Your Chief Simplicity Officer

IRS Audit Red Flags: The Dirty Dozen - Kiplinger

2012-01-23T23:59:00.000-08:00

As tax season approaches, this article will either soothe your fears or help you make sure you have the documentation you need. Good for small business owners as well as individuals.

IRS Audit Red Flags: The Dirty Dozen - Kiplinger

Tip: book mark this link; the info is updated annually.

Ask a Stupid Question Day

2012-01-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

I've just discovered September 28th is Ask a Stupid Question Day. How much fun could you have with that!

This and lots more is included in a FREE downloadable calendar from AWeber. It's meant for marketers to use to create fun ads, but I can also see using it to create parties or office contests around that day's or month's theme (did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month in the US?).

The calendar also includes major public holidays in several countries (US, Canada, the UK and Australia).

You can add this to your own Google Calendar or download it to your computer calendar. Here's where to go for more info and/or to download: Aweber .

If you download it to your Outlook, iCal, or Google calendar, make sure you create a separate calendar (for instance, name it Promotions or Event Ideas) first. Then download info into that calendar. That allows you to easily filter whether or not you see that info by checking or unchecking the 'show calendar' box.

Have fun with this. Would love your comments on how you might use this.

I can't stand that once I clean out my inbox, there's just more right behind it...

2012-01-02T14:32:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought 'I can't stand that once I clean out my inbox, there's just more right behind it, ready to fill it up again!'? One of my client success stories in 2011 was a busy professional with this problem, times two (paper and email).

Our solution was multi-step. Two of the most successful strategies were:

radically reduce the amount of paper coming in, signing up for e-delivery whenever possible (sounds counter-intuitive, but read on)
Set up rules in email to auto delete the e-deliveries he would never read anyway (caution: note the 'from' email address, it is usually slightly different for different types of mail, even from the same corporate sender - so you can auto-delete the notification of a new prospectus without auto-deleting a personal message from your broker, for instance. By law the brokerage has to send you the prospectus, you can't opt out, but you do have the choice of paper or email delivery.)

The easy way to implement this strategy is daily, as you scan your mail. If you find yourself tossing envelopes aside (or in the trash or shredder) without opening them, ask yourself if the information is available easily available online (a bank statement, prospectus, or health insurance statement, for instance). If yes, this is a good candidate to 'go paperless'. You will need to spend a few minutes setting up online access, if you have not already done so, and verifying you can find the same information on the website, but that's a one-time investment of your time for never having to deal with a pile of paper statements again. [one caution - if you close an account, you may not be able to access the closed account statements online. Make sure you download what you need before closing the account].

And, for heaven's sake, sign up for auto-pay and paperless delivery of your utility bills. If you really want to check your usage, it's available online.

The payoff? After a very busy December, when all he was doing was throwing new mail on his desk for 28 days, this client had only a small pile of mail to sort through on Dec 28, half of which were holiday cards. The entire processing time for 4 weeks worth of mail took him 1 hour. For you math whizzes, that's less than 2 1/2 minutes per day.

Maura Raffensperger offers Inbox Simplicity, taking you from angst to ease in minutes a day. Call or email me if you would like to learn more about this program. 805-616-2466

Leadership and White Space

2011-05-23T11:42:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you checked off everything on your daily to-do list? Most of us are unrealistic when we schedule our day. That's why I found my head nodding as I read this article; if you've worked with me or heard me speak, you know that I make a point of reminding you that the average person can complete 10 tasks in 8 hours. And those 10 tasks include the unscheduled tasks that inevitably crop up - a new client calling, or an unexpected request from your boss. That's why you schedule a maximum of only 7 tasks a day - to allow for the unexpected, and still finish your day with aplomb.

Here are the two statements in the article that had me nodding:

One of the easiest things for leaders to do is to bite off more than they can chew. Fact: bright, talented executives with a bias to action will often take on more than they should. These leaders don’t understand the value of white space.

Is your rubber-band stretched so tight that it’s about to snap? Efficiency and productivity are not found working at or even near capacity. Rather entering the productivity zone is found working at about 60% to 70% of capacity. Operating in excess of that threshold will cause increased stress, lack of attention to detail and errant decisioning. The old “what if I only had ‘x’ number of hours to work in a week, what would I focus on?” exercise is a good one.

