Happy Small Business Week!  This week we are recognizing all of the entrepreneurs and small business owners that keep our economy thriving.  You work hard around the clock to fill multiple roles and wear various hats, and to you, we tip our own hat.  In honor of this week’s celebrations, here are 6 ways for small business owners to boost productivity:

1.  Delegate Tasks When You Can

Delegating tasks to an assistant, especially administrative tasks, helps you focus your time on more important matters.  If you don’t have an administrative assistant, try using a virtual assistant for certain tasks.

2.  Follow the 2 Minute Rule

The 2 Minute Rule is especially valuable when tackling incoming emails: if it takes less than two minutes to complete, do it now.  You can get it off your to-do list before it’s even written down on your list.

3.  Create an End of Day Folder

Creating an End of Day (EOD) folder in your email helps you prioritize what must get done before you leave for the day.  As emails come in, you can drag the most important and time sensitive messages to your EOD folder, then take care of them at a designated time before you leave the office for the day.

4.  Stay in Sync

If you’re like many of the small business owners that we know, you’re always on-the-go, moving from client to meeting to project.  Make sure all of your devices are in sync so you can still be productive in between meetings.

5.  Add Time Estimates

When writing your to-do list, include realistic time estimates for each task.  Adding time estimates will help you prioritize and delegate when you have too much on your plate.

6.  Batch Tasks Whenever Possible

A lot of time is wasted transitioning from one project to another.  By batching similar tasks together, you will cut down on that wasted time.

Contact us for a free 15-minute phone consultation if you’re a small business owner looking for process improvement consulting or file management help.

At Innovatively Organized, we are big proponents of using two monitors to help increase productivity at work.  We have two monitors set up in our office so we can view and work on multiple documents at once.  If you are wondering whether you could benefit from using multiple monitors, check out our previous blog post, “Do Multiple Computer Monitors Make You More Productive?”

But if you already have multiple monitors, we’re excited to share a few more ways you can customize your monitor set-up!  Here are two ways you can use your double computer monitors to boost your efficiency while working:

Switch the screen orientation

As pictured above, you can change one of your monitors into a vertical position.  This technique is most frequently used by accounting and legal firms because it helps to view spreadsheets in the portrait view.  If you usually work with long spreadsheets or legal documents, you might consider changing the orientation of one of your screens to help you view more at once.

Duplicate your screens

This option is great for meetings with a client or team member—you can face one of your screens towards your audience while the other one remains facing you.  This way, you can display the same exact screen without everyone huddling over one monitor to view it.

How do you use your multiple monitors?  Share with us in the comments below!

We are thrilled about a great new feature in Evernote: the ability to add reminders to notes!  If you already use Evernote virtual notebooks for your to-do list and project management, adding reminders to notes will help you stay more productive and timely.

Ways to use reminders

Besides adding them to your tasks on your to-do list, you can add reminders to action items from meeting notes or even create reminders for annual checkups (for your car, insurance, etc).  You might also want to add reminders for follow-ups with contacts if you store business card images in Evernote.

How to add reminders

First, if you haven’t already, you need to update Evernote to Version 5.1.3 in order to add reminders.

Then, on the top right of each note, you will notice a new alarm clock image.

Once you click the reminder icon, you can specify the due date and write your reminder on the left side.  You also have the option to receive reminder emails when your due date is approaching.

Let us know how you like the new reminders feature in the comments below!

How many to-dos do you have floating around in your head right now? Half of the battle with task management is getting to-dos out of your head and capturing them somewhere.  To help you process your to-dos more efficiently we have identified 6 questions to ask yourself. It may take a little getting used to, but don’t give up! It gets easier over time.

