July 12th, 2010
Came across a great article today on Yahoo, written by Larry Buhl for Yahoo Hot Jobs! In this article the author provides some good arguments for maintaining an organized space because the alternative sends a message that you may not intend to broadcast to your co-workers, boss, clients, potential clients, etc. Do you really want your messy office to send the message that “They should avoid doing business with you. Evidence: Messy piles of papers on every surface. Half-eaten donuts atop teetering stacks of binders. Carpet stains.
Experts agree that a messy office can seriously damage your reputation as a conscientious person. “It’s hard to function in a messy office, and people assume your office chaos will spill over to their project and their files will be lost in your mess,” Pachter says.
Gosling pointed to research that shows people read much more than they should into a messy office. “People think that someone with a messy office is less agreeable, which may not be accurate. My guess is, people assume a mess is inconsiderate.”
A little office organization goes a long way to sending a message to your boss that you can handle more responsibility and could lead to additional income and a better career track. Studies show that co-workers, clients and prospects have more trust in those workers that project productivity with an orderly desk and office space. Added benefit is that you personally will enjoy working in an organized office and may even be able to get out of the office earlier which means more time for family, friends and fun!
Posted in Office Organizing, Personal Productivity, Productivity Tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »
February 16th, 2010
Have you ever spent countless hours whining and worrying about completing a project only to find that in reality the project was easier than you thought? Did you find that once you were forced by the looming deadline that in the 11th hour the actions required to complete the project weren’t half as bad as you anticipated? We have all done it – spent countless hours whining about completing a project or task only to end up wasting lots of time through procrastination. Generally we find a way to get the project done and after the fact wish we had acted sooner so that the quality of our work was of a higher caliber. We also realize that we could have saved ourselves a lot of stress if we had taken action instead of procrastinating. Make a commitment with yourself to stop whining and wasting and start being productive. Rather than focusing on the whole project just think of the next step in the process and commit to completing that one step. After that focus on the step that follows and complete it. You will find it is much easier to tackle a big project one step at a time. Another strategy is to set a timer and commit to working on the project for just 30 minutes of focused time. You will find that it is most often the start that stops most of us so just get started. At Hansen Bolane Consulting, Inc. we believe that your life is the sum of how you spend your time – spend it wisely. Check out our e-books and we will help you go from surviving to thriving!
Tags: Procrastination, project management, stop whining, task management, Time Management
Posted in Personal Productivity, Procrastination, Productivity Tips, Time Management, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
February 6th, 2010
Here is a great find this week…a new book hit Amazon.com, it’s called Tweeners. The book is written by first-time author Wendy Matthews. Tweeners are the generation caught in a cycle where careers have either peaked or jobs have evaporated, and yet there’s still plenty of energy and drive to do more. Who among us hasn’t changed careers at some point? It’s a common occurrence and with the economy shifting in the last year or so, many people were forced to change direction. For inspiration on career changes, Tweeners is a great read. You can learn more about some of the amazing career changes covered in the book by visiting tweenerworld.com.
Tags: Career Change
Posted in Goal Achieving, Inspiration, planning | 1 Comment »
January 28th, 2010
Personal Productivity is the key to having the life of your dreams. You know the one where you have less stress and you don’t feel like a hamster on a wheel that never stops and you actually have leisure time! Many of us spend hours writing long laundry lists of all the things we have to do. We may scratch off a few of the easy things each day and then rewrite another list the next day with all those things we haven’t yet accomplished and quite a few additional ones that popped up since the last list. This massive laundry list of To-Do items doesn’t help us get any closer to accomplishing the important goals we have for ourselves.
Personal Productivity is achieved by identifying important goals, breaking these goals into manageable tasks and a series of next steps or actions, prioritizing them and then scheduling time to complete them on your calendar and finally taking action in the order of importance to insure completion. Sounds simple enough, right? So why do so many of us feel constantly busy but rarely like we are making progress?
For many of us it’s because we don’t know where to start or how to break the patterns and habits we follow every day. The first step is to commit to making a change because as the saying goes if you keep doing what you have always done you will keep getting what you have always gotten. If you want more, then focus on instituting Personal Productivity techniques. The best rule to implement is to prevent procrastination and you can do this by taking one step that will move you forward immediately. Break every project into a series of smaller tasks and just focus on completing the first step. Do this every day and the big project becomes manageable and your goals become achievable.
At Hansen Bolane Consulting, Inc. we believe in the power of taking steps everyday that move you towards your goals. Focus on improving your personal productivity and you will be rewarded with less stress and greater results. Live the life of your dreams!
Tags: Busy vs. Productive, Personal Productivity
Posted in Goal Achieving, Personal Productivity, Productivity Tips, Uncategorized | No Comments »
January 21st, 2010
If you have been thinking about getting your home or office pulled together, now is the time to do it. The Container Store is having a great sale on their elfa shelving system (30% off the system and installation). We don’t get any kickback for promoting this, we just think it’s a really great incentive to get your storage spaces looking and operating more efficiently. Happy Shopping!