Read the full article here: Leadership and White Space

Are you trapped on the technology treadmill?

2011-04-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the technology treadmill - the new virtual world where we all work harder but get less done and where our hopes and dreams are dashed on our high-tech keyboards because we don't have time to pursue them.

New research suggests that technological tools are hard on our brains. Our brains get worn out from responding to their incessant demands. Eventually we lose our ability to concentrate on any one task for more than a few minutes which in turn impairs our ability to perform complex tasks and devise creative solutions to problems.

Studies in which people's brains are scanned while multi-tasking clearly show that switching between tasks consumes a large portion of the brain's processing capacity.

Despite the fact that we seem to be working faster when we rapidly switch between tasks, studies find that people produce less. For example, in one study students took 40% longer to solve math problems when they switched back and forth between other tasks.

read entire article by Myra White: Are you trapped on the technology treadmill?

Desktop Diaries

2011-03-09T08:07:00.000-08:00

Check out theoretical physicist and mathematician Brian Greene's spartan desk in this 3 minute video.

Scifri Videos: Topics: all

I love this inspired occasional series "Desktop Diaries" from the radio show Science Friday. First of all, I'm a sucker for science and scientists (My father actually was a rocket scientist). Secondly, it's fascinating to see (and hear analysis - these are scientists, after all) what makes different people productive. Brian Greene, for instance, finds that clear space stimulates his creativity. On the other hand, Oliver Sacks, in another Desktop Diaries video, surrounds himself with favorite objects.

While watching the video, note the 2 laptops and large monitor on the desk - many studies attest to the increased productivity of dual monitors, and it is very easy to set up a second monitor with any modern computer.

See what ideas you can pick up to improve your workspace while enjoying a truly fun and stimulating 3 minute video.

Stand-up desk options

2011-02-23T22:26:00.001-08:00

Do you prefer to stand when you work? I have several clients who do. Unfortunately, stand-up desk options can be expensive. But Harvard Health Newsletters has a great overview of a range of Stand-up desk options that are affordable and stylish.

Annual Office Clean-Out: Rethinking Your Equipment

2010-08-25T01:14:00.000-07:00

Can you find six differences between the before and after pictures of my desk? Over time, I had let outdated equipment remain, and the result is evident in the before photo. The after picture is at the bottom of this post - see if you can find the changes before reading on.

Before the Clean-Out.

Wow, seeing the clear desk space is energizing.

Here's how I analyzed what needed to change:

The desktop computer would only run a few minutes at a time before a system error would shut it down. I held onto it to make sure I had transferred all the files - but after six months, I hadn't needed anything on the CPU. It was time to let it go.
When was the last time you needed a fax machine? Last year, I eliminated the dedicated fax line because I so seldom used it. I figure I may need a fax machine twice a year, so it does not need to take up valuable space on my desk. I moved it to another room. [I briefly considered moving it to my office closet, but then I would have to reconnect it to an outlet and phone line when I wanted to use it, which effectively meant it would be too much of a hassle to use].
Now I had space to move the flat screen monitor to the stand where the fax had been. That allowed me to hook it up to my laptop and increase my productivity with a double monitor set-up.
The desk lamp has needed to be repaired since I tried to add a new harp and discovered that I had to pull the entire lamp apart to do so. It's now too wobbly to hold a shade. It's off to the repair shop.
Without a desktop computer, I eliminated the keyboard. The keyboard tray is now available for storage of an older laptop I use for my accounting.
The obsolete CD's I had been storing on top of the CPU are now boxed up to send for recycling.
In the process of unplugging old equipment, I found (and removed) a charger for a Palm PDA I no longer own. I was able to plug all but four pieces of equipment (modem, router, phone, and answering machine) into a second power strip that I can turn off after hours and reduce electrical use.

Take a few moments and review the equipment on your desk and in your office. What is there out of habit, not necessity? What needs to be repaired? Would moving items make you more efficient?

Make it fun and take a before photo (an added benefit is that you may see what needs to change easier in a photo - our eyes filter out things in 'real life' that are glaringly obvious in a photo). Share your before and after photos in the comment section below this blog post; your photo and comments may help someone else make progress.

