Evernote and Shoeboxed have put an end to the universal struggle of managing receipts and business cards.  Even I, professional organizer, had a pocket of business cards in my work bag, waiting to be made useful…

Until now!  I’m pretty sure the only easier way than this is chuck the papers in the trash and not bother at all.

And a big “thank you!” the nice folks at Shoeboxed, Evernote and Pixily for producing such awesome YouTube how-to’s.

Click on the title above to watch Evernote’s YouTube video!

Don’t know where to start or how to go about using Evernote in a way that fits your work?

ARoundTuit Organizing Virtual Services are available nation-wide to get you going!

Contact me today to find out why everyone is raving about Evernote!

Anyone here ever heard of Alexander Kjerulf?  If not, you’ll want to.  He’s made a business out of helping people be happy at work.  Here’s Alex’s workplace productivity theory (click here to read the full article):

Now, I don’t believe for a minute that a worker with inadequate productivity skills, but who is very happy, will get more done than a skilled, moderately happy worker.  Unhappy is another story: even highly skilled employees who are unhappy/dissatisfied, angry or depressed will likely not be highly productive.

So the big question is not whether or not happiness counts towards productivity, but how to bring about more happiness at work, and thereby increase productivity:

Minimize paper clutter by going digital. No business is too small to merit the convenience, financial savings and legal safeguards of digital document management.  Going “paperless” with the proper software, makes the “lost” and “misfiled” into words of the past.   Space, time, energy, environment and money are all to be gained.

“Cool-ify” the office environment. More and more business are providing lounge areas with snacks, flat-screen tv’s and Wii games for their hard working employees.  Casual socializing can be great for morale, when we’re not constantly sacrificing non-work time with their families and hobbies (builds resentment).   On-site goodies make that possible.

Give employees enough space, but not too much. Ideally, if you’re cramped, you can rent more space.  Otherwise, one way to do so is to allow occasional off-site work.  Paradoxically, too much space can be just as bad, since it creates an energy void in the office.

I could write a book about this, but I don’t have to, since Alexander already did.  It’s called “Happy Hour is 9-5″, and you can read it for free here.

Have a happy and productive day!

“Evernote allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere.” – The Evernote People.

Lauren Davidson says: Evernote is the open-source equivalent to Microsoft’s OneNote… minus the Microsoft monopoly bugs and glitches, and plus oodles of options and add-ons to expand it’s uses with your Mac, PC, iPhone or other mobile device. Evernote takes the place of note pads, scratch paper, sticky notes and “favorites files”.  En somme, wherever you used to save important ideas, only to lose them in a sea of paper or electronic files.

I use Evernote to jott down blog ideas, products I’d like to research and review, lists of clients to be in touch with, marketing ideas, resources and more.  In the past, I would have used a notebook or (heaven forbid) made a MS Word document for a list or brainstorming project!  Now that’s a guarantee I’ll never look at it again.

With Evernote, I just delete the note when I’m done with it.  A metaphorical crumbling of the sticky-note and tossing of it into the circular file.

Plus, Evernote is good looking. Take a quick tour and see if Evernote is for you!

If you’re already an iPhone user, you’re probably tech friendly enough to use this amazingly cool Evernote function.  Granted, this doesn’t have much to do with staying organized.  However, finding you car every time can sure go a long way towards staying SANE – and keeping avoidable stress at bay.

Stay tuned for more everyday applications for Evernote, your free, open-source virtual memory.

Watch this great demo with Prasad Thimmeneini, CEO and Founder of Pixily. If you think it’s a great idea, but don’t know where to start in your piles and piles of paper (yes, I know), just drop me a line to talk about it.

Easy as 1-2-Pixily!

I just got off a 30-minute live chat with a PIXILY rep to learn more why it’s worth telling you about. Remember, I don’t recommend anything here without fully researching, and many times trying it myself, first.

Here’s what impresses me about Pixily:

1. It’s as easy as you want.At the minimal level, all you have to do is accumulate papers for a month, stick them in the pre-paid USPS envelope or FedEx box, and ship them off to be scanned. If you choose not to name them or download the PDF’s, they will always be search-able from any device (including i-Phone!) online.

