You CAN Organize Your Home & Office, Part 2: Sorting

If you missed Part 1, "Changing the Mindset", don't forget to check it out.

Winnie the Pooh (aka A.A. Milne) once said "One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries." Luckily for Pooh, the Hundred Acre Wood was a pretty idyllic, albeit adventurous, place to live and didn't have much pressure & stress. I doubt that misplacing something other than honey in his disorderly world lead to the discovery of panic.
                                  

As a virtual assistant, I offer professional organization services to clients in Hawaii who need help with their home or office. However, since not everyone can afford to have a professional organizer come in & work alongside them to accomplish their goals, I'd like to share some basic "how to" tips that are not always obvious. Implementing these in your home or office organization project will help you really see the results you want. Below are 10 tips for the sorting part of organization, my next post will cover the "Putting Away". 

1) Keep it fun! Turn some energetic music on; invite a good friend over who can laugh with you as you make funny discoveries & support you through the process; and, have snacks and beverages close by to keep your energy up.

2) Set aside time. Your space did not get disorganized overnight and the process won't reverse itself overnight either. Set realistic deadlines to prevent the project from dragging on, and schedule blocks of time to work on it (more than you think you will need).

3) Don't spread yourself thin. Concentrate on one area at a time until it is complete - choose one room, start in one corner of that room and work your way around. Don't move on until each section of the room has been sorted out. Instead of working hard all day, bouncing around from place to place, and feeling discouraged because it seems as though you haven't made a dent, you will be able to see & appreciate what you have accomplished.

4) Place like items together. As you sort, gather all of your office supplies in one place, all of your files in one place, all of your hobby items in one place, etc. I like to use empty boxes to gather things until the space is clear and I'm ready to put them away in their new home. Think of this as a large filing system. Hint: This is a great time to have a pad of post its & a sharpie marker to label your sorting containers.

5) Trash, Shred, Donate, Recycle. In keeping with the last tip, when you start organizing a room, label boxes & bags for these as well. I like to use boxes & line them with a trash bag so it stays open & can be carried away when full. If you have things that need to be recycled in different locations (example: used ink / toner cartridges & old cell phones), use separate containers from the very beginning and avoid wasting time double sorting (paper bags are great for these).

6) Don't waste energy putting away one thing at a time. This also goes hand in hand with number 2. If you are organizing your home office and you find items that belong in the kitchen, bathroom or to another person, don't keep going back and forth carrying a dish here, a bottle of medicine there, and delivering a file elsewhere. Use paper bags or baskets to gather the items together according to destination. Deliver them all at one time & save the time & energy you would have used to get more done in the space you've chosen.

7) When in doubt, throw it out! If you haven't used it, much less seen it, in 6 months or a year, don't know what it is or does, then it is time to let it go. If it's broken & you've held onto it for a while, planning to get it fixed, set a deadline for yourself - get it fixed by then or toss it. If you don't like it, love it, or have a good use for it (before 'maybe' or 'eventually' comes around), then let it go.

8) Keep clearing your visual space. Discouragement (and therefore a desire to quit) when organizing a space stems from the visual progress, or lack thereof. If you've sorted for what seems like hours and all you see is piles and no clear space, clear the space visually before you give up. Take the trash out, move any empty boxes into the hallway, gather any piles that are not contained in boxes & contain them, etc.

9) Don't be afraid to spread out. In keeping with number 6, don't be afraid to use the hallway or an adjacent room temporarily so you have space to move around in the room you are concentrating on. The trick to this one is setting a time limit on how long it can remain in the other room.

10) Sorting does not mean endless drudgery. When you run across stacks of papers or small items that need to be sorted, but perhaps don’t need your full concentration while doing so, set them aside. Then, pick a TV show or movie that you have seen before (so you don't have to fully concentrate on that either) or music, and sit in comfort on the sofa and sort away.

Don't Give Up! Even without the help of a professional organizer, you CAN get your home / office organized, enjoy increased productivity, reduce stress, and look forward to living / working in that space again.

If you have questions or comments or would like to learn more about working with a professional organizer, please leave a comment below or email me at debra@precisionadmin.com.

You CAN Organize Your Home & Office, Part 1: Changing the Mindset

It just takes time & understanding of how to tackle the project. Whether you decide to work with a professional organizer or go it on your own, I want you to keep a few things in mind before we get started on some "how to" advice.

