Whether it’s social chit-chat, on-line subscriptions or business inquiries it takes time to sort, read and take action on. So what’s the SMARTcut® way to email freedom?

Step one is to get rid of the email that is not useful. It only takes a few clicks, so why keep clicking “delete” when what you really want to do is “Unsubscribe”?

We all get on email lists that we eventually have “outgrown”, haven’t found useful or just can’t keep up with. Consider only subscribing to a few newsletter that you really are reading and (at least for a season) let the others go. You can always get them back later when you are ready to use their info. There’s more interesting info in cyber space than I can consume all at once, so I’ve limited myself to a few favorites at one time.

Next, organize the rest of your inbox. One of the best tips I know is to use “rules” to auto file emails for quick access. Setting a separate email account for subscriptions can keep them out of your prime work time until you have “reading time”.

A recent client asked me how I was able to respond to her email so quickly. It was because, as a member of the current program, I had a special folder just for that program group. Anytime one of them messaged me I would quickly see it. Their messages were high priority to me so I made them easy to see.

Here’s how to set an Outlook Rule.

1. Make a folder in your Inbox. I have them for each group I correspond with such as clients, store ad emails, friends, key family members, mastermind buddies, and newsletter subscriptions. You may want sub folders in some categories too!

2. Right click on email from someone you want to auto file.

3. Select “create rule”

4. Check the “From box” with the person’s or companies name.

5. Check the “Move to box” and select the folder you want their mail to go to.

6. Click “OK” in the Run this rule now box.

7. All messages from this source should now be moved to the desired folder.

8. When you receive new mail from this source it will automatically route to this folder and you will see a number indicating how many unread emails you have in that folder.

Just think of the hours you will save not having to plow through tons of emails every single day!

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Today’s focus is on one of the best areas to win back some valuable time- Meal preparation! It comes up practically every other minute it seems and becomes an endless burden of “what will I feed the family?”

One of the best steps to conquering this monster is to plan ahead. Not just once, but create a reusable plan. Whether you make a monthly menu chart or some other method, make sure you also get your grocery shopping in sync so that your pantry will support your plan.

Cook ahead. Making double batches and freezing a second meal as back up for a busy day is also a good strategy. Not only will you save time on the “frozen meal” day, but you will only cook and clean up the mess once!

You’ll be amazed at how much time you can save each and every day for years to come when you have your meals organized! Believe me, it’s totally worth the investment of a few hours now to plan your menus and shopping lists.

Want to make this SMARTcut® Solution even SIMPLER? Get our “your meals. simplified.” guide here:

http://smartcut-solutions.com/meals-simplified/

Realizing the high cost of spending time on line is a real eye opener! Once I realized that spending 1 hr daily, 5 days weekly, 50 weeks annually was costing me thousands I cut back.

1. Plan designated email time during non-income producing time.
2. Use a timer to keep you accountable to limited email time.
3. Learn to use the RULES function on your email program. I use Outlook. I have my messages pre-sort so I can quickly see the wheat from the chaff.
4. I put the folks who send “cutsie” stuff and “warnings” in a special “JUNK” folder so I can weed those out right away.
5. Create a folder for emails from stores (if you get any).
6. Block spam emails.
7. Unsubscribe from messages and newsletters with info you plan to read later. (not mine! LOL!)

Get more SMARTcut Solutions® to improve office productivity at http://smartcut-solutions.com/your-office-simplified/

Clutter is rampant in our society. No matter what we try, it seems to seep back into our daily lives. It’s paper, excess “stuff” and even too much on the “to do” list. What’s causing this and why does it make us feel so guilty?

The Ecology movement chides us for discarding anything that might be reused, recycled or repurposed. That’s great. The problem is that instead of taking action (like donating unneeded items) we just feel guilty that we aren’t wearing that pair of shoes that don’t fit. Instead we just need to take a few minutes and round up things that aren’t serving us and call for a local charity to pick them up. That’s being a good environmental steward.

Set limits on the “stuff” you keep. “One in one out” method. Use it or lose it. Realize that you have moved on and don’t use outdated items (out of style clothing, furniture, appliances, hobby equipment, toys!) If you got it once you can probably get it again.

Find a worthy charity or recipient for “good stuff” that you don’t use/need. Share your wealth with others.

Join us at http://SMARTcut-Solutions.com for more ways to create freedom in your life.

Organizing what I call “support” is essential. Just face it, life is full of surprises. Whether it is a plan gone into emergency status or an unexpected opportunity, my advice is to create back up plans, systems and support teams, that will carry you over life’s bumps.

