BARBARA HEMPHILL, CPO® is one of the country’s leading productivity experts. As a speaker and consultant on organizing, Barbara helps individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment. She is author of the best-selling “Taming the Paper Tiger” book series. In the forthcoming book, “Bushido Business,” Barbara joins Tom Hopkins, Brian Tracy & Stephen M. R. Covey, sharing how they learned how to be successful. For more information on Barbara’s speaking and consulting, visit www.barbarahemphill.com.
Have you ever found a lead on a scrap of paper after the prospect purchased from your competition? Are you spending time recreating proposals because you can’t find a similar one you wrote a few months ago? Do you run out of the door for an appointment at the last minute because you couldn’t find the brochures you really wanted to take? Are you feeling overwhelmed? If so, here are six simple steps to help you increase sales and decrease stress:
Make a date with yourself for getting your act together: Plan a minimum of three hours when there will be no interruptions. Decide on a reward for yourself when you’re finished. Do anything you can to reduce your stress during the process – put on music, grab your favorite beverage, and get plenty of trash bags and recycling bins.
Take everything off your desk except what you must have or do: (A photograph or memento that reminds you of the reason you work is definitely OK!) Practice The Art of Wastebasketry. Research shows that 80 percent of what you keep you never use! Tossing or keeping is not a moral issue, but it is a practical one. So how do you decide what to keep? Ask, “What’s the worst thing that could happen if I didn’t have this piece of paper?” If you can live with the results of your answer, toss it or recycle it.
Get the right tools for your business: Half of any job is using the right tool! Put three trays on your desk: (1) In (2) Out (3) File. “In” is for new mail – papers you have not yet looked at. “Out” is for items that need to go elsewhere, such as the post office, or to another room. “File” is for papers you need to file outside the reach of where you sit. Eliminate paper whenever you can!
Implement The File-Act-Toss System: Clutter is postponed decisions. The good news? There are only three decisions you can make about what to do with any piece of paper or electronic file. (1) File it in a Reference File in case you need it in the future. (2) Act on it immediately or choose a date when you will. (3) Toss, recycle, or delete it.
Create an Action Filing System: If you say, “I have to do that,” follow up with “When?” If there isn’t an actual date, creating an artificial one will eliminate items falling through the cracks. When you continually postpone doing something, ask yourself, “What’s the worst possible thing that would happen if I didn’t do this?” or “Is there an easier way to do this?” or “Could someone else help me with this?” Create a system for retrieving the information you need when you are ready to take action. (There are many possibilities. If you’re not sure how to do it, an hour phone consultation with an expert could change your world forever!)
Create a Reference Filing System: If your existing filing system (paper or electronic) isn’t working, start over! In this day and age, fewer and fewer people are keeping paper reference files – it’s costly and not very productive. But don’t feel overwhelmed at the thought of having to scan all those old papers. Instead, create an electronic filing structure for the new information, and add the old only as you need it. (If you have both physical and electronic resources, and you want a way to collaborate, check out iPEP (www.iPEPonline.com)
Will this system turn you into a perennially “clean desk” person? Unlikely! Messy desks are the natural outcome of a hectic pace. A place for everything and everything in its place? Forget that, but it is half right. A place for everything means than when you want to clean up your office to meet a client, or just because you’re just sick of the mess yourself, recovering is no big deal. Some quick decision-making will clean off your desk in a matter of minutes and bring back a sense of control.