ARoundTuit Organizing & Productivity

As I was skimming the web for inspiration this morning, I was reminded of what I fondly refer to as “the most underrated productivity tool of all”: Happiness.  Most productivity blogs address management of everything from post-its to projects.  Time, paper, email, meetings…  Happiness goes, well, sadly overlooked.

The bottom line of any productivity system is that the users have to be motivated to implement.  And, nothing, but nothing motivates most people like relationship.

Google seems to have cornered the market on workplace happiness.   Check out all the measures (including culture) in place to value creativity and career satisfaction.

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Whomever has had the burden of scheduling a meeting with several participants knows it’s like herding cats.  And then there came TimeBridge, the ultimate online scheduling assistant.  “So easy”, says Demogirl.com “it’s disgusting”.

Watch the TimeBridge screencast demo!  It’s only a few minutes long.

“TimeBridge has introduced the first Personal Scheduling Assistant designed to help busy people find a time to meet — fast. This innovative, new web application works across calendaring systems, companies and time zones.”

Yes, I am a big fan … Continue Reading

High-value habits require very little effort for significant results. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is planning a day’s work the night before.  Sean D’Souza of Psychotactics summed it up brilliantly (I must say) in his blog post Three Minutes That Save Three Hours.

Also, storing frequently used items on the side of your dominant hand. This makes retrieval instant and replacement convenient = far more likely to occur.  This is a high-value organization habit, believe it or not.

Here are some prize … Continue Reading

“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, … Continue Reading

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 bet this is the worst mess you’ve ever seen”, you say. “Not by far”, I say, and close the subject.

But then, what do I think when I enter an office (or an entire building) full of clutter?  In-boxes filled with hundreds of unread emails? Months and months of unopened office mail?

Or,when I meet a talented professional who’s disorganization is hurting his or her career?

In most cases, these thoughts come  to mind:

1. Your are under a lot of stress. It is eating away

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Here are the three killer questions I ask clients to help them take action against clutter:

Do you need it?

In this category fall the many types of document a business is required to keep for a limited period of time, and some not at all.  Digital files are now acceptable in many instances, which allows you to move the originals off-site, or even destroy them (WHAT?!).  Also in this category are some types of statements and invoices.

Ask a CPA or visit www.irs.gov for the latest on document retention requirements and recommendations for your type … Continue Reading

Organizing is to productivity as the heart is to the body: a driving force when efficiently maintained, or a source of anxiety and pain when neglected.  Be that what it is, a person isn’t a just a heart.  There is a system of organs, muscles and bones that make vital contributions to a person’s sickness or health.

A good professional organizer looks at the organizing project as part of a whole system, including other areas, tasks, people, and dynamics.

Without knowing this, it’s understandable why clients ask organizers for a quick fix – grant it, sometimes that’s all it takes.  Now … Continue Reading

This ability to stay above the emotion allows me to give clients a fresh, empowering perspective.  One that only comes from the outside in.  Many people can not do this on their own when under stress.

Many of my clients are not naturally disorganized or scattered people.   They can feel in charge of their lives, and manage their time and space with intention.  However, it’s an understatement to say they are “busy”.  Some live like a circus contortionist, spinning 10 plates on sticks while riding a bicycle backwards on a tightrope. Raise your hand if … Continue Reading