Organization = Puzzle
Organization = Process
Organization = Personal

Think of organization as a puzzle - one that can be solved, with pieces that fit & work together. But unlike a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces don't necessarily have only one way to fit together as a whole. If you try them one way and they don't work, try it another until it does work. Or, they may work for a time and then, when it's not working anymore, it's time to change.

Organization is a process, not permanent. Just because you've stored things in one place, doesn't mean it can't move somewhere else if you find that it's just not efficient where it started or is difficult to keep organized. And, if you find that the new home doesn’t work as well as the old or want to try another altogether, it can be changed again. As I pay attention to what I use in my office and how I use it, I periodically go through and move just a few things around to maximize the space I have and keep it running efficiently, particularly as my work changes or grows.

Finally, organization is personal - unique & individual. Simply because it makes sense to your best friend or spouse, doesn't mean it will work for you. The goal is a system that you can keep up without intense effort. Will you be able to find what you need or remember where to return it when you're done? Everyone's brain works differently, so don't allow others advice or expectations to dictate the course.

If you are interested in having a professional organizer come and help you with your home, office, or business, in Hawaii (Oahu) please call or email Precision Admin Solutions. I would love to talk to you about what you need and guide you through organizing an efficient, energizing space that you will enjoy for a long time to come.

Organized Eating???

Do you ever have those crazy hectic days, weeks, or even months when you are lucky if you get to eat at all, much less eat healthy? I am not a health expert, but I’ve recently been learning – through my least favorite teacher, Experience – that WHEN I, personally, eat is just as important as WHAT I eat. But with my life and work, I almost always find myself running to and from meetings, networking events, work, and time with friends, and being able to eat the right stuff at the right time becomes difficult and even stressful. Stress is something else my body is forcing me to acknowledge and learn to handle in a healthier manner, so I have to find ways to take care of myself while not letting it stress me out. Hence, Organized Eating… 

Okay, so we all know that I love the word "organize" and love even more to find things that need me to follow through with the action! So, when I realized that my eating & shopping habits could qualify for one of my favorite activities if I look at it from a different point of view...well, you'll see.

Oddly enough, for being a compulsive planner, I don’t really plan out my meals a week in advance. I make sure that we have healthy ingredients in the house and from there, usually let mood and inclination lead on what to cook / eat. But the first step is right there at the grocery store – willpower and a list make sure I’ve at least got the foundation I need for the week. They say to never go grocery shopping hungry, and boy is that true!

Second step is making sure those healthy items are available whenever low blood sugar, hunger, or schedule interferes with the plan for the day. This is really hard when you work somewhere with the handy vending machine full of yummy, unhealthy options. Replace the candy bars and chips in the drawer with the healthy options and you don’t have to worry about that 3:00 craving. I've got healthy snacks & protein bars in every purse, briefcase, and bag that I carry, and my refillable Brita water bottle stays near my purse so it can leave with me. 

The hardest part, and step 3, is changing the habits of a lifetime.Thinking through when I'm going to have a "treat" of the unhealthy foods I like helps. Constant deprivation can lead to a desire for the "bad" food and lead to falling off the wagon. I've learned to not look ahead to the "deprivation", and just make a healthy choice each time I need to eat a meal or a snack. If I know I've been eating healthy for a while and am due for a treat, well, I'm all for that one! 

It's February and for some of us, the goals of eating healthier are getting dimmer as life gets busier - but it is possible! Good luck & happy organizing, errr, eating! 

The 5 W's and an H of Virtual Assistants

The term virtual assistant and the industry are still relatively new and I find myself trying to explain what I do to almost everyone I meet, particularly when networking. There is so much I could say about virtual assistants - what they do, how they do it, why they are so good at what they do - that it is hard not to ramble on. So, here are (hopefully) the basics, from the perspective of a virtual assistant in Hawaii.

Who is a virtual assistant?
Virtual Assistants (or virtual administrative assistants or administrative consultants) are administrative experts who provide off-site, virtual office support. Backed by a wealth of training and experience as executive assistants, office managers, and other administrative positions, they offer their skills to those who do not need or cannot afford a full time employee, but find their time being eaten up by administrative tasks. Small business owners themselves, they come alongside other professionals with an understanding of what is necessary to run a successful business and the ability to help make it happen.

What can a virtual assistant help with?
Think through the tasks you do every day or every week that are necessary but not related to your profession - that feel as though they steal time from the work you enjoy and add stress to your life. If you had a full-time administrative employee, would you delegate some or all of those things to them? Virtual assistants help with the same things as an on-site admin. Here is a short list of just a few of the things that a virtual assistant may be able to help you with.

