Of 400 adults polled in a November 2008 public survey:

• 96 percent said they would save time every day by becoming more organized
• Among those 96 percent, 15 percent felt they could save more than an hour each day—for a total of more than 15 days per year—if they were more organized at home. And 30 percent felt they could save at least 30 minutes each day—or more than an entire week per year—if they were more organized at home
• 65 percent of the respondents noted that their household was at least moderately disorganized
• 27 percent said they felt disorganized at work

This is a perfect month because we are all thinking of new goals, new habits, letting go of stuff and wanting to be more productive. The stores are full of plastic storage containers and 2012 planners. It can be overwhelming to know where to start or to do it alone. Well, you don’t have to. No matter where you are there is usually a NAPO member close by.

I’m a member of NAPO and it’s great to see so many of my colleagues offering special programs for Get Organized Month. Check out the NAPO website – there might be class (many of them are free) – near you or available online or via the phone.

My personal tip to you…

Use this as an opportunity to get more organized somewhere in your life. We all need a little push sometimes. It’s not hokey or pathetic. It’s human nature!

I started this month my getting my schedule more organized and in line with how I want to live my life. Read my post on Creating an Ideal Schedule if you need this too. I also spent half a day reorganizing and clearing off my desk. I can’t tell you how much better I feel.

So…what are doing (or want to do) to get organized? 

Keep moving forward…

photo credit: Idhren

Two things occurred this week that made me ponder on life being in balance.

First, since it is early January, when I saw friends and asked them about their Christmas, many replied that they were relieved how quiet it was. Because the whole season was frantic and stressful, they kept the actual holiday weekend low-key and simple. They invariably said, “Boring but good.” I had to reply, “I agree, because we did the same thing.”

Then, in getting my bi-annual teeth cleaning, my dentist asked me if I had allergies, health issues and any life changes they should know about. My response was “No, how boring.”

In reflection, we often think of boring in a negative way. We think that nothing is going on and we are a Loser. In all truthfulness, and especially in these two cases, we should feel good and think of it in a positive way.

I am blessed to have no allergies or health issues. (Heck I just found out I still have no cavities at age 50! How many people can say that?) My friends and I are lucky to have had a reduced amount of stress at one of the busiest times of the years. We all deserve  to be boring! So now I’m looking for more ways in my own life to say “boring is good.”

Please do share…what is boring in your life that makes you feel good?

Keep moving forward…

So, what is an Ideal Schedule? It is nothing more than a written list of how you want to spend your time each day. Start by writing down, by time, how you would like your day to flow. Do this in a word processing file so you can edit it over time. Put in key activities like when you will get up, exercise, journal or have quiet time. Give a high level title to time slots you want set aside but the task changes. For instance, from 9:00 – 12:00 I call this  my “money making task” time slot. Be sure to say when you plan to end each day, especially if you are like me and can be at your desk working at a project without any concept of the time. Be aware…this is your typical daily plan. Each day of the week may look different and you plan accordingly but this should fit most days. If you actually had a day like this you’d feel real productive.

You’re not done yet though…now layout each day of the week. We all have regular meetings or tasks we do – monthly meetings, carpool pickup, coaching calls, date nights with our spouse that occur on specific days of the week.  For me, I play golf every Tuesday with the girls, attend church on Saturday nights and have set aside Wednesday’s as client days. Put these activities in by time. Then add in activities you want to ensure happen that you never seem to get around to. For me, this is scheduling time to write my book. I’ve been saying I want a book for years but I never seem to devote the time to it. One reason is, I haven’t clearly set aside set times in my calendar to write. I say it but don’t schedule it. This quarter I’ve made time on Thursday’s to do this.

Step back and look at the flow of your week using both the daily and weekly schedules. Visualize you living this schedule. Make any necessary changes if it doesn’t flow right. (You’ll never get this perfect because you and your priorities change but you can improve each time you analyze this.)

While all I said above sounds easy, and conceptually it is. What’s hard is the decisions you’ll have to make. Just do your best in this cycle. Any step forward is an improvement. That is what you are after right now. I review this each quarter or when I’m totally feeling at loose ends.

