Organizational Tips
Wednesday, April 9, 2008, by Leigh Anne
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“The place life happens”
Last week I decided to tackle another “Declutter” project. I have already shared my Declutter the Desk project and my Pantry Organization.
Now it was time to tackle the kitchen corner cabinet - do you have one of those? It is amazing how much stuff you can fit into one!
When you open the cabinet door and look in - it really doesn’t look that bad, does it? Not totally organized but nothing falls out on you!
Well, I started pulling things out and I felt like I was reaching into Mary Poppin’s carpet bag - things just kept coming and coming and coming! I ended up with this pile on my counter.
Yikes! Yes - all of that came out of that small corner cabinet.
An assortment of all kinds of different rubber/plastic containers. I think there was about 5-6 lids for every one storage container - what happened to all the bottoms???
I decided to get rid of all the storage containers I had - yes, all of them and start over. I made a donation to Goodwill and bought a new box of disposable storage containers from Ziploc - love those things. I also found a really cool food storage container organizer at The Container Store. It wouldn’t fit in my corner cabinet so I had to clean out one of the bottom cabinets for it to fit into. I love it!
My corner cabinet now looks like this….
It is now the perfect home for my food processor, and a few other kitchen tools I use all the time. Now really - how many storage containers does one person need? Have you counted how many you have recently?
What declutter project have you tackled lately? I am onto my master bedroom and what lurks under the bed!! Scary!
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Categories: Nest, Organizational Tips
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Sunday, March 9, 2008, by Leigh Anne
“The things that make you feel, think, laugh”
Last week I introduced you to my new blog post category - “Nest” with a fun idea of planting your own Easter grass.
Today I introduce my second new category - “Inspire”. On Monday’s I will be sharing ideas and tips that have inspired me and that hopefully will inspire you. The majority of them will have something to do with balancing a job/business or just life with a family but you never know what may inspire me during the week!
Before I share this week’s idea I want to explain why I chose the above picture to represent my “Inspire” posts.
One of my favorite things to do is to sit in my kitchen or my office and watch the hummingbirds out in my garden. They are amazing little birds.
Did you know that not only can they fly vertical and horizontal but they are also the only bird who can fly backwards. They are able to hover midair as their wings flap 15-80 times a second! They amaze me.
So I chose a picture of a hummingbird in the garden - it inspires me and I hope that my “Inspire” posts will inspire you!
You may remember that last week I shared with you a disorder I suffer from - A.A.A.A.D.D. -
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
Today I will share a strategy I use when I am really having a hard time focusing.
A Catch Up Day is a great idea when you are really feeling overwhelmed with all those unfinished projects and having a hard time staying focused long enough to complete any of them. But sometimes a Catch Up Day is just not in the picture, so here is another strategy you can use to help you focus on a project that needs to get done!
The 15 Minute Focus
When you don’t have a whole day to devote to those unfinished projects use the 15 Minute Focus. I found that I can accomplish just about anything in 15 minute increments.
I have cleaned and organized my garage, weeded the garden, gotten caught up on my scrapbooks, sewn a quilt and organized every room in my house by using this technique!
I have learned that you can suffer through anything for 15 minutes (and longer if a new baby is the result of your efforts!)
So what job have you been putting off and dreading? Is it cleaning the garage, getting those photos into an album or something else?
The trick that really makes this technique work though is that you only do it for 15 minutes. I use a kitchen timer to make sure I don’t work for more than 15 minutes. It is important that you don’t think “Hey I’m on a roll, I’ll just keep going.”
The problem with that is that next time you need a 15 minute focus you will say to yourself, “I can’t do this because I don’t have 30 -45 minutes.” Only work for 15 minutes at a time - NO MORE!
You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish in 15 minutes of FOCUSED time. Allow no distractions, no phone calls, etc. Set a timer!
Tell your family that they are not allowed to talk to you - lock yourself in the room if you have too. I tell my kids “Unless there is blood or you are not breathing - LEAVE ME ALONE!
(Those of you with younger children will want to make sure another responsible adult is supervising the children!)
So give it a try and let me know how it goes. Let me know what you are able to accomplish during your 15 Minute Focus.
Popularity: 54% [?]
