How many meetings have you went to where the organizer did not really have an agenda and let the whole meeting spin out of control. You can just feel the time passing minute-after-minute where you are not accomplishing anything and neither are they. What a huge waste of time

Corporate America should install time clocks in every meeting room and then have special cards that have the pay rate of each employee on the card. You would slide the card into the machine at the beginning of the meeting and then again at the end. A small receipt would print telling you the cost of the meeting. Suppose you have five managers in a room at an average per hour rate of $50 after a two-hour meeting your receipt would print $500, would that get your attention? That would allow you to evaluate if the meeting was really worth the money.

Many people like to have meetings to talk about problems, but they seldom accomplish more than that, so here is what you can do about it.

No Agenda, Bail Out

If you end up in a meeting that has no agenda, after a few minutes, try to politely excuse yourself. You can always go to the bathroom and not return, and then if anyone asks, you can say you had to get back to work, make a phone call, or whatever (make sure you actually do what you say). Another trick is if your cell phone rings, excuse yourself, no need to return. Use caution with these techniques since in some corporate cultures or special meetings this will get you into hot water.

Try to batch your meetings so that your meetings run back-to-back, this helps keep chunks of your time free for other tasks where you want to be in a flow state as well as if the meeting runs long, you can excuse yourself for your next meeting.

However, if the meeting is on topic or it is of value, you will need to put away all of your “toys” and focus on the meeting, really listen and participate in the conversation. Listen with the intent of understanding and take notes so you don’t miss anything that could take up valuable time later trying to re-gather the information. If it is an important meeting, you may want to bring in a recording device so you can listen to it later if needed (make sure everyone knows your recording the conversation).

Technorati Tags: corporate meetings, meetings, agendas, meeting agendas

Many people think that by being busy they are also being productive. For email, you have to carefully evaluate what you are doing. Work email is something that we are usually forced to read (at least to some degree), for everything else, it is a matter of choice. Choose to start you day on the right foot, when you come into the office in the morning, just do a quick check on your email for any true can’t wait items, so you don’t miss critical meeting requests, and so forth, but do not get sucked into email that isn’t absolutely critical. Consider Taking the first two hours of the day as heads-down working time, there is plenty of time to answer those email messages later, beside that, I’ve found that many of those types of messages get resolved without you.

 Be Selective in Firing Your Weapon, or It Might Just Boomerang

You can also often save time by not responding right away, most people don’t mind you not answering right away especially if they know you have major projects and are a busy person. If you are called on it, try to excuse yourself by saying that you have been busy. Another great tip is to be careful who you carbon copy, the more people that you respond to, the greater the chance of the email thread spinning out of control, try to just email the person that sent you the email and then carefully evaluate anyone else you put on the list.

Technorati Tags: email management, managing email, email filters, fight spam, avoid spam, get rid of spam

Spam is a vicious enemy. It doesn’t sleep, it doesn’t eat, and it hunts you 24-hours a day. This attacker lies in wait, and wants to devour your time and kill your productivity. Now is the time to pull out your double-barrel shotgun and aim right between the eyes.

But Wait… Why Have You Turned the Gun On Yourself?
The first step in dealing with this adversary, is to stop shooting yourself in the foot! You can do this by simply getting rid of “self-induced spam”, this is email that comes from lists that you have signed up for… you know the opt-in email for your favorite department store, office supply chain, and coffee shop.

This stuff takes up space in your mailbox, and forces you to have to sift through it. Be careful where you tread, a couple of clicks to see the latest book or CD, and you can be blasted into bits by this time-wasting assassin.

Beware, Your Friends May Be Stabbing You in the Back
Are your friends and co-workers always forwarding messages that contain funny quips, the latest gossip, E-Cards, and sad stories about puppies? If so, fight back! Ask them to quit sending it or hit the delete button.

A Shot Rings Out
This cold-hearted attacker uses diversion as a tactic as he tries to grab your attention and put a stranglehold on your time. To fend off this attack, go into the settings in your email program and turn off the notification that plays when a new email arrives. That annoying buzzer interrupts your tasks, it takes your mind off your projects, and it derails your conversations.

