Getting Organized For The New Year - Part 2Written by Chuck and Sue DeFiore
In part 1, we discussed a system you could use to organize your office. In this article we will discuss what material is needed to implement that system.You will need following items for your office system. Calendar/Daily Planner; Accordion File (1-31); Manila Files with Months of Year (Or you can make them up yourself - a lot less expensive); Hanging Files; Manila Files; Boxes and Envelopes (9 x 12). The calendar/daily planner will contain all appointments, meetings and deadlines for project. The accordion file dated 1-31, along with Manila Files with Months of Year will contain materials you have tickled. The tickler file is a very popular system in legal offices. Any materials you need to act on by a certain date are tickled, usually one week in advance. It is also used for standardized meetings. For example, if staff meetings are conducted on Friday, place a Manila folder entitled Staff meeting in Friday slot, and place any agenda items or meeting items in folder. Remember to tickle it for day before meeting, if you need to make up agenda, or give agenda items to someone else. This system is also excellent for gathering information for client meetings. This system will also serve to give you a clean desk, as you can place To Do items for next day in your tickle file. It is also used to put in notes to yourself to follow up on certain items. The hanging and manila folders are for your files. Boxes are for your records and files to be stored in at end of year. The 9 x 12 Envelopes are used to hold your receipts, canceled checks, expenses and income sheets. You should label one envelope Income and place your income sheet in file and note when any checks come in. Label one other envelope as Expenses and put in it all receipts for purchases, canceled checks, and any other expenses you generate. At end of month tally up monthly totals. I place month on envelope and separate my expenses into categories, such as supplies, telephone, utilities, copying, postage, etc., put total cost next to category and then a final total. At end of each month's tally, paper clip or staple that month's receipts together, place them back in envelope and file for following month. Since most self employed individuals pay estimated taxes every 3 month period, envelopes will have 3 months on them, for example, October, November, December. Remember bundle each month's items separately. Seal envelopes, file them, and then you are ready to calculate amount to pay IRS for next estimated period.
| | Businesses - Leisurely Dining Or Fast FoodWritten by Chuck and Sue DeFiore
It occurred to me other day, that so many people today liken their businesses to way they eat - fast. Think about it. All over web we are inundated with... make $1000's of dollars a day, make $10,000 a month, make a million by end of year. Everyone is looking for magic formula or magic bullet to get rich quick...fast. They want their business to succeed in time it takes to get their hamburger or chicken sandwich. No wait, no delay of gratification. I want it now, and I want it without having to work at it. I want to sit back and rake in dollars, my way. Those of us who have been on web for past six years, realize that just like businesses we ran off web, a web business takes time to grow. It is not fast food, but instead like an five course dinner. We start with drink, business idea, then go to appetizer, business name, mission statement and business plan, then first course, formalized plan, second course, strategies to market our business, main course, everyday running of business, and then comes dessert, moneys, we so richly deserve.
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