My computer was possessed by the letter “h” . . . lessons learned.

A couple of weeks ago, my computer became possessed by the letter “h”.  It started out occasionally typing an “h” randomly while I was working and then began doing it more frequently.  It got to the point where I couldn’t backspace fast enough, log into anything that required a password, and it changed the name of my iphone to “hhh” in my itunes.

So off to the computer shop it went.  At first I thought it was cat hair or something that was jamming the key but no amount of cleaning would help.  Turns out it was an electronic glitch in the keyboard system itself.  Of course, my hot pink laptop needed a special keyboard that no one carries in stock so I had to wait for it to come in.  To my tech guys credit, they had my new keyboard installed within an hour of its arrival.  You know it’s not a good thing when the tech geeks say, “Hmm, haven’t seen this problem before”.

BUT, here’s my lessons learned from being without my laptop for 2 weeks and attempting to work with only an iphone that wasn’t able to be synced for that whole time (or for about a week prior – see above note about itunes):

• be sure that all of your contacts are updated regularly in your smartphone or that you have a printed backup
• be sure that all of your passwords for accessing things like, oh, your bank account or your WORDPRESS BLOG are written down somewhere that you can access if you normally save all your passwords in a (very secret) file on your laptop so when you go on a different computer to try to do something you can actually access your accounts
• be sure to write down all of your appointments from your Outlook calendar BEFORE you take said computer to the shop (or consider using something that is based on the web such as Google Calendar)
• Place all important documents (ones you need to access regularly) in your Dropbox account so you can get to them online when you need them
• be sure that your smartphone can actually send emails as well as receive them

Here’s some things I did right, though:

• My iphone has apps for Facebook, Twitter (I use Tweetdeck), Linked In, Kindle, Evernote and many others that I use on a regular basis
• Most of my client and project research was in my Evernote account
• My paper files have blank copies of contracts, important documents and client notes
• My whole computer is backed up using Carbonite so even if the whole system crashed, I had all of my information that could be restored if need be
• All of my current clients and projects were in project folders or project bins along with all pertinent information & materials
• I had current checks, envelopes and stamps in my mail center

I was also lucky that it was the end of summer, just before school started back up, so I wasn’t as busy with clients.  It’s typically a slow time of year for my business as families are trying to wind down summer and gear up for school.

I felt as if a body part was missing.  It did give me some critical insight that maybe I’m too attached to my computer, or too dependent on it.  I kept walking over to my desk and staring at the pitifully empty spot.  While I was going through the withdrawal pains, I came to the conclusion that at least it gave me something to blog about that others can learn from.  Other than that, it sucked.  Seriously sucked.

Organizing Tools On The Web

Allen from Jibidee did a great presentation at the NAPO 2010 Conference about organizing tools on the web. Thought I’d share his tips here:

Anyone who knows me knows I love me some tech stuff but even I learned some new things at this session – many that I’m going to incorporate into my own business but even better – several that I can use with my clients (yes, you!).

Follow Allen on Twitter @jibidee

Organizing For Entrepreneurs :: Finding Success Begins With Finding Your Stuff

A lot of my clients are small business owners either in a home office or outside location.  Each time I work with one of them, I kept noticing they were having pretty much the same issues over and over again.  And I found myself saying the same solutions over and over again – simply tweaking it for their particular needs.  But mostly it’s paper, business cards from networking, client information, email management, filing, etc.

So I decided to take all of this fabulous information and combine it into a three hour seminar.  I’m going to teach entrepreneurs the basics of managing all of the stuff that comes with being a business owner.

This class is designed for someone who is great at what they do but does not have the organizing principles needed to keep track of their stuff.  This may mean YOU!

The class is called “Organizing For Entrepreneurs” and is designed to give you the skills you need to help save you time and money as you go about your day.  It is being held on Friday, March 26th, 2010 from 8:30-11:30 at CoLab Nashville, and is only $95.  This also includes a 1/2 hour follow up phone consultation.  It’s a great deal – especially since I’m limiting it to 15 people so you can get some individualized attention along with this super important information.