P.S. If your company would like to schedule an Office Clean-Out, call me to discuss scheduling a half-day training/goal-setting session few weeks prior. That way your employees have clear-cut objectives, their questions have been answered, and they are at maximum effectiveness during the Clean-Out.

Call 805-382-4920 to discuss training options.

Annual Office Clean-Out: The Electronics Graveyard

2010-08-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

This tip is counter-intuitive - it won't save you time or effort. It will, however, transfer unused old equipment to someone who can use it, possibly net you a few dollars, and clear out your office junk closet. You know, the place you throw old adaptors, computers, phones, etc. 'just in case' you need them again.

I spent the evening on E-Bay, listing for sale a partial box of 90 minute blank audio cassettes, an AC adaptor for a digital camera that died, and a RF modulator. All had been residing in my office closet for over a year. E-Bay is offering free insertion fees for up to 100 auction-style listings until September 7. That means you pay nothing unless your item sells. Next week, I'll let you know how I did.

Larger companies should check out RecycleMatch, which allows you to list your materials and find a match of someone looking for those materials.

If my items don't sell, I'll list them on Craig's list for free. vcmax.org is another resource where I can list items for free. I start with E-Bay because they have a larger potential audience, thus a better chance at finding someone who can use the items. Also, all the items I listed are small enough to ship easily. Craig's list is more local, but fine for items you don't want to ship. When listing free items, I always stipulate 'must pick-up'.

I'm also collecting old CD's for recycling. Flash drives are much better storage devices, and can be used over and over. Unfortunately, that leaves a lot of CD's sitting in offices and in desks. CD Recycling Center has recycling programs for individuals, companies, and corporations with multiple locations.

I encourage you to spend a few minutes identifying what unused equipment is lurking in your closet or desk, and use one of these resources to find them new homes.

Read Final Post in Office Clean-Out Series

Annual Office Clean-Out: Retention Guidelines

2010-08-12T02:39:00.000-07:00

There are two major obstacles when you clean out files: one is getting started (you've done that, right?), and two is knowing how long to keep documents.

The work is much faster when you have retention guidelines to follow. Follow the link to see a CPA firm recommended File Retention Guidelines for individuals and businesses. It's not perfect (it seems to be ignoring electronic record keeping) but it's a start. The IRS will accept electronic registers, and your bank keeps electronic copies of checks for at least three years, so paper copies are generally not necessary.

File retention guidelines become more important as the size of the business increases, since the default is for employees to keep information when there are no guidelines. A large corporation may have retention guidelines (although often the majority of staff are unaware of their existence), so ask before starting your office clean out, and make sure staff understand them.

If no guidelines exist, suggest your employees write down questions as they occur. Have daily recap meetings to discuss and answer these questions, and use the answers to begin creating written retention guidelines.

Two other common situations:

Large files - The file in the picture is 2 inches thick (yes, it's one of mine - before purging). How likely is it you can find what you need quickly? The solution is to create subcategories as you purge the file, each subcategory in a new file, so that no file is thicker than 3/4 inch.

Finally, in an office setting, it's amazing how often, when I ask why someone is keeping certain files, the answer is "They were left here by my predecessor, and I didn't know what was important". After more questioning, it turns out the files in question have not been looked at in over two years. The good news is that these files are very quick to purge, since they obviously haven't been used. Presto - lots of extra space!

Now that you have a plan of action for the paper in your office, next week we will move on to analyzing your office equipment.

Share your progress, tips, and questions as comments to this post so others can learn from your experience.

Annual Office Clean-Out: The Files

2010-08-10T01:45:00.000-07:00

Second in a series . . .

Where did I begin? The file drawer that was packed so tightly I couldn't get a paper in (or out) without a fight.

Tools needed:

recycling bin
shredder or container that will be picked up by shredding company
note pad or computer document to capture ideas & connections that occur as you purge

Step One was planning how many files to purge a day. 6 daily times 22 work days in August = 132 files. That covers all but my client files. I'm willing to wait until next year to tackle them.

Note the pink movable adhesive flag in the photo. That's how I kept track of where I had stopped purging files. It made it easy to know where to begin the next day.

In a large company, each employee would purge their personal files, and each department would assign teams of two to winnow designated sections of shared files.

