Use a timer to get an accurate gauge of the real time it takes to accomplish a variety of routine responsibilities. Then, use this information to help schedule future tasks. If checking and returning phone messages takes an hour each day (who knew?), then block off that amount of time for phone calls.

Clearing off your desk by filing papers may seem like an unending job, but in reality, it may take only ten minutes. Now it seems more manageable!

Master your time and you’ll be in control!

© 2010 Articles on Demand™.

When I was growing up my father constantly criticized me. When I was in high school I loved listening to James Taylor and other sing-a-long type artists. I loved singing so much to those songs, I would sing out loud in my room and sometimes when I was riding my bicycle. However, one time my father heard me and he came into my room and his comment to me was that he was wondering what that terrible sound was. He insisted I turn off the record player and stop singing.

Another time I was cleaning the family dishes after dinner and apparently the water was not hot enough. My dad turned the water up so hot that I scalded my hands as he scolded me about how to wash dishes — that I was going to make everyone sick because I wasn’t cleaning the dishes well enough.

As I’ve gone through life, I’ve realized that these criticisms and disciplines are not normal and I’ve reflected on how these occurrences affected my life’s path. I never pursued anything with music and still hate cleaning dishes. I do however, think I’m a pretty darn good singer and am never afraid to sing out loud!

When people tell you that you are not good enough, you may brush it off or you may get stuck and start thinking something is wrong with you. If you feel the latter, you may see this affecting your productivity as you are not doing all you want to do in your life. I know a kitchen with dishes sitting in the sink for a couple of days is an inefficient way to enjoy your home. This behavior affirms that things don’t clutter, we clutter. And when we understand why we can make simple changes to improve the quality of our life.

If there are messages from your past that feel like old tapes going through your head, consider the source and realize that no one but you can make judgments on your value. Strive to do your best always and if it feels good to you, keep moving forward.

Keeping it simple when packing is critical — especially these days when airlines are charging for any overpacking.  I hope this brief article will help you in packing light!   Be safe and have fun!

Pack It Up

How- and how much — you pack can greatly impact your comfort level while on vacation. Follow these tips as you pack your bags.

• Pack light. When in doubt, leave it out! Adopt a European standard for fashion by wearing your favorite things multiple times while on vacation. You can hand-wash in the hotel sink if necessary. No one ever wishes they had brought more stuff on vacation! (But you might consider bringing an empty duffel bag or backpack to cart home souvenirs.)
• If you’re flying, consider taking only a carry-on to save time and frustration upon arrival. If you’re checking luggage, make sure to pack essentials (change of clothing, bathing suit, medications, toiletries, snacks) in a carry-on bag, just in case you’re separated from your checked bags.
• Invest in some handy travel accessories, such as a mini-clothesline, “compression sacs” to compress your clean or dirty clothes, sleep mask, ear plugs, and inflatable neck rest.
• Know the current airline carry-on restrictions by visiting www.faa.gov/ passengers before you go.
• Clean out your wallet before you leave. Take only the bare essentials, such as two major credit cards, ATM card, your driver’s license or state ID, passport (if traveling abroad), health and car insurance cards, and cash or traveler’s checks. Leave all other cards at home.(You can’t lose them if you don’t bring them!)
• Make a photocopy of the front and back of your wallet essentials and stash it in your suitcase or leave it with a trusted friend or relative back home. If you should lose your wallet, you can more easily get replacements. Also, leave a copy of your itinerary in your suitcase in case you misplace your original.

© Articles on Demand.

I know it is going to be hard, but you’ll need to know how to take care of yourself. With this exercise you can focus on where and what you need to address. If your health is feeling tired, take some action — maybe a yoga class, getting some fresh air, or taking a drive to the mountains or the beach will help.

Challenge your motives. Are you working to see how you are doing, or are you working to see if the work is going well?

Are you asking the question, “how does my life/my work look to others? Are you doing the work for the passion, or for being recognized? Focusing on doing it for the attention or fame will always cause a tremendous sense of lack.

So how do you make this work for you? Work with people you enjoy and do what you enjoy. Do what is true to your heart. Take actions that are genuine to your passion. As you are on the path to working on your passion, the times of overwhelm will go away.

Are you focused on the competition? If you focus on others, you will always feel less than; and the projects you work on will always feel less than. If it doesn’t work and it’s hard for you, will more opportunity come your way?  And if it does, is it worth the stress? Doing what is true to your own heart is what will be the best.