Categories: Goals, Home Based Business, Inspire, Motivation, Organizational Tips, Time Management
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Thursday, February 7, 2008, by Leigh Anne
O.k. so I just had to share. The first of this year I set a very lofty goal - to organize some part of my house every day until I had worked my way through the whole house - I started the year off great by organizing my office desk and that’s where it stopped! So much for New Year’s resolutions. Well, I’ve revised the goal to organize one part of my house each month. So this month it was my pantry in the garage.
I have a very small pantry in my kitchen so I store alot of my canned goods in the garage. Now you may look at the photo and think - it looks pretty good to me. Well it looked good with it’s rows of matching white baskets but it was not very functional or effective. I never really knew how many cans I had or of what and it was impossible to make sure I rotated the cans. In fact when I was cleaning it out I found 6 cans of mandarin oranges from 2001 that were BULGING and a found two huge containers of sesame seeds, probably a lifetime supply! Yikes!
So during a trip to Costco this week I discovered the Cansolidator! It is an amazing little device that not only keeps your cans organized but it rotates them automatically for you. It is so cool! No more bulging cans for me. I bought four of them and now not only does my pantry shelf look good - it’s functional too! I kept a few of the baskets to hold oversized cans and other bottles that don’t fit into the Cansolidator. Isn’t it pretty!
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Categories: Organizational Tips
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Monday, February 4, 2008, by Leigh Anne
As my children like to affectionately tell me “Mom, you have issues.” I do admit to one “issue” - email management. A few weeks ago I shared with you my quest to get control of my office desk in “Declutter Your Desk”. Well, with a homebased business we actually have two desks - our actual, physical desk and then the desk that exists on our computer, more specifically our email inbox. Because of the electronic world we live in my physical, paper inbox has become much smaller but my virtual, electronic inbox has gotten out of control!
On average I receive about 75-100 emails a day. Left unattended this can very quickly get out of control. This morning I had over 250 emails in my inbox - some of which have been there a long time - that is just too many! Your inbox should not be a storage system or a “to do” list. We would never consider leaving our actual physical mail in the mailbox until we had time to deal with it
My goal for the week - “Declutter My Inbox!” I use the same process to declutter my inbox as I do for my physical, paper inbox - File it, Refer it, Take action or Delete it.
File it
I have set up folders in my email program just like I have in my filing cabinet. These folders are for information that I want to be able to reference in the future. I have 19 main folders which represent all the different roles, jobs, organizations, projects etc. that I am involved including one for my homebased business (which has 23 subfolders in it.) I have a folder for the various organizations I am involved in (American Mothers, DSWA, various other online courses I am taking, family, church responsibilities, travel info, beach house business, blog ideas, and a reference file for misc. info I may need to access later)
The sub folders for my business include: Challenges (team and customer challenges/contests), Contact and Referrals, Creative Ideas, Home Events, Leadership Development, Motivational, New Consultant Training, Organizational Tips, Product Ideas, Profitability, Recruiting, Sales Tips, Scheduling, Team Meeting Ideas, Webinars. These are all topics that I work with on a daily basis in my business.
I also have individual folders for pending/upcoming events, such as conventions, large customer events etc. If you find you have a piece of email that you don’t know what to do with - you probably need to create a folder. But don’t get in the habit of keeping things just to keep them!
A regular clean up of these folders is necessary too -if you haven’t needed or accessed the information in the last 6-12 months - do you really need it???
Refer It
As soon as I receive an email that I need to forward to someone else I do it -immediately! Then delete your copy unless it needs further action on your part later. (see next step)
Take Action
I have two categories for Action items - anything that takes 2 minutes or less to deal with I do immediately. If it will take longer than 2 minutes I put it into my Action Folder. The important thing here is to be sure and schedule time daily to deal with these action items - don’t just stick them in a folder and forget them - it’s like forgetting to look at your To Do list each day!
Delete It
I love the feeling of power and completion that comes with hitting that delete button! Be sure and have your email program settings such that it automatically empties your deleted mail. My deleted mail had thousands of emails in it before I figured out how to do this!!
So this morning I had over 250 emails in my inbox and right now, after about 30 minutes of work I am down to 46 - my goal by the end of the day is ZERO! Think I can do it?