Step Two was determining how 'deep' to purge. Because of a family illness, I skipped my annual office clean out last year, so I chose to look at each paper in every file this year. Some people look at just the papers in the back (if you consistently file the most recent papers in front, the oldest papers are in the back of each file). The goal is to end up with 3-4 inches of space in a drawer, to allow for file growth until your next purge.

Step Three was to honestly assess the future usefullness of each paper. 80% of what we file, we never look at again; 50% of our files, on average, are duplicates of what's already there. And the truth is that nowadays, if I want to find a piece of information, I'm much more likely to Google than I am to look in my files.

As I finished a drawer, I placed a removable label (Avery makes these) on the inside front of the drawer, with the date of the purge. If you can't get to all your files this year, it makes it easy to remember where you want to focus next year.

I encourage you to share your tips, discoveries, challenges and triumphs with other readers by adding comments to this post.

to be continued . . .

Annual Office Clean-Out: The Working Simply Guide

2010-08-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

It's time for my annual office clean-out, and I'm inviting you to follow me as I work through the process in my office.

3 Big Advantages of an Annual Clean-out:

Spur Creativity - As you look through your files (and piles), you will be reminded of ideas you have forgotten and make connections between ideas. Keep a sheet of paper on your desk or a file on your computer to jot down the ideas as they occur.
Create Space - in the example below, the client gained over 1/3 more space in a drawer, and that's normal. Imagine not just your file drawers, but your entire office with more 'white space'.
Increase Focus - with space comes the ability to focus and work without distraction.

Why do you need an annual clean-out? At a client's this morning, we discovered a drawer with 19 files. In 10 minutes, 7 of those files (37%) were discarded because they were obsolete. That's just a file drawer - in the coming weeks, I will also walk you through the process of evaluating your current equipment and optimizing your office set-up. By the end of August, you should be ready to jump into September truly ready to work more simply.

Who has annual clean-outs?

Large companies- often scheduled as one day solely focused on the clean-out. Dumpsters are rented, lunch is supplied, and prizes given for the department dumping the most weight.
Small companies - have more flexibility, and can schedule smaller blocks of time over a week or more. Individuals can work together or can stagger their purging time.
Solopreneurs and Home Offices - my suggestions is to treat this as a month-long project, and schedule small amounts of daily time in a month that is traditionally slow.

If you, like me, feel relieved when you can recycle rather than dump, I will also give tips on finding new homes for your discards.

Every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of August, I will blog on one phase of the clean-out, including how I think through and analyze what needs to change. The goal is to give you tips you can implement, and spur you to action as you learn the steps to become more 'lean' as you follow my real-life example.

P.S. If your company would like to schedule an Office Clean-Out, call me to discuss scheduling a half-day training/goal-setting session a few weeks prior. That way your employees have clear-cut objectives, their questions have been answered, and they are at maximum effectiveness during the Clean-Out.

Call 805-382-4920 to discuss training options.

Read next post in series

Simple Time Management Ideas from Great Teachers

2010-06-15T00:04:00.000-07:00

If you ever wonder how much difference streamlining a few seconds from a process can make, here's an example frm the book Teach Like a Champion:

I often start my workshops with a great video of a teacher named Doug McCurry, teaching his students to pass out papers. And he has them pass them back and forth, and when they pass them out in 10 seconds, he says: Pretty good - back in in eight. And one of the interesting things about this is the kids are so happy. They're really enjoying this. They love the challenge.

But people often respond to that video negatively at first, and they say, well, shouldn't he why is he doing that in the classroom? Shouldn't he be teaching the causes of the Civil War or adding fractions with unlike denominators?

And then you do the math on it. I ask them: How long does it take, in a typical classroom, for a group of kids to pass out, pass in or receive papers passed out from a teacher? And ordinarily, a group of teachers will say a minute, a minute and a half. Sometimes the numbers are higher.

So if Doug can do that in 20 seconds or 30 seconds and save a minute every time, and you pass out and collect papers 10 times a day in a typical student's life, for 190 school days, 1,900 minutes, you know, divided by, let's say, a seven-hour school day, it's something like four-and-a-half days of additional instruction with which - which Doug can use to address the causes of a Civil War or adding fractions with unlike denominators.