6 questions to ask yourself when processing to-dos:

1. Can I do this in 2 minutes or less?  If the task is quick and easy, complete it right away to get it done. This is especially true of tasks that come through your email.
2. If I can’t do this task in 2 minutes, how long will it take me to complete it? Time estimates are one of the keys to good task management because it gives you a more realistic look at what you can accomplish in a day.
3. Where am I tracking the task to ensure it gets completed?  This will vary from person to person. While some people choose to track tasks on their calendar or in Microsoft Outlook, others enjoy the mobility of a to-do list app. If you don’t already have a to-do list app, we recommend either the Toodledo app (if you’re linear and analytical) or the Action Method app (if you prefer a visual layout).
4. Can I batch this task with any other tasks?  Put similar tasks together to help you save time. The possibilities for batching tasks are endless. It can be as simple as scheduling all of your networking meetings on the same day or only reading industry newsletters once a week.
5. What do I need to complete this?  Do you need to talk to someone else before you complete the task? Does it require a phone call?  Do you need your computer? Determine what else is required in order to complete the task. It’s never fun to sit down to complete a task only to realize you’re missing something.
6. Can I delegate this task to someone else?  If so, we recommend you delegate.

Interested in additional task management training? Join us for a hands-on training workshop on June 6th, 2013 called Check It Off! Innovative Task Management for Your Growing To-Do List.

With the rise of telecommuting in business, web meetings and virtual conferences are becoming more common tools for team communication.  At Innovatively Organized, we use web meetings on a regular basis to stay in communication with one another from different locations.

While virtual meetings have the advantage of allowing teams to communicate from various locations, it’s important to remember that they are still meetings. And like any meeting, they can quickly turn unproductive if you’re not careful.  Here are some of the tips we recommend to help yours run smoothly:

Make sure you have a good microphone

Few things are worse than repeating yourself over and over (or listening to it).  A good microphone will help you reduce background noise and improve the clarity of your voice. We recommend the Snowball microphone for it’s intuitiveness and it’s ability to pick-up sounds in a variety of environments (individuals speaking vs. a group of people sitting at a conference table).

Arrive early

Think of logging into your web meeting similar to parking your car to go to an in-person meeting.  You never know what bumps you’ll come across when you’re logging in, so better to leave buffer time to ensure promptness.

Be prepared

The same rules apply to web meetings as they do with in-person meetings.  In order to stay productive, you still need an agenda, a timekeeper, and all the right people in attendance. Don’t forget to add time to your calendar to complete follow-up tasks from the meeting.

Don’t forget the “little things”

Make sure your laptop is charged, have a strong internet connection, and look presentable if you will be using a web cam!

For more help conducting business in the cloud, we offer business productivity solutions, including process improvement and project management.

There are countless ways to waste small pockets of time throughout your day. A few minutes here and a few minutes there can add up quickly! However, for actions you repeat frequently, there are some easy fixes to help you save time. Here is a list of ten ways you may be wasting time and how you can fix the problem:

1. Not having enough chargers: If you’re constantly moving a cell phone or laptop charger from one location to another and searching for new outlets, we suggest purchasing multiple chargers.  You can keep one at home, in the office, in your car, or anywhere else you frequently use them.
2. Driving and parking: Rather than lose chunks of time every day driving to clients or sites, schedule meetings on the same day.  You can also download a traffic app to help your commute run smoothly, like Seattle Traffic Mobile or Beat the Traffic.
3. Searching through your phone: It’s a waste of time to constantly dig through your phone in order to find frequent contacts or apps. Help yourself out by adding specific contacts into your “Favorites” screen and moving your most-used apps to your home screen.
4. Reacting to each phone notification: Yes, we all love to see a text message or social media notification come through.  However, this distraction slows productivity and focus.  We suggest putting it on silent or tucking it away in a desk drawer to help you focus on the task at hand.
5. Trying to remember the genius idea you know you came up with but didn’t have a place to capture it: Ideas come to us while we’re in the car, while we’re getting ready, or while we’re commuting on the bus.  Try solutions like the Dragon Dictation app, a waterproof notepad for your shower, or a virtual notebook for your mobile devices.  Maybe even get a virtual assistant and call them when you have an idea; just make sure to schedule time to process theses ideas later.
6. Holding onto tasks because it’s too much effort to explain and delegate: Delegating tasks is a great way to save time.  We can’t always do everything ourselves and sometimes we become a bottleneck to the team by holding tasks up. Here are a few additional tips to help you delegate.
7. Not protecting your time: Letting everyone else have your time between 9 am to 5 pm means your to-do list doesn’t get touched until after hours.  Block off times that you can specifically work on your tasks. Think of it as scheduling an appointment with yourself and think twice before you reschedule the appointment.
8. Meetings, meetings, meetings: Meetings that drag on, get off topic, or have no agenda take everyone’s time.  Make sure your meetings have a schedule and a timekeeper to keep it on track.  You can also try cutting down to just 45-minute meetings.
9. Responding to each email that comes in: It’s almost impossible to divert your eyes from the bottom of the screen when an Outlook email notification pops up.  Try turning these notifications off and then establish consistent times in your day to respond to emails in batches.
10. Deleting the same spam emails you never read: If you signed up for an email newsletter but never read it, then take the time to unsubscribe.  It may take a minute, but it saves the time spent deleting them each day.

Which of these time-wasters are you going to fix?  Let us know in the comments!

Throughout this three-part spring cleaning series, you have learned how to clean out Microsoft Outlook and how to organize your physical mail (life should already be feeling less stressful).  For the final part of our series, we’re focusing on areas that tend to get cluttered when you’re a busy professional on-the-go.

In order to stay organized and productive throughout your busy days transitioning from one meeting to another, here are 3 tips to help you spring clean your car, mobile devices, and more:

 1. Clean out your car

Go through all of the clutter in your middle console, glove box, back seats, and trunk.  In between your meetings and work, your car is bound to get a little disorganized. Restock your car with supplies you use frequently, like car chargers, notepads, pens, and wet wipes. To help you stay productive on-the-go, add grocery bags and create a mobile desk to sit in your passenger seat.  And if your car could really use some TLC, maybe it’s time to treat yourself to a car detail.

 2. Clean up your mobile devices

Delete the apps you no longer use (or that game you played for one day), the productivity apps you tried but didn’t like, etc. Wipe down your screens to kill the germs that have accumulated. Scroll through your contacts to delete duplicate entries. Don’t forget to delete the photos you no longer need.

 3. Clean out your purse, briefcase, or tote

No matter what your bag of choice is, it can quickly become a dumping ground full of old business cards, meeting notes, etc.  Clean out your bag, but make sure you process the items you remove (maybe adding a task to your to-do list, adding new contacts to your CRM, or scanning meeting notes).

We hope you are feeling more focused and less cluttered now after our Spring Cleaning series!  Remember to add time to your calendar every month or every quarter to help you clear out clutter consistently, not just in the spring.

And be sure to sign up for our newsletter for monthly tips like this to keep you track.

Now that the air is getting fresher and our days longer, it’s time for (you guessed it) Spring Cleaning!  When most people think of spring cleaning, they think of organizing garages and cleaning out the kitchen pantry, but we want to challenge you to clean areas you don’t immediately think of that may be hurting your productivity.

For the first phase of our three-part Spring Cleaning series, we want to address a program that many of us use throughout the day - Microsoft Outlook. Even though Outlook is a fantastic productivity tool, the reality is that it often gets neglected.  Here are a few tips to get your started cleaning your Outlook:

Mail

• Take a look at the number of rules you have in place.  Too many can slow Outlook down, so ensure you need all of them.
• Check your Drafts folder for any drafts that are no longer needed and can be cleared.
• If you haven’t done so in a while, empty your Deleted Items folder.

Calendar

• Are the appointments, meetings, and tasks on your calendar current?  Are there any recurring appointments that are no longer applicable?  Take a few moments to clean these items up.