As the scouts would say, “Be Prepared!” Look for people around you who could take some of the tasks off your list. These may be right under your nose….a family member, a neighbor, a kid from down the block or a stay at home mom looking for some very part time income.

Finding ways to delegate and outsource doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. You could get started brain storming this with a simple piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle.

On one side list everything YOU must do personally. On the other list the zillion other things that need doing- but don’t absolutely have to be done by you. Those are the ones to delegate or outsource. Remember, there doesn’t have to be just ONE person to do all these things. It can be an assortment of helpers.

Get 5 SMARTcut® Solutions for Organizing Without Agonizing at http://SMARTcut-Solutions.com

In today’s economy we are all looking at cutting costs. A little here, a little there, but we may be failing to see some monster money gobblers that are right under our noses!

Are you (and your stuff) lost in space? Have you ever found yourself running out to purchase something that you already own, but simply can’t find? You know you have that thing, but where is the question!

“That’s it!” you say. “I don’t have time to look for it. I’ll just run get more.”

Besides the cost of the product, add in the time to purchase and the gas to get to the store. I had this happen to me just a few weeks back. I ran out of notebook paper at my desk. I use it to jot my notes on conference calls so I can easily keep track of the info I’m gathering on those calls.

We moved into a new house a few months back, and I distinctly remembered several brand new, unopened packages leftover from my children’s school days (FYI- both are now out of college!). I wondered where it had ended up.

I looked here and there and finally said, “I can’t wait! I need it NOW!” Off to the office supply store I went. Once down at the shopping plaza (less than 2 miles away) I realized I wanted a couple of other things at a nearby store too. So, in the end the missing paper cost me 75 cents plus a couple of hours…valuable hours, never to be regained.

Oh! By the way, I did find the paper I had a few weeks later. The moral of this story is to set some specific locations for the various things you store…especially office supplies! Creating your own little “office max” can save you time, money and stress!

I am getting my life working with a smooth organizational rhythm, moving gracefully thru the inevitable ups and downs. Could your life use a little “rhythm”? Having a quarterly list and/or reminder in your planner (paper or electronic) can be a great way to eliminate stress and stay caught up on some important “Life Rhythms”.

This all started because I needed to remember when it was time to get a fresh mascara! Now you may not be aware (or even care) that mascara preventives only last 3 months, but I did. I wanted a way to remember when I should get a new one. Finally the idea to change on the quarterly business dates clicked for me.

I made a list of other things that needed to be done on a quarterly basis. Now I am organized with a way to remember to get them tended to with the right frequency. I use 15 June, 15 Sept, 15 Dec and 15 March because they are key dates for my business, but any dates spaced every 3 months will work. Choose the dates that are best for you, but I’m setting up reminders in my Tips.com to keep you on track effortlessly.

SMARTcut(TM) Tip: I use my computer calendar reminders. You could also use a colored “DOT” (highlighter or sticker)

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From the Desk of Siobhan Guthrie:

The quote “You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” Winnie the Pooh, I think is fab. As holistic practitioners, deep down, we’re often too scared of appearing pushy, that we stay in our corner and deprive others of the gifts of our services (quite literally).

In my recording of the “11 mistakes that practitioners make…and how you can avoid them”, mistake #3 was not appearing professional. I talked about the little details that can affect the perception of your business. So what details are we talking about?

You know that first impressions count. So have you thought about looking at your business from the eyes of that first impression? When a client calls you, sees your website, sees you in fact, what are the first impression signals that you’re sending out?

Your phone and your phone message. As I mentioned in the 11 Mistakes CD, when a prospective or current client calls you, what do you say as you answer the phone? If you’re not available, have you got at least a message for them to leave their details? All these help you to at least sound like you are in business, telling the caller your name, that sort of thing. But what else could your message say? Could it direct callers to your website? Tell them that you’ll call them back by a certain time? What could it say that would confirm to the caller that they’ve reached the right place? Now there are certain things to consider if you are using your home number as your (business) number. Mobile/cell phones are so commonplace now that it is rare for someone to be put off by that.

Your email.

I highly recommend that if you have a website, that you use the email addresses that comes with that website. What does this email address say to you: Siobhan@Gmail.com, compared to Siobhan@ClientAttractingSecrets.com. Doesn’t it communicate that I’m in business? (By the way, the Gmail address won’t get me). Why advertise Gmail, yahoo, or eircom, when you have the opportunity to advertise your own website, your own business? ( I couldn’t agree more Siobhan!)

