1 Million Pages

Maybe its just me but the feeling of having a perfectly clean desk is revitalizing. I can spread out more, keep things in order, and be more productive. Plus ive heard that you can tell a lot about someone by their ‘workstation,’ if their station is disorganized, then they’re likely an unreliable person. Either way having an organized desk is a must.

Heres some quick tips to combat the junk monster.

1. Pocket Things: have a designated place for all the stuff in your pockets: wallet, keys, cell phone. Maybe a little basket next to your desk, or a drawer dedicated to your pocket stuff. Then when your going out you won’t be searching for your keys or electronics, everything will be conveniently right there.

2. No more Post Its: I used to post it notes but they would just pile up, ending up scattered all over my desk. Rather use a single booklet for notes. Or perhaps just use computer notes, theres tons of programs out there for making virtual post it notes. I happen to use stikkit. If you have a mac try out the dashboard note feature

3. Donate Pens: Do you really need 20 pens lying all over the place? You really only need one or two for each color your using, so go throw the others out or donate them. If you happen to have bonded with them and would not like to give them up, think about storing them away for future use, just don’t leave them around your desk

4. Toss Old Prints: Have you ever printed a draft of something just to check out how it looks on paper. I have. And every time i leave it on my desk adding to the pile of previously printed paper. So from now on, every time you print a piece of a paper and you’ve used it for the reason you printed it off, throw it away immediately. Don’t think about throwing it away, just do it.

5. Don’t bring food or drinks to the desk: Every time i eat or drink at my desk, i seem to leave a little reminder of past meal i just munched upon and I’m sure your do the same. So don’t let it get that far, just don’t bring food to the workstation. Also you might get your keyboard sticky, i hate that part about eating.

6. Take it to the next level: If you really just cant organize, your just to lazy, try this alternative tactic. Take everything off your desk, just swipe it all off. Be sure to remove fragile things first. Now that theres a huge mess on the ground, you’re going to have to do something with it. Hopefully this will motivate you to only put the absolutely necessary stuff back on your desk.

Some things to remember.

Don’t just clean your desk once a month, i once did this. I would make it spotless and then after a month it would be once again filled with useless stuff. To fix this organize as you go, every time you place something on your desk, think do i need this, or should i file it away. If its absolutely necessary at the moment than keep it at your desk otherwise, see that it goes away.

Organize everyday. At the end of the day spend 2 minutes checking to see if there isnt anything you don’t need at your desk. ie. if pens are scattered around put them back were you go before you leave.

Messy rooms, disorganized closets and jumbled junk (I like to think of them as resource drawers) add unneeded hassle to our already hectic days and lives.

I sat by two colleagues at a meeting today and the one was telling us about the flood she recently had in her office when she was on vacation. The man was telling us they remolded a room in their house and how disorganized
everything was during that time.

Both of them were expressing their feelings of frustration at the disorganized state their lives were in because of these two instances.
Organizing our possessions, treasures, and ’stuff’ does give us peace of mind and a feeling that we can accomplish other things in our lives.

Do you ever feel you just don’t have enough space to put things? If you had a bigger place you would be organized?Even small spaces and homes can be organized. Here are some ideas of places to use for storage.

Under the bed: If the bed is low, buy (for around $10.00) raisers that raise the bed up about 8 inches. Or you can use cinder blocks and raise it about 12 inches. Then under the bed plastic storage boxes made for this purpose are perfect. Some come on wheels.

In the closet: Plastic boxes can hold out of season clothes and be placed on the top shelf. If the closet is deep they can be stored on the floor. A doublet, which is a two tiered rod, can maximize space in a closet. Many
organizing stores carry these, including The Container Store. Use tie racks that can also be used to hang jewelry or scarves. Shoe racks come in a variety of models. Over the door, on the floor, and hanging racks.

Under the sink: There are racks that fit around pipes or removable shelves that can hold twice the amount of things to go under the sink. On the other side of the sink the kitchen trash bin can be placed. When it isn’t in plain sight it reduces both visual and floor space clutter.

