Being organized is great, but sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming when you look at all the disposable stuff you now have lurking in a pile outside your newly organized space.  As I started working with a client this morning with one of my associates, Janine, we quickly saw how our client had lots of stuff that could be recycled.  The question has always been where and how? 

Environmentally, we all want to make more responsible decisions and there are places that can help us facilitate those decisions. 

A while back a client told me about the concept:  reduce, reuse, and recycle.  It took me a while to realize what that really looks like.  I’ll break it down here for you as I have interpreted it.

Reduce:  Look at the actual consumable and be responsible about what we purchase how it’s going to be disposed. 

Reuse:  Figure out new uses for old things.  Real Simple  magazine frequently has great tips on this topic.  For example, using old egg cartons for your craft box of buttons or screws and nails.  Re-gifting may fall into this category as well, instead of throwing away something that someone gave you, pass it along to someone else rather than storing it forever or throwing it out.  Re-use can also be bringing clothing and/or furniture into a consignment store.  What they don’t take, can always go to charity and you get a tax break as well.  You may also reuse by shopping these stores for your new purchases too! 

On Friday, I participated in a field trip with my local National Association of Professional Organizers Golden Circle Club.   

On a much more commercial level, we visited, Ellie’s Eco Home Store, a one-stop shop for healthy, sustainable, recycled and eco friendly products for the family or office environment.  We had a blast. It’s a  store in Boulder that is 100% about selling items that are from recycled products and/or environmentally friendly, i.e. plastic forks made out of post-compost materials, so that when you throw them away, they decompose rather than being a hard piece of indestructible plastic.  All the more reason to brown bag your lunch!   

One item that caught our attention was the Solargon.  It’s a home or cabin inspired by the Native American and Asian nomadic tribes that use the latest in green-building technology.    (We’re all in there getting a feel of what it would be like to live in such a compact space.   Oops, Lisa’s phone rang just as we were saying cheese!.)“Green-building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources: energy, water, and materials . . . while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual removal — the complete building life cycle.”  Visit Ellie’s website to learn more about this concept. 

Recycle.  Also on our field trip , we visited www.eco-cycle.org, aka CHaRM, Center for Hard to Recycle Items, and that’s a great place to drop off what you can’t re-use.  They’ll figure it out and make sure it goes to the right place.  We’re all so baffled these days with where things go and who wants it.  Due to community awareness and demand, these facilities are popping up all over the country.  What I also learned yesterday is that every county has different regulations,… no wonder we’re a bit confused. Check their website to get an idea of their services and help facilitate finding a similar center in your area.   A fun article with ideas on how to recycle anything, go to this Real Simple link.  

Well keeping on the theme, this new knowledge has immediately come in handy.  As Janine finished up after 5 1/2 hours with our client in the client’s basement home office/storage area, we all have a more focused plan on what to do with everything!  Both Janine and I and our client are feeling great about about the day of organizing. Onward we go to the rest of the house!   What a great sense of purpose, another added benefit to getting organized.   

We are learning more daily, here we are professionals in the business of helping people be more efficient and we’re continuing to learn more.    Let’s all keep up our education of what we can do.  Feel free to post here any resources that you have and we’ll keep it going.  Your involvement will keep the world going around. In the meantime, be mindful of reduce, reuse and recycle. 

(C) Strategize & Organize. Anne McGurty. 2010.

People always ask for pictures of client projects as it’s so hard to visualize what a day of organization may look like.

This past week I worked with an individual and she was 3 weeks new on the job.  She was actually taking on the job of was previously handled by three individuals.  Yes, cutbacks are still everywhere. 

She is an extremely competent woman, yet had no idea had to get her arms around all the paperwork and files pertaining to her job.  she was just dealing with a cubicle where everything was essentially dumped on her.

My job was to set up a system for her so that she and others could find what she needed.    When the day started, the images here show what she was looking at each morning as she arrived into her office. 

Darn, I didn’t get pictures of the floor, but know that there were 4 file boxes overflowing with files and a bookcase jammed with files, boxes, and binders.    I do hope you’re getting the picture though.

What I did in just a few short hours, OK, seven.  We went through all the paperwork from all the boxes and identified what was actionable work that she knew she needed to learn or were going to be works in progress and put those files into the lateral files closets to her.  all other files went on the other side of her cubicle where there was a four drawer lateral file.  we inventoried all the files, yes, wrote them all down and ebtered them into The Paper Tiger file management system,  At the end of the day, I provided her with a file index that was filed with each section of files for a visual reference to what we had input.  After all, the problem people always challenge me with is that they can’t see what’s in the drawers.  however, with a file index you can see what you have… and better yet, you can make decisions on what you need, can archive and even toss!  No more mysteries of drawers full of stuff.