· Bookkeeping
· Social Media Marketing (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc)
· Event & Meeting Planning
· Desktop Publishing
· E-Newsletters
· Blog set-up, maintenance & (ghost) writing
· Research & Writing
· Spreadsheets & Reports

· Presentations (PowerPoint) 

· Meeting preparation
· Phone Calls & Correspondance
· Electronic File Management (Organization)

Where do virtual assistants work from?
Most virtual assistants have a home office - fully equipped with all the tools needed to help their clients. A few work from a traditional office space. Depending on the geographic proximity, the set-up of their company, and the services they offer, some virtual assistants also offer the flexibility of coming to your office, particularly for clients in highly regulated professions.

When do virtual assistants work?
Once again, virtual assistants make a decision when they start their company what hours they work for their clients. Some retain the traditional 9 - 5 schedule and others work non-traditional hours - around their home life and other commitments. It is not necessary for a virtual assistant to even be in the same city or time zone as their client. In fact, one advantage of choosing a virtual assistant from a different time zone, if you are aware of your own work style, is that they may start work a few hours before or after you, giving you a head start to assess the day and begin delegating.

Why should I consider a virtual assistant?
Small business owners, coaches, entrepreneurs, and other professionals go into business with a goal in mind and work that they enjoy. The administrative, back office 'stuff' is a necessary evil that most professionals wish would simply go away. As your business grows, the amount of admin work increases in proportion which can disrupt your focus - the reason you chose your profession. A virtual assistant can save you time, stress and reduce the 'clutter' of tasks that you did not go into business for.

A lot of businesses need a part-time or full-time admin; but those that don't can save time and money contracting flexible help that provides help as needed.

How do I choose a virtual assistant?
When working with a VA, you are contracting a business person to come alongside you, not an employee that needs to be trained. Take the time while consulting with a VA, to think through what tasks you do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, and what among those might be delegated. Discuss with several virtual assistant's what their experience is with those tasks and how they can accomplish them.

When deciding to start a business, just like other small business owners, virtual assistants specialize, both in what clientele they work with and the tasks they excel at. Some choose to work only with real estate agents or lawyers, others work only with coaches. If you are in a specialized field, look for a VA with experience in your field. 

Small business owners, entrepreneurs & other professionals who build a business from the ground up frequently feel that they have to do everything. However, selecting a trustworthy, qualified professional to come alongside and assist, will make a difference in business growth, stress levels, time management, and achieving goals.

Compartmentalize Time for Efficiency

Do you find yourself frequently scattered all over the place, going here, there & yonder? Feel like you haven't gotten anything done because what you need to do at your office is still sitting there, waiting? Most of us need a block of distraction-free time in order to get into the "zone" to accomplish our work.

The good news: it doesn't have to be only a dream. Here are some simple tips to help.

• Set aside a day or two for all meetings. Get them all done at once instead of breaking up your time all over the week. 
• Keep an eye open to the next few weeks so you don't crowd your schedule too much as you are scheduling or receive requests for meetings. 
• Set aside at least one day to NOT LEAVE THE OFFICE! Plan around that day to eliminate distractions so you can simply focus & work when you are there.
• Block out the time for specific tasks. For small business owners, this may be marketing, networking, business building, invoicing, bookkeeping, etc. Set up these tasks as a weekly appointment so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle and eventually get out of control.
• Routine & consistency for many are the key to staying on track with time. It doesn't mean being rigid and inflexible, but it can make a difference if you don't feel that your time is "choppy".

If you find that there is just too much to be done and not enough time, not enough energy, or too much distraction from the focus of why you went into business, don't be afraid to delegate to someone you trust! Someone with a professional detachment who is focused on some of the more mundane tasks of the back office can frequently complete those tasks in half the time.

Are You More Organized at Work than at Home?

Helping You Keep "It" Together
Re-Posted from the July 28, 2011, Clutter Diet Newsletter

Today while running errands I observed a woman working at her place of business, and she had everything really well-contained and ready at her fingertips. It made me smile, and it made me wonder if her home was also organized...because I very often hear from people that they are organized at work but not so at home.

