January 2011

As 2011 comes around the corner, I reflect briefly on 2010. I became a published author last year which was very exciting. That publishing bit was hard work but what made it so much more enjoyable was that it was a collaborative project among 19 other productivity and organizing professionals.

Working with these excited and knowledgeable colleagues gave me the opportunity to think outside my box and look at all kinds of possibilities to expand my world and look at new ways of helping others be productive, both in their offices and in their lives.

Last year was a tough year for many of us and I am excited to be in 2011, where the economy appears to be at least looking skyward! Even the skittish feral cat in my backyard now comes out of hiding and meows at me for food and petting. Things must be looking up!

With your success in mind,

Sandy

Struggling to Get Organized in 2011?

Have you tried to get organized or get the office under control many times and it just doesn’t seem to work? Check out Get Organized Today -- a solution-paced book.

SOS is thrilled to announce a new book filled with tips, strategies and solutions that work. Get Organized Today is a key tool in building a successful life in order to bring greater ease and flow to your day-to-day living.

Eighteen other organizing experts join me in Get Organized Today to bring you tips on being productive, organizing your paper piles, conquering kitchen chaos, building your perfect closet, organizing your garage, preparing for disasters, taking care of our planet, having the home office you love and many others.

Get Organized Today is available on my website: www.sos2day.com for $20 ($4 off the retail price). Be sure to let me know if you’d like an autographed copy.

Creating Systems for Success

Most of us run our lives on a handful of systems. With our cell phones, planners, and e-mail, we have organized our lives. If you doubt the importance of these systems, recall your panic the last time you lost your planner! Or cell phone!

Systems are important, yet most of us don't take advantage of them to fully improve our businesses. Systems are simply ways of automating or structuring processes so they can occur without much thought or attention – or by another person, if the business owner takes a vacation.

Figuring Out What to Systematize
Most of us have repetitive tasks in our businesses or jobs which could be systematized. To identify where you can apply systems, step back from your business and look at it objectively. Ask yourself questions like these below:

Where are your frustrations? You are more likely to be frustrated by repeating non-satisfying tasks. You'll also probably be frustrated if you need to relearn a task, or "recreate the wheel," each time a need arises.

What's holding your business back? Do you need to generate more prospects? Increase your rate of conversion? Improve your follow through? Do you waste time hunting down documents you know you have? Strategic focus on your business can spot great opportunities for creating systems.

What causes you stress? Preparing for quarterly performance reviews? Putting your hand on the checklist for your last successful trade-show in time to help you prepare for the next one? Systemizing at least part of these stress-inducing activities could yield big benefits, professionally and personally.

Write It Down
What is your exact process for handling a sales lead? Locating a project file? Write down the steps. If you struggle with this, try the "backwards" approach. Record the end result, then what you did just before that, and before that, etc.

Another option is documenting what each person in your organization does. Not their job descriptions, their actual work steps. Hint: have each person write down what he or she does. This documentation may highlight valuable opportunities for systems your whole organization can use.

Ask Yourself These Cost-Benefits Questions:

• Will you be doing this again? How often?
  
  
• How hard will it be to automate? Syncing phone contacts and generating automatic follow up e-mails aren't easy, and the required software can be expensive. Productivity guru David Allen sells that software, but recommends clearly labeled file folders for organizing tasks!
  
  
• How painful is the task? And what if it's not done well?
  
  
• Can you hire it out? Some stress-inducing tasks can be delegated to a junior employee, but you still need to create the system first, carefully recording the steps involved, plus how to measure the success of the outcomes.
  
  
• How much does lack of productivity really cost you? To find out how much disorganization costs in your time and money, go to www.sos2day.com and click on the Lost Productivity Calculator on the right side of the page. You'll be amazed at your cost on an annual basis!

Get Out of the Box

Ask the question, "Why do we do this in the first place?" For each process you automate with a system, you may find another you no longer need and can completely eliminate. This systematic review of your business may be the most valuable system of all!

About Sandy Stelter

Sandy grew up working in a library where everything is easily located because there was a system. Everything simply flowed...it was organized, easy and fun.

Today, drawing upon her knowledge and experience, Sandy works with business owners and employees both in the corporate and home-based environments to help them achieve that same sense of work flowing easily and productively. Sandy holds a JD from Golden Gate University Law School, is a Certified Professional Organizer, and also a Certified Productive Environment Specialist.

The end result of a productive and organized workplace is an environment where you can accomplish your work and enjoy your life.