Are you trying to make it perfect and unique? It seems that every great idea seems to be a remake of something else. Even in music, you may hear a great song and realize someone else wrote it decades ago, but someone current brought it to the top of the charts. To realize that no work is original and that all creativity is inspired by others can actually be a relief.

Some people will doubt you, sometimes quietly, sometimes publicly, but don’t let that stop you from moving forward. The bottom line is that you do not need the critics in your life. They block your creativity. After all, you’re interpreting other’s experiences and weaving them in with your own, which is truly your own creativity.

I know for me if I don’t create, I feel in a funk. If I don’t feel positive people around me, I get in a funk. If I don’t have plans, I feel in a funk. I look forward to things so I can plan, otherwise, I feel rushed. I like the process of looking forward to things — it brings out the creativity in me to dream. Creativity can be in the process of getting ready. The theme of the clothes I’m going to wear, the excitment of the event. It’s not about the event; so much as it is about the process of getting there.

So are you feeling overwhelmed? Then you may ask yourself just a few questions… Are you doing what is true to yourself? Are you worrying about what other people think? Are you measuring your success to the success of others? And are you trying to live your life perfectly? I’m thinking if you’re true to yourself, your overwhelm with go away.

Last weekend I attended a high school commencement for Skylar. She is the daughter of my friend, Ann, whom I’ve known since 1981. As I drove to the campus, I was reflecting on the day Skylar was born. I received a call from Ann’s husband, Paul, in September 1992, with the news of Skylar’s birth. I rushed to the hospital to see Ann and Paul and be one of the first to welcome this new little girl into their lives. I was blessed to share a similar moment a couple years later with the birth of their second daughter, Hannah. So I was a bit emotional and nostalgic as I was facing Skylar’s graduation day. I felt really proud for the accomplishment of this young lady’s life.

When I arrived at the school, it was a beautiful spring day, not a typical Colorado spring morning. Although there was a chill in the air and a bit cloudy, you could smell the green grass and the sun was peeking through. The week’s rain and snow left the lawn soaking wet. This is a typical change of weather for us here in Colorado — snow, rain, shining skies — all in the same week.

Although there was only a small crowd, I was not able to find Ann and her family so I took a seat by myself to enjoy the ceremony. I slipped off my wet shoes and decided to just relax barefoot as I observed and enjoyed the ceremony.
I couldn’t help but be inspired by the energy of the crowd, the beautiful day and the speeches I heard. Among the graduation messages, there were several so inspiring; I’d like to share them with you.

Empowerment
A young lady got up to talk about her frustration with asking a teacher once over and over again about a problem, and the teacher would say, “What do you think the answer is?” The message was that the answers are within you.

Professionals challenge us to look at our potential. I know when I’m working with clients, this happens naturally as I’m working alongside my client to empower them to overcome their disorganization. The answers to how to process individual challenges are truly within us. Finding those answers within ourselves can be empowering -– even though they may be facilitated by someone else, it empowers us to move forward and finally learn the lesson.

Be a Leader
At one point, there was a scripture quote – “true leaders govern his people as the people don’t even know they’re being led”. What a humbling image for young graduates to consider in looking forward to new roles in their lives. What kind of leader do you want to be? What kind of leader do you want to lead you?

Girl Power
A faculty member addressed how the girls were coming from a community of “girl world”: smelling of fresh shampoo, shining from glittery makeup, blonde hair everywhere and high running emotions with shrieking voices echoing in hallways. What an acknowledgement of their individuality as women (by the way, I should mention the graduation was at a Catholic girl’s school). How I was reminded of my own femininity and how it took me to be into my forties before I realized it was okay to be a “girlie girl”. What a privilege for the youth today to be able to acknowledge their own personalities and uniqueness and be able to express the gifts in their beauty and voices of opinion and creativity.

Decisiveness
For those who are unsure, there was the question of decisiveness. Are you indecisive? Feeling like you need to go it alone? The recommendation was to look at what is in the environment that may be obvious. Are you working with those around you and being inclusive with those in your community? This message can apply to your work environment as well. Those around you are most likely there for you, your support systems. These are people who share your experiences, your history. When you need it, these people will be there to give to you when you ask for it. But remember that it goes both ways — you need to be willing to give as well. Don’t forget your history. Look back on it in times of need.

Attitudes
Attitude — it’s more about success as you can control your attitude. It’s a contagious magnet that attracts good. Mistakes can paralyze decisiveness, so make the most of what you have. This reminds me of the adage to make lemonade out of lemons.