So how many emails do you have in your inbox? Leave a comment below and let me know!
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Categories: Direct Sales, Home Based Business, Organizational Tips
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Monday, January 21, 2008, by Leigh Anne
It is freezing cold here in Portland, Oregon. O.k., it’s only in the low 30’s but the wind is blowing and for us that is cold (I did grow up in Wisconsin so I really do know what cold is but I have lived in Oregon long enough to have readjusted).
So any way - I was getting ready to go for a walk this morning and since it is so cold I decided I needed my ear muffs, gloves and a scarf and as I was reaching into the closet to get them - OUCH! I pulled a muscle in my shoulder/back. All I did was reach - I must be getting old!
I am now sitting at the computer with my “Original Bed Buddy“, something that looks like a long sock full of some kind of grain that you heat up in the microwave and it really does make my muscle feel better - so at least I can type this post. The only problem is my children think it stinks so they won’t come near me when I am using it (or maybe that isn’t a problem:).
Back to the post - last week I shared with you my Desk Declutter and that one of the things on my desk was my Smart Book. I promised more details on the Smart Book so here they are.
My Smart Book is called “my Smart Book” because it is my brain. It contains all the important papers, lists, directories, information that I refer to on a regular/daily basis for my business. As I mentioned in last weeks post - people spend 150 hours a year looking for things. My Smart Bookhas helped me cut that number down quite a bit. (If you read my Desk Declutter post - I did find the rebate check I was looking for!!)
To make your own Smart Book you will need:
- A two inch - 3 ring binder
- A set of numbered tabs (1-15)
- All the papers, lists, publications etc. for your business that you refer to on a daily/weekly basis.
My Smart Book contains the following tabs:
Business Calendar (team meetings, webinars, conferences, customer events etc.)
Monthly Company Consultant Newsletter
Team Roster (my first line team members) -includes name, address, phone and email
Leader Roster (all team leaders)
Customer Newsletter
Customer Product Price List
Incentive Brochures -Qualifications for Company Sales and Recruiting Incentives
Incentive Trip Brochure/Qualifications
Convention Brochures (Regional, National and Leadership)
Upcoming Customer Event Registrations/Info
Company “Help” Numbers
Policy and Procedure Manual
Monthly Management Reports
Conference Call Info
Your Smart Book categories may vary. During the next couple of weeks keep a list of those items you use and refer to on a regular basis - what are you spending time searching for on your desk? These are the things that should be put into your Smart Book.
I just 3 hole punch the list, brochure etc. and put it right into the binder or for somethings I put a top loading page protector in the binder and slip in the item (fold out incentive trip brochure)- whichever works best for you.
The trick is to keep it updated - each month remove the outdated info and replace it with the current month’s publication. You will find yourself referring to your Smart Book many times a day - when a downline calls with a question about the current sales incentive, how many points they need to earn an incentive trip or a customer calls to find out about a monthly special.
Be Smart - get a Smart Book!
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Categories: Direct Sales, Home Based Business, Organizational Tips
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Wednesday, January 16, 2008, by Leigh Anne
O.K. so I know - I usually share a recipe on Wednesdays but today, instead, I’m going to share some tax advice! Like many of you, bookkeeping and taxes are two of my LEAST favorite things in the world but a necessity with a homebased business.
Recipes are much more fun I know, but yesterday I participated in a conference call sponsored by the Barefoot Executive featuring Deduction Diva, Vicki Collins. Vicki is a CPA that specializes in working with homebased business, especially direct sales. Be sure and check out her website.
On the call Vicki shared her Tax To Do List for 2008. She had a lot of good ideas and tips. Here’s her list -
1. If you have inventory and didn’t do a count on December 31st - do it now!
2. Get an official odometer reading. If you are ever audited, IRS may ask to see proof of your odometer reading at the beginning and end of the year. If you haven’t had any repair work or oil changes in the past month, you will need to find a way to get a reading. If you don’t need any work done, you can always go to an oil change/repair workshop and request an estimate. They should put the odometer reading on the estimate.
