Clutter Begone!

Let’s say you’re a business owner, and—at least where accounting is concerned—you realize you need professional help. Don’t worry, there’s no shame in that!

You make a few inquiries and find a numbers person who seems a good fit for you and your business. But your office is a jumble and you’re afraid you might be beyond help. What do you do? Throw everything in sight into a couple of bankers boxes and lug in the whole thing for your new accountant to figure it out?

Only if you want to get off on the wrong foot. Instead, try these tips.

If you’re wallowing in a mess and don’t know where to start, ask your accountant what she’ll need to get started. Then, wade in. Sort those papers into piles. If they’re not needed (ads and other junk mail), throw them in the recycle bin. If you’re not sure, file them away in a “just in case I need it” folder. Put the things your accountant asked for in three envelopes: one for assets, one for income, and one for expenses, and take them with you for your first face-to-face.

After you and your accountant have established what you expect from one another, you’ll have to continue to provide her with the ongoing information she’ll need to help you most effectively. That should give you an incentive to keep that paperwork from getting out of hand again.

Here’s a practical way to keep the clutter in check: Get yourself a couple attractive containers—pretty baskets, boxes, bins, or whatever appeals to your style and décor. Put them in a handy place that’s easy to access. One is for receipts (documentation of money you’ve spent) and the other for income (sales invoices and bank deposit receipts). 

Now, whenever either of these comes into your hands, don’t just toss it aside – put it in the appropriate container! Make sure every deposit receipt is stapled to the appropriate sales invoice(s) or other record of where the payment came from.

Do this religiously. It only takes a few seconds each day, but saves a ton of frustration later on.

At the end of the month, slip the contents of those bins into two envelopes and drop them off with your accountant. She’ll take care of the rest—and you’re on your way to the No Drama Zone!

Time Management IV

Time. Its boundaries are not elastic. It has no pause button, no speed setting, and you can’t reboot when it seems to go haywire.

As we’ve seen, there’s no way to actually manage time. However, in our last three posts, we’ve looked at some practical ways by which we can make the most of its inexorable flow. Today, we’ll look at three more tools.

Beat it at its own game. Time is limited, so set limits for your tasks. There will be certain constants in your day, such as reading/answering emails or returning phone messages. Though you have to do them every day, that doesn’t mean you have to do them all day. Set a reasonable time limit for each activity and stick to it faithfully.

Organize your systems. How much time do you spend looking for files, whether electronic or physical? Sloppiness is first cousin to your old nemesis, Ima Timewaster. Time spent getting things organized is an investment that will more than pay for itself in time saved later on. Just make sure the systems you put into place are logical and efficient so you’ll be able to use them effectively on a daily basis over the long haul.

Wait productively. How many times have you sat and waited, fuming about all the better things you could be doing? Your frustration was justified; no one benefits from thumb-twiddling. That’s why, wherever you go, you should take something with you—reading you need to get caught up on, a list you need to make, a report you have to review. Today’s technology makes this easier than ever before. But even if you have an analogue mind, you can carry a pad of paper and a pen for jotting notes to yourself or making a list of groceries you need to pick up on the way home.

Time might not negotiate, but neither is it particularly clever. If you know its limitations and keep an eye out for its co-conspirators, you’ll be able to outsmart it. We hope these tips will help.

Time Management III

We’ve been talking about the myth of time management and the not-so-mythical twin villains, Ima Timewaster and Busy B. Interruptus. It’s not time we must manage, remember, but our activities; and these girls are adept at tricking us into running down the clock with fruitless pursuits.


Alertness to their wicked ways is the first step toward thwarting their plans. Here are a three other tools:

Plan your attack.  In other words, prioritize.

If you’ve set short- and long-term goals, you’ve already begun. But it needs to be done on a micro-term basis as well. That is, daily. 

Set aside the first part of each morning for a fortifying round of planning, and let no one and nothing interrupt you. Reviewing your progress to date, set your daily agenda accordingly. Schedule your most demanding tasks for your most productive time—and you know better than anyone else when that is. Are you a morning person? Do you get a burst of energy at 3:00 pm? Does your brain function at peak efficiency between 10 and 11:30 am? Whenever you’re sharpest, that’s the best slot for your biggest challenges and creative endeavors.

Delegate. One of the unmanageable aspects of time is the fact that, no matter how you try, you can’t make it stretch. Work wisely with the hours you have, but don’t try to do the impossible. Sometimes, not everything will fit in your schedule.

Being your own boss is one thing, but you don’t need to be your own secretary, accountant, publicist, and customer service department as well. What’s your particular area of expertise? Why did you establish this business? Probably it had something to do with something you love, something that no one else can do like you. If that’s the basis of your company, then that’s likely the work you should be focusing on—it gives you the best return on your investment.