The end of the day, these are teh images of my client’s desk.  Her manager came in  to see our progress and I loved what her manager said…or did.. she disn’t react, she just asked my client, “Well what do you think?”  and the client I had been organizing all day said, “This is awesome, I actually have a system now where I can file things and know where they are!”. 

Wow!  I always feel as satisfied as my clients.  The end of a good day is to leave an office looking this organized…. every day!  Where I get my professional satisfaction additionally is that, the majority of my clients end of keeping their offices looking like this o a  daily basis.  If more responsibilities are added to their plate and need some additional help, no problem, they now have a system to get back on baord without feeling like they need to take a weekend or stay late every night for a week to catch up.  They now have a methodology to get control of their papers. 

Need help organizing your office but are too busy to do it yourself?   I can help you by coming to your office or work with you virtually over the phone!  

(C) Strategize & Organize.  Anne McGurty

 It’s springtime out there and in the world of fashion that means, t-shirts, capris and sandals.

I used to always think that summer time was such a difficult time to wardrobe myself, as I used to dress so much more conservatively in suits.  And  yes, it’s a bit more clunky to dress in suits in the spring and summer.  I think about how hot I used to be, physically hot, not hot as in ooh baby.  I, did however,  feel professional in the office — appropriate.

Today’s work fashion is not always about the suit.   At least here in Denver.  I went to a business meeting this past week and out of 12 people in the meeting, I realized I was the only one in a tropical wool suit.  The meeting had nothing to do with me as the leader, I was just an attendee.  Even the presenter was casual.  The world is more casual.  So it’s finally settling in that our wardrobe needs are very different.

It used to be easy.  A simple suit, great shoes, a nice pair of earrings, pearls, a great watch and you were ready to go.  Today, it’s a little more difficult as it’s less uniform with the suit.  We have to create our own suits, our own uniforms… but there’s an edge today that everyone wants to be individualistic.  I personally agree the personalization is great.

I’m reminded of year’s ago, when I worked at an oil company in the mid 80s.  I was a young administrative assistant and there was this woman, I’m thinking her name was Mary Ann.  She worked there and I don’t even remember what her business function was, but I noticed how she dressed.  She looked amazingly put together every day and it was subtly the same, a uniform.  I was intrigued.

As I was doing my work I decided that I was going to document a diary of her wardrobe.  I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was truly intrigued.   I was so surprised at the end of two weeks to realize she was so darn clever.  She had her own uniform.  She had 2 suits and a couple of casual outfits.  She had a dark suit and a taupe suit.  She wore the dark one, Monday and Wednesday and the Taupe suite on Tuesday and Thursday.  With the black suit, she wore a blouse one time and a sweater the next time under the jacket.  Same deal with the taupe suit.  Unbelievable and clever!   Then on Fridays, as they were casual days, she’d wear a great pair of jeans with one of the suit jackets one week and the other the next week.  There were a lot more details, but I don’t have my notes from over 20 years ago!  I still have that darn formula down in my mind.  She was brilliant to me at the time.

I’ve always strived to keep it simple like Mary Ann, but there’s always been this temptation to go shopping, buy more.  Part of it is my love of clothes, but also part of it had been frustration with my own uniform.   I finally have come to realize, keeping it simple with your own personal style, uniform and color palette are the best ways to keep your wardrobe organized.  There’s a lot more in me to write about on this topic.  I love it when clients want help with their wardrobe needs because I can share my way of doing things now, it’s simple, coordinated, and minimal.

The simplicity of Mary Ann has always been in the back of my mind.   Was she as analytical as me?  I’m not sure, but I know that stopping and looking at what I had in my wardrobe that could be intermixed into two or three great outfits and just wear and enjoy them will make an impression.  Today’s uniform is much different from the uniform of the 80s for sure as noticed in my meeting last week as I wore my taupe tropical wool suit.  I still enjoy the simplicity of a suit, but I’m longer driven to that as the only way to dress.

As you go about making your spring wardrobe choices, as you are doing your spring cleanout, think about my story of Mary Ann.  The formula was kind of simple as I’ve translated it today for my clients.  When you look at an item of clothing, ask yourself, “does it work with at least 3 other things in my wardrobe?”.  If you answer yes to that question, chances are you’ll get a lot of mileage out of the piece.  If the answer is no,  then ask yourself, is it for a specific event, is it just so beautiful you’ll wear it and make it a special event , if not, let it go.

