Tip #24: Find What Works for You I know, this sounds like the cheesy catch-all avoidance tip. But it’s not. The thing to keep in mind is that no matter how great a tip for getting organized is, it’s not great if it won’t work for you. I will never successfully use a Franklin Covey binder – my husband swears by his. I like post it notes stuck to my computer – “experts” say this is a terrible idea. I love Skype for getting information quickly – many of my colleagues consider it a time waster, not a time saver. You have to find what works for you. And no web site and no blog, no matter how well done, can figure that out for you. Experiment. Play. Don’t be afraid to throw things away.... [Read more]

Tip #23: Learn How to Use Your Phone People waste tons of time on the phone at the office. With a few tips, you can shave time off of your phone time and be more organized. I don’t mean the basics – I mean the “extras.” Most phone plans – cell or landline – are bundled with extra services these days. Some of them are relatively useless (don’t get me started). But some of them are quite handy. Make sure that you understand: 1, Caller ID. I love Caller ID. I used to hate it. But that was before my office became the target for every marketer known to man. If I’m busy and I see “Generic Office Supply Company” here, I don’t pick up the phone, simple as that. 2, Call Forward.... [Read more]

Tip #22: Have a Web Presence We all know that having a web presence can be good for promotion. But it can also be good for organization. What? Communications can be time consuming. Newsletters, press releases and the like are important but they can also eat up your time and money – and sometimes the results are limited. With a web site, you can supplement your existing promotions. Even better, you can quickly get the word out about last minute specials, immediately combat potentially bad press if something goes wrong, post hiring and other personnel announcements, solicit feedback… The possibilities are endless. Don’t always think of your web site as an end product. Think of it as an extension of your office. For more... [Read more]

Tip #21: Use Client Codes In our office, we assign each client or customer a number. Sometimes, it’s just a regular number, like 156 – sometimes, there’s a trailing number as well like 156.01. There is a method to our madness. But what are the perks exactly? For one, I don’t always do my own filing. In the beginning of my practice, I spent a lot of time going through piles of papers where it was not clear to the person who was doing the filing where the papers actually belonged. This was especially confusing if there were similar names with different matters (Erb real estate versus Erb estate planning, for example). We had always assigned client numbers but really only used them to find the files – now we... [Read more]

Tip #20: Consider Colored Paper Everyone uses colored folders – even me. But what about colored paper? I’m not saying that your files have to be a giant rainbow – that’s distracting and who can remember all of your codes anyhow? But using colored paper to set important information apart can be smart. In my office, I use yellow pad paper for my client notes. It works out great because when I’m searching through the files for notes, I immediately look for the yellow sheets. Another colleague used to make copies of all original court documents on pink paper. I’m not crazy about the pink but there was some method to her madness. Don’t go crazy with the colors or you’ll miss the point. But if... [Read more]