From the Desk of Janet Barclay

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.

I have long been a believer that despite what some of the "experts" say, there is more than one way to manage time effectively, and what works well for someone else may not work for you. To prove this point, I’ve interviewed Australia’s multi-award-winning Certified Professional Resume Writer, Gayle Howard of Top Margin. Although she is outstanding at what she does, she does not in any way attribute it to her organizing skills. In fact, she admits that her typical workday begins and ends with one word — procrastination. She explains,

"I never seem to be able to do anything unless I’m under an extreme and stressful deadline, and then I can knuckle down and start working. It is almost like I am in teenage rebellion mode, but the person I’m rebelling against is myself!"

Gayle describes her daily routine as follows:

"My day starts as I stumble bleary-eyed downstairs to read my email while having a coffee around 6 am. Email tasks are usually finished by 7 am and I have the rest of my breakfast. I then get presentable to meet my public (the ones I never see!) and I pretend to start my first project for the day about 9 am — an action that kids no-one, least of all me. From 9 am to 10 am I mess around. Write two words, look for a meaning for a word on the internet, answer a query from a course student, write another two words, have a friendly email discourse with a résumé writer or two, read and respond to e-list postings, jot down a blog entry and read the newspaper. I’ll do this until a mental calculation tells me that I won’t be able to finish the writing project I have scheduled if I keep messing around one minute longer. After this mental calculation I then mess around about a half an hour longer only to panic, act surprised like I don’t know where my day could have possibly gone, and then knuckle down and start work. By 5:30 pm, I have met my deadline by finishing the work I had scheduled for that day."

Did you notice that, despite the lack of a structured time management system, Gayle is able to complete her work on time? I’m sure she is not alone in this, although I’m one of the people who needs structure if I’m going to accomplish anything. As time management guru Donald Wetmore explains it,

"There are racehorses and tortoises. Racehorses might schedule all their activities in one day, and a tortoise might spread it out. At the end of the day, both of us have accomplished the same, but gone about it differently."

On the other hand, Gayle also confesses that she finds this rather stressful. She concluded by telling me,

"Five minutes later I vow I cannot live like this and with my hand over my heart, swear it’s going to be different tomorrow. I’ve done that for the last decade and it’s starting to feel like Groundhog Day."

How about you? Are you a racehorse or a tortoise?

I received these wonderful words of wisdom by email, and when I went online to try and learn the origin, all I found were other blogs where the writer had similarly received them by email. So I’ll do the same, but I like to give credit where credit is do, so if you know where this originally came from, please let me know!

 1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

 2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

 3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

 4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘My purpose is to __________ today.’

 5. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

 6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

 7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

 8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

 9. Dream more while you are awake.

 10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

 11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

 12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

 13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

 14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, OR issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

 15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

 16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

 17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

 18. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

 19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

 20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

 21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

 22. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

 23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

 24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

 25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’

 26. Forgive everyone for everything.

 27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

 28. Remember God heals  everything.

 29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

 30. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

 31. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

 32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

 33. The best is yet to come.

 34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

 35. Do the right thing!

 36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)

 37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

 38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

 39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

 40. Please forward this to everyone you care about.  (or share it on your blog - I just did!)

 May your troubles be less,

May your blessings be more,

May nothing but happiness come through your door!

 How many of things do you do - honestly? Why not put this list somewhere where you can read it often and remind yourself that despite what life throws at you, there is always something you can do to make things better.

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.

I recently asked Karen Silins, President of A+ Career & Resume, LLC and the Association of Online Resume and Career Professionals (AORCP), about her typical workday, and she agreed to let me post the information on my blog.

A typical day for Karen includes the following activities:

• Reviewing and responding to emails
• Calling potential clients to discuss her company’s services (at a time which has been scheduled in advance, to eliminate telephone tag and ensure that both parties are able to be fully engaged in the conversation)
• Answering phone calls from potential clients and setting a time to speak with them
• Preparing for and then meeting with two to four clients daily in person or on the phone (typically a mix of coaching and resume clients)
• Taking care of any administrative activities that aren’t handled by her  Virtual Assistant (yours truly), such as planning website updates and marketing initiatives, or booking speaking engagements
• Writing resumes/cover letters, or other career documents for clients
• Networking with colleagues – sometimes lunch or dinner, sometimes a phone call or email, sometimes online networking such as LinkedIn.com
• Forwarding information to clients, such as links to assessments, questions to be answered, weekly assignments, resources (including book and website recommendations), appointment reminders, and any handouts being covering in the next appointment

In addition, she conducts evening seminars a few times a month.

Karen’s Tip:

With such a busy schedule, in order to make sure that nothing is overlooked, Karen takes time each night to review what she wants to accomplish the following day. She also does this each Sunday for the next week.  This helps her to formulate a plan that she can execute the next day or week. 

Do you have a time management tip to share?