Working with a client to organise his office yesterday we came across HK$1200 in cash.
…Oh, and HK$200,000 in receipts for expenses he can claim back.
That’s about US$26,000. Pretty good ROI for a 2-hour organising session.
Filed under: Business Organising, Random Good Stuff | No Comments »
The South China Morning Post recently ran a series of my articles in the Job Coach section.
Thanks muchly to the editor for inviting me to contribute to the column!
These articles focus on some popular Team Productivity issues.
Enjoy!
Filed under: Address Booking, Business Organising, Email, Focus, HR Buzz, Info-Overload, Mind Mapping, Team Productivity | No Comments »
I spoke at a breakfast for Human Resources leaders last month, and we asked what was on their minds these days. Here’s what they said:
My topic was Helping Your Team Accomplish More With Less.
I’ve prepared a 1-page summary which is ideal for team leaders looking for practical ways to help their people today.
Please download your copy here.
Filed under: Business Organising, Focus, HR Buzz, Productive Routines, Time Management | No Comments »
If there’s one question I’m asked at every party, it’s this: “So what’s the best way to organise my business cards?” The questioner usually presents me with a pick list along these lines:
A. by first name
B. by last name
C. by company name
D. by event where we met
My reply? It’s E: All of the above…and then some. Then my new friend asks, “So how on earth do I do that?”
The answer is simple: Get the information into a database and bin the cards. Voila – searchable, sortable business card data – and no more clutter!
If you’re doing things right, the point of the business card is to enable you to continue the relationship you started when someone handed it to you. This means you need to be able to access all the information and meaning associated with the card’s owner at the touch of a button.
What good are those piles of old business cards doing you where they are? What opportunities have you missed while deciding whether it’s better to buy a little card caddy with a lid or a book with pockets for each card? It’s about keeping in touch, not about storage.
Make sense? Good. Now here’s what to do:
1. The next time you look at a rubber-banded bunch of business cards on your desk, open up a new Excel spreadsheet.
2. Across the top of the sheet, type headings for the basic information you see on the card: First name, Last Name, Company Name, Mailing Address, Mobile Number, Website…and so on.
3. Now add some columns for other things that pop into your head when you’re looking at the cards, such as:
4. Get somebody to help you enter the data from your cards into your spreadsheet, and discuss questions or enhancements that may come up the first few times information is entered. Tweak your spreadsheet design as you go, but whatever you do, keep it simple!! You must create a system that is quick and easy to use on a regular basis.
5. Select a list management and communication application that will help you quickly and easily send emails, letters, flyers or postcards to people matching your criteria for a given mailout. Upload your spreadsheet and from that moment onwards, enter all new business card data directly into your new system.
6. Devise a keep-in-touch routine and implement it, dedicating your time to the purpose and style of the message rather than letting your energy be drained by business-card-guilt or tedious data entry.
7. Enjoy developing the relationships you’ve created instead of fretting over how to organise those business cards.
(…and don’t forget to back things up regularly! See the post Backing up Your Life Online for more on this.)
Need help with some of these steps?
Contact us to arrange a complimentary consultation with our database organisation and mass communications experts.
Filed under: Address Booking, Business Organising | No Comments »
I've been trying on a new mindset these past few weeks, and I'm liking it.
Instead of listing what I need To Do, I write what I want To Accomplish.
It may seem like a small difference, but it's had a big impact on my productivity. I have shifted from using my dedicated work blocks to 'work on something' to using that time to 'achieve X.' Let me give you an example.
I usually spend a day and a half each week on business development activities: making calls, having meetings, following up with people, writing proposals, etc. The work is well organised, and I just chug through it.
Two weeks ago I decided to set a couple of targets for myself instead of just working through the list. On my task list I wrote:
1. Secure 5 high-level meetings
2. Close 3 sales
Under these goals were lots of the usual, everyday tasks, but these two stayed at the top to grab my attention first.
Having specific outcomes for the business development time blocks forced me to concentrate my efforts on the most important opportunities. Rather than working through the list in a chronological order or similar, I started with the most significant relationships and the clients most likely to make a commitment soon.
The results? I exceeded both of my targets within 5 days. I also got through everything else on my regular 'to do' list.
I've been doing this with other sorts of work as well. Instead of listing a task that said, 'new website pages,' I would write something like 'complete 3 website pages'…and by golly, in just a few days I had whole site done – faster than expected!
If the proof is in the pudding, this strategy seems to be a good one. It makes a lot of sense; after all, if we don't know exactly what we're shooting for, how will we know when we've hit it?
Give it a try, and do let me know how it works for you.
Filed under: Business Organising, Focus, Productive Routines, Time Management | No Comments »
As one of my mentors, Barbara Hemphill, is fond of saying, "There's a big difference between activity and productivity."
A couple of years ago I did a little experiment when I was feeling overwhelmed by a particular project that was causing me a lot of anxiety. I wanted to find out whether it really was consuming 'every waking hour,' or whether it just felt that way because of the associated stress. I also wanted to figure out whether I was merely spinning my wheels or producing something worthwhile. I started tracking the time I spent on that project against time I spent working on other aspects of my business. Then I looked at the financial return on my investment of time. This data objectified the situation and helped me to make some important decisions.
For that project I just recorded the hours on a note in Outlook, but now I can get fancy…
My fabulous virtual assistant has put me on to a powerful tool that makes clocking time spent on various activities a breeze. MyHours.com provides an online system that is easy to set up for an individual or for a company and works like the good old fashioned time card that I used to punch in and out of a clock at my part-time job when I was in high school.
