Have a lot of projects to keep track off with many deliverables and tasks? We have just the thing for you! Tomorrow we’ll open a contest to give away the 7-column BBB weekly fridge grid pad. It comes with 52 pages, so you can get a year’s worth of planning in.

The pad is 3-hole punched so you can put it in a binder. It’s also magnetic, made to hang on your fridge. But it’s perfect to put on the side of a metal filing cabinet. See a week’s schedule all in one glance, but broken up by project. Which project is sucking up most of your time? Which one is not getting enough attention? Track your progress week-by-week.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll open up a thread for you to leave comments. I’ll ask a question, you answer, and you’re entered. Winners will be chosen at random.

(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – I stumbled across an article on Apartment Therapy about creating a table of contents for your filing cabinet. The writer suggested that you make a list of files in the order in which they appear in your cabinet and then attach it to the outside of your cabinet. The theory was that it will help you know where to look for an important file.

Honestly, I think that may be a little bit of overkill. Unless you have a lot of filing cabinets, is this really necessary? Most of us have one or two – maybe even three – file drawers of stuff. Can you remember what’s in each of them, generally? I can.

Additionally, I file my business files in alphabetical order. At most, I would only need an indicator of which parts of the alphabet are in a certain drawer. I try to keep as many electronic files as possible. So for paper, I don’t have a lot and can mostly remember what goes where.

In this case, I tend to go for simplicity. I think a table of contents is more effort than I’m willing to extend, even if it’s just a small thing. The content of my files change, too, and I don’t want to keep updating a table of contents. As long as I label my file folders, I think I’m all right.

So tell me, is this something you would want to use? Does it make sense, or is it overkill for you?

Image: Newscom

(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – We’re doing a little survey and wanted to know if you’d like to participate. Liz at Business and Blogging started the survey to try and get a larger sampling than the study she saw about the habits of blog readers.

Please respond by comment or email. I will be sending the responses on to Liz so she can consolidate all of the results.

Survey:

How often do you read blogs?

How many do you read on a regular basis?

What qualities keep you coming back to a blog on a regular basis?

How often do you comment on blogs?

What prompts you to comment on a post?

Do you feel a personal connection with the bloggers you read on a regular basis?

When you are looking at a new business website, do you consciously look for a blog so as to learn more about the owner?

All things being equal, do you think you are more or less likely to do business with a site that has a blog?

Are there bloggers who opinions you trust for advice?

And, if you could, include the following info:

o age: 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s
o gender
o do you blog?

We hope you’ll participate and tell us a little about yourself.

(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – One problem entrepreneurs rarely seem to have is a lack of ideas. We’re constantly thinking up new business ideas, ways to promote our products and services, and how to improve. Have you ever had too many ideas?

We are all busy. So busy, it can be hard to keep track of everything we need to do, everyone we’ve talked to, and all the things we want to ponder later. So we’re bound to forget something once in a while, right?

We need to capture all of these things, these ideas and thoughts. Our minds are so cluttered that we constantly have varying priorities jostling for attention. So what can help? Uncluttering your mind. Read more

(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – It’s easy to lose track of things. You put something away and later you don’t have any idea where you put it. That happens a little more often than I’d like, especially after having kids. It’s a distraction issue.

If I am distracted when I put do something, I’ll have a harder time remembering it later. For instance, I put my phone charger down next to the desk for just a moment while I jotted notes from a phone call. Later, I had to retrace my steps in order to find the charger again.

If I had just stopped for a moment and thought about what I was doing, even repeating to myself what I was doing, I wouldn’t have trouble recalling later.

You can’t be organized if you can’t remember where you put things. So if you have trouble finding your glasses, or your phone, or maybe your keys do two things for yourself: Read more

(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – Name one thing that will give you a head start on feeling organized tomorrow. How about clearing your desk? When you clear your desk before you leave, you give yourself a brand new start for the next day.

Think about it. You walk into an office with a neat, clean desk. How do you feel – ready to tackle your day? Consider the alternative. You walk in and your desk is a maelstrom of chaos. Do you feel defeated before you even get started?

I know I do. I just cleared off part of my desk today (and managed to unpack part of my bags) and I already notice a difference in my outlook. While I still have more to do, I feel a little less overwhelmed than I did yesterday

Remember how we’ve talked about doing things in chunks? It really does help. Read more

(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – I’ll admit that after my trip to BlogHer, I am fighting the chaos and clutter beasts. The traveling – with a baby in tow – wore me out. And don’t tell anyone, but I haven’t even unpacked yet.

I know. So busted, right?

One of the things I want to do here is be honest when I’m having a rough time staying on track. I want to share what’s going on and how I try to fix it. Because organization is never perfect, never one-size-fits-all.

And also, I hope that telling you about it makes me a little more accountable to myself and to you all. Because we can’t give up, right? Unfortunately, my desk currently looks like I might have. I will do my best to remedy that, and share my progress with you all.

In the spirit of commiseration, I ask this: What are you struggling with right now?

(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – When you get back from traveling, you have to pick up where you left off with projects. And if it’s been more than a couple of days, it can be tough to remember what you last did.

One thing that helps me get back in mode is my notebook. I take copious notes about what I’m doing with a project. Phone calls, brainstorming, what I’m waiting on. If I write things down, it makes it easier to start in the same spot the next day, or next week (I hate waiting a week, though – it’s too hard to get back in ‘mode’).

You don’t have to write with a pen and paper. Take notes in a document on your computer. In your PDA. Whatever works. The important point is to capture what you’ve been doing or where you’re headed so you can quickly pick up where you last stopped. You don’t want to waste time trying to figure out what your next step is — or should have been.

(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – We recently discussed using Google calendar reminders to make sure you know what you’ve planned for your day. Marina brought up a good point: What if you have something to do at 6 a.m., but you get email reminders from Google at 5 a.m.?

I don’t always remember to check the next day’s schedule, but I always check my calendar in the morning. So how do I make it to those early morning commitments that occur before I log on to my computer?

I use my cell phone. Most of today’s cells have a built-in calendar and reminder system. So if I have something I need to remember earlier than normal, I let my cell do it. I schedule in plenty of prep time and set the alarm. Need to be somewhere at 7 a.m.? I just set it to remind me at 5:30 or 6 a.m.

I’m sure there are many other ways to remind yourself of those early morning commitments. What methods work for you?

Image: morgueFile

(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – Yesterday I mentioned staying organized while traveling. And now it’s back to the usual routines. Sort of.

It takes a day or two to get back into the swing. I have to catch up on email, regular mail, and all the other paperwork that running a business entails. And I’ll need to unpack, process my receipts, and follow up with all of the people I met.

I need to pick up where I left off with projects, things that I couldn’t attend to when I was gone. And that means sitting down for a few minutes and remembering where I was the last time. Switching gears is sometimes where we lose a lot of traction. Where did I leave off…?

I tend to feel out of sorts for a bit, but that could just be me. I don’t do a ton of traveling and I rely heavily on routine to keep myself organized. And sane.

Does it seem to take a bit of effort to get back on track after you’ve been traveling? Or do you jump right back in with little down time?

Image: morgueFile