Categories
AD/HD Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace Time strategies

You have a million things to do…so how do you pick what is first?

Do you ever wake up with a to-do list already swirling around in your head?

Do you come to work and feel paralyzed because….you know there is a ton to do but you end up just responding to whatever email is on the top?

Are you in shock that this week is….November? And that the local library is ADVERTISING THE HOLIDAY CLOSINGS on the door already?!

Listen to this podcast for some helpful advise about how to make sense of it all…all day, every day, but especially as the holidays approach. Sue West and I have named it “Perspectives Podcasts.” Enjoy…and feel free to leave comments or feedback. We’d love to hear from you.

10.23.2012 Lucrative Strategies at work and at home

Categories
AD/HD email systems file systems Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace Time strategies

Are you ready for the ‘final four’ months of 2012?

This is it.

With fall knocking on our doorstep, we “grab the last days of summer” while we can. Suddenly it’s 50 degrees when we wake.  Then, humidity comes back, soothing us like a warm, cozy jacket. But we know it won’t last. Alas, the “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” are gone, or, just about gone.

Now is the time to speed up. Fall sports. School.  College.  Everyone is back from summer vacation.

Before I began EpS, I worked for many years as a landscape architect. Most of the population assumed that summer was “our busy time” and the fall brought in relief. Actually, it was the opposite. Many of our clients were tied to higher education. Right about now, the phone started ringing. Inevitably, big deadlines were set around the holidays in December.  Even homeowners liked to see that “last project” done before the weather turned.

How do your “final four” months of the year look? Are you ready? Are your systems in place? Are you on track with your financial plan and year-end goals? It’s not too late. Start with testing yourself against these 8 points, to round out the eighth month of the year:

  1. How are your “books” looking? Have they suffered from a lack of summer income? What do you need to do NOW so that your 2012 will be a “happy place” come year end? Check out these 3 tips: http://www.accountancyextra.co.uk/3-quick-bookkeeping-tips
  2. Have you lost touch with any clients over the summer? Now is the perfect time to reconnect. Try a personal, handwritten card. You will stand out.
  3. How are your files looking? Are you behind? Assuming you have a busy autumn/last quarter in store, this often-overlooked area of life becomes critical. Carve out 30 minutes a day to pull your filing systems back together before it becomes unmanageable and something gets lost through the cracks.
  4. Is your computer “old?” Will you need to replace your desktop, laptop, ipad, iphone, blackberry soon? Now is the time to set aside a little capital for that year-end purchase.
  5. How effective is your computer backup system? Just 7 days without a backup can cost you thousands of dollars in headaches and lost information. I strongly suggest “cloud” backup software such as: http://www.carbonite.com/en/ or http://mozy.com/home
  6. How will you reconnect with all those contacts you are making at the Business After Hours? Who did you say you’d talk to “in a few months?” If you don’t have a CRM (Customer Relations Management Software) it’s time to develop a system that works for you. If you use Microsoft Outlook on a regular basis, try this one: http://www.avidian.com/
  7. How are your “home systems” working? Do you have to leave earlier in the morning these days? Is everyone getting out the door with ease, or is it a struggle? Do you have a system for cleaning, laundry, shopping, and meals? Try http://flylady.net/.  You, your student, and your family will soar with her simple principles.
  8. Most importantly, take a little time each day for yourself. This might entail going for a short walk at lunchtime when you think you don’t have time, or it could be just closing your eyes in the car for 5 minutes before you pick up your child from childcare. Remember, when we cheat ourselves, we cannot be at our best for our clients, families, and friends. You are the most important person in your life. Treat yourself with love and respect.

Here’s to a productive, happy, and healthy balance of 2012!

Categories
AD/HD file systems Get Organized More time in my day prioritize Time strategies

3…2…1…GO! Get Organized for Back to School

Have you been to Staples lately?

I was at Staples on Sunday night. I don’t think I saw one business person. Everyone was in the back to school isle! If you are like many people, when you need tips and advice due to an upcoming event that you feel is stressful, you need it, and you need it NOW.

Wait no more. Look no further. Sue West, Life Transitions Coach, and myself have teamed up to get your school year started with style and ease. Success can’t help but follow!

Click on the link below to listen:

Back to Schoool Transitions 8.21.12

More to come later this month- with a special guest.

We wish you much success!