Keep moving forward…
Let me know how it works for you!

Accounting templates and company name: Change your company name in your accounting software (like QuickBooks) and it will affect all standard reports.

Bank account: Bank will have to keep all DBA’s listed in your account. See what name they will list as primary.

Bio’s:  Add your new name to company bios to show the transition – “Jane Doe has been employed with Center for Growth and Productivity since its inception in 1998, when it was called Organize & Computerize.”

Business cards and other printed collateral: Get with your graphic designer and printer. This always takes longer than expected. Your new name may also require a new logo, which will need time to be produced. You may wish to consider new company colors at this time as well.

Checks

Collateral/company handouts: You’ll have many electronic files that print out your company name.

Credit cards with the business name

Domain name: Get your new domain name. Be sure to do a domain check FIRST to make sure the appropriate name is available. Then set up your old web address to transfer automatically to your new one for a period of time to ensure a smooth transition for your new and existing customers. Or, let your old home page direct visitors to your new home page.

Email address: Setup your mail software (like Outlook) to display your new email address. Tell people to use your new address. After a while, use an autoresponder to remind people to change their address books.

Email signature file: Put a reminder of your new company name (and web address, if applicable) in all out-going e-mails.

Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Fax cover templates and forms

Fictitious Business Name: Can usually complete the form online to start the process.

Internal memo template

Letterhead and envelope templates: Any computer programs that print out your company name.

Mail delivery people: Keep them in the loop so the mail keeps flowing regardless of what company name it has on it. You still want to receive your checks!

Merchant card provider: Call them or check their website. Most likely there is a form you have to complete and you will have to provide backup paperwork such as the new DBA. This may take a few days.

Newsletter email address: Inform readers you will be changing so they can update their spam blockers. This one can be painful if not managed right, especially if you have a large list.

Phone service provider: Change the name on your account and the name that shows up on caller id.  You can usually handle this by making a call to the company.

Resale license

Return address stamp: Will need to order a new stamp.

Shipping companies: Change the name on your account and notify delivery people. Get new pre-printed shipping forms.

Shipping labels

Subscriptions: Communicate with all your subscriptions, including magazines, professional organizations and other websites.  All of them should receive your new name information and update their records.

Voicemail message: Consider using an interim message with both your old and new company names.  “You have reached the Center for Productivity, formerly called Organize & Computerize…”

Website content (your own): This can all be done in advance under your new domain name. If it’s important to show how many years you’ve been in business, list your old name somewhere.

Do you have some ideas I haven’t mentioned?  Please let me know!. As I always say: Change is a process, not an event. Good luck!

1. Add a new Sales Tax Item for the new rate. (You may have more than one.) Do NOT change the rate in the existing Sales Tax Item.  While it may look ok, it will not properly calculate your Sales Tax Liability.
2. Make the old Sales Tax Item(s) inactive.
3. In Preferences, change the sales tax field to the new Sales Tax Item.  (Edit, Preferences, Sales Tax)

Now any new invoices or sales receipts you create FOR NEW CUSTOMERS will use the new sales item.

EXISTING CUSTOMERS have a default sales tax item assigned to their record. Rather than going into each Customer, just change it as you enter transactions.  Follow these steps:

1. When you create an invoice, you will get a message that you are using an inactive item. Choose “Use it once”.
2. Enter the information in your invoice like you normally do. In the Tax field, choose the new Sales Tax Item in the drop down list.
3. When you save the invoice, you will get a message that the information has changed, with reference to the Tax Item. Click “Yes” to save this as the default for this Customer.

If you need to see a visual of all of this, check out this post at Practical QuickBooks.

Have another QuickBooks or small business issue? Don’t hesitate to ask!

This will be in effect through December 31, 2011.

With the rising cost of gasoline our government is taking action! Seems funny now that the price is starting to slip down but we still need this. Where were they a few months ago? Heck, any financial help is good right now so no complaining about the IRS.