Ask yourself how much time you waste every day looking for things you need or being frustrated with piles of papers or office supplies.  And then ask yourself how much your time is worth.

Register now as space is limited! *Please keep in mind that the class is located in Nashville, TN.

Also, check out Knight Stivender’s blog post about this event “Organizer helps entrepreneurs save time”!

DC Organizing Conference: Tips on Estates, Green Organizing & Email!

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a great time at the 2009 Mid Atlantic Regional Conference for Professional Organizers that was held in Washington DC. Not only did I meet some fabulous organizers, I learned quite a bit as well. Here’s my top three tips from each of the sessions I attended. Tips that I’m using now – and you can too.
First session was Julie Hall, Estate Lady. Julie is a certified personal property appraiser, a certified auctioneer and a licensed estate sale professional.  Very entertaining with a new book out, The Boomer Burden, Julie talked about

Julie Hall at MARCPO

working with people who are downsizing or have inherited items from family who have passed away.  Here’s the take aways:

• If a plan isn’t made ahead of time, it often falls to the families to deal with decades of stuff.  This can be a huge burden, both financially and emotionally.  Make a plan, NOW, of what happens to all of the things you own so this doesn’t happen to your family.  Working with a Professional Organizer or simply taking inventory and making decisions can make all the difference later on.
• Too often, decisions are crisis driven from seniors who are deceased or are no longer mentally capable.  Don’t let this happen – downsize early and make sure all your ducks are in a row including wills and property.
• As organizers, we can be a one stop shop for clients dealing with the stress of what to do with estates.  Most people have very busy lives, and they just don’t know what to do.  Be the resource for them, and help guide them to make the right decisions and help ease the burden.

Next up was Candita Clayton, “Putting Some Green In Your Organizing”.  Candita was delightful and full of information about using green products and making healthier and more sustainable choices for yourself, your family, your business and the planet.  Candita also has a book out:  Clean Your Home Healthy: Green Cleaning Made Easy.  Here’s the take aways:

• Bring up “green” to clients gently.  Some are very interested, and some can take offense.  If you sense resistance, back off, but bring it up to clients by showing the benefits to them and their family’s health.
• Develop a network of local green companies – seek them out and create strategic alliances with them.
• Utilize information on the web to strengthen your knowledge for yourself and clients.  Here’s some of her suggested websites:
  • treehugger.com
  • DailyGreen.com
  • IdealBite.com
  • CosmeticsDataBase.com
  • HouseholdProductsDatabase.com
  • CleanHappens.com

Finally, Lauren Halagarda with “Detox Your Inbox:  Overcoming Email Overload”.  I found this session to be particularly helpful because it’s something I struggle with daily and so do my clients, and, well, everyone I know.  I thought I was pretty good at it but I was surprised at how many tips Lauren gave that I’ve been able to implement easily that have saved me quite a bit of time.  Here they are:

• Remove yourself from mailing lists that don’t interest you anymore or are too frequent.  This sounds like a no-brainer but when I really looked at how many of these I was deleting daily, I realized how right she was.  I unsubscribed from 6-8 newsletters & flyers I was getting, and it made a huge difference.  Each day a new one arrives, and I decide right then and there to take that extra minute to unsubscribe if it really isn’t being read or used.
• Redefine the meaning of your inbox.  Look at it as a temporary location for storing incoming mail.  So many people use it as a task list or a reminder spot.  This is one I’m pretty good at but Lauren really broke it down.  Emails are one of the following:
  • project
  • calendar item
  • task
  • contact
  • archive (you need to save it but not see it regularly)
  • interaction
• There is a 5 step process for dealing with email:
  • Eliminate
  • Delegate
  • ACT (Appointment/Calendar Item, Contact, Task)
  • Extract (information into a tool)
  • Archive

I have to include one more tip which is just something I was so excited about.  If you use Outlook, you can click and DRAG an email over to the calendar, contact list or task list.  WHOA! This was relevatory for me.  Saved me a bunch of time – and super simple way to clear out my inbox easily.