Here's how I'm planning to use it:
Barbara recently challenged me to get very specific about how I want my life to look, down to the number of hours per week I want to be working. As an entrepreneur, this can easily get out of control! I told her that my goal is to be working no more than 30 hours per week on the things I love doing, and to delegate the rest to people I trust.
The trouble is, I have no real metrics on my current workload. How many hours per week do I work now? I know it's way more than 30, but it's cold hard facts we need in order to measure progress. Where exactly does the time go? I have a pretty good idea because I block my time for various activities, but I don't really keep track of certain 'bonus' work times like late at night when the kids are sawing logs.
Lawyers, accountants and other professional services types who bill clients by the hour are completely accustomed to punching in a client code before they pick up the phone, crunch numbers or open a document they're drafting. Their payroll depends upon it!
This approach can be valuable for any individual or any business looking to understand where the time is going. If you struggle with delegation, tracking your activities for a week or two could be very revealing, particularly if you are spending a big chunk of hours on things that don't add real value to your business, your career, or your life. Information is power – power to change and improve.
I LOVE the MyHours reports I get every month from my virtual assistant. With no significant effort on her part beyond clicking 'start' and 'finish,' then typing a brief note about what she worked on, she can provide me with a detailed look at where my money goes every month, minute by minute. I like that. A lot.
We've started using MyHours throughout the company, starting with yours truly!
How about you? Would keeping track of where your time goes help you decide to delegate better, reach a goal, or monitor payroll more closely?
Here's the best part: MyHours is absolutely free. Check it out: MyHours.com
Filed under: Business Organising, Productive Routines, Time Management, Work/Life Balance | 2 Comments »
Last week I was invited to facilitate a round-table discussion on time management for the Hong Kong Women Business Owners Club. What a treat it was to be part of an interactive conversation on one of my favourite topics!
We kicked off the meeting by having everybody write down a bullet-pointed list of what’s working well for them and what is not working so well. Then I asked everyone to share a highlight from their first list, being very specific about the tools and strategies they apply in order to achieve time management success. Here are some of the key points made:
People are finding balance by:
I found it fascinating how we repeatedly commented on the importance of setting boundaries in our lives in order to feel good about where our time goes. This is, of course, much easier said than done.
It’s hard to set boundaries if we don’t have a clear sense of how we want to be spending our time. This means we do need to be organising our ideas and goals in order to balance them with the day-to-day work that never stops cropping up.
It’s also hard to set boundaries if we are not aware of the true limits of our time. This means we need to be making appointments with ourselves – not just with other people – so that our priorities are actually getting some air time. Putting a work block (e.g. on Tuesday from 10-1 to work on Project X) on the calendar helps you take control of your time. When someone calls to see if you can have lunch on Tuesday, you can either explain that you already have an appointment or you can look for another 3-hour block and reassign Project X so you can say yes to the lunch.
A few months ago I had a similar scenario happen in my life. My week was truly chock-a-block, and a potential client called to see if we could meet to discuss training options. As much as I wanted to meet at the time he proposed, I couldn’t rearrange anything on my schedule that week without shirking responsibilities to existing clients, disappointing family members or overdoing it physically by staying awake too late to catch up on work.
I could see all this at a glance because my week was already planned and time was blocked on my Outlook calendar (this advance planning takes less time than you may think!). So I took a deep breath and said, “I’m afraid my week is already at the ‘Legal Limit’, appointment-wise. Can we do it next week on Wednesday at 10:00?” Not only was this just fine with him, we ended up getting the contract, I didn’t lose any unnecessary sleep, and when I was standing in front of his team teaching about the importance of having – and sticking to – a weekly plan, I was able do it with integrity. Sitting there in the middle of the group, he knew it was real…and entirely possible.
I know from personal experience and observation of clients that it can be extremely difficult to establish boundaries in life. I think a lot of the trouble stems from fear of disappointing others or not having strategies for saying no effectively. More on that next time.
Until then – give it a shot. Try using the ‘Legal Limit’ explanation to say no sometime this week…and see what happens.
Filed under: Business Organising, Time Management, Work/Life Balance | 1 Comment »
There’s a new word on my family’s lips these days: "Zoho."…as in, “Mom, are ya working on Zoho again?” or, “Sounds like Zoho was just what you needed honey…are you ready to watch our movie yet?” I’m happy to say that the addiction is not mine alone; all my biz-owning friends who I’ve shared with are emailing me straight away saying, “Ohmigosh – I have been looking for something like this forever!!” It’s happening to all of us: we’re getting Zoho-fied, one by one.
So what’s Zoho? It’s Address Booking (contact management) for your business. Well, that’s how it begins anyway…and then you discover everything else the ZohoCRM can do…and then you stumble upon all the other Zoho apps…and then you’re good and hooked. In less than a month of converting our team’s Outlook Contacts, Excel sales management system and a few Google docs bits and bobs to the ZohoCRM, I can measure the improvement in company systems in cold hard cash. In other words, we’ve just closed a bunch of new business that we had sort of forgotten was even in our pipeline!
Our team has been reviewing CRM options for a few months, and we’re pleased as punch with our choice. To save you a bit of time, here’s a look at the features we love and a few we’re hoping for:
Why we went with Zoho instead of others
My Zoho Wish List
I think my family is happy I have now ticked ‘Zoho set-up’ off my to-do list. Little do they know that I’m about to start playing with the marketing automation features! Maybe I won’t mention that just yet.
Filed under: Address Booking, Business Organising | 4 Comments »