Tags: Storage space
Posted in Productivity Tips, Storage, planning | No Comments »
January 14th, 2010
As Productivity experts we research the many varied tools that are on the market promising to help you gain control over your desk and your time. Microsoft OneNote is a tool that stands out to us and one we use and have recommended to many of our satisfied clients. Used in conjunction with Microsoft Outlook, OneNote can help you become more productive by linking projects, notes and lists into actionable items on your calendar. OneNote is a digital notebook that provides one place to gather notes and information coupled with a powerful search tool so that you can quickly and easily find what you are looking for. Unlike paper-based systems, word processing programs, e-mail systems, or other productivity programs, Microsoft Office OneNote 2007 delivers the flexibility to gather and organize text, pictures, digital handwriting, screen clippings, audio and video recordings, and more — all in one digital notebook on your computer. This program is rich in features and benefits and we highly recommend that you give it a try. You can download a FREE 60 day trial of the program from the Microsoft website. Here’s to improving your Personal Productivity in 2010.
Tags: Business Productivity, Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft Outlook, Personal Productivity
Posted in Productivity Tips, Technology, Time Management | No Comments »
January 7th, 2010
Happy New Year to you! We love this time of year – everyone is optimistic, setting new goals and trying new things. Are you considering new habits for 2010? Besides the typical resolutions to lose weight, get organized and improve finances – here are some additional ways to revamp you and your life:
~ update your contact database with new addresses, better yet combine all the addresses, phone numbers and emails in one location.
~ review and update your birthday calendar and pre-buy birthday cards for the next few months, don’t forget the stamps!
~ take out all the loyalty cards in your wallet and assess which ones you really still use, get rid of the cards you didn’t use last year.
~ photocopy your license, credit and bank cards (front and back) and keep them in a safe place, you never know when you will lose your wallet or heaven forbid it gets stolen!
~ Speaking of accidents, review your insurance policies and make sure they still fit your needs.
~ Even though it’s January, you should start thinking about April also known as tax month.
It’s amazing how doing little things like this make you feel prepared, ready and confident for the days ahead. Another way to prepare for the year ahead is to improve your personal productivity. There are lots of ways to be more effective with your time and energy, in fact – we wrote the manual on it, literally. Check out our Executive Productivity Accelerator Program and make this year a more productive year!
Tags: Personal Productivity
Posted in Goal Achieving, Productivity Tips, Uncategorized, planning | No Comments »
October 19th, 2009
National Business Women’s Week is October 19th to the 25th this year. Since 1928 this event has provided an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of working women. We are honored to be women in business and want to congratulate all our fellow women in business for the work they do, the contributions they make and the sacrifies that come with balancing a family and a career.
Tags: Goal Achieving, Inspiration, National Business Women's Week
Posted in Goal Achieving, Inspiration | No Comments »
August 24th, 2009
Are you a planner? Are you making your Thanksgiving and Christmas airline reservations right now? If not, there is no need to worry. Retail establishments will push you to consider the next few months even if you weren’t planning on thinking that far ahead. This past weekend, I went to do some back to school shopping with my daughter, only to learn that it’s Halloween shopping time too. Now, we have had a few conversations about Halloween and what she wants to be this year but I thought I’d start looking for costumes in September. Oh no my friends, it’s August 24th and in 68 days my daughter will be a pink butterfly. Done. On the one hand, this seems shocking even to me – a planner by nature – that we have a Halloween costume decided on and purchased 2 months before it’s needed. On the other hand, it’s nice to have this decision made and taken care. Now we can worry about more pressing issues, like what kind of birthday cake my daughter wants for her birthday (just a mere 4 months away). Without even consciously trying, I am raising a planner – just last week she wrote a letter to Santa asking for rollerskates for Christmas. This is our new realty – live in the now…as long as you were planning it 3 months ago.
Tags: planning, Time Management
Posted in Time Management, planning | No Comments »
July 7th, 2009
Michael Jackson
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that last week Michael Jackson passed away. This came as a shock to everyone. Not only because Michael Jackson is a cultural icon but because he was only 50 years old. Two of the most important lessons we can learn from death is that you can’t take your ’stuff’ with you AND you need to have your legal affairs in order.
Take a moment to look around you and look at the ’stuff’ in your life. What do you really need? What can you get rid off? What can you donate? What can you live without? Once you take the time to do this, you will be left with what is most important to you, what helps you live your best life possible.
The second and maybe most important lesson is, you really need to have your legal affairs in order. You should have a will, trust or some kind of legal provision for what should happen to your children, assets, investments and ’stuff’. Be responsible, learn from Michael Jackson’s untimely death – take precautions today because tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Tags: Estate Planning
Posted in Estate Planning | No Comments »