Happy springtime!  I’m ready to organize my outfits for work and for life as I’m energized by the new colors in fabric and nature.

(c) Strategize and Organize 2010. Anne McGurty

I was working with a client this past week and one of the green initiatives they were taking as an organization was to change the scheduling of their supply ordering to one time a month.  this change from a semi monthly schedule not only saves in shipping costs, now 50% less since it’s half the orders, but also saves on the frequency of deliveries, which cuts down on shipping and transportation costs. 

Companies are all looking at how they can save time and money and have for years.  however, the new added value of relating the benefit to the environment is a great spin to feel more proactive about these efforts.

think about your office with something as simple as your supply ordering.  how many times, does someone run out to the Office Max to pick up something, or the random online orders from various vendors.  The former procurement executive in me is coming out here with my recommendations.  Try these simple ideas to be more efficient with your time and money and do your part to be eco-organized.

1. centralize your vendors
2. create a list of your needed items
3. create a budget based on your history
4. schedule one day a month to process orders
5. have shipments delivered

I always enjoyed the procurement process because it gives you lots of information to analyze your trends, pricing, and volume.  when you know that information, you can start to negotiate better pricing with your vendors.  Another benefit of centralizing a process and being focused on the task at hand. Being organized once again pays off.

(c) Strategize & Organize. 2010

I am powerless over my feelings and actions.  I think I can control the results and pain. 

But the truth is my actions create no feelings that support me with peace or spiritual gain.

I want to know what it feels like

Those people who say they don’t have these issues

I want to know what it feels like

Those people that life live with ambition.

Why my life is so unmanageable and I’m so powerless

the fear pops up and controls

But then I realize it’s only me who needs to let go and trust.

Lack of organization can be the initial stage of realization and the beginning of a road to recovery.  Once you recognize that your own life is unmanageable and that you can no longer maintain the façade, it may be time to get help.   Living in chaos is not a normal state, it’s actually dysfunctional.  I share this poem and experience with you to let you know I’ve seen it, understand it and can help   It’s not easy to ask for help… even though the behavior causes nothing but stress and pain and oftentimes has financial implications.  The final line in the poem of letting go and trust, says it all.  When we let go and trust a better life awaits.  I embrace you.

© Anne McGurty.  Strategize & Organize.

It does not matter what country you live in. Your sex and age are both irrelevant. Religion and race cannot alter the one thing everybody has in common. You only get 24 hours in a day. For businesses to increase profit without increasing expenditure, improve your productivity through better time management.

In every business there are jobs that staff enjoy. Then you have other jobs that are just as important, but staff and management do not particularly like doing. It is a proven fact that if you enjoy doing something, you do it well. Conversely, if you would rather not be doing something, you do it as quickly as possible and not usually in the most efficient manner.

The single biggest time waster in any business is record keeping/filing/document management. This is because most businesses use outdated systems that are no longer efficient. Staff generally hate the mundane tasks associated with record keeping and thousands of hours are wasted every year because everyone is too busy to spend time looking for a solution.

Stop looking! The answer is literally at your fingertips. The Paper Tiger Document Management Software and Filing System can free up hundreds, or even thousands, of hours currently being wasted using archaic filing systems. This is a company’s biggest hidden cost and is often overlooked. The best way for you to improve overall productivity and time management is through the utilization of a standardized indexing system.

No longer will staff make up their own minds about how to file things. Gone are the days of cluttered desks and documents being misplaced because people cannot be bothered taking the time to correctly file your important documents. You will no longer be forced to make uninformed major decisions because you could not locate a particular document at a crucial time.

The Paper Tiger is the right document management system and is easy to learn and implement because it blends in with whatever your current guidelines are. There will be a universal way of storing all documents so that everybody, from the CEO of the largest corporation to the newest girl in administration, can both file and locate any document at any time.

Simply make some decisions as to how you will name your files. They can be names, numbers or whatever combination you choose, then enter keywords and/or additional notes relating to each document.

Current files will be right at your fingertips whenever you need them. They can be kept in a desk drawer or a filing cabinet and the records are input into the software program for everyone to see and add to as required. This saves time if other people need a document from a file from anywhere in the office.

Older, archived files can be stored elsewhere, either on-site or off-site and still indexed in the exact same way. Anything not needed can be deleted or shredded. Gone are the days of cluttered desks, overflowing in-trays and piles of documents sitting wherever there is an empty space. A clean desk gives you more time to focus on the important work.

