Efficiency is a must in any small business office. Limited space, time and resources demand that you operate at full capacity. And when you let things slide, it can be a nightmare to get back in order. So how do you keep on top of everything you need to do? Get in the zone by creating specific work areas in your office.

Think about the tasks you need to do regularly. What could benefit from having a designated zone? Start by making a list of all the tasks you need to do in your office. Divide them up into groups. There may be some overlap, which is okay. Those zones may need to overlap, too. The main point is to get rid of everything that doesn’t belong in your office work areas. Get rid of the things that don’t help you accomplish your goals.

Do you have a lot of paperwork to file? Do you keep all of your filing items (file folders, papers to be filed, file tags, etc.) in one area? And what about your bills – are they together with everything you need to pay them?

Create work zones in your office. Even if you just have a desk, filing cabinet and chair, you can create small areas for groups of tasks. Anything that doesn’t belong to that task moves out to another section of the office.

For your bill paying area, put stamps, envelopes, address labels, and invoices together. Everything you need to pay bills goes in that zone. And that’s it. Once the bill is paid, move it to the filing area. Nothing else goes in the billing zone. By doing this, you’ll always know where your unpaid bills are. If a vendor calls asking for payment, you can put your hands on related paperwork. And if it’s not in the bill paying zone, you know you’ve paid it. And you can then move on to the filing zone to look for it.

In your filing zone, gather everything you normally need for files. Manila files, hanging folders, the to-be-filed pile all go here. Ideally, it should be close to your filing system.

Billing can be another important area. Do you bill by the hour? The project? When you work on your invoicing, it’s ideal to have what you need together. Don’t waste time figuring how much you need to invoice, when you could spend that time doing things that are billable. Keep track as you go along, putting things in the same place every time. Nothing’s worse than losing the info you need in order to get paid!

Once you find yourself in the efficiency zone, you won’t want to leave it! So get started on creating those work areas, and let us know how it’s going for you. Does it work for you? It may take a few weeks to get used to it, so give it some time. Then re-evaluate. Does it need any tweaks? Come back and share your experiences with us.

Image: Rob! (creative commons)

Post from: My Organized Biz

Right now I’m struggling with balancing everything. I have a lot of projects going, a lot of balls in the air. Fortunately, a bigger project is about ready to end. I’m mostly okay with that.

What it will do is free up my time for other projects. The ones that are getting bits and pieces here and there, rather than a good, solid bit of my attention.

There’s still the balance issue, though. For my sanity, I have to find a way to get my work done so I can spend quality time with my husband and son. That’s important to me.

They don’t need me hunched over my keyboard every evening, because that’s when it’s convenient for me to work (someone else can watch the baby, natch).

I need to set some office hours. That’s a bit close to impossible right now, but I’m hoping I can do that in the next couple of months. I think it would go a long way towards keeping away from burnout.

What about you? Do you over schedule? Are you finding a good balance, or do you need help with this, too?

Image: morguefile (© DiZel)

Post from: My Organized Biz

Yes, it’s time to spring ahead.

Save yourself confusion at 2 a.m. by just turning your clock ahead when you go to bed tonight.

While you’re at it, save yourself a groggy Monday morning wake-up and go to bed early Sunday night.

See you in the morning!

Post from: My Organized Biz

In this article, we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty about what systems you can create in your biz to build this trust.

1. Listen to the subtle messages that clients give you. Then get more information.

People hire you or buy your products because they like what you’re doing. In most cases, they have a genuine desire to see your business succeed. When you mess up in a small way, they may drop small hints about something that didn’t work for them.

Start paying attention to hinted-at messages – and ask for more information. If you’re genuinely open, clients will tell you what they need and what you can do to better provide it. You can’t pay a consultant enough money to give you the kind of insights your clients can. Don’t make excuses or explain (e.v.e.r.), just say thank you from the bottom of your heart.

Organized Biz Tip: Write down this information. Using their ideas, create new systems that change your business into a more customer-focused experience.

2. Underpromise, Overdeliver

When you’ve been at your business a while, you become familiar with how long your internal processes take. 3-5 day delivery. 2 day turnaround. Emailed estimate by the next business day. In other cases, you may have no clue how long something will take, so you give a ballpark guess.

What happens when something comes up you didn’t plan for and there’s an unexpected delay? It means you’ve just broken a promise to someone whose trust is valuable to your business. Long-term clients might be understanding, but it’s still a breach of the trust you’ve worked hard to gain… and there can be a high price to pay.

Take a good look at what’s a reasonable turn-around time for your various products and services, and then add a “time cushion” to it. This allows you to:

• Honor your time agreement even if a contingency arises, giving you a little breathing room
• Get the job done sooner than “expected”, satisfying the customer’s need for promptness

Organized Biz Tip: Start keeping track of how long various projects actually take from start to finish. Compare the reality to what you’re telling clients to expect and match them up.