Is your day filled with drudge tasks, necessary duties that detract from your main purpose, or mundane things that others might be more efficient at than you? Those are the tasks you should outsource. Yes, you’ll have to pay someone to do them; but it will free you to pursue the real money-making operation of your business. For financial as well as emotional purposes, delegating makes good, practical sense.

Be consistent. Nobody likes to feel stuck in a rut, but it’s good to establish a routine. Most of us go to bed and get up about the same time each day and take our meals on a fairly regular schedule; it’s good for our minds and our bodies. Similarly, it’s good for our business to establish a routine and to stick with it. Put systems in place and keep them running smoothly.

You’ll be more productive on a daily basis and will be able to get through crises with a minimum of panic.

Putting these three concepts into practice can send Ima Timewaster and her Busy B. sister out into the cold, looking for someone else’s time to disrupt. Don’t bother to wave goodbye; just say good riddance!

Time Management II

Last time, we cautioned you to beware that sneaky co-worker, Ima Timewaster.

Today, let’s identify her twin, Busy B. Interruptus. This engaging person is often thought to be one of the good guys. But despite her innocent appearance, she’s a serious threat to productivity. She’s always flitting here and there, never resting—but somehow, never accomplishing anything.

What’s your defense? Stop her with your trusty weapon, Goals. Set your sights on where you want to be by lunch, by the end of the week, or next quarter. Then, once embarked, stay the course despite Busy buzzing in your ear. Having reached that destination, proceed to your goal on the next horizon. 

A number of tools are available to help you with this. These can be anything from stone-age calendars and lists to specialized software. Many can be web based or accessed by smart phone and can also be tailored to fit your specific needs. Some of the top names: Replicon, BillQuick, Harvest, and ClickTime. Investigate the time-management possibilities and choose the one that best fits your situation and work style.

So, do you know where you’re headed? Plot your course, take off, and don’t let the Timewaster Twins waylay you.

That’s not all the tips we have, but you’ve got enough to chew on for now. We’ll pass out more next time. In the meantime, we wish you happy travels!

Time Management

Do you realize “time management” is a misnomer? It’s a myth. Time is inflexible; it moves inexorably at its own speed no matter what we do. Though we can’t force time to work for us, it is possible to take control of our work and arrange it to fit the time frame available.

This is especially important for business owners, who often fill multiple job descriptions in a typical day. If you feel frenzied but never seem to accomplish anything, what you need is not more time, but better organization. Realizing the problem is with your habits rather than the clock is the first step toward taking charge of your work day.

Grasp this concept, and you’re armed and ready to search out your archenemy, the sneaky Ima Timewaster. Whispering lies in your ear (It’ll only take a moment or Let me just check one thing), this thief steals your productivity. Track your daily activities and train yourself to recognize her subtle disguises wherever she lurks. These can be such innocent activities as emailing, surfing the net in the guise of “research,” personal phone calls, or repetitive tasks that can and should be automated.

What do you do when you spot her? Sometimes the little trickster will dart from one hiding place to another. The best strategy for rooting her out is to clear away the underbrush, one shrub at a time. Make a conscious effort, for instance, to make no personal phone calls at work this week; while you’re at it, limit time-sucking chit-chat in business calls and stick to the business at hand. Next week, just say “no” to your favorite computer game, or make wise use of the TV remote’s “Off” button.

Happy hunting. In our next post, we’ll share a few more goodies from our bag of tricks. 

Our Gift to You This Holiday Season

Holiday stress got you frazzled? Here’s a gift for you.

When faced with the pressures of life, emotional turmoil is only one aspect of the problem. Hormones like adrenaline and cortisol accelerate the heart rate, tense major muscle groups, and can even thicken the blood. All that can be beneficial as a short-term thing, when you need that “fight or flight” edge adrenaline is famous for. But bathing in those hormones over an extended period can cause cardiovascular disease and other illnesses. Prolonged stress is simply unhealthy.

What’s the solution? Quit your job, leave your family, and live on an island paradise? We don’t advise it. Sometimes, attempts to get away from it all merely create a new set of stressors. As long as we’re alive, we’ll have problems to deal with. The trick isn’t escaping the drama, but knowing how to deal with it.

Our gift to you this holiday season is a three-pronged key to reducing the damaging effects of stress in your life.

1) Find your stress buttons.

Usually we think of this in broad terms. For instance, many people will tell you that money is a major stress trigger.  But that’s too vague. What is it, specifically, about money that troubles you? Do you have too much month at the end of the paycheck? Does mounting debt make you suffocate? Are your accounts in such disarray you don’t even know where you stand? 

Whether the trigger is financial, familial, job-related, or otherwise, once you isolate it, you’re better equipped to meet it head-on. If you’re not sure how, don’t be afraid to enlist the help of an advisor, be it a financial planner, a family counselor, or a professional organizer. That’s what they’re there for!