Let's explore why this might be:

• Are you organized at work because you want to please "the boss" and do an excellent job? If so, why would you not feel the same way about yourself in your own "work environment" at home? 
• Are you feeling like you put all your energy into being organized at work, so that you have none left to organize at the house? Are you simply "letting your hair down" at home because you are tired of being productive all day? 
• Are you more organized at work because other people are observing you there? Maybe you could be motivated by having a big party occasionally to get your house in order. 
• Are you more organized at work because there is not an emotional factor involved with the "stuff"? Office supplies and paperwork certainly have much less of an emotional charge-- you can be more objective about them and make quicker decisions. 
• Does your work environment have rules and policies that make it easier to stay organized? Sometimes policies can make decision-making easier (like paper retention schedules) and other guidelines can help people stick to systems that are already in place. Maybe your work is even regulated by the government in some way, for cleanliness or documentation purposes.

Think about these questions and see if you can apply any of these ideas to your own situation. Maybe you can make some rules and policies for your family that will help, like always cleaning up the kitchen before bed. Or you can have people over more often if that is motivating to you. And if you are more concerned about pleasing your boss and keeping his or her environment orderly, think about why you would not want to do the same for yourself. You deserve it!

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Looking for a professional organizer or virtual assistant in Hawaii to help get that clean fresh start in your home or office? Give us a call and get simple tips on our Facebook page! A list of services is available on the Precision Admin Solutions website - www.precisionadmin.com. 

       

Mid-Year Pick-Me-Up

A little over six month ago, we all had a fresh start at New Year's and most of us wanted to change something, whether official "New Years Resolutions" or just some general ideas of what we wanted to be different in 2011. Let's take a moment for a quick check-up. What is the progress on those personal & business ideals that you began the year with? Are you right on target or have you given up and forgotten? The good news is, even if you haven't progressed as far as you would like, the year is not over! I've always liked the quote from Anne of Green Gables, "Tomorrow is a new day, with no mistakes in it yet." No mistakes to me means no failures and there is still hope.

While I didn't label it as a 'resolution' at the beginning of the year (because please, I don't need any more pressure), I began the year with high hopes of getting physically healthy & fit. Let's just say...I didn't last very long in making the changes necessary to reach that goal, and when I tried to get back on track a few times, life happened and I allowed the interruption to derail me. Thankfully, while not fun, my body gave me a wake up call over the past few months and I've started making those changes with the help of a support team: a naturopathic doctor, my chiropractor, and my acupuncturist. So, at the end of the year, maybe I won't be exactly where I wanted to be, but I'll at least be on the way and that to me is better than kicking myself for wasted time.

Whether your goal was losing weight, or getting organized, or bringing the bookkeeping under control, or growing your business to a certain size - IT IS NOT TOO LATE! So maybe you won't be where you envisioned yourself on January 1 - but won't it feel great to be on the right path? Then, you can start 2012 with the goal of finishing the work that you started and be encouraged by progress made rather than only seeing work that is ahead.

Here are a few tips I have learned (the hard way) on how to stick with those goals to change - whatever they may be.

1) Don't try to go it alone; get a support team together. Sharing your goal with people who will hold you accountable or who share your goal makes it much harder to give up. Ask friends or family who are encouraging and supportive, or find a professional in that field to help you get started and keep you on track. Whether it's a nutritionist to guide you with weight loss or a virtual assistant to help you get your bookkeeping caught up & processes created, it is worth the investment. (Hint: if you know people who share the same goal, see if you can get a group together - a little bit of friendly competition can help to maintain motivation.)

2) Break it down into managable tasks. Change one thing at a time, not everything all at once. Focus on changing your eating habits first, then little by little add exercise. If you are working toward becoming more organized, before you tackle the backlog, start keeping your desk and current paperwork filed neatly.

3) 'Take it one day at a time.' As Sandra Bullock's character in 28 Days says, "What, like 2, 3 days at a time is an option?" Focus on making good choices for one meal, one day, instead of thinking "I'm going to be deprived of what I love for the rest of my life." In the office, think of clearing your desk of the tasks for that one day; tomorrow's tasks will still be there and the backlog isn't going anywhere - but you will be better able to handle it if you don't feel as though you are losing ground on the present.

4) Studies show it takes 21 days to form a habit and 6 weeks for that habit to become natural and permanent. Set a mini-goal to keep your desk organized and neat for 21 days, or to exercise, or whatever the first step in your larger goal is.

Good luck & let me know either here on the blog or on the Precision Admin Facebook page how your 'mid-year resolution pick-me-up' is going!

Looking for help from a virtual administrative assistant or professional organizer? Visit www.precisionadmin.com to see the services we offer & give us a call!