Read the full transcript (or listening to a recording) of the interview with the author, Doug Lemov.

Creative Time Management from WOMENOMICS

2010-05-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

If you are a woman struggling with work/life balance, this book sounds like a winner:

NAWBO :: A Conversation with Claire Shipman and Katty Kay, authors of WOMENOMICS:

"Can you give examples from your own careers on how you employed some of the techniques that you lay out in WOMENOMICS?
Katty: On big issues—I’ve used so many! I’ve forced myself to redefine success—and then I’ve actually acted on it. When the BBC wanted me to take a full-time anchor job—I turned them down, and told them I could only do it 4 days a week. I never thought they’d say yes, but they did. And on the small stuff, I employ Womenomics every day. I never attend meetings that aren’t necessary. In fact, I’m only in the office when I truly need to be. I think constantly about strategic yeses and nos—and I ALWAYS take my holidays!"

The Perils of Texting

2010-04-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

A riddle for you:
How do you know your intended recipient receives your text message?

The easy answer is they text you back. Unfortunately, that not the whole story. Turns out, unlike calling a phone number that's not in service, or a bounce message if an email mailbox is full, you get no notice that a subscriber has chosen not to receive text messages. To you, the text looks like it goes through just fine, but your recipient never even gets a notice you tried to send them a message.

I learned this the hard way when a client texted me to say she was ill and need to postpone an appointment. I had blocked text messages on my cell phone, and had never indicated to anyone that texting was a way to communicate with me (even more interesting was the fact that she just assumed my office number (a land line) was a cell phone - talk about generational differences). However, in a subsequent call to AT&T, I learned that there is no notice when a text message does not go through.

Texting can be a terrific way to stay in touch, but don't rely on it to reach someone if you haven't verified with them a) they can receive text and b) they prefer to be contacted this way.

Do Your Systems Still Fit?

2010-04-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest deterrents to efficiency is holding on to systems that no longer fit. It can be as simple as what you regularly carry in your purse or briefcase, on up to a corporate-wide policy. And you may not even realize you have a system in place until a change occurs that throws it out of whack.

That occurred for me when I bought an iPhone. I was immediately in love with my new phone. Not only was it easy to use, but suddenly I had access to my email when I was out of the office. In fact, it was easier to check email than my voice mail. Which was fine, except I had told all my clients that the best way to reach me quickly was to call my office number, which I regularly checked for messages. Time to update what I tell my clients - I have a new system.

One Small Step Simplifies Project Completion

2010-04-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

What has been sitting on (or under) your desk for weeks? You know, to remind you to complete it. A client tells me the following tip helped her.

She had a box of ambiguously labelled CD's sitting under her desk for over a month. She didn't want to toss them until she was sure she had transferred their contents to her computer, but the mini-project kept being bypassed. I simply asked her to estimate the time it would take to determine what was on each CD, and check if the files were on her computer. She estimated 10 minutes. Multiply that by 19, the number of CD's in the box, and the total is 190 minutes, or 3 hours and 10 minutes. She wrote the time estimate on a sticky note, and placed it on the box. Of course, the project does not need to be completed all at once; anytime she has ten minutes, she can whittle away one CD. Just that one step, estimating the time involved, removed a huge unseen obstacle for her. She immediately made time estimates for a few other mini-projects that had been sitting on her desk, and used a sticky note reminder on each one.

Other solutions to consider:

This particular project would be easy to delegate.
Is it worth the time spent? Could you just let the CD's go?
What would prevent this extra work in the future? Perhaps a simple "transferred" written on the label.

Simplifying Life on the Road

2010-04-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

John Ireland knows a few things about living out of a suitcase; as the Los Angeles Lakers' courtside TV reporter for CBS-TV Channel 2 and KCAL-TV Channel 9, Ireland spends nearly a third of his life running in and out airports and hotels.

"The best piece of advice I can give is simple: one bag. I have put all of the little things that might come up on a trip in that bag. I have all of the toiletries I use, a pair of workout shoes, some flip flops, portable iPod speakers, and an ethernet cord. Every time I go on a trip, I only need to pack the clothes I wear — that's it. I have all the charge cords I need in there, extra pairs of shoelaces, Power Bars.... It's turned into a survival bag of sorts."