2) Slay the dragon of self-defeat.

Once you grab the bull by the horns, you might find the critter has some unexpected allies. Interruptions, unplanned expenses, illnesses or injuries, car breakdowns, or sewer back-ups are just a few of the things that can make you lose your grip. When sewage happens, your mental response is vital to staying above it.

In these tense situations, beware of the “woe-is-me” attitude that casts you as a helpless damsel in distress. For example, instead of thinking This could only happen to me! or I don’t have time for this, see yourself as a stalwart knight who’s up for any challenge. This is unexpected, but I can manage it or I can adjust my schedule and it’ll work out fine.

3) Know when to take a breather.

Some days, no matter what your attitude, everything seems to go wrong. At such times, the best option can be simply to take a break. Separate yourself temporarily from the stressors to whatever degree is practical. The distraction can give you a chance to regroup, think more clearly, and ease the flow of stress hormones surging through your system.

Phone a friend who always makes you laugh. Work a brain-teaser, or write a poem. A longer-term solution might involve exercise. Take a brisk walk, go to the gym, or enroll in yoga classes. Get out and play in the sun. These activities relieve stress and also fire up the brain’s reward center. People who exercise regularly show greater self-confidence during stressful situations and are calmer in general than those who neglect physical activity.

Life happens; there's nothing we can do about that. Our wish is that this gift can help you take charge of your life in the coming year.

A Parable

Your philosophy professor sometimes uses visual aids to explain a concept.

Today, he stands before the class, an empty gallon jar on the podium beside him. It reminds you of a store your grandmother used to take you to sometimes, where they sold pickles in bulk. Your mouth waters at the memory of biting into that sour, juicy cucumber.

As you wonder what’s up with the pickle jar, he opens a box of golf balls and places them, one by one, into the jar until it can hold no more. He looks up at the class. “Is the jar full?”

Of course it is; anyone with eyes can see that. “Yes,” you all say, though personally, you’d like a pickle.

He nods, then sets the box down and grabs another from behind his desk. This one is filled with pea gravel, which he pours over the golf balls. He stops two or three times to shake the jar to allow the pebbles to filter down, but he keeps pouring until all the spaces are filled with gravel.

He looks up again. “Is the jar full now?”

You and your classmates glance at one another sheepishly; you’d all thought the jar was full before! He’s right, though; it wasn’t then, but now it is. “Yes,” you all say.

He nods and picks up yet another box. When he tips it over the jar, you see he’s now adding sand. Which, of course, fills in all the tiny spaces between the gravel. Clever.

You all anticipate his question this time. Almost before he asks, “Is the jar full now?” you answer, “Yes.” Because now, of course, it surely is.

But your professor’s not finished yet. He takes the Styrofoam cup from which he’d been periodically sipping and pours the coffee into the jar on top of everything else. When it’s all trickled to the bottom, he pulls another cup from behind the podium and empties it in, too.

You all laugh. It was a neat trick.

The professor scans the room, meeting each student’s eye. “Anyone care to tell me what lesson this illustrates?”

The student in front of you, who happens to be on the golf team, raises her hand. “Even when you hit a lot of balls into the bunker, there’s still room for coffee?”

You all laugh again, including the professor. But he shakes his head. “Though that’s true, it’s not my point.” He lays his hand on the jar. “This is your life. The golf balls are the things that you hold most dear, whatever that may be. Golf, for some—“ he gestures toward the student in front of you. “And for others, God, family, friends, whatever your passion. The things that you value so much that if everything else were lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.”

You nod. That makes sense.

“The pebbles represent other things that matter, like your job, house, and car. Without them, your life would have big gaps. The sand is everything else. The small stuff. Things that might be good or fun, but if they didn’t exist, you’d be none the emptier.”

He picks up the box that had contained the sand. It was still more than half full. “If I’d put the sand into the jar first, I’d have had no space for anything else. No gravel. No golf balls. Same thing is true of your life. Spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, and you’ll have no room for the important things.”

It sinks into your mind like sand filtering down through the pebbles.

“Now,” says the professor, “who would like to articulate today’s lesson?”

The golfer raises her hand. “Where life’s priorities are concerned, golf comes first.”

You all laugh again, but the professor sobers quickly. “If that’s your passion, you can make that choice. But for the rest of us, it would look a little different. The lesson is this: we must first fill our lives with the things that are most critical. Our family, our health, our faith. There will be time for the other necessary things, like doing the laundry or changing the oil. But give priority to your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

You rub your jaw. Yes, it all makes sense. But you have a question, so you raise your hand.

“I get that,” you say. “But what’s with the coffee?”

The professor smiles. “Glad you asked.” He picks up one of the empty cups. “No matter how full your life is, there’s always room for coffee with a friend.”