-Carol Williams and Sue West:

Email us at ProductiveLifeTransitions@gmail.com

or visit our websites:

www.EfficientProductivity.com (Carol); www.OrganizeForAFreshStart.com (Sue)

Categories
file systems Get Organized More time in my day prioritize Time strategies Uncategorized

What happened to Endless Summer?

I am a parent of two school-aged children, and many of my friends fall into this category as well. Lately, I keep hearing about how “there is only really one weekend left until the weekend before school!” “We have to get away!”

Get away.GO!

Next week, when you get back, I’ll be unleashing the results of my latest collaboration- a podcast series with a very fun, inspirational, and knowledgeable professional organizer/coach, Sue West. Sue and I have the same title but different backgrounds. We both strive to teach, empower, and coach our clients.

So why would we team up for this? Simply, we are “better together”. The collaborative process brings out ideas far greater than ourselves. We are excited to start the series with…you guessed it…getting organized around Back To School. We have two “takes” on the same “topic.” We know that getting back to school can be stressful for both parent and child, and we will be providing tips you can use to ease the transition and set yourself up for success.

So get ready to listen, learn, and be inspired!

Sincerely,

Carol (left) and Sue (right)

Carol Williams of EpS
Sue West
Categories
Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace

Sweet Summer: How does it change your life? – Staying Organized and Productive when the Thermometer reaches 90 degrees

Summer brings a change in routine for us all. For some, it’s a “lazy hazy” time. Some of us might be spending the summer with our children and/or taking extended family vacations. For others, we are very busy at work during this time of year as we have seasonal/contracting professions. Some CPA clients I have are quite busy in summer performing audits.

Regardless of how summer affects you, it’s important to take stock. Some steps to getting organized and get yourself set up for the second half of the year that you might consider:

  1. Know where you are right now.
  2. Identify where you want to go. Right now, it’s about six weeks or so until the children in our lives will be “back to school”: another transition time. For college students, it’s probably more like 4 weeks away.
  3. Check in with yourself regularly. Weekly is a good start.
  4. Follow up. What did you find in your check-in? What should you be doing more of? Less of?
  5. Adjust your expectations, if that’s needed. Usually, it is.
  6. Start again at number one!

I remember as a child that we went “back to school shopping” each year at the very beginning of August. That is when Sears & Roebuck had their annual sale and it was time for my sister and I to get outfitted for the inevitable. As a child, school still seemed very far away. It seemed odd to be shopping for closed toe shoes and corduroy pants when it was 90 degrees out. But before we knew it, the cool breezes were blowing and we were walking to the bus during the next “school year”. Little did I know, my mom and the stores had taken stock, identified their goals, and were setting us up for success!

As an adult and a parent, I realize now how life is truly like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end we get, the faster it goes! If you don’t want “too tight of a schedule” think of your life as a series of routines with important milestones identified. You CAN be flexible while achieving your goals.

Categories
email systems Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace Time strategies

How do I fit in another task?

More than a To-Do List: Finding the Truly Important

Recently I had the pleasure of finding more time for a busy manager in a local city. His issues were:

  • Too much email;
  • Task Management- desire to wear his “many hats” better;
  • Consistent follow-though;
  • Desire for strategies to make better use of his assistant.

Together, we talked about his specific situation. Where were pieces of his life falling through the cracks? Since he works in sales and marketing, it is critical that he follow up in a timely and consistent manner with his customers and potential customers. Sometimes this would happen, and sometimes it would not. Although his company seemed to be doing well, I was wondering how much better it might be doing if he were able to bridge this gap.

We worked together for a few sessions, over Skype and in person. Right away- in the first session- we addressed email overload and developed strategies that would specifically work for him to overcome his specific needs. Then, we dug a little deeper. Asking questions that cause a person to really step back begins to bring “holistic productivity” into view.

Sometimes, it’s not about fitting another task between the cracks. It’s not about crossing another item off the to-do list. It’s about creating your life in such a way that the most important things are not only done, but done well. My client commented that it’s been some time since he’d “really” focused on doing something exceptionally. With his many commitments, he had become more focused on crossing things off the list.

Great leaders and great thinkers move far beyond a to-do list. Productivity for the sake of getting more done is okay, but does it make your heart sing? When you encounter the place where your true desires meet the everyday, you have found your sweet spot.

Productivity can be your portal to life change, if you dare to walk through.