Full article: a Lakers courtside reporter offers tips for simplifying life on the road - latimes.com

Green Sex - Medhelp Health Videos

2010-04-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Couldn't help but laugh at this Earth Day themed marketing, but don't discount this website - there are helpful checklists and tools for headaches & migraines; mood; sleep and many other issues that can affect our productivity.

Green Sex - Medhelp Health Videos

Nancy Drew Mystery in the Garage

2010-03-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

John Muir was speaking of the Sierras, but he could have been referring to my remodeling plans. As I keep reminding my husband, we need to look on this as an opportunity to simplify. Our new mantra is "If we had to move, would we take it with us?". It's actually very freeing.

It all started with two plumbing leaks last summer. We decided to re-pipe our condo, and since that requires opening up walls, it was a good opportunity to make a few more changes we had been contemplating. Unfortunately, that means no room will be untouched, which means we need to store most everything in the garage, so . . . we spent half of Saturday cleaning the garage.

By US standards, our garage is not bad; it's a two-car garage, and we park two cars in it. I enticed Dave with the thought we could do the purging an hour at a time. The first hour we pulled down empty electronics boxes from the rafters - Dave insists we keep the box for every piece of electronics that we own. After 21 years, there were quite a few for things we no longer had. Those were broken down and went into the recycling bin. The others will come in handy to store our electronics during the remodel (Dave was quite pleased to hear me say "You were right, saving these boxes did come in handy." He asked me to repeat it several times.)

There were some unexpected finds - like the termites that had eaten the inside of one of the cardboard boxes. So now the termite inspector comes Thursday. That was Day 1 of the garage purge.

Day 2 we found the household hazardous waste we had been saving to "someday" take to a collection day. Old paint, oil, and chemicals. I made the appointment and dropped off our small box Saturday. We also had a case of unopened 20/50 weight oil that was for 2 cars ago. The easiest solution was to add it to the household hazardous waste, but I hate to add something to the waste stream that is still usable. Turns out the hazardous waste site has a special place for unopened materials - they invite the public to come and take what they need, and I was told engine oil is usually snapped up. Another item off my list!

Then there was the box of 36 (now vintage) Nancy Drew books. I loved these books as a girl, and was saving them for the daughter I never had. It was time to let them go. They're now on e-Bay. Five bids already, and I'm donating 15% of the sale price to Habitat for Humanity (if you're interested - search e-Bay for "Nancy Drew books - lot of 36").

On his part, Dave cashed in the two boxes of copper pennies he'd been saving forever. After a trip to the bank, he's now $87 richer from those 8700 pennies. Now he just needs to deal with the stash he has in his closet. Then he can take me out for that mojito he promised me.

There were quite a few boxes with Styrofoam packing peanuts. Those I took to our local AIM mailing center; they are happy to re-use the peanuts.

I was feeling quite pleased with my efforts to keep what I could out of the waste stream, so I felt a treat was in order. Michael Pollan (Food Rules: An Eater's Manual) would not be happy, but I enjoyed my Peeps. And the garage has empty space.

Is Self-Control Contagious?

2010-03-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

Think you can't change? Surround yourself with people who model the behavior you want to emulate.

A new study by Michelle van Dellen, a psychologist at the University of Georgia, concluded that self-control does in fact have a social component and the ability to resist temptation is contagious.

In one study, a group of students watched an individual choose a carrot instead of a cookie, while the other group watched an individual eat the cookie instead of the carrot. Next, the students were put through a test of self-control and those who watched the individual choose the carrot displayed more discipline than those who watched the individual eat the cookie. The behavior of the students reinforces the idea that RESISTING TEMPTATION IS CONTAGIOUS.

read full article: Is Self-Control Contagious?

Greener Buildings = Fewer Sick Days

2010-02-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

In a study of 154 LEED-certified and Energy-Star rated office buildings, 45 percent of the tenants responding reported taking fewer sick days since moving into their green digs, and 54 percent felt more productive."When buildings are LEED certified, they tend to have more daylight, better ventilation, and cleaner air," explained study coauthor Norm Miller of the University of San Diego.

Source: Jan/Feb 2010 Sierra Magazine

Of course, some of us are lucky enough to get the above benefits by opening a window . . .