2. It’s as safe as you need:Everyone who works at Pixily has been through a thorough background check. Your information is stored on 2 servers, in two separate locations and on physical disks. Not only that, but in the click of a mouse, you can batch download your documents as PDF’s to an external hard-drive, and keep them in a fireproof safe in an armored truck, with guards – if you want. It’s really not necessary, though!

3. It’s perfect for people who want to keep saving records, but have run out of room. If you’re dying to go paperless, but don’t want to get involved in tedious scanning yourself, Pixily is the convenient, safe, low maintenance choice.

4. The customer service is extremely knowledgeable, patient and helpful.  In the course of our chat, I asked several questions about document security and ID fraud that are directly addressed on the Pixily website (which I obviously hadn’t fully explored before asking for help.  Hat’s off to great customer support!

5. It’s a great value, especially when you consider the cost of a new filing cabinet, off site storage, and not least of all, your own time and sanity.

6. It’s risk-free! If you decide Pixily is not for you for any reason, you can stop your subscription.  Pixily will send you a .zip file of all your online documents, which you have 10 days to download.  But, I think once you get started clearing out your paper clutter by sending it away, you won’t ever turn back!

PIXILY is an associate member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, and co-sponsored January’s Get Organized Month.  Frankly, I feel a little behind the times, because just look at the Google results to see all the newspapers, magazines and blogs raving about Pixily.

Leave a comment or question, and I’ll be glad to answer right here on the blog!

PS: I am waiting for the PIXILY envelopes to arrive, so I can start getting rid of my own papers.  I think I’ll start with the kids’ school records…

There’s no discussion that the most viable way to backup your computer is online, or on a remote server.  Why?  Because the fewer steps seperating you from what you need to accomplish, the more likely you are to get it done.  In the age of technology, that means automating as many routine tasks as possible.

So, last week when my laptop went belly-up, all I had to do after a system restore was log onto MOZY.com and restore my files.  What a wonderful feeling knowing that my files were safe, somewhere out there in a cyberspace bubble, retrievable in a few keystrokes.   

As unreliable as we think computers (or some operating systems) are, they are still more reliable than humans, in most cases.  And, online backup is far more secure than any CD or cassette.  It can be accessed at any time, anywhere.  And a few very good ones, like MOZY are free.  Try it out!

I confess, my Bluetooth is MIA.  Last fuzzy recollection of a sighting was last week.  Perhaps in the car, or maybe I brought it in with my work bag, son’s back pack, laptop, library books and groceries.  Could be I was actually using it when I came in.  Having looked through the likely and unlikely surfaces and containers, the device is nowhere to be found.

Naturally, I start fantasizing about the ultimate homing device for a Bluetooth: small, with a dozen trackable devices (suits our family of 7 with 5 cell phones).  I did not find exactly what I was looking for (at 1.5″, the tag is still too big – IMHO - to be used with your standard Bluetooth earpiece), BUT The Loc8tor homing device is so small and got such good reviews, I wanted to share for other purposes.

Now, I don’t want to stir up controversy, and this is not a good excuse to not designate a “home” for your small electronics *smile*.  My Bluetooth does have a home (front pocket of my workbag).  Perhaps I misplaced it, or perhaps it slipped out at some point.  Whatever the case may be, it goes to show that you can be organized, and you can also protect your possessions from the inevitable slip-up!

www.loc8tor.com

No offense, but by the way most women’s purses and business bags are designed, it looks to me like the designer is not a woman.  He doesn’t carry two pairs of glasses, dental floss, cosmetics, a spare pacifier for the baby – you get the picture. 

How happy would you be, ladies, to no longer have to RUMMAGE through the deep darkness of the bottom of your bag for the mirror and breathmints after a delectable meal of herb foccacia and garlicy grilled vegetables?  Nevermind that you probably should have avoided that meal at a business lunch.  It’s too late! 

PURSEKET is the best thing that’s happened to purses and workbags since the shoulder strap!  You must check out this delightful, practical and affordable alternative to “I know my glasses are in there somewhere!”. 

If you’ve been following my blog at all, you know I only tell you what’s good for you to know.  Really – try it, you’ll LOVE it!

Wishing you an extremely happy and productive day,

Lauren