office and either forget action steps or details from the conversation?

Do you prefer to keep your contacts in a more traditional / less electronic format?

Do you need an easy way to delegate the input of contact and conversation information into a customer relationship management (CRM) tool?

If you do, then you'll love today's post and giveaway. 

Today, Matt Streem, President of Contact Keeper answers my questions and he has been nice enough to send me some of their product to giveaway to my readers!  Keep reading to learn more about the great product and how you can win.

Service Providers - Consider this Tool for Accurate Time Tracking and Client Billing

Time is money, as the saying goes, but if you don't have a good way to track your time, you can't bill your clients accurately and ultimately are not making the income you should.  Today, I've asked Rachel Minihan to tell us a bit more about the tool that she uses and loves in her business.

~~~~~~

Service providers, do these sound familiar?  You’re sitting at your desk engrossed in a client’s project and you suddenly realize that you don’t know when you started working on it.  Or, you’ve long since moved on to making dinner and discover that your time tracking tool is still ticking away: you have no idea when you stopped the project.  Or, you have a feeling that you’re “giving away” time because you find yourself spending ½ hour responding to client emails without even trying to track that time.

Creative Uses for 3M Post It Notes

Creativity with post it notes has been happening for quite a while.  In fact, the history of the 3M sticky note is that it is an adhesive experiment gone bad.  After Mr. Silver created the weak adhesive, it took him years to figure out how to use it, but today many of us glad that he did!

His creativity in inventing the first set of little yellow sticky pads, has allowed us to use our creativity in amazing ways.  Some people have used the Post It papers to improve work processes while others have decorated their spaces and even community art work using the stickies. 

Today, 19 of my experts share their favorite and most creative use of the office supply gems.

Master Getting More Referrals & Turning Them Into Paying Clients

Does your networking work for you?  For many it doesn't.  Why is that?  Today Adam Urbanski shares his thoughts on why systematizing, automating and delegating are keys.

According to a survey conducted by Small Business Administration 60 out a 100 small business owners claim that over 60% of their new business comes from referrals.

But only a handful of professionals can clearly pinpoint where their referrals come from and the exact process they use to turn them into paying clients.

Amazingly, when it comes to referral marketing, majority of entrepreneurs seem to rely on luck! Not exactly the best formula for business success!

When asked how they turn referrals into clients, most professionals have a deer-caught-in-the-headlights, puzzled look on their faces and keep quiet.

The First Two Key Success Factors of Referral Marketing

Those who truly can sleep peacefully at night knowing their referral generating process is working with the predictable precision of a Swiss banking system understand the power of using FREQUENCY of EXPOSURE.

Have a Hard Time Reading Your File Labels? Try This Tool.

Today I'm sharing a super quick tip about a filing tool that you may like.   It is called the Super Tab by SMEAD. Last week, SMEAD sent me a sample so that I could take a look at it and share my thoughts.

This type of file folder is great for those that need extra labeling space because you have a much larger tab and inset to hold your label.

To give you an idea of what I mean, I took a picture of my regular file folder next to a Super Tab.

Master How to ROCK Your Profits

Many of my clients contact me because they have looked at their bottom line and realize that they had better figure out how to do things better, faster and cheaper.  Putting systems in place so that you and your business are more productive is one way to Rock Your Profits, but it is not the only way.

Do you wonder why you never reach your profit goals?

Do get a little sick to your stomach when you start thinking about anything related to finances?

Do you wish someone could explain it to you in simple to understand terms?

I Have Found Your Financial Dramamine!

Kate Sanner of Vivacity's A Jumping-Off Point Radio Show Interview of @StephCalahan [recording]

Kate and I met via social media and over time Kate has listened to many of my short tip podcasts.  Kate helps a woman on the verge of doing great things to take the leap into the life she has been dreaming of...whether it's starting a business, writing a book or fulfilling a life long ambition and the host of A Jumping Off Point Radio Show.

Today I share the topics we covered and the recording of the show.