3 Simple Systems That Saved My Sanity

2010-02-08T08:09:00.000-08:00

My life changed dramatically in August 2009 when my 87 year old father fell and required surgery. He was in the hospital for 10 days, then rehab until Oct. 28. What with visiting, acting as patient advocate, and setting up systems to support his return home, I was spending two- three days a week in Santa Barbara. At one point I realized the irony that I was making sure my mother had groceries, but hadn't had time to do my own grocery shopping in 6 weeks.

Thank goodness I already had three systems in place that really saved my sanity:

Bill pay and direct deposit - Before my husband and I went to Australia for three weeks in March of 2009, we reviewed our checking account to see what bills we needed to be sure were paid while we were gone. What a relief to realize that all but one bill (the credit card) was already set up for automatic bill pay, and my husband's paychecks were on direct deposit. There was no extra work we needed to do. This automation was an additional blessing when I was consumed with my father's illness - everything got paid without me putting in any work.
Dream Dinners - This is what kept food on the table. Once a month my husband and I attend a meal preparation session for an hour and come home with 36 servings of a minimum of 6 entrees we put in the freezer. I've been a loyal member for 5 years. In October I didn't even have time for the one hour monthly session, but the good folks at Dream Dinners prepared my order for me, and I just needed to stop by and pick it up. I even had them make up extras to take to my mother. Another lifesaver!
A community of friends and relatives - sometimes we have to accept we are drowning and ask for help. I don't know what I would have done without my sister; she is terrific, and I cannot come close to expressing my gratitude to her. Another resource was my minister, who used her "minister network" connections in Santa Barbara to publish my request for someone to live-in with my Mom. Although I had also advertised at a local university, it was the congregational appeal that garnered me the most results.

My father is home now and doing well. I still spend one day a week in Santa Barbara, but it's planned, and not because of crises. However, the essence of all disaster planning is to have systems in place, and I encourage you to evaluate what systems you need in place to save your sanity.

database software advice?

2010-02-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

Q:I have a question for you, hoping you can point me in the right direction. I am currently putting together a database for the Restorative Exercise Institute of all who have taken the Training Program. Right now, I'm compiling all the info in an excel spreadsheet, but it seems like the best way to manage all the data is in a database. It is currently a fairly small number of people (under 100) but over time of course, the numbers will grow and a spreadsheet doesn't seem like the "right" way to ultimately deal with and use all this info.

Do you have any suggestions? It doesn't have to be super sophisticated, we need something simple, that will allow us ot easily email, create mailing labels, and manage the data- including expiration dates of certifications. I realized when I googled "database software" that I might be exploring systems that were way more than we need.

Breena Maggio, Restorative Exercise Specialist www.restorativeexercise.com

A: Hi Breena-

I have a dynamite (and inexpensive - $49) database called Bento, but it is only designed for Macs. However, the parent company also makes Filemaker Pro for PC's, which is a very good program, although more expensive than Bento (Filemaker Pro is listed at $299). It will do everything you want, is fairly easy to learn, and will easily import all your current data from excel. They do have a free 30 day trial, and, if you don't decide to continue, you could then export your data back into excel, so you won't have lost any data. Here's a link to a short demo video: http://bit.ly/cmHoWe

A Checklist Can Literally Save Your Life

2010-01-25T00:06:00.000-08:00

Some things are just so simple you wonder why no one thought of it before. In the article below, a surgeon talks about the complicated process of keeping patients alive and shares his simple solution for how that process might be streamlined. It's easy to find applications for your life.

Two immediate take-aways from this article:

1. When introductions between team members were made before a surgery, the average number of complications and deaths dipped by 35 percent.

Why? A person, having gotten a chance to voice their name, was much more likely to speak up later if they saw a problem.

Apply this immediately to any team - you may get some insight into problems and/or solutions from people who would otherwise remain silent.

2. Ninety-four percent of surgeons wanted the checklist used if they were to have surgery.

Where could a checklist help you? How about daily tasks for new hires, a packing list you keep in your suitcase, a vacation checklist to make sure you change your voicemail and so on.

read the full article:

Atul Gawande's 'Checklist' For Surgery Success : NPR