Jennifer's Blog

technorati and organizing

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:09:09 -0500

Organized Email Management

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:03:43 -0500

My goodness, I sometimes forget that most of the world has their send/receive automatically dumping emails into their inboxes... YIKES my friends- this is not good!! Every time we hear that little chime, or see that message box fade into our screen, it's like a big, dangerous invitation for distraction! I'm writing today to say-just make it easy on yourself, quit with the temptation, and turn off your send/receive! Even peeking at your new email message to see who it’s from, takes your focus off course. It is much more efficient to choose a couple of times a day, and only a couple of times a day, when you will check email, (by clicking on the send/receive button). The key is, you are managing your email and not being managed by it, which no matter what you say, I know for a fact humans are not naturally disciplined creatures, so it’s impossible to fully ignore that famous Outlook chime.

It’s easy to turn off send/receive in Outlook, and here’s how:

• Under the email section in Outlook, go to Tools

• Go to Send/Receive

• Go to Send/Receive settings in the drop box

• Disable scheduled Send/Receive

Viola! Now you’re on your way to increased productivity and effectiveness!

Managing Time when Business is Slow

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:01:14 -0500

Managing time can be just as tricky when we feel completely busy and overwhelmed, as it is when business may be a little slower. The time management tip I'm about to share can be applied to either situation, to ensure total productivity in your day. It can be especially helpful if we have a full day and only a few seriously important to dos. The tip may sound a little crazy, but try it and let me know how it works for you! I've had clients who swear by this!

Leave the Office Early!

Shorten your day by an hour or two, to create more urgency with your time. When we know we have to leave early, we are more likely to buckle down and not get distracted with random phone calls or unimportant emails. As you plow through your various tasks for the day, there's added pressure knowing that you don't have as much time as you normally do. Sometimes we have too much time, (I know, no one would dare admit they aren't crazy busy like the rest of the world), but when there's not that added pressure, it makes it easier to get off task.

Just like the day before we go on vacation, where we work quickly, with a purpose, striving to accomplish every last little detail so we can leave in peace- so should be each day at work. If you have to, schedule a happy hour or a coffee meeting at 3:00, to force yourself out of the office early.

Being Organized Leaves More Time for Fun!

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:09:48 -0500

Are you having FUN in your life?

Do you laugh a good, deep laugh at least once a day?
Are you making time for friends and relatives?
Is there a favorite leisure activity that you wish you had more time to do?
Are you constantly feeling stressed or overwhelmed with work?

Research shows that we waste an average of ONE HOUR each day looking for things, which equals ONE MONTH at the end of each year. imagine over ten years, it equals nearly an ENTIRE YEAR of lost time! I can confidently point out that being better organized and efficient leaves us with more time for FUN! (You can only imagine the other nerdy stats I have on managing time, and areas where we're losing time because of inefficiencies, but we'll save that for later). Well my fine friends, it's time for you to make a Fun List-since you all know I love lists, right... It's easy, and won't take more than 15 minutes to complete... there's nothing to it- just get in a quiet place, or not, and list out all the things that you enjoy doing- those things that feed your spirit, relax you, make you laugh uncontrollably, release your inner creative talent and/or bring out your best... Make it a point to engage in whatever is on your fun list, at least once a week. Is that easy or what? Make the investment of 15 minutes and DO this little exercise..In fact, you're already on your computer, so open up Word and get to work! Please, enjoy all the fun life has to offer!! If you are feeling apprehensive, thinking- "My schedule is already maxed out" then check back regularly and implement the tips I feed you with... It's powerful stuff if you use it!!

technorati and organizing

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:27:15 -0500

Technorati Profile

technorati and organizing

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:23:45 -0500

Technorati Profile

organizing blogs

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:07:36 -0500

Technorati Profile

What to keep? How to toss papers and keep an organized office!

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:15:02 -0500

Did you know that EIGHTY percent of the papers we keep, we NEVER look at again? Isn't that just crazy! Yet so many of us have a huge fear of throwing something out. We swear the moment we toss it will be the moment we need it... Ok, a logical argument, but the truth is, it just doesn't happen. We're too busy, and there's SO much information coming at us all the time- we don't need to hang on to all the "cool" and "interesting" pieces of paper and emails... Seriously! If we all got a little tougher on what we allow to stay in our office and take up our "prime real estate," we'd all be enjoying more refreshed, organized spaces.