Staying Focused and Avoiding BSOs - 31 Tips to Take You to Focused Success

Do you get caught up in BSOs?  BSOs are "Bright Shiny Objects" -- those things that easily catch your attention and steal your focus.  You spend time there, but you know that you should not be spending your time on them.  They can be pretty and enticing, but they may not really be driving your business as much as they should to deserve your attention.  How do you make sure that what you are working on is the right thing?

Today 31 of my fabulous business expert community share their expertise.  I asked them the following question:

As a business owner, you have many things that you could spend your time on.  How do you make sure that you are using your time the most effectively?  How do you make sure that you don't get get "caught up" in the "Bright Shiny Objects" that could take your eyes off of your priorities?

Simple Tool for Organizing All of Your Travel Information

Anyone that travels frequently knows that a well organized set of travel documents makes the trip much less stressful.  Scrambling to find your passport or boarding pass is never a good feeling!  Over the years, I have sampled a number of different systems.  Some that I made myself and some that were pre-manufactured for travel.  

Smead sent me a couple of samples of their Travel Organizer a few weeks ago and I have been using them so I could give you the scoop.  Keep reading for what I found out.

18 Ways to Create a Successful Business -- Do you know what you need to know?

Did you go to business school? Did you know that most entrepreneurs didn't? When you launched your business were you prepared for everything you had to do to make it thrive?

Perhaps you thought you just needed to learn the skills to make you an expert in your field and "Voila"! you'd be a sought-after success!

It's not so easy, is it?

To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to know about all sorts of things—like marketing, networking, budgeting, branding, social media, video, and so much more! And did anyone ever teach you how to successfully combine your business with the rest of your life?

So many entrepreneurs spin their wheels searching for answers to things they don't know about. It can be downright exhausting trying to keep up with all the new strategies and tactics to stay ahead of the curve as your business grows.

Wouldn't it be great if you could find everything you needed to learn in ONE place? A graduate school for entrepreneurs? Well, now you can!

I'm inviting you to enroll, as my guest, in an extraordinary summer school designed specifically towards the unique needs of entrepreneurs who want to excel in business and in life … Summer School for Entrepreneurs 2011.

Enroll today: http://bit.ly/l6S18x

Does Your CRM System Help Your Business Grow? Interview: @batchblue

The other day I was working with a new strategy client and we were reviewing her client sales and communication processes. When I asked her what she did to manage all of her client communications she showed me a pile of sticky notes on her desk.  She shared that she was often forgetting important followups and conversations that she had because they would get lost in the piles.  Sound familiar?  You might need a CRM system too.

Powerfully Productive businesses know that effective follow-up is critical to success. 

CRM stands for Customer/Client Relationship Management. 

In simple terms, a CRM tool if used correctly, can help you manage all of the communication you have with your prospects, clients/customers, people you network with, service providers and more. 

A good CRM is more than an address book.  It is your memory -- only organized!  For example, say you met someone at a networking meeting a year ago and had a conversation with that person.  You can record the key pieces of the conversation in your CRM.  Then, the next time you interact, you will be able to remember that person had 2 kids, loves baseball and was interested in your core service.  You can track relevant information and ACT on it and personalize the communication by remembering things that the average person would not.

There are many great and many not-so-great CRM tools on the market.  I use one called Batchbook and today I talk with Pamela O’Hara who is the CEO & Co-Founder of BatchBlue and the makers of BatchBook. 

Keep reading to learn more about what makes this tool unique and maybe you will decide that it could be one of your Productivity Powerhouse Tools too!

Easy Ways to be Productively Profitable

Does your day seem to disappear before your eyes?  Critical tasks left undone? Desperate for a solution?  Productivity and profitability do go hand in hand!

Tune in and join Nicole Fende and me to learn about profitable productivity and become a Finance Rock Star.

It is Easy to Answer "Where Does My Time Go" with Chrometa - Interview CEO @BrettOwens

The question of "Where in the world does my time really go?" is often asked by frustrated business owners.  You work hard and it seems that there are never enough hours in a day. 