Donating useful but no longer needed items, getting rid of unwanted junk and by keeping what we do need organized and accessible we let our personal spaces become welcoming havens instead of uninviting areas that make us want to stay away.

Have you ever been part of a highly functioning team? One where your unique talents were valued, and where you were highly energized every time you were with this team? If you have been so fortunate, you are probably in the minority.

Many of us have had negative experiences being on a team. In fact, often the term “team” is used to describe any group of people assembled in proximity to each other. So, what is a team? There are numerous definitions out there, but here is a particularly good one: “A team is a group of people who go out of their way to make each other look good.”

A team is made up of a small number of people (seven to nine is ideal) who have a common goal, who are accountable to each other and who have a diverse set of talents and skills.

Most of us have probably been involved in some form of “teambuilding” activity over the years. Although they can be fun for an afternoon, how do you create any lasting value? And why should you create a culture that values teamwork anyway? Isn’t it just faster and more efficient to tell people what needs to get done?

In today’s business climate, it is difficult to carve out extra time for anything outside of your long list of urgent priorities. However, if you have ever experienced the synergy of a well-functioning team, you understand the return on investment this type of team can deliver.

TEAM BENEFITS

Here are some of the benefits:

* Getting everyone on the same page. When people understand what the goal or objective is, they can get on with the tasks that need to be done and not waste time in confusion and unnecessary work because of unclear expectations.

* Creating better outcomes. There is no question that when people bring their unique talents to a supportive environment, where trust and respect are the norm, the end result is a better product.

* Providing value to your customers. When a team works well together, customers can feel it. There is a sense of good will, and a desire to work with people who are pleasant and enjoy what they do. Peter Block once said, “You can’t treat a customer any better than you treat each other.” You may think you are hiding your “dirty linen”, but your customers know whether or not you are working as a team.

* Enjoying your work. High-functioning teams bring a sense of energy to their work. Healthy conflict and disagreement are welcomed, and feedback is given in the spirit of continuous improvement. Turnover decreases, morale improves and people have more fun.

BUILDING BETTER TEAMS

So, what do you need to do to start building better teams? And how to you get buy-in?

Here are a few suggestions:

* Start at the top. It is imperative to have senior leadership support for any team-building initiative.

* Communicate regularly. Share information often and in different formats with the team.

* Explain the reason for the team initiative. People need to understand how they fit into the bigger picture, as well as the WIIFM factor (What’s In It For Me?)

* Give the team as much control as possible. When a team has a sense of ownership, team members are eager to take responsibility and become accountable.

* Be an encourager. Seek ways to recognize the team’s progress, clear roadblocks for them, and create internal champions who appreciate the value of their work.

Team building is not a one-time event. It is an attitude, a philosophy of how to treat people. It is a way of being. You have to keep your team-building efforts front and center.

As a leader, you must continue to beat the drum for building teams. You must encourage growth, insight and healthy disagreement. Another great quote about teams says: “We are most effective as a team when we compliment each other without embarrassment and disagree without fear.” Model this behavior and your teams will be more successful.

You also must champion diversity and different work styles, which will result in a better product for your customers. Help team members understand the “natural role” they each play on the team. And, teach them a process for handing off the baton to the right person at the right time. This can help speed up product development, provide smoother rollouts and installations and utilize the unique talents each member brings to the team.

Everyone wins when teams work well: the employee, the company and the customer. As Margaret Mead so eloquently said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Businesses today are becoming more and more complex. As a direct result, international firms and enterprises are faced with a new set of challenges every single day.

To help them remain competitive amid these changes, many firms rely on analysts whose job it is to analyze an organizations structure, efficiency, or profits.

In private industry, an international business consulting analyst is simply called a management consultant. Besides analyzing the problem-ridden organizational structure of a business, the analyst will also propose ways to improve these weak spots.