Ok, so here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding if something should stay or go:

Can I define a specific use for this paper or email?
Is this information I could easily get again if I had to?
Is it current enough to keep?
Are there any tax or legal implications if I don't have the information?
Are you really, truly going to go back and review the information?
WHAT'S THE WORSE CASE SCENARIO IF I DON'T HAVE THIS?

Get in the habit of running through a few of these questions as you're processing all that incoming information, and start tossing/recycling/shredding/deleting MUCH more than ever before... I guarantee you will enjoy the benefits greatly!!

Passionate Work Equals Productive Work!

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:54:43 -0500

It's nearly impossible to be truly productive without being passionate about what you're doing. Now I don't mean that every meanial little task has you jumping for joy, but I do mean that you are connected to the overall purpose of what your work means. I have been with some clients who say no matter what, they can't seem to "get to work," and they may blame it on feeling overwhelmed, disorganized or feel they are horrible procrasinators...BUT, after asking a few questions, it becomes very clear, they are completly disengaged with what they are doing. Yikes!

David Allen, author of Getting Things Done says that a productive experience must include all of the following:

focused
calm
getting things done with a system to maintain a process
inspired

Yep- there it is from the expert himself- we must be inspired if we want to be productive! Are you working in line with your passion? Do you understand the overall mission connected to the work you're doing on a daily basis? And is it rewarding enough for you? I'm not saying go and quit your job if you're not feeling 100% passionate, but I am suggesting you get clear about what is gratifying about what you do, and keep that in mind as you're pushing through a big project or a challenging task.

How to eliminate all that clutter!

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:03:29 -0500

When working to organize your home, the beginning stage is all about purging. For many clients, this can be the toughest part of the whole process. How do you know what to hold on to and what to let go of? I love this part of the process, and find that asking the right questions really helps clients come to their own decision about letting something go, without me having to force it out of their hands. =)

What if it's really hard for you to get rid of things? Here are a couple of key points to focus on:

Is it beautiful, useful, or something you absolutely just love? Anything outside of these parameters must go!
Just because you spent money on it at some point in the past, doesn't mean you need to keep it. It's a sunk cost, and at this point, the item is likely costing you money by occupying your real estate!
How does the item serve you, and your vision for a clutter-free, organized space? Does it fit into the ideal picture you have in your mind for your space?
Have you used it in the past year? If not- say adios and don't look back!
Can you define a specific use for the item? In thinking about your busy life, when would you actually get use out of the item?
What's the worse case scenario if you don't have the item? If you can live with your answer, let it go!

I can honestly say in my years as a professional organizer, working with all kinds of people, no one has ever once called me and said, I wish I didn't throw that out, or I now needed something we just got rid of. In fact, when I check in with people, they say the opposite- that they haven't once thought about the stuff they let go of, and that they don't even remember what all they got rid of.

In these busy days, come home to an organized, refreshed environment, and say goodbye to all that clutter! Think: SIMPLE!

Making time for Reading

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:35:58 -0500

For most of us, we wouldn't be caught dead sitting down in the middle of a day and reading a book... but I bet we would all agree that reading is of great value to us, and our businesses. So often I see a huge stack of reading material that will someday, be read. Why not start integrating reading into our days, or at least, into our weeks? If you have some incredible books, or even industry specific publications that you believe would greatly enhance your abilities and/or knowledge within your business, why not SCHEDULE, two to three hours across your week and read?! And I'm not talking about right before bed, as your eyes are so heavy, your mind barely processes the words you're staring at-I'm talking about taking some quality time, within your workday, to dive in and read. This would not only help eliminate the piles of reading material, or that long list of great books that have been recommended to you, but of course, it would help fill your mind with new tools for powerful thinking. The two points I'm making here are, one: read more if you are one of those people who keep great articles, publications or books and never get to them, and two: SCHEDULE time in your calendar, and hold to it like an important appointment. Are you in?

Prioritizing a Million Tasks...

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:21:30 -0500

I just finishing working with someone who struggles with being completely overwhelmed by the amount of tasks on his to-do list. He shared that sometimes, he just doesn't know where to start with all the various to dos he has. Oh what a feeling that so many of us can relate to!