How many times have you been heads down working on a project and the email reminder sounds, and off you go to see who sent the email? This is bad for productivity. The human brain requires concentration and continuity to finish tasks. There is a special state that we call “flow” that we get in that allows us to be our most productive self. Every time an email comes in, it’s not necessary for you to see it immediately.

Set a Trap for the Beast
A good hunter gathers weapons, and then lies in wait for the invader. The evil spam beast can be hunted and you can be ready for his attack. Quality commercial software packages such as Norton or McAfee Anti-Virus can drop grenades on spam in your “inbox” in an instant, leaving only bits of spam debris in the bit-bucket or your trash can. If you use an online email provider such as Gmail, MSN, or Yahoo! set the options for your email box to blitz spam even before you see it.

Don’t Let the Enemy Divert Your Attention
In battle, an army will often burn bridges and place obstructions in the road so that the enemy only has one approach from which to attack. You can do this by having separate accounts for work and personal activities. Because your personal email is separated from your work email, you will not get distracted by it, and you will cut off one of the ways that the spam beast can use to attack you.

Stay tuned for Part 2

Technorati Tags: email management, managing email, email filters, fight spam, avoid spam, get rid of spam

Having a “capture system” to help organize your day is essential, because it helps you get things done, keeps track of your important events, and helps take the overload off your brain (because your brain is not trying to remember everything at once).

You will find that once you get everything down on paper, it will free your mind to think of other things, often more important or long-term tasks that were there all along but you had forgot about them because of all the “brain jumble” you have been dealing with due to task overload.

You can use various devices to capture your thoughts, and keep track of your important “to do” items. These devices range from a computer, PDA, voice recorder, or just a plain old piece of paper.

Keep the capturing devices for your system with with you at all times, otherwise you will loose time transferring tasks between devices. My favorite system is using a paper based task list and putting the most important events on my Gmail Calendar. Occasionally, I will break my own rules and use scraps of paper, but I always find that this creates waste and somehow those scraps of paper tend to get lost.

So remember to create one system and keep it simple.

Technorati Tags: getting things done, using a personal organizing system, keep track of important events, how to capture and track your tasks

I would like to tell you about a unique website created by one of the premier expert organizers, Lorie Marrero, that can provide Expert Decluttering Help. This is a unique program for those who need an organization coach, but don’t have the money or time to hire a personal organizer. With this program you can get an expert team of organizers for just $14.95 a month (the first month is just $4.95).Turn your home into a peaceful haven, where you don’t have to be embarrassed by your mess. Using this system, you will learn to organize your things so that you can find them quickly and easily. Or if your having trouble organizing your personal office this system can get everything under control in a flash.

They can get your clutter under control quickly using action plans, step-by-step organization for every room in your house, and will provide you with direct advice through their private message boards. They even allow you to upload photos of your cluttered spaces so that their experts can help you quickly declutter those specific areas.

What I like about this website is that it can save you the cost of a personal organizer ($50+ an hour) and provide far more help than a book or magazine, because it is personalized just for you. They teach systems that stick, so you don’t fall back into your old patterns.

Getting organized takes changes in your personal habits and lifestyle, but the benefits are tremendous. You will have far less stress, gain peace of mind, and have the ability to find things quickly. With the education, motivation, and support provided by this website anyone can succeed.

Click Here For Expert Decluttering Help

Technorati Tags: Declutter, Declutter Help, Professional Organizers, Get Organized, Relieve Stress

1. Lay out your clothes for the next day the night before, don’t forget your belt, socks, shoes, underwear, and so forth
2. Also lay out your accessories, this includes things such as your wallet, purse, car keys, cell phone, watch, and jewelery
3. Lay out your bathroom supplies the night before. Items such as soap, shampoo, towel, washcloth, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, brush, comb, hairdryer, makeup, and hair gel should be included on the list
4. Set the coffee make to make your morning coffee
5. Pack your lunch/snack the night before. Remember that if you put it into the refrigerator to leave a reminder by your car keys.
6. Set out the pet medicines, food, and collar for the morning walk and feeding. This is also a great time to take your vitamins or medicine.