If you have 100 employees and each one saves one hour a day on filing, that equates to an extra 100 hours every day that can be used more productively. That is the equivalent of having an extra 12 people working for you each day. Productivity will soar without having to increase costs.

Imagine staff coming to work and sitting at clean desks each day. No more sad faces. There will be plenty of extra time to finish important tasks. Some data entry has to be done to manage their record keeping along the way, but not enough to get stressed about. Happier staff means less sick days and higher retention of current staff, which saves countless hours training new people.

An indexing document management software that is easy to learn, simple and quick to operate, and fits in without too much effort, will improve the time management skills of every single person in the company.

Record management is a vital part of any business and has to exist in one form or another. Utilizing the most efficient form of indexing means that you are meeting all the legal requirements of document retention. No more uninformed decisions because you cannot find the document you desperately needed for that last minute meeting. No more chasing receipts at tax time. Everything is fully indexed in your computer.

You can improve your productivity through better time management by changing the way you handle filing and document management. By making a small investment, increased productivity will save you hundreds or thousands of hours and dollars, both now and in the future.

As I am a certified Paper Tiger consultant and have been since 2002, I received this email article written and received directly from The Monticello Company and am sharing this information.  If you would like help regarding the purchase or implementation of this product, I’d love to help you. 

To your productivity, Anne McGurty

The Gracious Host: Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group.  Savvy New York restaurateur talks about how he stays productive using technology to connect with customers.    

Personally, I agree that we are all so busy and that the manual way of handling our “to do list” from the past, is not as efficient as it used to be. there’s so many more things going on and so many more people.  Danny Meyer has processes in place and thats what’s helping him maintain those relationships and getting things done!

Enjoy reading this article and see if you get any ideas.  If you’re inspired and go forward, kudos!  If you’re inspired and need help, let  me know how I can help.

(c) Strategize and Organize. Anne McGurty

Last night I went to an event to support a fellow colleague.  He is an investment advisor rep with a national financial services company.   (Due to compliance issues, I can’t promote or publish his info, so if you want a referral, please email me.)  I can refer to him as  Chris.  Chris and I are partners in a Mastermind Group.  For those of you who don’t have a mastermind group, I highly recommend it…  it’s a group of trusted colleagues who support you in the development of your personal success. 

I learned a lot from him as we all can learn something as we support others.  As a presenter educating the audience of his services… he talked about a phrase that many prospective clients say.. they’re wo’ busy.  You ask someone, how are you and they say.. wo busy… We are all so busy that we’re not taking the time to think about our future.. he was talking about the financial story of our lives.. I’m thinking about how that also relates to the efficiency in our life.  We get so busy we’re not thinking about where we’re going.  To plug Chris, he had an extremely compelling intro to why you should start getting less busy and think about your financial future. 

His story got me thinking about my clients who are also.. wo busy.  I hear that so often that people are so busy with running their business, putting out fires, trying to make money and satisfy clients, that they are not being efficient… losing time and money.  Why not just stop, take the time to get organized, set up a system, document your processes and be prepared for the freedom of time due to you for working so hard.

Last night Chris also referred to a Forbes magazine quote, where highly successful people shared that the reason for their success was the common answer “someone showed me”.  I wonder why so many of us think we have to do it ourselves.  We are not the masters of everything, so trusting an expert, whether it’s a financial expert or a productivity expert, it’s not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of following successful leaders.  I thought it was very humbling and realistic.  I know I’m not running my life on all my brilliance and skill, people have been showing me every step of the way!  Thank you friends and mentors!

I’m grateful for my mastermind group for meeting people like Chris.  It also gives me a safe place to ask how to do something or to run a new idea by a diversified group. What are you doing today to improve the quality of your business decisions, are you making all the decisions or are you thinking outside the box seeking people who have gone before you.   Go ahead call someone and ask them how they are getting it all done, ask them to “Show You”!

(C) Strategize and Organize.  Anne McGurty

Stop!  I’m busy.  I couldn’t’ believe it, those were the words that were said to me by the receptionist at my optometrist office when I went up to the counter after waiting now thirty minutes to see my doctor.