When faced with an overwhelming to do list, here are a few helpful hints for determining what needs to be done first:

What tasks most closely impact your bottom line? (work on these first)
What tasks have the closest due date?
What tasks can you complete in one total chunk of working time?
What's your energy level compared to the energy required by the task?

You want to match your enery with the amount of energy required by the tasks, versus forcing yourself to work on something, when you barely have any steam. This only means the task could take you twice as long, and the quality of the results may suffer...

Overall, work on those to dos that most closely impact your bottom line, and have the closest deadline. For items that may be tied for deadlines, simply attack the ones you can complete in their entirety, the quickest.

Well there you have it, some simple questions to run through, when feeling paralyzed by an overwhelming to do list, to help you determine your top priorities!

It's my Birthday!!! Sending birthday cards...

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Fri, 23 May 2008 22:17:27 -0500

I woke up to some joyful, singing birthday messages, and am already excited at what today is going to bring. Pretty soon I'll be meeting some friends for banana pancakes- YUM! I also have a fun lunch meeting followed by a reflexology appointment scheduled as a treat to me, by another friend. I am so looking forward to this, though I have no idea what to expect with that. This evening I'll be getting picked up in a motorhome by my family, to head off to Lake Powell, one of my top favorite places in all the land! Pretty much- happy birthday to me!

On this subject- are you the type of person who remembers people's birthdays and sends them a card that arrives in their mailbox on their exact birthday? Or are you like my friend who three days before my actual birthday- wished me a happy belated birthday? Even as a very organized person, I'm just not good when it comes to tracking everyone's birthdays, especially with enough time to actually send them a birthday card. It's actually been bothering me lately, so I'm going to start, TODAY, (ok, realistically when I get back from Powell), to capture all of my friends and clients' birthdays, (I'm on top of it with the family), and begin a system to keep on top of their special days. Are you with me? Here's what I'm going to do...

• Send out a blast email to a list I make up ahead of time of people's birthdays I want to remember, asking them to send me their current address, and birthday.

• As the responses come in, I will click and drag their email into my calendar section of Outlook, and schedule a reminder one week ahead of their birthday. By doing this, the calendar automatically has the email info contained with it- including their address.

• At the beginning of every month, I'll look ahead and see what friends' birthdays are coming up, and schedule a small chunk of time to write cards and address their envelopes. I'll have a folder for "birthdays" set up where all the current month's cards will go, and as I get the reminder in Outlook one week ahead of time, I'll mail off the cards accordingly.

• For clients, I'm going to set up a few generic birthday greeting messages using SendOutCards. At the beginning of every month, I'll take a monthly look at what birthdays are up for the month, and schedule a half hour to add any necessary personal touches to my generic card message, and then I'll flag in Send Out Cards, when I actually want the card to go out. (Just because I'm writing them at the beginning of the month, doesn't mean I have to send them out then. I can set the date I want the card mailed off).

Now if you're not using Send Out Cards, you have two options. Sign up for an account with SOC, because it's a fantastic business tool, or handwrite the cards for the month, and then drop them into the birthday card holding tank, (file folder), and mail off when Outlook reminds you to do so. Wow there are so many directions I could go off and write on within this blog, considering all the different tools I'm talking about, but I'll save it for later. Ok- are you with me? This will be a painless, simple enough way to make everyone in my life feel special, as well as stand out a bit, help the ol' marketing efforts and continue building on those relationships... all by sending out birthday cards!

As a side note, there are also tools such as Plaxo or Birthday Alarm, as other options for birthday management. If you're an Outlook user though, I stronly recommend keeping it all in one system, by following the above recommended steps. =)

What does your desktop look like?

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Tue, 20 May 2008 23:54:19 -0500

Do you have an organized desk?

Over and over again, I hear the same thing when it comes to the paper people keep on their desktops. "Oh I have to keep this here to remind me to do xyz, and if I file it away, I'll forget about it." Fair enough, I understand the whole out of sight, out of mind concern, but having all kinds of random pieces of paper laying on top of your desk is a complete distraction. And not only that, but as the piles start building, the bottom layer of paper becomes out of sight... Uh oh!

A huge lightbulb goes off for people I'm helping, when I explain the difference between reference files, (which is what goes into our filing cabinet), and action files- a system for safely capturing all those items we have to do something with, at some point in the near future.