7. Some people even like to take a shower, shave, and brush their teeth the night before a big day and then just “freshen up” first thing in the morning. I do this sometimes before a early morning flight when I know I will be pressed for time
8. If your staying in a hotel room, get your bag packed as completely as possible before you go to bed. Don’t forget to put all of your soiled laundry into a bag and then place it into your suitcase.
9. Layout your coat, gloves, hat, and umbrella if you think you will need them in the morning. Putting them in your car the night before is one option, if not, place them by your car keys.
10. Take out everything you need for breakfast the night before. If time is of the essence, then pack some breakfast bars, or grab some fresh fruit. Also taking along a bottle of water is a great way to start you day.

Technorati Tags: Ten Time Saving Tips, 10 Time Saving Tips, Tips For Busy Mornings, Tips To Organize Your Morning, Time Saving Tips

After creating the list of shortcuts for the Window’s Key (WINKEY), I received lots of positive comments, so I would like to share with you some really cool things that can be done with the Control Key (CTRL) on your Window’s Keyboard.

Anywhere Within Windows
SHIFT+CTRL+ESC: Launches Task Manager
CTRL+ESC: Open Start menu (pressing the WINKEY also brings up this menu)
CTRL+ALT+DEL: Opens the Windows Task Manager (in older versions of Windows this caused a soft reboot of the machine)

Inside Most Windows Programs
CTRL+A: Select all
CTRL+B: Bold
CTRL+C: Copy
CTRL+I: Italics
CTRL+U: Underline
CTRL+V: Paste
CTRL+X: Cut
CTRL+Y: Redo an Action
CTRL+Z: Undo
CTRL+S: Save
CTRL+P: Print
CTRL+O: Open
CTRL+INSERT: Copy
CTRL+END: Move to end of document.
CTRL+HOME: Move to beginning of document.
CTRL+LEFTARROW: Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word
CTRL+RIGHTARROW: Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word
CTRL+SHIFT with arrow keys select (highlight) a block of text
CTRL+SHIFT+END: Select (highlight) to end of document.
CTRL+SHIFT+HOME: Select (highlight) to beginning of document.
CTRL+SHIFT+LEFTARROW: Select (highlight) to the beginning of the previous word
CTRL+SHIFT+RIGHTARROW: Select (highlight) to the beginning of the next word
CTRL+DOWNARROW: Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph
CTRL+SHIFT+ARROWKEY: Select (highlight) a block of text, works with any arrow key
CTRL+UPARROW: Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph
CTRL+F4: Closes the current child window (if multiple child windows are open)
CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB: Move through the property tabs, or switches between program groups or document windows
CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next child window (if multiple child windows are open)
Windows Explorer

Use WINKEY+E to bring up Windows Explorer
CTRL+A: Select all items
CTRL+C: Copy item/items
CTRL+D: Delete an item
CTRL+E: Places curser in search box
CTRL+F: Opens the Search Window
CTRL+G: Opens the Go To Folder tool (in Windows 95 Windows Explorer only)
CTRL+N: Open a new window
CTRL+R: Refresh
CTRL+V: Paste item/items
CTRL+W: Close Window
CTRL+X: Cut item/items
CTRL+Z: Undo last action
CTRL+Mouse Click: Select file or folder
CTRL+Drag file(s) using the mouse - Copies the file(s) selected
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging a file: Creates a shortcut to the file
CTRL+Right-Button-Mouse-Click while dragging a file: Brings up a menu to create shortcut, copy, or move the file CTRL+SPACEBAR: Drops down the window control menu (F10 is also a really useful companion to show the menu)
CTRL+The ‘+’ key on the keypad: Automatically adjust the widths of all the columns in Windows explorer (only works using the keypad plus ‘+’ key)
CTRL+ARROWKEY+SPACEBAR: Select multiple individual items in a window or on the desktop. Hold down the control key while using the arrow keys to navigate to other items, and then use the SPACEBAR to select (highlight) the items
CTRL+F4: Closes the current child window (if multiple windows are open)
CTRL+Mouse scroll wheel: Change the size of icons on the desktop
CTRL+WINKEY+F: Find computer

What is that weird little flag key on the bottom of your Windows Keyboard? No it’s not the ANY key! It’s the Windows Key and it’s programmed by Microsoft to make your life easier!