Common Sense and Risk
I recall a message about common sense as being the norm, once you have it though, you can build on it with a beautiful opportunity to progress. Risk is not common sense. Go beyond your common sense and take risks… take time to create change as it is always a success. Fight for causes. Today we have the opportunity in business to be more socially responsible and take action towards being a sustainable company. Take risks – the rewards are worthwhile.

Lean into facing your fear and envision the life you want and then work towards that vision. Re-examine the status quo, and conformity and find what works for you. These were encouraging words for students of all ages.

There was a piano solo of Sonato in C Minor (Pathetique), First Movement, Beethoven. It immediately reminded me of my brother, Mark, as he was an admirer of Beethoven in his own music composition. The music had the intensity of banging on the piano, almost a darkness… a similar darkness to some of Mark’s work, with the contradiction of extreme delicacy of the piano notes mixed in the piece. The dual paths of rhythm were a bit like a light and delicate surface with a strong undertone of darkness lurking in the background. An interesting thought for a beautiful graduation ceremony. It made me think that life is a bit like that. As we often tiptoe and dance through life, even though there are many difficulties and struggles that we are processing. The music reminded me to keep moving forward and not to let the undertones bring you down.

During the presentation of the senior diplomas there were cheers from the crowd. In the cool Colorado morning I’m reminded of the opposite image of a closed off gym from my graduation — hot and stuffy, a bit on the rowdy side when we flipped our own tassels. It was not like the elegance of 69 lovely ladies that graduated this graduation day. The contrast to my high school graduation was what inspired me to share this event.

I finally met up with my friends and the new graduate at the end of the program.  I hope you have picked up some tidbits regarding empowerment, individuality, decisiveness and attitudes from my reflection.

Reducing the impact is a great first step to becoming an environmental steward. We’ve known about social entrepreneurs for years, where one has a passion for a cause because they have seen an unfair situation or personally they had been slighted, so they create a foundation to improve the situation.

Currently more and more businesses are revealing their own passion to protect and conserve our world through their business practices. I’ve committed to a program over the next couple of months to learn about how my business can take a stand in being sustainable incorporating the concepts of a triple bottom line, focusing on more than just profit — to now include social and community interests as well.

I’ll be writing more about this topic in the weeks to come. In the meantime, think about some actions you can put in place to start implementing green initiatives in your work.

Here are a few ideas as you develop your own:

• Use printers that can print on both sides.
• Increase your efforts and budget to buy recycled supplies.
• Add recycling receptacles to your individual office as well as common areas.
• Implement a used battery collection program to properly dispose of personal batteries.
• As summer is coming, create a bicycle rack and lockers for employees to encourage bicycle commuters.
• Use an intranet environment to inform employees of your program listing resources for their personal involvement as well.
• Highlight employees in an e-newsletter, who are taking sustainability home with them.

These are just a few ideas and I welcome your feedback and suggestions. Let me know what you are doing to become a sustainable organization. Think about developing your own Triple Bottom Line plan and strategy.

Watch for more as I continue with my class over the next six weeks! I’m excited to share with you how we can all make a difference. This brings my passion of being of service to a whole new level.  If you would like to consider becoming a triple bottom line company, I would highly recommend this program.  Another class is coming up in September.  Check out their site for more information.  http://proggroup.com/greater-good-project.html. 

© Strategize & Organize, Anne McGurty. 2010

Storing tax records: How long is long enough?

April 15 has come and gone and another year of tax forms and shoeboxes full of receipts is behind us. But what should be done with those documents after your check or refund request is in the mail?

Federal law requires you to maintain copies of your tax returns and supporting documents for three years. This is called the “three-year law” and leads many people to believe they’re safe provided they retain their documents for this period of time.

However, if the IRS believes you have significantly underreported your income (by 25 percent or more), or believes there may be indication of fraud, it may go back six years in an audit. To be safe, use the following guidelines.

Business Document To Keep For One Year

• Correspondence with Customers and Vendors
• Duplicate Deposit Slips
• Purchase Orders (other than Purchasing Department copy)
• Receiving Sheets
• Requisitions
• Stenographer’s Notebooks
• Stockroom Withdrawal Forms

Business Documents To Keep For Three Years

• Bank Statements and Reconciliation’s
• Employee Personnel Records (after termination)
• Employment Applications
• Expired Insurance Policies
• General Correspondence
• Internal Audit Reports
• Internal Reports
• Petty Cash Vouchers
• Physical Inventory Tags
• Savings Bond Registration Records of Employees
• Time Cards For Hourly Employees