Very simply, if you create a few different folders broken out by priority, to capture all the incoming actionable paper, you will be in great shape. I recommend a TODAY folder, a THIS WEEK FOLDER, and a THIS MONTH folder. Remember the FAT principle I talked about in a previous blog? Well that's where this 'A' comes into play- for all those items you have to do something with, ask yourself, when am I going to do this? And file accordingly. These folders can be hanging file folders or manilla file folders, depending on what type of tool you use. There are desktop files boxes, or wire stacking folder holders, though I prefer a desktop file box, which will hold hanging file folders.

It will seem scary at first, to file papers that you need to access within the very near future, but eventually, you'll get used to it, and enjoy the awesome increase in productivity!

Top 5 Things to Look for in a Professional Organizer

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:08:03 -0500

Choosing a professional organizer is an important part to starting the process of getting organized. There are incredible results that come from hiring a stellar organizer, and here are a few things to look for when you begin your search:

1. Expertise: So many organizers specialize in different areas, so if you have a specific need in mind, or feel you have particular issues, (ADD, office versus a kid's room, hoarder, etc), it's important to match that need with a professional organizer best suited to help you. Professional organizers can create incredible results, so you may as well maximize your time, money and energy with an organizer who really knows how to help you best.

2. Trustworthy: Organizing is a very personal thing, so it's extremely important you feel comfortable with whoever you are working with. You want to trust that they have your best interest in mind with every step of the way, trust that they are knowledgeable in what they're recommending for you, and trust that they will approach your situation in a non-judgmental way and finally, that they will keep your "business" completely confidential.

3. Experience: Experience counts. Working with a professional organizer who is familiar with what they are doing and the way they run their business will make the overall process easier and smoother. One who has seen situations like yours and heard frustrations similar to what you're going through, will be better equipped to make a difference, long-term. The alternative may be the job takes longer and it costs you more money, and you don't get the best solutions for your needs or the results don't last.

4. Knowledge: There are some amazing experts in our industry who have been around long enough to know what works. Hiring a professional organizer who invests in their business and what they can offer you, (books, trainings, seminars, organizing associations, etc), is going to be a huge benefit for you as the client. You want someone who knows their field well and has tapped into different experts and their knowledge as well. This allows the organizer to have a variety of tools and options for your needs, ensuring the systems and solutions are ones that are customized to work for you.

5. Passion: Imagine the results you are guaranteed to get if you hire a professional organizer who is truly passionate about what they are doing. They really care and know the benefits their services provide, and will go to any length to help you achieve the results you desire. You want someone who will offer you nothing less than their very best work with every minute they are working with you. If the organizer is passionate about their work and making a difference in the lives of their clients, then you are in great hands!

Too much paper in the office?

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Sun, 18 May 2008 13:28:45 -0500

A huge frustration I see over and over again is piles of paper stacked in offices, kitchen counters, on the floor, and you name it!

Research shows there is FIFTY PERCENT more paper in offices today, than there was just 10 years ago!! So much for the paperless office! Well what do we do when we have way more paper than we know what to do with? How do we effectively make quick decisions on where it all goes??

One very simple methodology to think about was coined by Barbara Hemphill, and I'd like to share it with you... If you must, make a post-it of the following, and stick it to your monitor, or somewhere else where you'll see it, because this is good stuff here!

It's the FAT principle... for every piece of paper, or email that comes across your way, you have one of 3 choices to make:

File

Act

Toss

That's it- it can be that simple... For items that have to be filed, either file them away immediately, or set in the bottom of the three-tier tray I talked about in my last blog, to be filed later. For items that you have to take action on, place in action folders, and for all that stuff that you know you won't need again- pitch immediately! Start practicing this and you will enjoy reduced piles of paper lying around with no place to go!

Organizer's Favorite Organizing Tool

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Mon, 12 May 2008 21:08:59 -0500

I have organized a LOT of offices, across a variety of industries, and this 3-tier file tray has to be the most effective tool for maintaining organization long term. I tell my clients it's the hub of your office. It's such a simple tool and when combined with the practiced habit of what I'm about to explain, you can say goodbye to coming in to clean the office on Saturdays. Go ahead, let me hear a WOO HOO for that!

