My Organized Biz

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Tip #7: Order Office Supplies Online.
While I will admit to cracking a smile as I wander down the aisles of any office supply store – and perhaps singing a bit, too – shopping for supplies is time consuming. Notwithstanding the travel to and from an office supply store (which is inevitably stuck in some strip mall), staring at the stacks of legal pads takes up a remarkable amount of time.
Easy and quick? Online shopping. I have an account …read more

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Tip #6: Get a Post Office Box.
Junk mail can overwhelm your business life. Even “second tier” junk mail is annoying at times – you know, the junk mail that you sort of, kind of asked for (mail order catalogs that you might actually use, newsletters, etc.). That’s why I recommend to all of my business clients – home based offices and otherwise – to get a post office box.
Post office boxes are kind of the yahoo/gmail accounts of real mail. I use mine any time that anyone asks for my mailing address when I know it …read more

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Today’s post is a guest post by Jean Murray of Small Business Boomers.

Have you heard about using an exercise ball as an office chair? Because I have bad knees, and bad posture, and my back hurts when I sit too long at the computer, I thought it sounded like a neat idea. The thing is also supposed to help you lose weight, because you are constantly in motion. Read this post in Gearfire for more information.
So I decided to try it. I got out my old exercise ball, and sat down, slowly and carefully. …read more

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Do you have a blog? No time for a blog? Think maybe it won’t help you?
Liz and Laura at Business and Blogging have a challenge for you: identify a small business that you think could not possibly benefit from blogging. They will then try to find a successful blogging approach that would work as a low-cost, high return marketing device for that business.
And if they can’t?
They’ll write a post linking to your website from Business and Blogging, highlighting all of your businesses’ strengths. (min. 200 words)

What have you got to lose?

Technorati Tags:
blog, blogging, business

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One of my favorite magazines is Real Simple. Here’s a video clip from CNN where Suzanne Rust, an editor at Real Simple helps you organize your home office:

What’s your favorite home office organization tip?

Technorati Tags:
office, organization, productivity, Real Simple

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Tip #5: Create Email Folders
A lot of organizational web sites and books tout that you should check your email once per day. Once. In fact, Julie even mentioned it once on this site. She was citing from a book by Julie Morgenstern.
I commented on the post then – and I stand by it – that this is not a tip that works for everyone. In many professions, you can’t effectively “schedule” your email communications. In a fast-paced world, you are often expected to be on call for most of the work day. And …read more

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Since it’s January, folks have their minds on fresh starts. That often means throwing out a lot of things that you no longer have use for.
But this year, instead of packing the car full of boxes filled with an assortment of who knows what, consider making targeted donations.
For example, Books for America accepts books to homeless and women’s shelters, hospices and AIDS clinics in Washington DC, Virginia and Maryland. NTR accepts used computers and periphery from New York to DC to be refurbished for more than 200 nonprofits. And cell phone providers like mine, T-mobile, accept used cell …read more

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Tip #4: Send Holiday Cards in March.

Or April. Or July.
There’s no rule that you have to send holiday cards just for Christmas and Hanukkah or just in December. In fact, since many small businesses are busiest at year end, sending those cards out can be time-consuming and stressful. And, with so many cards being mailed out at the same time of year, it may not even create the result that you’re hoping for.
And what are you hoping for? You want colleagues, customers and peers to know that you are thinking of them, …read more

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As I mentioned in a prior post, hold times on the phone can eat up a huge chunk of your day.
Check out this website at GetHuman to find out how to manipulate some of the more popular corporate phone mazes. You can find hints to avoid getting trapped in the automated system for banks, credit card companies and popular retailers including office stores like Staples, OfficeMax, Office Depot and more.

Technorati Tags:
organization, productivity, telephone, internet

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Tip #3: Get Some Sleep.
In law school, it seemed like lack of sleep was a competition. If you slept only a little, it was somehow indicative of the fact that you were up all night studying like mad (which, c’mon, we knew wasn’t true). The more tired you were during the day, the more you must have studied the night before. Clever, huh?
In the workplace, it’s not much better. Despite evidence that proves that not getting enough sleep is a productivity killer, we’ve convinced ourselves that staying up into the wee hours working is a badge …read more

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