Clearing Office ClutterWritten by Janet Barclay
The Oxford Canadian Dictionary defines clutter as "a crowded and untidy collection of things" or "an untidy state." When we don't have designated places for all our belongings, clutter is often result. Even if you have established organizational systems, you will face problems with clutter unless you have a plan to find homes for every single article you bring into your office. Otherwise, it's too easy to set things on top of your desk, filing cabinet, or another surface "for now." All too often, "for now" ends up becoming "forever" or at least until things reach point that you can no longer tolerate clutter. If you're already at this point, following tips may help you get back on track.The first thing you must do is set aside time to deal with clutter. Many small business owners feel they are too busy to do this, but in reality, time you'll save once everything is organized will more than make up for it. You might choose to block off a day or two just to concentrate on this project, if your schedule allows it. If not, set aside an hour a day or a couple of hours a week and keep at it until there's no clutter left in your office. Treat this appointment with yourself same way you would treat an appointment with one of your clients - don't cancel it unless you have a dire emergency, and don't deviate from task at hand by taking phone calls or getting distracted by other work. The best place to begin decluttering your office is with your desk. There is no reason to keep anything in your work area than things that you are currently working on. Your current projects should be kept where you can access them easily, but rather than keeping them in piles on your desk, they should be organized into clearly labeled file folders. It's very likely that those piles of paper on your desk include information which is out of date and can be discarded, as well as documents that you need to keep, but are not currently using, which can be filed in your filing cabinet. Once your work area is clutter free, you need to go through your files and discard anything you no longer need, shredding all documents which contain confidential information, of course. Large organizations usually have a retention schedule that dictates how long certain types of information must be kept. If you're not sure, it may be wise to consult a lawyer or accountant to determine how long certain documents must be retained by law in your area. Items which are needed for legal or other reasons, but not referred to on a regular basis, should be put in an archive area, such as a lower file drawer, storage room, or offsite storage, depending on volume of paper you have and space you have available.
| | 5 Marketing Mistakes You Can’t Afford To MakeWritten by Debbie Allen
You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated - send to: info@DebbieAllen.com 5 Marketing Mistakes You Can’t Afford To Make In virtually every area of business, there will be pitfalls along way. Marketing is no exception. Time and time again, retail stores of all sizes make same costly mistakes. But knowing how to avoid these mistakes can save you energy, disappointment – and money. Mistake 1: Eliminating marketing efforts when times get tight. When cash flow slows, advertising, direct mail and other forms of marketing are easiest expenses to reduce, right? But cut these, and you eliminate very activities that will bring in new customers to turn your business around. This is time when you may be spending more time analyzing results of your marketing efforts. But by stopping marketing efforts, you will be setting yourself up for additional loss of business. Mistake 2: Not measuring results. Don’t wait until times get tight to start measuring results of your marketing efforts. By analyzing regularly, you will be able to reinvest in what is working, and drop what isn’t. Ask customers how they found your business, and then track results. Use in-store or on-line coupons. Or host a focus group of a variety of customers to discover what attracts them to your business. Mistake 3: Putting all your marketing dollars in one area. If your entire marketing budget is used on just one method of promoting your business, you won’t realize highest return on your investment. Diversifying your efforts will increase frequency and reach of your messages and stretch your marketing dollars. Businesses can get hooked into one large advertising program with a local newspaper, magazine or radio station, and put majority of their marketing dollars there. They feel as if they have to advertise with same media source, just because they always have or because fear they will lose ground since their competitors are advertising there as well. Some business owners actually stay with a company for fear of upsetting their sales associate.
|