3. Finish up 2007 filing and bookkeeping.
4. Review and complete your 2007 mileage log. It will never be easier to finish than right now. If you haven’t started your 2007 log, it’s o.k. - you can still do it now. Just look at your planner and receipts and use those to calculate your miles. 2007’s mileage rate is 48.5 cents per mile.
5. Set up your 2008 files. Think about your categories of expenses. By getting your files together now, it will be much easier to file your receipts throughout the year.
6. If you don’t have a separate checking account and credit card for your business, go ahead and establish them now. It’s always easier to do your record-keeping when you don’t have to go through and separate out personal and business expenses.
7. Make or review your business plan. This is great documentation of your intent to make a profit. It also helps you stay on track during the year.
8. Make appointments with yourself either weekly or monthly to do your bookkeeping. It is so much easier to do your paperwork and bookkeeping regularly. You’ll also be less likely to forget to include income and expenses.
9. If you pay estimated tax, your final estimate for 2007 is due January 15th (yesterday!)
10. Vow to learn as much as you can to help yourself keep more money in your pocket through legal tax deductions and strategies.
Note from Leigh Anne: I learned the hard way the importance of keeping on top of your bookkeeping. After a couple of years of neglecting it and having to spend hours and hours going through receipts, paperwork, tearing my hair out, etc. to get it ready for taxes I now schedule 30 minutes the first of each month to take care of things - it is so much easier!!
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Categories: Home Based Business, Organizational Tips, Time Management
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Monday, January 14, 2008, by Leigh Anne
Quick -What color is your desktop? If you are like me you may have forgotten because you haven’t seen it for a while! Part of it may be that during the holidays I tend to let things “pile up”, especially in my office. In fact you can see from the picture what it usually looks like - not an inviting work environment!
One of my goals for 2008 is to live a more “clutter free” life - and the first place I am starting is my desk! In an article I recently read (I’d give you the source - if i could find it!) it said that “a desk is not a storage area, it is a work space.” So this week I worked on “uncluttering” my desk to make it a better work space. My tips and ideas for getting control of your work space are:
1. Remove everything from the desk! (pile it all on the floor). Guess what - the top of my desk is brown! Sort all papers into 3 piles - To File, (file all those away - do not put them back on top of your desk), To Act/Do (these go into a file and can be put back on the desk), recycle/shred (do this NOW!). I also have a pile for To Blog (this is also put back on the desk).
2. Get rid of any horizontal filing/inbox you may have. Things just seem to get buried and lost when they are filed or stored horizontally. Did you know that the average person spends 150 hours a year looking for things they can’t find! (I am currently looking for a $50 rebate check I can’t find!) For my birthday a friend gave me a darling leopard print, vertical file box so that is what I am using on my desk.
3. Keep only what you need on your desk - file everything else away. The only 3 files in my new vertical leopard file box are-
To file -there should be nothing in here when you put it back on your desk. This is the easiest file to let get out of control -spend a few minutes at the end of each week filing away what has accumulated in here during the week.
To do/pending -active projects
To blog - ideas I want to share with you
All other paper that was on my desk is now filed away in my file drawer (I’ll share what files are in there later) or in my Smart Binder (more on that next week).
The only other things on my desk are:
-Smart Binder -coming soon!
-Inspiration Journal - where I write down ideas, thoughts etc.
-Message Pad - I use a spiral notebook for my phone messages, do not use slips of paper or sticky notes! This message notebook seems to have a habit of disappearing from my desk anytime my family seems to need a piece of paper so, I have written on the front of mine “DO NOT REMOVE FROM DESK” and have tied it to my desk with a ribbon. It seems to help!
- Something Pretty - I have a piece of artwork I was given when I promoted to Executive Director, a picture of my children and a yummy smelling candle.
- Business tools -fax machine, computer, speakers, rolodex, phone and a container of pens. I also have an inbox for mail (mainly bank statements) that need to be dealt with. You can see by the picture below that it is a little bit more inviting work space.
4. Lastly, each day, before you “leave the office”, take a few minutes to be sure it is picked up and clutter-free. Coming to work each day will be much more fun when you can actually see the top of your desk!
So schedule some “decluttering” time this week and enjoy your work space!
Popularity: 81% [?]
Categories: Direct Sales, Home Based Business, Organizational Tips
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