There’s a story of two travelers cruising on the highway:

The passenger says, “I think we’re lost.”

The driver replies, “We are lost, but we’re making great time!”

Productivity is not about doing things faster.  It’s about choosing the right actions (or inactions, sometimes!) to get you where you want to go.  Obviously, the first step is trip planning is to know your destination.

I love helping people get clear on their big picture, by asking how they can be most effective in the different roles they play, at work and at home.  By taking on the habit of exploring possible actions and outcomes, you will be on track to stop chasing after your life, and start leading it.  Imagine that!

If you don’t have these clear in your mind, then just going faster wont help.  You’ll still feel like you’re spinning your wheels.  But, once you have a better sense of the big picture, getting organized and efficient will definitely get you where you want to be sooner.

As a productivity coach, I specialize in helping you get clarity on your own vision, and work together with you to make it happen.  Sound like a plan?  You are one click away from learning more about Productivity That Works.  Go for it!

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 habits you can take on right now:

• Determine each day’s priorities the night before. (5 minutes)
• Review the day’s plan first thing. (5 minutes)
• Call instead of emailing for complicated questions. (5-10 minutes)
• Leave detailed messages to avoid phone or email tag. (30-60 seconds)
• Keep personal and work emails in separate accounts.
• Take frequent breaks from computer and phone work to relax and stretch. (5 minutes several times)

The good news: The best productivity solutions consist of simple habits that could save you hours every week of work (or aimless procrastination).

The bad news: You’ll have to get used to less clutter, rushing around, stress and fatigue.  But, I think you can handle that!

“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 at your career and your happiness.
2. I am really glad you called me.  Your struggle is my strength. I can help!
3. What can I do to make a big positive difference as quickly as possible?

I have met many people who experience their disorganization as a personal failure.  They operate under the assumption that because they are great at many things, they ought to be naturally great at staying organized.

Of course, this doesn’t make any more sense than a surgeon feeling incompetent because she can’t do her own car repairs (or whatever).   This kind of thinking comes from a place in us that wants to be naturally good at simple life-skills. Unfortunately, as demonstrated by the multi-billion dollar market for productivity products and services, it’s not always as simple as we’d like.

Call an accountant for the books, and lawyer for the contracts, and a professional organizer to boost company productivity.  It’s an investment you’ll be happy you made!  And I’m proud of you that you made it.

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 of business.

Do you use it?

What’s cool about hoarding office supplies? Clear out the eight-pack of sticky-notes and staple refills, and you’ll have a drawer in which to put items you need to have accessible.  What to trash? Among other things, obsolete manuals and technology, and any memento that does not give you actual pleasure. Don’t walk, but run to dispose of mementos (your own property!) that make you feel badly about yourself, your career or your company.

Could you get it easily somewhere else?

The most obvious example of this is telephone company directories.  Through my experience, I am led to believe that people may think they are required to keep these, like users’ manuals.  I don’t wonder more than my clients why, oh why, do we keep heaps of virtually useless paper? If there is one thing you can get easily in this day and age, it’s a phone number.  Even if it’s not listed, you can ask a colleague or call information.

Stop unwanted directories at www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org.

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 that you’re in on the big secret, you understand why I’d ask questions such as:

• how far back do the files date
• what types of files you’re keeping
• how and why they come to you
• how and why you save them
• for how long you should save them
• how many other people use the system, for what and why
• and much more..

I recommend ignoring those details if you are never going to need the files again. Let’s say you want to bury or burn them (not likely, I’m guessing).  Then for sure, don’t waste your time on details.

If you want to grow a well-maintained system with long-lasting results, just like in the human body, success is in the way the details work together efficiently. To stay alive and well, it just makes sense to take care of the entire system, not just the area with the symptoms.

Be well and be productive!

Problem: MIA purse / wallet / sunglasses / earpiece / security card / PDA.

Professional Organizers know to choose a home for such “mobile” necessities.  This is something people understand right away.  So, they choose a “safe” place, like their top dresser drawer, or the overburdened kitchen counter.  But items still go missing.  Humph.

“Assigning a home hasn’t helped”, they bemoan.  “I must be hopelessly disorganized”.

Not so, not so.  Assigning a home is only half the equation.  The other essential half is that the home be convenient.  “Convenient” means on the flight path to your usual first stop once you enter the house.  In most cases, that’s not a dresser drawer or coffee table.

What I do: My first stop is usually the kitchen.  I enter through the front door,  put my workbag next to the table right by the door, and keys on it or attached to my bag with a carabiner key holder.  Needless to say, the only time I can’t find my stuff immediately is when I fail to abide by this simple rule.

Let me know how thisconcept works for you, or if you have an even better system!  If you aren’t sure what would be best, just contact me and ask!

Professional Organizers help people by redesigning aspects of their surroundings, possessions and time to allow for a more productive and meaningful existence.

In the workplace, Professional Organizers can:

• Bring structure, logic and control to your organization, at any level.
• Optimize work flow to increase productivity, reduce stress and heighten profitability.
• Build company-wide systems or define responsibilities for a single employee.
• Motivate your team with real solutions to the everyday challenges of too much to do, changing priorities, and information overload. NAPO, copyright 2006.

ARoundTuit is Atlanta’s office productivity specialist. Our services come as a huge relief to professionals who had been struggling to run their businesses, without letting business run them.

ARoundTuit’s membership with the National Association of Professional Organizers shows our dedication to professionalism, cooperation, and cutting-edge expertise.

I’m going to go out on a limb and blog about an item not related to office productivity – at least not directly. It’s because I care about you, and I know how much you or someone you really care about is irritated by those big boxes of unsorted photos hidden in your guestroom closet. Yes, the ones you have been meaning to take care of for.. years.

How did I know about them if I’ve never met you or been to your home? Because the overwhelming majority of people I’ve ever met have at least one box of unsorted photos tucked away – if not several! Not to mention the other memories on film, in scrapbooks, and in old photo albums.

I’ll tell you what digitizing your memories has to do with office productivity: wellness and work-life balance. Every bit of stress accumulated, whether at home or at work, affects other areas of your life. Even the most seemingly benign aggravation, added to all the others can affect the way we sleep, breathe, interact with others. Because of this, we should try to eliminate stress wherever possible, especially when the solution is so simple.

I’ll never get rich off affiliate referrals, because I’m in business for results, not just recommendations.  I only refer products I have researched for positive reviews, and often tried and adopted for myself.  ScanDigital is one of many options for digitizing memories.  Making positive change happen is what getting ARoundTuit is all about.

Give ScanDigital a try and let me know what you think!

Thanks to a resourceful coaching client, I recently discovered www.Toodledo.com: which is essentially an on-line to do list on steroids.  This thing can prioritize, it can sort, it can synch with Outlook, Google calendar.  You can SEND IT new items using Blackberry and iPhone technology, JOTT and even TWITTER!  Get this: you can format the lists to print out such that you can fold them into a little book.  If only it did the dishes – nevermind, I have one of those.

The best part is it’s EASY to use and EASY to maintain.  Dare I say, it’s FUN to use? This is THE software I recommend for setting goals and tracking progress.  Talk about no more excuses!  I haven’t been so excited about a productivity tool since I met and fell in love with my Blackberry Pearl.  But that’s another story.. for another entry.

Let me know what you think about Toodledo!