Do you have a office organizing tip
that has helped you and would like to share it with us? E-mail
your organizing tip along with your name, city, and state.
My
tip is...
First things first. Don't read everything you've collected
when you're behind the eight ball. Prioritize the list and
proceed that way. Another idea is to file the reading in the
file it pertains to so that if it comes up it is all together.
Get personal. There are quick news features on CNN
and MSNBC that allow customization of the stories you want
to hear.
Redesign post-its. Little yellow squares should not
replace a calendar or daily planner. If you have more than
5 hanging, they lose their alert status. Try putting them
on papers that go in your action file (or pile), on reading
material or other things you need to take care of later. When
you do there will be no forgetting exactly what you were to
do or why you saved something.
Outline flow. To really get a handle on processes
in your business, write out the many steps in your cycle for
each customer. You can do this for almost any repetitive process.
Use the data to streamline the efforts or laminate the sheet
to have it handy for training, accuracy or quick review.
Use broad categories. Create files that begin with
general categories (vendors, payables, insurance) and work
down to more specific subcategories (names of vendors, power
company, auto, life.) This system will help you find things
more quickly since it is how our brains actually retain data.
Do the right job. There is a difference between doing
the job right and doing the right job. To be truly effective
you must do the right job.
Be effective first. Effectiveness comes before efficiency.
Once you know exactly what the right job is and what is required
to accomplish that task, then is the time to focus on efficiency.
Create extraordinary results. Do the right task with
the best process using the most effective tools and the results
will be extraordinary.
Identify key result activities. Before working on
any task ask yourself if you will be closer to achieving the
overall mission of the company once the task is completed.
If the answer is yes the task you have chosen is a key result
activity.
Begin with the end in mind. Set a goal before starting
a job and you will have a much greater chance of success.
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