This gets even more complex if your business uses time tracking to bill clients.  I remember the first time I was told I needed to track my time in 15 minute increments - we called them units.  It was back when I worked for a large consulting firm.  I thought the idea of tracking my time to that detail was crazy!  Yet, I quickly learned that it was critical for client billing.  I had no idea how I was going to do it.

My first step was to talk to my manager and my in-house coach to see how they tracked their time.  Both had systems, but they weren't really all that reliable.  They both admitted that there were times that they did work, but it did not get billed and that sometimes they "fudged" with their tracking.  That did not feel good to me then and it still does not now!

In comes Brett Owens and his team from Chrometa.  They decided to do something to make it easy for you to track and answer the question "Where did my time go today?"

Great Organizing and Productivity Resources for You to Check Out

 

Once a month, I share links to a number of different blogs and sites.  Today, I decided to do things a little differently and ask my Facebook network of productivity and organizing pros to share info about their blogs.  

You will find blogs on productivity and organizing as well as some of their personal blogs on topics like gardening and living a simplified life, etc.

 

Tracking How to Get It All Done & Avoid Information Overload-Interview With @Springpad CEO @jeffjaner

Information Overload is a topic that comes up frequently when I talk with people about what holds their productivity back. Many people have become "information junkies" collecting all kinds of information but not having it in a format that makes it usable. 

Jeff Janer and his team at Spring Partners saw that coming a few years ago and developed a great tool called Springpad.  Today I talk with Jeff and he shares some great insight on how Springpad could be one of your Productivity Powerhouse Tools.

Stop Reading Your E-mail on Your Smartphone!

Just because you can do something does not mean that it is a good idea to do it.  Maybe you would be more productive if you stopped reading your e-mail on your phone.

Don't get me wrong, you know from reading my blog and listening to my podcasts, I LOVE technology. 

In fact, most of the time I'm touting the benefits of using different apps and other technology to improve your productivity.

Technology works great -- for some people.

You have heard me talk about the evils of multi-tasking before.  Reading e-mail on your phone can really cause severe multi-tasking if you are not careful.

I have been working with a coaching client for a number of months now and this is the conversation we had.  You see, I observed that his responses to e-mail were different when he was reading from his laptop compared to his phone. 

Here is what I observed (and maybe you struggle with the same thing)

Simple Things You Can Do to Go Green in Your Business

Reduce -- Reuse -- Recycle.  We have heard those words for quite some time now.  Did you know that by going "green" with your business in addition to helping our planet you can:

• save money
• create space
• create a healthier environment for you and your employees
• market to a different segment of the population, and
• help your bottom line?

When you and your employees start thinking green, your mindset about waste changes.  This not only impacts the environment, but will frequently get you looking at waste in other parts of your business (like wasted time).  You might be shocked at all of the streamlining you will identify.  Today I'll talk about some simple things you can consider to start being a bit more green today.

Paper You Should Probably Get Rid of - But You Keep Anyway

I tried it once and it got rave (laughing) reviews, so I've decided to do it again with a new topic.  A few weeks ago my organizer and productivity colleagues gave us some tongue-in-cheek commentary about time management. 

This time, I said to them:  "I know you have seen people hang on to paper that they don't need right?! Have fun with it!" and this post is the result of what they came up with.

How many of these things have you told yourself?  Be honest!  :-)

Do You Want a Balanced Life? He Was Not So Sure... Weigh in Your Thoughts!

The post to my Facebook page was this:

Everyone can have a balanced life. You just need to want it … and act to achieve it. -Mary Ellen Tribby

Often, when I post this particular inspirational quote, I receive a lot of "likes" on Facebook but few ever comment.  Today was a bit different and it inspired this post. 

You can see to the right, Joe had a different perspective on balance. 

So, what does living a balanced life mean to you?  Today I'll share some ideas and I'd love it if you would take a minute to comment on what works for you.  I know that your comment will inspire another reader!