3. Communicate deliberately with customers

The regular exchange of ideas and information builds trust and understanding. Ask your clients if they have a preferred method of communicating and use it. If they prefer phone, call them. If they use Skype, get it. It may not be your preferred method, but it helps them feel more connected to you.

Follow up with your clients regularly. Instead of either hounding them or leaving them to drift, each time you speak agree to a “next check in” day and time. Even if it’s a loose agreement, it creates clarity, safety, and structure for both of you.

Organized Biz Tip: Make an appointment in your calendar for the day and time you’ll be following up with them. This helps you remember and set aside the time to do it.

4. Provide a written guarantee

When people sign up for one of my classes, they get my 90% Bookworm Guarantee. In other words, if they give at least 90% effort, do 90% of the homework, and attend at least 90% of the sessions and are not satisfied, they get their money refunded. Period. In addition, I send them a $10 gift certificate to my favorite bookstore toward the purchase of a book that gives them the information they need.

What does this guarantee do?

• Makes the customer’s responsibilities clear (90% effort).
• Conveys my commitment to their success.
• Gives them confidence in my services.

Mark Silver at Heart of Business has a fantastic article and free audio about writing a guarantee like this – in a way that doesn’t compromise profitability.

Organized Biz Tip: Write a guarantee that is both fair to your business and gives the customer complete faith in your offering. You may have some “takers” for refunds over time, but the positive collateral it gives your business is priceless.

How useful are these suggestions to you? What are your next implementation steps?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Jen: Hi, Brian! What’s a hot topic this month that helps the small or home business owner use technology for more productivity?

Brian: I want to talk about how to use two monitors instead of one – and how it can help your productivity and focus.

Jen: Cool! I’ve seen people do this – tell us about it.

Brian: Well, the way I see it, it’s the job of a business owner to effectively handle information and data as it goes in and out; things like email, work projects, billing, etc. Managing all of this effectively is part of your role.

Jen: You’re singing my song. That makes perfect sense.

Brian: You’ve probably noticed that every time you open a window, it takes time off from whatever you’re working on. If you have to focus on managing the display, you get distracted from the project and flow of your work.

For example, when you have to search through your email to find a piece of information, you can get distracted by a new email waiting for you. Having the open project in front of you on one screen while you search on the other can help you stay on track and help prevent wasted time.

Jen: This sounds great for people who are really visually-oriented.

Brian: Exactly. And you can configure it a variety of ways. One of the best systems is to use one monitor as your dashboard, displaying your calendar and email. While you do the actual work on the other monitor. It’s like having a paper calendar for structure and a notepad for writing and working.

Another system is to have your web browser open on one screen to do research, and the other one for the actual work in progress.

In either case, this structure allows you to seamlessly switch between a passive viewing window and the active working window without having to open or close anything. You can switch back and forth easily – and it’s great for staying focused.

Jen: So, if someone wants to set this up in their office, how do they do it?

Brian: Well, first you need two monitors – and they don’t even have to be the same dimensions. And for around $50, you can purchase a video card that supports dual monitors

The you just install the video card, connect the two monitors to it, and then configure your computer to recognize both of them. It sounds complicated, but it’s pretty straightforward.

If you’re not technically inclined, it’s inexpensive to do and worth every penny. Depending on your area, you can expect about $100-150 for a computer services company do it for you.

Jen: This is great – thanks for the tips, Brian!

Post from: My Organized Biz

If you started your business to contribute something you love to the world, how ironic it is that the practical day-to-day work is sometimes so unenjoyable and unsatisfying.

I started thinking about this because I picked up a copy of “In Praise of Slowness” last week. In part, the book argues that our culture is one in which only the fast seem to survive, and the pace of life has accelerated in a way that takes the joy and meaning out of everything.

A perfect example of this evolution is a community-owned and -operated retreat center in the Oregon forests that I’ve been going to for the last 10 years. Even this holistic business, dedicated to spiritual retreat and self-nourishment, has accelerated noticeably over that time.

There, artfully hand-drawn signage has been replaced by laminated computer printouts. A warm, live person on the phone has been replaced with a complicated phone tree. Instead of a valued guest, I’ve begun to feel like an unremarkable part of the crowd. The drive to be quick is killing originality and beauty. Personally, I mourn its loss.

If you want to make your business stand out and you want to enjoy your work more, monotask. Take joy from doing one task at a time with your whole heart.

Sound impossible? Consider the alternative: According to helpguide.org, stress-related complaints include headaches, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, insomnia, chest pain, weight gain, loss of sex drive, frequent colds (due to compromised immune system). 60-90% of all illnesses reported to physicians are related to our sped-up culture.

You may not be able to change the whole world today, but you can adjust and choose your own path. I recommend, as often as possible, choosing one task to complete and doing it with love and attention before moving on to another. Nurture yourself and your business by deliberately minimizing interruptions. It may take time to adjust, but if you don’t notice the effect right away, your clients surely will.

Post from: My Organized Biz