Business Documents To Keep For Six Years

• Accident Reports, Claims
• Accounts Payable Ledgers and Schedules
• Accounts Receivable Ledgers and Schedules
• Cancelled Checks
• Cancelled Stock and Bond Certificates
• Employment Tax Records
• Expense Analysis and Expense Distribution Schedules
• Expired Contracts, Leases
• Expired Option Records
• Inventories of Products, Materials, Supplies
• Invoices to Customers
• Notes Receivable Ledgers, Schedules
• Payroll Records and Summaries, including payment to pensioners
• Plant Cost Ledgers
• Purchasing Department Copies of Purchase Orders
• Sales Records
• Subsidiary Ledgers
• Time Books
• Travel and Entertainment Records
• Vouchers for Payments to Vendors, Employees, etc.
• Voucher Register, Schedules

Business Records To Keep Forever

While federal guidelines do not require you to keep tax records “forever,” in many cases there will be other reasons you’ll want to retain these documents indefinitely.

• Audit Reports from CPAs/Accountants
• Cancelled Checks for Important Payments (especially tax payments)
• Cash Books, Charts of Accounts
• Contracts, Leases Currently in Effect
• Corporate Documents (incorporation, charter, by-laws, etc.)
• Documents substantiating fixed asset additions
• Deeds
• Depreciation Schedules
• Financial Statements (Year End)
• General and Private Ledgers, Year End Trial Balances
• Insurance Records, Current Accident Reports, Claims, Policies
• Investment Trade Confirmations
• IRS Revenue Agents’ Reports
• Journals
• Legal Records, Correspondence and Other Important Matters
• Minutes Books of Directors and Stockholders
• Mortgages, Bills of Sale
• Property Appraisals by Outside Appraisers
• Property Records
• Retirement and Pension Records
• Tax Returns and Worksheets
• Trademark and Patent Registrations

Personal Document To Keep For One Year

• While it’s important to keep year-end mutual fund and IRA contribution statements forever, you don’t have to save monthly and quarterly statements once the year-end statement has arrived.

Personal Documents To Keep For Three Years

• Credit Card Statements
• Medical Bills (in case of insurance disputes) 
• Utility Records
• Expired Insurance Policies 

Personal Documents To Keep For Six Years

• Supporting Documents For Tax Returns
• Accident Reports and Claims
• Medical Bills (if tax-related)
• Property Records / Improvement Receipts
• Sales Receipts
• Wage Garnishments
• Other Tax-Related Bills

Personal Records To Keep Forever

• CPA Audit Reports
• Legal Records
• Important Correspondence
• Income Tax Returns
• Income Tax Payment Checks
• Investment Trade Confirmations
• Retirement and Pension Records

Special Circumstances

• Car Records (keep until the car is sold)
• Credit Card Receipts (keep until verified on your statement)
• Insurance Policies (keep for the life of the policy)
• Mortgages / Deeds / Leases (keep 6 years beyond the agreement)
• Pay Stubs (keep until reconciled with your W-2)
• Property Records / improvement receipts (keep until property sold)
• Sales Receipts (keep for life of the warranty)
• Stock and Bond Records (keep for 6 years beyond selling)
• Warranties and Instructions (keep for the life of the product)
• Other Bills (keep until payment is verified on the next bill)
• Depreciation Schedules and Other Capital Asset Records (keep for 3 years after the tax life of the asset)

This information was provided by:  http://www.groco.com/tools/taxretentionguide.aspx. Need a jump start on getting your files in order, let me know and we’ll schedule one of our organizers to work with you!

Getting organized is not about putting things away or cleaning it up, it’s about understanding what got you into a state of disarray and chaos. This chaos affects people in different ways. In the case of this particular executive, it was holding him back from hiring an assistant and re-energizing his business development after the recession lull of the last two years. We didn’t even touch on how it may be affecting him personally.

All that being said though, it came down to him saying to me that he needed someone to organize him. Do you sometimes think that you need someone to just tell you what to do? I think we all look for someone to tell us what to do at some point in time or another, but are we listening? Not always.

I told this client that I understood his frustration, because when you’re in such a state of chaos, you’re also possibly dealing with “a running tape of thoughts” in your head, saying things like “no one understands me”.

A perfectly put together professional who has all the answers may get his office organized, but he may not understand the need to have someone to be accountable to — like a coach. I told about success stories we hear all the time — someone who loses a ton of weight and then coaches others and is extremely effective. The reason the former overweight person is so effective is that they understand when the client is dying for that banana cream pie, the coach understands that having just a taste is not satisfying the behavior to eat the whole darn pie — it is sabotaging their success.

