My Organized Biz

(myorganizedbiz.com) – Jennifer is on her honeymoon and thrilled to be featuring guest bloggers in her absence. They’re answering a single question: What’s your most important organizing “rule” that helps you enjoy your work more? You’re encouraged to respond as they’ll be awaiting your comments.
Post by Brandie Kajino
Have you ever felt like you could never “be organized”? An audience member talked with me about this after a presentation recently. She said, “I just don’t think I can BE organized.” I was saddened by her comment, because she clearly felt a great deal of shame about it. Unfortunately, society has a …read more

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(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – Every Wednesday, I feature a real-live business owner who has a struggle with their office. Honestly, we all have them and there’s no shame in admitting it.
The fact is, life is full. There’s always more to do that you can actually accomlish, so those little niggles in your office are mostly ignored until they get out of control. That’s just how life is.
It’s really helpful to get ideas on what to do with this space, considering it’s the place from which you generate your livelihood.
Makeover Wednesday is here for you.
Share a struggle in your office and I’ll …read more

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(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – Somebody mentioned the term “bride brain” a while back and I think it’s starting to set in. I’m getting married in T-minus 5 days and I can’t seem to keep my head on straight.
I was really inspired by Leo Babauta at ZenHabits when he blogged about how he was working on his book. Because of this, he explained, he might not have as much to say on his blog for a little while. So inspired was I that I decided to write to you with a similar message.
I’ve noticed that as I get ready for the Big Day, …read more

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(www.myorganizedbiz.com) – In the article about following up with contacts, Tammy made an interesting comment I’d like to respond to:
The [question] that comes to mind here is how to persist. I can’t seem to hold the course more than 3 months….that seems to be my cycle. How do we organize ourselves and keep on trooping through our own cycles of up and down?
In my response to Tammy, I praised the fact that she knows what her cycle of productivity is. She is aware that after 3 months, she runs out of steam. This is great. And if you don’t …read more

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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 …read more

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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 …read more

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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. …read more

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Tip #19: Buy a Shredder
Long before we moved into our building, our neighbors found an interesting pile of boxes outside on the curb, put out for the trash. They were patients’ medical records from the prior tenant, a doctor who had moved on.
My guess is that the doctor did what most businesses did: he hoarded things that he could not bear to throw out until it completely overwhelmed him.
Why? Because, as a society, Americans in particular, hate to throw things out. And business owners are the worst. I think we hold onto things …read more

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The new year often brings lots of changes.  Here, at myorganizedbiz.com, we sadly had to say goodbye to Julie.  Her plate is full of lots of new and exciting ventures and we wish her well.
As the Channel Editor of the Business Channel here at b5media, I immediately went into “fix it” mode.  I sent out my emails, started to post an announcement to look for a new writer, pulled up my new iGTD (thanks, Shai) and thought, “let’s get organized!”  And then it hit me:  I am.
Let me clarify.  I am not Martha Stewart.  I have neither her money, her …read more

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