For instance, your company may be small but it is rapidly growing and you need help improving your methods of managing and controlling inventories as well as expenses. An international business consulting analyst who has expertise in just-in-time inventory management would be the professional to hire.

How about if your company is a large one and you are in the process of creating a new division? You may still need to hire a business consulting analyst who will help reorganize the corporate structure and eliminate duplicate or nonessential jobs.

An international business analyst may be working independent of any management consulting firm. And even management consulting firms may range in size from single practitioners to large international organizations that cater to an international market.

Some analysts may specialize in specific fields of industry while others take a more general approach. So you may end up hiring an analyst who will handle health care or telecommunications and a different one who will be responsible for human resources, marketing, logistics, or information systems.

The Work Process

Once an international business consulting analyst is contracted for his or her services, the first thing he or she does is to define first the nature and extent of the problem. This is the initial phase of an international business consulting analysts job where they are required to analyze relevant data, including annual revenues, employment, or expenditures.

They may also need to interview managers and employees as well as observe the different operations in the specific area of business.

After identifying the problem, the international business consulting analyst will then come up with sound proposals and solutions to address the problem. To prepare these solutions, the international business consulting analyst takes into account the nature of the organization, its relationship with peers in the industry, and its internal organization and structure. Often, an international business consulting analyst will gain insight into the problem by building and solving mathematical models.

Afterwards, the analyst will report his or her findings as well as recommendations to the client. Generally, these recommendations are submitted in writing but some international business consulting analysts may make oral presentations, depending on client preference.

Are you considering outsourcing but have no idea where to start? In almost every industry there is the opportunity to outsource at least a few of the common tasks performed in the industry. In some industries there may the possibility of outsourcing the majority of the common tasks while in other industries there may only be the opportunity to outsource one or two of the common tasks. In either case outsourcing can result in a lightened workload as well as an increase in profit.

Evaluate Daily Activities

The first step in finding ways to outsource is to take a really close look at the daily activities you perform when tending to your business. Make a list of each of these activities and note any related activities that are typically performed in conjunction with each other. Making this note is important because activities which are typically performed together should either be outsourced together or remain as in-house activities together to maintain the highest level of efficiency.

Once you have compiled this list of activities, carefully consider which activities can easily be performed by another person and which activities require your personal attention. This will give you a good idea of which activities you could outsource and which activities would not be good opportunities for outsourcing.

Finally, review your list of activities and note how long it takes you to perform each of the activities you could outsource. This information will be helpful later if you decide to search for a candidate to complete these tasks.

Prioritize Daily Activities

After you have carefully examined your daily activities, it is time to prioritize these activities. Create a comprehensive list of all of your daily activities in their order of importance. For this list include both the activities requiring your personal attention and the activities which can be outsourced.

When you make your decision to start outsourcing some of your daily tasks, start with the highest priority on the list which you believe can be outsourced. Attempt to outsource this task as a test to determine whether or not outsourcing will work for you. If you decide you are comfortable with outsourcing and that it is working for your business, you can continue down the prioritized list attempting to find those capable of handling your daily activities.

Consider Administrative Tasks

We have already discussed the importance of evaluating your own daily tasks in the process of finding ways to outsource but it is also important to consider tasks completed by your staff members. Administrative tasks are often tasks which can be outsourced so examining these tasks will give you a good idea if you can increase the efficiency of your administrative assistance by outsourcing some of their responsibilities.

Activities such as data entry, transcription and other activities often handled by personal assistance are all example of activities which can easily be outsourced. Additionally, there is a great deal of qualified candidates available to fulfill these tasks. The industry of virtual personal assistants has become a booming industry with many savvy entrepreneurs offering their skills in these areas as a consultant.

Develop a Plan for Managing Outsourced Activities

Before starting to outsource daily activities, you should develop a plan for managing all of your outsourced activities. This plan should include the following:

* Method for selecting candidates to handle outsourced work
* Method for overseeing the work performed by independent contractors
* Method for evaluating the work performed by independent contractors