Let me tell you what led up to this moment.  I arrived at my optometrist’s office at 8:20 for an 8:30 am appointment. Ok, I was early.  The receptionist and another gentlemen physician’s assistant were sitting behind the desk, no one looked up, but since I had been there once before I knew to sign the clipboard with my information.  I signed in, no word or look up of acknowledgement.  I sat patiently and quietly in my seat and it was now 9:00, still no word from anyone, other patients had come and gone, so I went up to the receptionist and had my words and thoughts gathered..  “Can you please tell me how much longer Dr. M… will be as I had an appointment at 8:30?”  it was now 9:00.. the receptionist put her hand up like a stop sign, and said,” I’m busy!  Have a seat and I’ll call you when the doctor is ready. ”

Are you friggin kidding me?  What on earth kind of customer service is that!  I was so distraught and taken aback,  I responded, I just need to know whether I should consider rescheduling as I had another appointment in an hour elsewhere.  She told me again she was too busy and to have a seat.  Well here I am showing up for an appointment to learn how to put in my new contact lenses, I’m completely shaking and thinking how am I going to relax enough to put those in my eyes.   A few minutes later the physician’s assistant came to take me to the area to help with my new lenses and I told him, I needed to speak to the doctor first.  He got my doctor I told her of this situation and how disturbing it was.  She was sorry.. as we all are when we her that our staff is not performing; however she asked me to relax to try out my new lenses.. of course, I couldn’t’.   I left and asked to reschedule.

 An hour or so later, the receptionist calls me later to say that she apologized the new process for taking clients with contacts lenses was a little disorganized and that it affected my appointment.  I couldn’t believe she thought the scheduling was the problem!  The problem was her behavior.  How rude and unprofessional to treat a patient and not be aware of it.  I told her that her behavior was the issue and that anyone can understand blips to new processes.    She didn’t apologize, she just asked if I’d like to reschedule. 

 Why I’m sharing this story is that the excuse for the bad behavior was because they introduced a new product and were not prepared for the work involved in the execution.  The poor customer service is a whole other issue, however, one that also needs to be addressed.  So before you think about rolling out a new product, spend a little bit of time planning out the processes, document them, maybe even inform your clients of the change, and refer to a process check list to help you through the process.  Also, spend a little time and money on your employees for customer service training. If you can’t take the time internally, hire a professional.  I know I could provide an inexpensive, value based program for this small office.  It would cost them less than they lost.  Their billing revenue with me is gone for good.  Lifetime value to them — maybe $2500.  And I’m just one patient!

 There’s more to this story and I’m not going to bore you with the details, but let’s say, I’m looking for a new optometrist as the receptionist is still there and behaving poorly and unprofessionally.  I cringed every time I called to schedule a follow up.  It’s been a couple of months and each morning as I put in my contacts, I think of this issue, so I needed to move on so I can see more clearly and work with people and professionals who eye-dentify with my values.    So I’m thinking, “Stop, I’m busy too and I deserve better customer service!”

(C) Strategize & Organize. Anne McGurty

I’ve often heard people say the secret is to be clear on what your goals are.  Think about what you want and then you can attain your goals. 

But why do so many of us not stop to take the time to think about what is so important in our own life?  Quite simply, I’ve come up with 5 words that help me define why clarity is so important: vision, progress, prosperity, freedom and life.

Vision:  when you dream you have visions of what you want your life to be.  If you document your dreams, or just write them down, you will have an idea of what you want. You can work on this story of your dreams and start to see what you want.  This clarification piece, I’m going to call your vision.

Progress:  once you have completed your vision, you now have clarification as to what you want and you can start to plan how to get there.  You will now be able to see your progress as you have a focus.  I know that when I have a focus I can measure my progress.  Even if my vision is to have clean and orderly house, I can see my progress every morning if my kitchen is clear of dishes from the day before.  It’s that simple, what progress you are making towards your vision.

Prosperity:  I notice that when I am making progress in an area of my life, I’m not creating chaos in other areas.  I’m staying focused on my vision.  Too often we don’t complete things and start something new distracting ourselves from completing a previous task… how can you gain anything if you don’t have things completed.  You’re not leaving room in your life for prosperity and success if there’s too left undone.  Even marketing experts in business say, do one thing and do it well.  That’ll create prosperity.

Freedom:  Let’s face t, it’s no surprise, when you have all the time and money in the world, you’re pretty free to do whatever you want.  to get there, you need to be consistent with the dream that you had and stay focused .  once you accomplish those goals you are free to move on to other areas of your life.

Life:  Life is about living.  When you do things well and successfully, you have the confidence to continue and move forward with new dreams.  The clarity in your life today may be one simple area of your life; however, with progress in attaining that vision, you will prosper to a new level giving you freedom in your life to continuing living.

Can it be that simple?  I’m thinking so!  You can have many dreams on your “to do list”.  My recommendation is to pick one and master that one and you’ll soon be moving onto your next dream.  Have I made myself clear?

© Anne McGurty. 2010.  Strategize and Organize.