Whether your business involves writing or not, if you’ve become online and social media saavy, you may be spending too much time involved in these activities, thus be less productive in your business.

Writers use the Internet to research, contact writers and editors, and to touch bases with customers/clients.  However, they often become involved in answering e-mails and spending time unrelated to their business on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.  (Just a quick look can evolve into an hour or more!)
Quilters and other artists may browse around related sites and groups looking for particular information and find themselves two hours later still …read more

I’d be lost without my “to do” list, which I try to organize each evening before I go to bed. Sometimes I’m better at this than others…to fix the coming day’s schedule and work in my mind.
However, if I don’t write something down, I bounce from one task to another wthout accomplishing much at all.
There are a number of ways to create a “to do” list and I’m still working on the best for me.

3×5 index cards for each day of the week. Adjust as you accomplish or don’t the items on them.
Write the most important items at the top …read more

Don’t forget that tonight we “spring forward” an hour. Technically it occurs in the wee Sunday morning hours. However, most of us set our clocks when we head to bed.
While you “lose” an hour of sleep unless you go to bed early, you gain precious daylight hours to enjoy your evenings a bit more. And more daylight means Spring and Summer are coming!
So remember to set your clocks so you won’t miss any Sunday morning appointments. Or for those of you that work Sundays, don’t be late!

We talk a lot about getting organized. It’s a good goal to have, right? But what is it, really? Is it just some nebulous phrase that we toss around, or does it have meaning? My definition may be slightly different than yours, but its meaning is probably similar in most of our minds. The details and the methods of execution may differ. That’s okay. In fact, that’s great!
If your system works for you, keep doing it. Is organization all about neat files, a clean desk, a fancy day planner? No. To me, being organized is all about being able to …read more

Most advice you’ll see tells you to plan your week on Monday morning. And there’s some merit there, of course. First day of the week, you should plan how you’ll work on projects, making sure you set aside time to get things done.
But if you work a M-F schedule (and while few entrepreneurs really do, your clients probably do, right?) then Mondays are hectic, aren’t they? Do you really feel like you have time to plan your week first thing Monday morning?
You usually have to hit the ground running. So you already need to have your plan before you start …read more

var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,156,190663,”http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()
I have a couple of projects staring me in the face right now. They’re pretty large – and when I think about how much I have to do it can be pretty overwhelming.
Sometimes it’s okay not to look at the big picture. Temporarily, of course. If the big view of things makes you panic, then stop for a moment. Take a smaller, more manageable piece and do it. Or do part of it. Just make sure that what you’re doing is actually helping you make progress towards your goal.
I’ve mentioned that my desk has a large …read more

var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,348,172505,”http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()
There are a few small tasks that need to be done that I just keep putting off. Over and over. When I remember that they need to get done, it’s the wrong time. Inconvenient. Or maybe just not possible (as in, I’m not in the same place as the task) at that time.
I confess that I haven’t captured those small tasks. And coincidentally, I haven’t been feeling as organized as I’d like. Because these little things keep bothering me even when I’m not really thinking about them.
I’m a list person. I have to write things down. …read more

Do you travel a lot with your small biz? Overnight trips? Or maybe longer? It could be for conferences, to meet clients, or just to drum up new business. The reason doesn’t really matter. But making the travel easy on yourself sure does.
Here are three quick ways you can make travel easier.
Keep your bag packed. Yes, keep smaller, essential travel items in your suitcase. Ideally, you should keep small bottles of essential toiletries, a disposable razor, an extra toothbrush, and any other indispensable items packed. In fact, I just keep the liquids stored in a clear, quart-sized bag. If they …read more

(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – If you’re at all familiar with Franklin Covey, then you’ve probably heard of sharpening the saw.
Basically, when using a saw, you must occasionally stop and sharpen it. The longer you wait, the duller the blade will get. And the duller the blade, the longer the cutting will take. It turns into a vicious cycle.
So while it seems like you don’t have time to stop and sharpen your saw, that’s exactly when you should. Taking a small bit of time will prevent wasting a lot of time later.
It can be applied to projects. A little planning up front, …read more

(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 …read more