Contacts

• Review your contacts: is your information current?  Delete or merge duplicate contacts.
• Add any new contact information you have been meaning to include (from business cards, scraps of paper, emails, etc.).

Tasks

• There is great satisfaction in crossing tasks off our to-do list, but after a while, these old tasks become clutter.  Delete tasks that you have already completed.
• Are you flag happy? Remove flags that are outdated or no longer require a follow-up task.

Notes

• Go through your notes section to delete those that are no longer relevant.
• If your notes could use some better organization, go through and categorize them or create folders to sort them into.

Clearing out your Outlook should take no more than 30 minutes, but if it requires more time, set aside 15-30 minutes each day until you feel refreshed.  Stay tuned next week for the next two parts in our Spring Cleaning series!

You’ve probably been frustrated by these email faux pas before. Perhaps you’re guilty of a few yourself? Here are 10 email faux pas to be mindful the next time you hit send on an email:

1. Subject Line Confusion: Subject lines can be a very valuable tool—they help us decide if we should open an email now or later (or delete it all together).  When there is no subject line, an irrelevant subject line, or a ridiculously long subject line, we feel like our time is being wasted. Remember to take a look at your subject line before you send. Is it still relevant?  Sometimes the subject of your email changes from the time you start writing to the time you finish.
2. CC’ing the World: CC’ing others is important, but make sure the people you’ve included actually need to be on the thread. Also, keep in mind the difference between “To” and “CC.” By including someone in the “To” field, you are implying that an action is required. “CC” typically suggests the person has been included for informational purposes.
3. Can I Have Your Number? Have you ever tried contacting an email correspondent via phone after an email conversation, only to find they don’t have an email signature?  Make sure your signature includes all the contact information others need to reach you.
4. Email Novels: Emails shouldn’t be the next War and Peace.  The very nature of an email is to be concise.  Channel your Twitter skills and make sure you’re not sending unnecessarily long messages.
5. Email Tweets: In the same vein, don’t you despise emails that are so short they didn’t deserve becoming an email in the first place?  If you have a quick comment or question, connect through instant message rather than email.  You’ll probably get a faster response too.
6. Tpyos: Did you catch that one? You should not have to guess what a word means.  Especially with auto correct and spell check. Take a moment to glance over what you’re sending before you send it.
7. Replying to the Wrong Part of a Thread: If you haven’t checked your inbox in a while and begin opening the earliest messages first, make sure you don’t respond to outdated emails.  Turn the “conversations” feature on in your inbox so you can respond to the most recent email in the thread, rather than comment on parts of the conversation that have been resolved already.
8. “Where’s the Attachment?” How many emails have you received detailing the important attachment you must review and sign off on, only to find the attachment was not…attached.
9. Too Big Attachments: How do you feel about emails with way too many graphics in the body?  If you need to send large files, images or documents, try sending them a link via Dropbox to download the files directly.
10. Wait, What Are We Talking About? If your thread conversation starts to round a corner towards a new topic, just start a new thread with the appropriate subject line.  This helps recipients stay on track with the conversation and find the archived thread later.

How many of these pesky faus pas are you guilty of?  Share this blog post with your team to help everyone avoid these tendencies and stay on track!

The topic of working remotely has been on the news lately with Yahoo’s ban against remote work.  Though Yahoo has found remote working to be unproductive for their company and objectives, it is no longer just a trend for professionals.  According to The Sloan Center on Aging and Work at Boston College, a 2012 global workforce survey revealed that “nearly half (47%) of our global sample work remotely or in some kind of flexible arrangement.”

For those mobile professionals, telecommuters, salespersons on-the-go, and professionals in co-working spaces, we are featuring a Mobile Professionals Checklist to help you stay productive wherever you go.  We’ve got the essential apps you need, helpful products to use, and tips to help manage your day.  Download the Mobile Professionals Checklist now!