We are Fighting Against Cancer & Relaying For Life on Saturday - Check Out This Great Organizing Package

I do not normally post regarding personal causes, but this one is near and dear to the Calahan Solutions, Inc. family.  Ellen Hankes is a very dear friend, consultant with Calahan Solutions and CPO-CD.  I have written about her many times here on Productive & Organized.

Her speciality is working with those that are chronically disorganized and/or hoarders.  She is a positive light to everyone she comes in contact with. She was recently diagnosed with invasive & fast-growing breast cancer & is being aggressively treated. We have spent the last few months following her on her journey as she keeps us up to date on http://www.caringbridge.org/. I am forever amazed at how positive she is in light of very difficult days.  She tackles each one with style and humor.  She inspires me!

In her honor, her daughter started a Relay for Life "team Ellen" & I'm a member. We will be relaying from 4:00 PM CST June 4, 2011 to 5:00 AM CST June 5, 2011. 

One of the activities that happens at this particular Relay for Life event is an auction.  So, I reached out to my community of Professional Organizers and they really came through for me.  As I put everything together on Saturday, I realized that the grouping is

Valued at More than $1000!  

Today I'm sharing the awesome things in the package and asking for your support.

Productive Communication & Marketing : How to Manage All of Those Links! Interview with @ItsMyURLs CEO @hustle247

How many social networks do you belong to?  How many different web sites are related to you personally or professionally?  I bet the number is more than five.  How are you managing all of those different urls? Do you even remember signing up for everything?

Now, take a look at your business card, brochures or other social media profiles.  The other day I was in a meeting and saw a card that had the back covered with 2 different QR codes and the front had a few different urls. When I asked about it, he said that he would have put more if he had had room on the card. 

The world of communication has changed my friends.  It is no longer about telling your customers and prospects to connect with you in one location.  Smart businesses are going to where their customers and prospects spend time.  That often means that we are spending various amounts of time on a number of social media sites or niche sites along with the sites we have created for our own businesses.

Thanks to the ItsMyURLs team, you don't have to have that kind of clutter in your marketing materials!  Today I interview the CEO of the Boston-based company, Eddy Inserra, and he'll tell us more about how you can connect all of your websites in one spot and reference ONE url or QR code. 

I call ItsMyURLs one of my productivity powerhouse tools.

Master the Art of Re-purposing Your Work and You'll Save Multiple Hours - 50 Ideas To Get You Started

Earlier this week I was talking to a client about how she could make time in her schedule for content creation for the markting of her business.  She mentioned wanting to start a podcast but she was not sure if she had enough ideas or time to make a go of it.  I suggested that she repurpose some of her other work and she gave me a blank stare.  She said that she supposed she could do that if she knew what it meant.

If you look over to the right, you will see the dictionary definition of repurpose.  If you ask me, repurposing is the art of smart business.  It is productive content creation.  It is working smarter not harder.

Today 50 of my fabulous business expert community share how they repurpose their content to grow their business and save time.

There are a lot of great ideas in this post, but be careful to not let it overwhelm you.  I suggest that you:

• Pick and choose the ideas that will be most useful to you. There are different concepts listed here — not every single one will be useful to every person. I hope you’ll find 3 that are useful, or that are reminders of something you’ve been wanting to do.
• Experiment! Try out different thoughts and see if they work for you.
• None are guaranteed. But many are very likely to bring saved time and more visibility.
• These thoughts are in the order they were received. Some of the best ideas for you may very well be at the bottom!
• Share your ideas in the comments.  I'm sure that if you do, you will help someone else reading this post.

Don't Like Your To Do List? Try this Instead!

Today's post is short because I'm hoping you will help give me some feedback.  I am diving deeper into creating videos for my various video accounts and have started a set called "practical productivity."

I only have 2 created so far and I'd like to hear from you if you think I'm on a good track.  My goal is to keep them around 5 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes, so that you can get quick hits that you can apply right away.

Please take a look and let me know what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr3B-sBEOU0

To your success!