Our Solution

I told my client that I’m like the former overweight person; I wanted the whole banana cream pie. I often made a mess of my world because I wasn’t brought up in a naturally organized, balanced life or family setting. I grew up thinking you had to work all the time and if you didn’t work hard enough you weren’t worthy. (You can learn more about that when you hear my keynote!). I learned best by people who understood my journey… or bumpy road.

We came to the solution with my client that he needed someone to manage him. Yes, I would come in and get the office organized to start. Then, beginning with a fresh office, we would identify all the projects on his list and set his priorities. As we go through this process, his habits will become apparent and I can start making recommendations of where he needs to delegate and where we can incorporate efficient tools and systems to maximize his productivity. Along the way, we’ll hire an administrative assistant, someone to handle the daily tasks of organization (filing, phone calls, etc… that are not money making tasks for this executive). This project will be an opportunity to supervise his behaviors and give him tools to learn how to manage himself. A good mentor is really what he needs and as a productivity expert, mentoring is a way to help someone learn how to move onto managing their own lives.

What’s going to happen if the traveller is going to pay even more for their luggage on flight.  We’ve been working hard enough to simplify our  wardrobes while travelling to a carry on, so all the more reason to really zero in on how to travel lighter.

Keep it light and simple.  The Europeans have been doing it for years by wearing their favorite things multiple times while on vacation.   It is often recommended to hand-wash in the hotel sink if necessary.  Lots of hotels offer laundry service, and yes for a rather high fee, but it is an option. 

I’m reminded of a trip I took to Milan years ago.  I was a buyer for a jewelry company.  Do you remember Impostors?  I was their buyer for all 30 stores.  I had been on the job about a month and went on my first trip to a jewelry show in Milan for a long weekend –leave Friday, return on Monday. 

Since I was new to international travel, I wanted to keep it as simple as possible, and that meant one suitcase.  The contents  were simple:

•  one awesome suit – jacket, skirt and pants. 
• a pair of jeans,
•  a cardigan,
• couple of tees,
• a dress blouse, and
• alternate pair of shoes (heels)

It was that simple and Iwas good to go.  All that and my cosmetics, accessories and some paperwork all fit into my Travel Pro carry-on.    I wore the pants from the suit, t shirt, cardigan and flats on the plane.  (I also wore my international favorite, an Hermes scarf for a little variety.) 

That was 10 years ago and i was thinking even then how to keep it as simple was possible.  Today with mu business i enjoy working with woman to help simplify their wardrobes and consult on what in their wardrobe is fabulous enough to wear .. everyday and anywhere.  We too often are saving our clothes, or go out and buy something new for a trip.  Chances are you have what you need and when you start crfeate systems even for your wardrobe you can make simple changes to improve your travel life. 

We’ll see how these new fees take off?  In the meantime, we can make changes to prepared if the idea really flies.

(c) Strategize & Organize. Anne McGurty 2010.

The phrase was coined by John Elkington in 1994.^[2] It was later expanded and articulated in his 1998 book Cannibals with Forks: the Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business.^[3][4] Sustainability, itself, was first defined by the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations in 1987.

The concept of TBL demands that a company’s responsibility be to stakeholders rather than shareholders. In this case, “stakeholders” refers to anyone who is influenced, either directly or indirectly, by the actions of the firm. According to the stakeholder theory, the business entity should be used as a vehicle for coordinating stakeholder interests, instead of maximizing shareholder (owner) profit

This evening I attended the first class of an eight week program to learn more about how I can incorporate sustainable and TBL strategies into the business practices of Strategize & Organize. The course is being instructed by Richard Eldin of The Progress Group.   Over this eight week period, I’ll be sharing with you what I learn.

In my class notes I saw a quote from Nelson Mandela, “You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself”.  How true that is also with people who want to get organized.  I’ve always said it’s like a 12-step program. Getting organized is not necessarily for those who need it, but for those who want it.  We all have to accept the first step that our lives our unmanageable in order to get organized.  Similarly with the environment, accept that our own habits may be unmanageable and we can change our own behaviors with how we treat our world as well.   We have to again take a first step and admit that our lives are unmanageable and that we can change ourselves and make a smaller ecological footprint. 

All this new information really is getting me to think about what impact can I make in the community running my business?  Initially, helping clients move from paper files to electronic files, teaching clients about resources to recycle old product, becoming an educator within the community, to name a few.  I’ll be working on these ideas and initiatives over the next few months and will report them and I’ll be updating my business plan.

© Strategize & Organize. 2010. Anne McGurty