By Karen Simon, Island Organizers

Organizing time is easier when you get to know your calendar software. Knowing how to use it eliminates the embarrassment of forgetting a birthday, reduces the stress of being late or missing appointments, minimizes the frustration of scheduling with others. For efficient time management, here are my TOP FIVE reasons to go digital with a calendar app.. 

1. No more lugging around a heavy datebook! My shoulders thank technology for making my calendar portable. It's on my smartphone, computer (or anyone else's since it's on a web/cloud server) and even my electronic tablet! I can search for activities past, present or future without having to flip through pages, and how easy it is to erase or change an appointment. No pen required! 

2. Losing my datebook is no longer an issue. I used to panic at the thought of losing it. "It's my life!!" I hear others say. With my calendar app, a copy is stored on my smartphone, my computer and/or in the cloud and all without wires! Amazing. 

3. Repeating activities is simply checking a box. If you're like me, you've got events in your work and home lives that happen weekly, monthly or annually at the same time, on the same day. Whether it's scheduling time at the gym, a monthly meeting or remembering a birthday, I put it on the calendar once, check a couple of boxes and instantly the time is blocked off repeatedly. No more rewriting birthdays on a paper calendar every January! 

4. Coordinating time with family and co-workers is truly fantastic with the Sharing feature. I used to spend so much time trying to find a mutual time slice to schedule a family outing or time to meet with business partners. We'd sit together and go day by day, week by week and compare calendars. Now? I can peek to find the matching holes in our calendars, and simply ask them to confirm one of the empty time slices! 

5. Alarms never let me forget when it's quitting time! I used to always be late to everything. It got so bad that I would miss appointments and friends stopped asking me to go to lunch. With alarms built into my electronic calendar, I'm reminded of when it's time to LEAVE or stop what I'm doing to get ready for appointments. I'm still late sometimes but my forgiving friends saw such an improvement, I have lunch with them several times a week now! 

If you have been hesitant to move to calendar software and apps, or want to know more about how to make the best use of them, do some research, take a class, start today! I guarantee, you'll be SO GLAD you did!

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by Donna D. McMillan, Island Organizers

Get organized early; beat the Holiday Rush!  It's time to send HOLIDAY GREETINGS to your clients, colleagues, friends and family.  On the horizon are Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, and New Years.

So ... do you have an organized system to store all of your important contacts' info?  Whether you use a paper or electronic address book, spreadsheet, CRM (customer relationship management aka contact management) program, or your addresses are in the cloud, be sure to backup/copy these precious records and update often during the year!

Why send THANKSGIVING cards to clients and colleagues instead of other Holiday cards?

• Reinforces your personalized, heartfelt appreciation for their business and referrals, plus helps you to build stronger professional relationships.  I've sent Thanksgiving cards to clients and colleagues for over 20 years.
• Unexpected and unique - something new and different for everyone to remind them of you.
• Arrives early before other greeting cards, is usually on display longer, is not buried in stacks of other Holiday cards and unopened mail, not easily deleted like email.
• There's still time (a full month) in this year for clients to hire your services, buy your products, plus send referrals to you.
• Be sure your "Thank You" cards arrive prior to Thanksgiving, before the Holiday hustle-bustle and piles of mail begin.

Make your list; check it twice! There are many greeting card solutions to choose from.  Our favorite is www.SendOutCards.com where you order card(s) online for the holidays and any other special event. You can add photos and graphics, type personalized messages, and have them sent to one or many recipients.  A Gift Catalog is included.  SOC will print, stuff, stamp and mail these greeting cards for you.  This will save your time, energy and money! Also, there's an App for that ... www.sendoutcards.com/soc_appdemo/

If you're feeling overwhelmed at the thought of your never-ending To-Do List as the Holidays approach, don't procrastinate! Give yourself the GIFT OF ORGANIZATION. Call us, we'll help you organize your time, space, information and priorities.

Warm Thanks and Holiday Greetings to YOU!!

Website ~ E-newsletter ~ Booklets
 

By Karen Simon, Island Organizers

Is your business ready for anything? What will you do if disaster strikes? Preparing for disasters such as fires, earthquakes, tornadoes and tsunamis is the focus of September’s National Preparedness Month (NPM) campaign. To businesses, even theft and computer failure are just as devastating. What should you do to prepare your business before disaster happens?