Top Tray- IN

This tray is the first drop zone for all incoming, unprocessed paperwork. This includes unopened mail, marketing materials given to you at a meeting, or even a sheet of tax tips you haven't read through to see if you would actually use them. You're not expected to make decisions on where incoming information goes right away, so this is a safe holding tank until you take a small chunk of time to go through it and make decisions on what to keep, toss or act on.

Middle Tray-OUT

This tray is for anything that needs to go somewhere outside of your office, which includes papers that need to go to another room, office, or to the front desk, a letter you need to take to the mailbox or something that has to go with you to a meeting. Rather than getting up out of your seat, which kills your productivity and often, takes longer than the minute you expected, (you see someone in the halls who starts up a conversation or spot something more interesting en route, etc). When you're getting up to get water or leave for a meeting, empty your out tray into the appropriate places.

Bottom Tray-FILE

For those papers that you have to keep, but don't have to do anything with except file away. I often see a pile tucked out of the way in offices, that just has to be filed away. This gives you a temporary holding tank for those papers, so that at the end of the week, you take a quick 15 minutes and file away your pile.

6 Tips to Overcome Procrastination...seriously!

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Thu, 08 May 2008 23:44:43 -0500

Ok, honestly, who isn't a procrastinator? Why do we always wait until the LAST minute to complete something? Notice I said complete, because many of us start something, but we have a tough time finishing it. Another common thing we do is put off our toughest task, until the end of the day. We fill the beginning of our day with plenty of smaller, less important things, as if we have to get all these small things out of the way before we can begin our bigger project. It's the whole getting ready, to get ready concept, where we focus on getting all our ducks in a row, and never actually engage in completing what really needs to be done.

If it's easy tomorrow, do it today! Do it today, enjoy tomorrow!

Here's some HUGELY effective tips to beat procrastination:

Start every single day by knocking out your biggest or toughest task, FIRST. Yes, before checking email. Gasp! (you'll be ok- I promise, just give it a try!)
Break the bigger projects or tasks into smaller pieces, and focus on completing one small piece a day, until it's done
Plan a reward for yourself once you complete the project, so schedule a massage or plan a great steak dinner at your favorite restaurant to help propel you through the task
Ask yourself why you're procrastinating in the first place. Maybe you need to delegate the task or just simply delete it from your schedule if it's not something you're committed to completing
Create a competition with yourself... So make a bet that you can't finish a task by the end of the day, or week- whatever applies to the size of the task, and actually put steaks for and against yourself
Focus on how you will feel when it's off your list- not how painful it seems to actually work on it

You can get more done in less time, and if you're committed, work for one straight week on the first tip in the list, and let me know what you discover!

Do you have a Productive Environment?

Jennifer Furrier (Essential Organizing) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:55:09 -0500

What's your vision for success?

People often ask me, what's the right way to organize, or how should I be organizing myself, and the answer is, it totally depends on you! One of the most important questions I ask during an initial assessment is, what's your vision for success? Just like starting anything else, it's important to have a vision before beginning an organizing project, and I want to provide you the steps to help you achieve a productive environment, which has been defined by Barbara Hemphill, www.HemphillInstitute.com, as "an intentional setting in which everything around you supports who you are and where you want to go."

The Productive Environment Process can be applied to anything in your life, from starting a new business venture to dealing with a client dilemma. The point is, you take a few minutes to figure out what you really want, and lay out some ground work for making it happen!

Work through these steps and see where you can make some simple changes to help get yourself closer to that productive environment, where everything around you supports who you are and where you want to go!

The Productive Environment Process

1. Design Your Vision
Be as broad or specific as you like. How would the space look? How would you feel in it? Close your eyes for a moment and really envision your space exactly how you would love to see it.

2. Eliminate Your Obstacles/Excuses
What might cause roadblocks or even prevent your success? What are those main challenges you are currently facing?

3. Commit Your Resources
How much time can you devote? How much money? Do you have a friend or mentor who can help you? What resources do you already have?

4. Select Your Tools/Processes
Organizing is an Art! Ask "What will I do?" - not "What should I do?" Like they say, half of any job is having the proper tools, so choose carefully by defining an exact purpose for any supplies you decide to utilize

5. Maintain Your Success
Does it work? Do I like it? Does it work for the people I care about? If you answer "No" to any of these questions, go through the first four steps again and see what needs to be changed.