As small business owners we often die for the opportunity to get free publicity and be interviewed by the press. Who would have known there is a scam going on out there that feeds on our very desire to be noticed? This takes everything to a new level. Click here to read all of the details on attorney Steven Berk’s site.

Many thanks go to Susan Rogan, a colleague of mine through the American Association of Daily Money Managers, who let us know about this. She was approached by these guys and for some reason her radar went off. Go Susan for asking questions and checking this out. I’m not sure I would have been so diligent.

One of the sad lessons (and reminders) for me here is to ask questions, be clear who is calling me and then quickly check them out. If my own intuition says something isn’t right, I need to listen and explore a bit deeper. Things are not always what they see.

What lesson does this bring up for you?

FLOW happens when you have a system that works. It brings results with minimal resistance. Things just happen…

Like I said, you know when you have the feeling of FLOW. If you aren’t sure how you feel, then quickly ask yourself what your FLOW Meter is saying right now. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being high. If you are a 4 or 5, great! Keep doing what you’re doing.

If you gave yourself a 1 – 3 rating, then its time to figure out some alternatives so you can feel the positive FLOW of life again.

Here’s a four step process to get yourself back into forward momentum. Take out a sheet paper and actually write down your answers. Our minds process better when we see the options in front of us.

1. Focus on the problem. Ask yourself, “What is stopping my FLOW?” Get clarity on the actual problem.
2. List your options. Assess your alternatives and ask, “What can I do differently?” We always have alternatives. If you need help, ask someone you trust for ideas.
3. Outline your resources. Step back and think about “Who or what can I use to help?” Contrary to how many of us think, you don’t have to do it alone. It could be people or tools.
4. Work on the plan. It’s not enough to think about when and how to make a change – take action! You have to get started,

So when you find yourself zig zagging around, think FLOW. Stop to consider ways to get back in FLOW.

Let me know how this works for you!

Image attribution: Rod Allday via Wikimedia Commons

“What is the best accounting software to use for the MAC?”  

I was asked this question this week. The person has a small business, uses a MAC and wants to use the best accounting software on the market. They want to make a smart buying decision, since face it, you live in your accounting software. They don’t want to run any Windows-based software in a parallel mode. Their small business, while simple now, is poised for grow this year. Intuit products (QuickBooks for small businesses and Quicken for personal finances) are the leader in the PC world. My criteria for “best accounting software” is well supported by a stable company, been in the market for a while and appears near the top of the list in purchases.

While I am familiar with Quicken Essential for the MAC to handle personal finances, I am not quite so familiar with small business accounting software for the MAC. So…I did some quick research. I put the question out to my colleagues at AADMM (American Association of Daily Money Managers) and the Financial Organizing Special Interest Group for NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers). I also did some quick searches on Google and looked to see what was selling best in MAC accounting software at Amazon.

The answer came back…QuickBooks for MAC! (As of this writing the current version is QuickBooks 2011).

Boy was I both surprised and happy. Surprised that someone else isn’t giving Intuit a run for their money in the Apple world and happy because I can work QuickBooks in my sleep. I like when I can refer something I know. It’s a great product for the price and can do (or be made to do) just about everything a small business needs. So, my recommendation for the best accounting software on the MAC is QuickBooks.

Amazon has the best price, beating out the QuickBooks website. Here is the link to save you time.

An easy solution is to save the file as a PDF type file. If all you need to do is create an occasional PDF file, then you probably don’t need to purchase the Adobe software to perform this task. (You probably have the free Adobe reader to view files but can’t create them.)

If your computer or office suite software doesn’t already have something, we suggest using PDF995, available for free at www.pdf995.com. It installs a print driver so when you want a PDF-type file, you print to the PDF995 printer and the file is saved in a PDF format ready for you to attach to an email and send.

For $9.95 you can purchase the software so you don’t see the advertising banner – for many occasional users this is no problem. Some other free PDF tools place a footer in your document listing the name of the product until you purchase the software. PDF995 doesn’t do this.

I’m sure there are others out there but this product works!

(This was originally posted in 2005 but I can still recommend the tool today.)

photo credit: Kirsty Andrews