Struggling with email is tough for everyone – but take control and make the decisions.  Inbox zero is an achievable goal . . .  at least once in a person’s lifetime!

So there you have it – my three sessions at MARCPO.

Next post will be about some of the vendors I met.  A few stood out as products or services my clients could actually use, plus I’ll mention a few cool places I visited while in DC including a yummy bagel place.

How I Love My Label Maker . . . let me count the ways

I was teaching a seminar on paper management last week, and a gentleman asked, “Why should I use a label maker?” Collective gasp from all Professional Organizers ensued. Seriously, though, there are many reasons, and critical things to consider when choosing and using a label maker. Here’s my thoughts:
Reasons for using a label maker over handwriting:

1. Legibility. No matter how good your handwriting is, it will never be as neat and easy to read as a label made with a label maker.
2. Durability. Labels made with a label maker tend to hold up much longer than a plain written label, and generally won’t smear or run if wet or handled a lot.
3. Consistency. Labels made with label maker have a consistent look and give the project a more professional and finished feel.
4. Fun. Using a label maker is fun – especially for kids – but once you start using one – you’ll find yourself labeling everything in the house or office. I usually draw the line at pets and family members.

Things to look for in a label maker:

1. QWERTY keypad. Some of the “home” or “craft” label makers set up the keyboard with ABCD across the top. Avoid this. If you are used to using a regular keyboard as on a computer, you want a label maker set up with the same format. The ABCD will be frustrating and annoying.
2. Portable. I know there are a lot out there that you hook up to your computer but for convenience sake, I’ve found that the handheld, portable label makers are just easier to use, and you can take them where you need them rather than bring your label making thoughts over to the computer.
3. Crackable tape. Be sure that the label maker tape is the kind that cracks in the middle, not the sort where you have to peel it off. This is really important – if you don’t have fingernails it’s practically impossible to get the backing off.
4. Comfort. Make sure that the label maker fits comfortably in your hands and that where the tape is cut off is easily accessible for you. I had to use another organizer’s label maker once, and where the cutter was located was very awkward for my hand. I would never have known until I tried it. Play around with them before purchase if you can so you make sure it suits you.
5. Only get what you need. Don’t be sucked into all of the extravagant features that you may never use. Most people only use the basic font, in a few sizes, with black print on white tape. The rest of the features usually never get touched. Exceptions to this would be a crafter or scrapbookerwho uses it for more creative purposes, someone who loves to really experiment and play around with gadgets, or a professional organizer. A basic model that has the above listed features is usually all you need.

Two of the more popular brands are Brother and Dymo. Both are good and are comparably priced. I personally use the Brother P-Touch 1280. I’ve had it about 2 years and it does a great job. My last Brother P-Touch lasted about 10 years, then it bit the dust.

On average you will spend $30-$40 on a good label maker, although you can spend a lot more if you choose (it’s not really necessary). Keep an eye out for sales and rebates at the office supply stores. I can almost always find at least $10-20 off either in an instant rebate or one that you have to mail in. Be aware of the requirements, though, for a mail in rebate. I was a bit perturbed with Brother a few months ago because I had purchased a label maker for a client and it had a rebate. I had given the package to my client and was mailing in the rebate (I had only charged her for the price minus the rebate). Turns out I needed a part of the package for the submission so they rejected my rebate. I’m still annoyed about that one.

One last tip: The best way to store your label maker is to place it in a bin along with extra tape and batteries – and LABEL IT!

Using a label maker can make your life easier – when you can quickly find what you need when you need it because it is labeled – you’ll wonder what you ever did without one!