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For those with relatives,
friends, or coworkers in the
military:
When Someone You Love is
Deployed, by Susan Dunn.
Having someone you love
deployed, whether child,
partner, relative or close
friend, is extremely stressful
(Read the rest of the article
here) |
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Staying Organized in These Chaotic Times
by Ron Sathoff
http://InternetWriters.com
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In the Terry Gilliam Film, BRAZIL, there is a fantasy
sequence where Robert De Niro is enveloped by a swirling cloud of papers
and memos. Some days, as I look around my office, I know exactly how he
felt!
In this age of information, it is really easy to get bogged down by all
the little bits of paper that seem to infest an office, whether it's a
corner suite in a downtown skyscraper or just your kitchen table. If you
use a computer, it can be even worse -- you could end up with hundreds of
files that are hard to identify and
impossible to locate.
If you don't take steps to organize your information, all of this
"information clutter" could cause you to lose valuable time as
you try to find what you actually need. Even worse, you could lose
business by losing that key piece of information you need to make the
sale.
Here are just a few simple pointers on how to be more organized as you try
to run your business:
1) Folders, Folders, Folders: A good filing system, used religiously, is
the best way to avoid the "clutters." Whenever you start a new
project, label a folder to hold the information. Then, whenever you
receive something that pertains to the project, make sure to file it as
soon as possible. Make sure to
mark and organize your folders -- A good system is to just have a place to
keep your past folders and a place (easily within reach) to keep the
folders that you are currently using.
You should use this same system on your computer. Create a folder for each
project and keep everything you need right there. The nice thing about a
computer is that if you have a file that
pertains to more than one folder, you can just copy it and have a copy of
it in each folder.
2) Use Your E-Mailboxes: This is similar to the advice above. I don't know
how many times I've seen people who only use three mailboxes in their
email program: In, Out, and Trash. These people have about 1000 emails in
their In box, and have a devil of a time finding a past email when they
need it. You can avoid this by simply creating new mailboxes, which are
basically just like email folders.
I like to create a new mailbox for everyone who writes me, even if they
are not placing an order. Everything they send to me I keep in their
mailbox, and I separate my mailboxes into 3 categories: Finished, Present,
and Possible. As a client's status changes, all I do is move the mailbox.
Then, when I'm looking for information on "Jane Doe's" order,
all I have to do is open her particular mailbox and all her correspondence
is there in one place.
3) Mark Everything: My biggest problem with clutter is that I end up with
a lot of notes that have some piece of information, like a phone number,
that I can't identify. It's really kind of amazing -- when we write down
the number or the message, we just KNOW that we'll remember who it's from,
but 20 minutes later,
it's like we have amnesia!
The cure for this particular problem is simple -- just identify each
message you jot down. You can put the client's name on the paper, or you
can identify it by the project name. In either case, be consistent with
your system, and don't rely on abbreviations. And remember, you should
file the information as soon as you're through with it.
These tips are fairly straightforward, but it is common for us to forget
them when we are pressed for time. The thing to remember, however, is that
if we take the time to follow these steps, we'll actually be making MORE
time for ourselves in the future.
Ron Sathoff is a noted speaker and manager of DrNunley's http://InternetWriters.com
He provides copy-writing, marketing, Internet promotion, and help for
business speakers. Reach him at ron@drnunley.com
or 801-328-9006.
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