The most precious part of any business is the information and data. Inventory, equipment, supplies and other hard assets can be replaced, but what about the data? After a fire raged through one of my client’s homes, she was interviewed for a local newspaper and TV station. She was asked, “What is the biggest loss your family will feel?” Her answer was that her entire home-based business’ computer data was gone. She no longer had records of her customers’ contact information, invoicing information, and all business financial records – everything gone within minutes.

We all know that backups protect our data. But where are they kept? If your backup is in the same office or building as your computer, that won’t help if there's a fire, tsunami, or tornado.

How will you continue to do business if you can't access your computer? If you have offsite backup and an inventory of your software, you could simply get another computer (or borrow one) and restore your data from backup. You'll probably be back in operation within a few hours.

What information is vital to YOUR business to keep it running? If you’re like most businesses it's their customers, employees and vendors, accounts receivables (who owes you), bank and insurance account info and numbers. Where is this info kept? Do you have an inventory of it? What format is it stored in? paper? electronic? Is it easily accessible? Is it portable and duplicated somewhere?

These are the questions you want to ask yourself during 2013’s National Preparedness Month. Get ready and be ready – prepare your business BEFORE disaster strikes. FEMA’s Ready Business website has extensive resources to help you get started. Need more help? Ask Me How

by Donna D. McMillan, Island Organizers

National Preparedness Month is September. Businesses large and small are getting ready. Fires, floods, windstorms, earthquakes, all disasters are devastating. Emergencies strike with little or no warning. If one were to hit your area, you will be affected physically, financially and emotionally. Is your business prepared with a plan in place, in case an unexpected event happens?

According to Business Wire 9/7/12, Staples and National Safety Council Team Up to Raise Disaster Planning Awareness Among Small Businesses. For the Aloha state, Retail Merchants of Hawaii Partners with Counties for Disaster Preparedness Campaign.

It's vital to be in control, as much as possible, after a catastrophic event. Businesses must get back on track immediately. Your customers and other businesses that rely on you are impacted if your business is not operational. Also, if insurance claims are necessary, specific information will be required.

PREPAREDNESS PLAN FOR BUSINESSES
- Inventory - Passwords & Software, Possessions & Valuables, People: employees & clients
- Communications - keep VIP numbers in cell phone & the cloud for accessibility.
- Safety Procedures - for employees & customers
- Protect - property, business records, contacts
- Insurance - contact your agent for advice & appropriate coverage
- Photos/Video - of current possessions & property, save copies off-site, send to insurance agent
- Supplies - emergency kit including chargers & batteries, food & water
- Resources - suppliers, vendors, etc.

You can protect your business, be informed, have a plan. Visit www.ready.gov/business, www.redcross.org/prepare and www.fema.gov/mobile.

Is your company prepared for disasters?  Share your story ... add a comment.

by Donna D. McMillan, Island Organizers

  What happens when loose papers and small notes are buried in piles? We don't know what's there and can't do what we need to do. My longtime mantra is: "Paperwork that is lying down is sleeping or hiding. When it's standing up, it can communicate with you."

The Decoflex® box by Oxford® and Pendaflex® has been my favorite organizing tool for many years. A desktop file storage box with hanging folders and labeled tabs creates a highly-effective Paperwork Management System. Each tab designates a specific category or task and identifies folders' contents. This handy solution eliminates piles, wasted time and stress related to lost notes and vital documents. Learn more

"HOT ACTION FILES" -- This is the perfect tool to hold "active" documents, unpaid bills and other important To-Do's.  Once they're separated into categories: To Call, To Pay, To Input, Waiting For Reply, etc., the appropriate actions can be taken in a timely manner.  This is a temporary "home" for paperwork; it is not for storage.

PROJECTS --  Create a mailbox for your office staff, manage info for a client's project, store details while planning a move or a party, and save notes for an organization's committee.

FILING SYSTEMS -- In limited space, filing systems can be created using several of these portable containers. Each holds a different category of files and is labeled on the end of box, ie: 2012 Income, Paid Bills, Investments, Medical Records. They fit nicely on a bookcase or on shelves in a closet. 

Other versions are available in acrylic, plastic, mesh, metal & cardboard. Buy online at Office Depot, Office Max and the Container Store.  In Honolulu, visit local stores: Simply Organized and Fisher Hawaii. NOTE: Organizing products don't usually come with instructions!

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