Here are some shortcut keys for Microsoft Windows that by memorizing and using them throughout your day can save you time during your daily tasks. To run one of these commands hold down the Windows Key and press the other combination key/keys. For Example, to display the desktop, hold down the Windows Key and press the D key (both keys must be held down at the same time)

I have included some screen shots taken from my Windows Vista Computer. Just click on the thumbnail to see the larger image. I have marked my favorites in red

Windows Key+Break
Display “System Properties”

Windows Key+D (favorite)
Display Desktop

Windows Key+M
Minimize all open windows

Windows Key+E (favorite)
Open Explorer (My Computer)

Windows Key+F (favorite)
Search for files or folders

Control+Windows Key+F
Search for computers

Windows Key+F1

Display Windows Help

Windows Key + L
Locks the computer

Windows Key + R (favorite)
Open the Run dialog box

Windows Key + U
Open Ease Of Access Center

Windows Key + G
Opens the Windows Sidebar in Vista

How many processes in your business life are completely undocumented?

This can be a real problem, especially if your in a leadership position.

Examples include…
How do you bill your clients?
What is your procedure for setting up a new hire?
How do you buy office supplies?

Step 1 - Think through the process

If you don’t have a formal system, then use the method for the way you normally do it.

Step 2 - Create an outline

Organize the major tasks, what do you do first, what comes next, and so forth

Step 3 - Do It

Do the task if at all possible, this way you can make notes as you go along. The idea here is to note the minor steps for you major outline, don’t write the details at this point, you don’t want to interrupt the flow of the major task. At the end of this step you should have your outline with minor steps filled in.

Step 4 - Fill in the Details

In a quiet place, take your outline and fill in the details. Specify how you do each item in detail. Don’t forget to document account numbers, passwords, phone numbers, and any other detailed information that you must have to complete the process. When your done with this step, you should have a complete detailed description of your process

Step 5 - Recruit a Volunteer

Find a volunteer that will run through the entire process with you looking over their shoulder. Don’t coach them or give them hints, they should only be stopped if they are totally off track or have no idea what to do next. Take notes during this step so you can refine your process. At the end of this step, your process should be able to be given to someone with reasonable skill to perform the entire task

Step 6 - Store Your Document

Your document should be stored on your computer or in your notes. But it will be best if it is published where others will have access to your documentation. Don’t forget to make a backup!

Step 7 - Revise It

Visit your document whenever necessary and keep it up-to-date; you can refine it further if needed.

By documenting your process, you now have a template for all of the key steps that you need to take. This information should be immediately available and will be extremely valuable. This can save your skin if you are ever unable to perform the process yourself. Consider whether you can delegate this task to an employee, temp, or virtual assistant to save even more time. Creating this process will boost your efficiency and free up more time for other important tasks.

Have you ever noticed how the small things add up? Bills unpaid, towels left on the bathroom floor, papers everywhere on your office desk, take-out cups from McDonald’s in your car, you get the point. What happens ultimately is that it starts to compound upon itself.

You can’t get to the other side of the garage to put something away because of the mess, so you just set it down. You can’t find your client’s file, so you just put it on top of the other papers you should have put away. Finally, it reaches critical mass, you have this big clean up job, it looks great, and your proud.

But wait… somethings wrong… Let’s just say that it’s your garage… how long did it take to clean it up? Hours? Probably

You still had to do all of the steps you should have done along the way but now they are all needing to be done all at once, and it takes a huge chunk of your time, so you put it off. The “project” now takes twice as long, because of this compounding effect.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be this way. Just start taking the few extra seconds or minutes to finish what your doing. Hang up that towel so it doesn’t mildew, pay your bills weekly or bi-weekly, file or trash papers when your done with them, and when you get out of the car, take all of the trash in with you. These small actions that usually only take seconds will save you time. Huge amounts of time.