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!

This Rhymes with Orange comic was published in last Sunday’s paper, and has since spread like wildfire through Professional Organizer list serves and emails. If you can relate to this, we need to talk.

On a more *professional* note, there are two things I want to point out in this comic, which demonstrate the artist’s keen understanding of office (dis)organization.

1. It makes perfect sense that there would be stuff all over the place, since there’s nowhere to put any of it away.  In real life, this office needs some shelves and filing cabinets, and/or a Fujistu Scansnap and a good shredder.  OR,

2. This may raise some eyebrows in the crowd, but I hold that if the *floorganization* is neutral or good for the user’s productivity, is not dangerous (see fire code), and it doesn’t bother him/her or other people involved – than it may not require fixing.

Today’s Facitlity Manager blog takes a look at how and why piling works for some people as a productivity tool.  It’s a science called (get this) Cognitive Ergonomics.  Click here to read the post.

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!

Will Google Voice be the end of voice mail as we know it?  No more waiting to be in a quiet place, or to have a pen that works to write down messages?  No more struggling to catch just the key information?

Google Voice is the planned upgrade from www.grandcentral.com – Google’s one-stop-shop for Google technology on your mobile phone.  According to the Google Voice website, the app will be available shortly.  If you want to be notified of it’s arrival, just enter your e-mail address on the Google Voice Invite Page.

In the meantime, here’s the article You Have No New Messages – Ever by Slate.com’s Farhad Manjoo, where Manjoo talks about the declining usefulness of voicemail in a world of expanding communication options, at the same time as a desperate need of simplification.

And here’s some Google Voice ammo from the NY Times, “You’ve Got Voicemail, But Do You Care?” about how voice mail has lost it’s faithful following to e-mail, text messaging, and even social media sites like Facebook.

So my question is, with the new technology, and in the interest of increasing office productivity and simplifying communication, are we ready to do away with voice mail?

The jury is still out on that one, probably.  What do you think?  Please comment!

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 of not doing work that does not need to be done, or can be delegated to a computer (which will never resent it like a co-worker who actually had in mind to leave early that day).

Wishing you a meaningful and productive weekend,

Lauren

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!

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 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.