So what else can you do to tell people you are in business? Well, your business card can be professionally designed. I know that it can be tempting to go the free route – there are a few websites that offer this (which sounds great but what is their motive?) They do this because on the back of the card it is printed that you got these cards for free at www.______.com … promoting their website. This is not a good message about you and your business. I have used these websites, but spend to design cards. I recommend that you do spend a little with these websites – they offer a great service and good quality.

How about a uniform, or at least looking the part? Some therapies, spas or clinics insist that you wear a particular uniform, but if you’re not bound by that, you can pretty much decide. I like to wear a suit, or something smart. After a day in the clinic, it means I can change out of my “clinic clothes” and leave that energy behind. That’s why showering too is a good idea. But I digress. (Home Biz Moms, just consider getting into something “business casual” and out of the sweat pants and hubby’s T-shirt! I make it a habit to “dress” every morning before I “come to work”, well, almost!)

At the end of the day, you want to have a consistent message throughout all your promotional materials. Look at everything, and does anything let you down or need tweeking? Look at your website, your email, your business card, brochure, your phone, your clinic room, your image. If you don’t take yourself and your business seriously, then who will? Remember, it’s downright hard to make a second first impression!

ACTION STEP

This week’s action step is to record a compelling message on your phone, so that the callers who don’t reach you get a good first impression of you. They know that you’ll respond, they’ll know where to get more information from your website, or something! Don’t leave clients hanging. It’s much better that they know you can’t get back to them for 5 hours than wondering if you’re ignoring them! Being professional where it counts, IS what counts.

Next time I’m going to look at mistake #4 which is “thinking word of mouth is the only way to get clients”. It may be our favorite way, but if it was the best, we’d all be busy. But with so many practitioners struggling, I’m going to share with you more creative ways.
So till next time, have a great week.

About Siobhan Guthrie

I’ve been a practitioner in various holistic therapies since 1995. I’ve been teaching others for over 10 years and seen many who struggle to set up their businesses, and some who thrive. I hope you’ll join me as we explore this and the simple strategies that you can put in place to ensure you enjoy the feast, and not suffer the famine in your holistic practice.

Until next time,

Siobhan Guthrie
ClientAttractingSecrets.com

More SIMPLY BRILLIANT ways to organize and simplify your life in the “Organizing Simplified” membership program at http://SMARTcut-Solutions.com

The good news is that simple systems will function best. Great organization isn’t about having high tech, complex systems. In fact, the more basic the better.

Creative people are often very tactile. Although the electronic tools are helpful, don’t overlook good ole pencil and paper. You may feel more comfortable with a paper planner/calendar than an electronic devise. That’s fine.

It’s all about how your brain functions and accesses information. Be cautious about getting things too fancy or complex. Simple will get more done and done beats perfection every time!

Try creating some spread sheets to track or check progress. This is especially useful if you have work that follows a repeatable path. Example: Adding a new client or customer to your business, training a new team member, scheduling a guest speaker or interview.

Anything that can be 1,2,3 is an opportunity to simplify with a tracking sheet. Oh, and don’t overlook the simple checklist. This is especially useful for family members’ chores, school backpacks and sports equipment.

Tired of incoming paper overwhelm? SMARTcut-Solutions has a SIMPLE system that’s tried and true for the “creative” type.

http://smartuct-solutions.com/your-paper-simplified/

My reader wrote: “How do I nicely tell “friends” not to forward all the cutsie stuff? Even though I would love to mark a couple as spam, I dare not!”

Debbye replied:

I have had the same problem in the past. It’s frustrating to try to organize and work when you are cluttered by volumes of junk mail on line.

I did my best to ask politely to be removed from their “cutsie stuff” and internet fear spreaders (urban legends).

Here’s a sample message : “I appreciate you thinking of me, but my email overload is getting out of control. So I’ll be able to concentrate on my business, I’d appreciate it if you would only send me personal emails instead of forwards to help me get out of my email quick sand.” (I think adding a little humor is a good touch.)

In appropriate cases I may also mention that their emails are disclosing my address to the” internet bad guys” inviting viruses, so I’m requesting to be removed from their forward lists.

If they are totally uncooperative (some will be) your only congenial defense is to set up a folder in your email system where you automatically direct all messages from them so you can occasionally check and delete the lot.

Hope these suggestions will help you escape from email overload!

Finally! Organizing made quick, easy and LASTING!

Join Organizing Simplified at http://SMARTcut-Solutions.com