From the Desk of Janet Barclay

It never ceases to amaze me how the Internet has made it possible for us to make friends with people all over the world. One of the people I’ve "met" online is Marcia Francois, a professional organizer who frequently contributes articles to OrganizedArticles.com. Marcia lives in South Africa, so chances are I wouldn’t even have heard of her if it weren’t for the Internet.

Marcia can apparently get through her emails in only 15 minutes a day, and on April 15^th she’s going to share her secrets in a teleseminar appropriately named Conquer Your Email. This teleseminar is being delivered via Skype audio, so your only cost is the very reasonable registration fee. (You can even take advantage of special pricing if you sign up by April 9^th!)

I am so excited about this class that I’ve donated a copy of Maximizing Your Time with Microsoft Outlook 2003, to be won by one lucky participant. I may even sign up for it myself!

I for one am very glad to see that March is over! Now spring is just a wee bit closer (the calendar says it’s here, but we know better!) and as I get ready for my upcoming series of teleseminars, I’m looking forward to opening my office window and letting in some fresh air.

Speaking of those teleseminars, the president of AORCP (the host organization) said it was OK to offer free registration to non-members to this Thursday’s session on Organizing Your Home Office, so if you’re interested in taking part, just let me know, and I’ll send you the information you’ll need to access the call.

Here’s what I’ve been blogging about elsewhere:

OnlineOrganizing.com - Technology as an Organizing Tool:

• For Girls who Love to Make Lists
• My Love-Hate Relationship with my Pocket PC
• Organize Your Email - Part 1
• Organize Your Email - Part 2

Introvert Retreat:

• Power Networking for Introverts
• Speed Networking for Introverts

I’ve also posted a new article to OrganizedArticles.com on A Website for Your Small Business.

Enjoy!

I have another exciting announcement – the second one this week!

I’ve been invited by the President of the Association of Online Resume & Career Professionals (AORCP) to conduct a series of teleseminars for their members, who are primarily career coaches and resume writers who market their business and/or provide their services through website technology. As I’ve been contacted a number of times about people outside my local area who were unable to attend my live workshops, I’m especially pleased that the sessions are open to non-members.  (If you’re one of them, here’s your big chance!

The topics are as follows:

• Organizing Your Home Office – Thursday, April 3, 2008
• The Four Steps to Organization – Thursday, April 17, 2008
• Organizing and Your Computer – Thursday, May 1, 2008
• Maximizing Your Time with a Virtual Assistant – Thursday, May 15, 2008
• Organizing Your Life, Your Way – Thursday, May 29, 2008
• Paper Management – Thursday, June 12, 2008

Click for further details and registration information

I’m looking forward to this opportunity to connect with some of my blog readers!

A couple of years ago, I was asked by a local organization to come in and teach their staff how to effectively use Microsoft Outlook. Like many people, they were given the program to use with no instruction, and as a result were only using it to send and receive email, and not making full use of the program’s many powerful features.

I devoted many hours developing a booklet to accompany the classroom training, and when my husband Scott, a certified Microsoft Office Specialist in Outlook 2003, recently joined me at Organized Assistant, one of the first tasks I assigned to him was to fine tune the material and further develop it for users wishing to learn independently.

 I’m very excited to announce that Maximizing Your Time with Microsoft Outlook 2003 is now available as an e-book! It’s full of step-by-step instructions to help you organize your messages, contacts, schedule, and activities, and to reduce the time you spend processing email. For a limited time, you can order it at a special introductory price of $5.99! For more information or to order a copy, please click on the cover image on the left.

Here it is March, and the days are getting longer - hopefully spring will be here soon! Until then, while you stay nice and warm indoors, why not check out what I’ve been writing on other blogs?

OnlineOrganizing.com - Technology as an Organizing Tool:

• Technology for Coaches
• Managing Paper Electronically
• To Scan or Not to Scan… that is the Question
• Be Prepared for Emergencies

Introvert Retreat:

• Workshops for Introverted Students
• Another Workshop for Introverts
• Preparing for Networking Events

You also won’t want to miss my latest article, Tips for Effective Time Management along with guest articles recently posted at OrganizedArticles.com.