Organizing Your Business Cards for Busy Professionals

Posted on 04/12/201905/07/2019 by GetReorganized.com

Networking events are crucial to the success of your business: you meet great people, make useful acquaintances, and have the opportunity to pass business with other professionals.

Let’s be honest, though: once you leave, you totally forget about all of those business cards you received. They get tossed into your briefcase or handbag and fall into a seemingly bottomless hole, only to be found months later.

At that point, it’s too late to reach out, and all you can do is mourn the lost connections.

But it doesn’t have to be that way!!

These days, there are dozens of fun and useful ways you can store those cards so they don’t get lost. Here are a few of my favorite tips:

Determine What To Keep

Before you invest in any sort of storage solution, first think about what you really want to keep.

My favorite piece of advice? Don’t even bother taking cards from the people you’re not interested in reaching out to.

Photo by Bogomil Mihaylov on Unsplash

Most of my clients have stacks of business cards that they have never contacted – WHY did they take the card in the first place? Be intentional!

Ask yourself these questions:

Why would I want to contact this person (get to know them, need their service, indicated they might be interested in working with you, etc.)?
What’s the next Action I need to take (call them, schedule a coffee date, set-up a sales call)?

Then, write on the business card a note about where you received it and immediately follow-up (within three days).

How To Get Organized

There are countless ways to organize business cards nowadays, from electronic solutions to the ‘bucket method.’ These are the ones I’ve found to be most effective:

CRM: If you use a CRM as part of your business, check to see if it includes an app that allows you to scan and upload business cards from your phone. Most software will now allow you to capture and store any business card with just a quick snap of your device’s camera. Once it’s updated, you can edit the contact’s information directly in your CRM.
Business card binder: Some companies make three-ring binders designed specifically for holding business cards. This is a solution I often recommend to my own clients – it’s easy to grab and take with you to events and you can just add cards as you receive them.
Rolodex: Before you laugh, remember: Rolodex has been around for many years for a reason. It’s a super easy solution – just staple the business card to a Rolodex card and place it in alphabetical order. Bonus: some Rolodexes even have slits cut just for placing a business card.
Index cardholder: This is the perfect solution for someone who wants to keep all of the business cards they receive but doesn’t necessarily want to put them in any type of order. Putting them in an index cardholder keeps them all in one place so they’re easily found if they’re needed at a later time. Tip: Purchase index card dividers to sort and organizer business cards by category (where you met them, industry, etc).

What should you NOT do with business cards? Stack them on your desk.

Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

This is just some of the value you can get when partnering with GetReorganized.com™. If you’d like more tips, advice or suggestions on how to be more productive and organized, book a 15-minute productivity assessment.

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6 Books About Getting Organized You Should Read

Posted on 08/08/201805/07/2019 by GetReorganized.com

Getting organized is one of the biggest struggles we face. If you ignore it, the mess can overwhelm your life, but at the same time, how do you know where to begin? Sometimes, you have to hit the books, in this case, the organizing books; that’s why we compiled a list of our top six books about getting organized that you shouldn’t live without.

Stop Organizing, Start Producing

Stop Organizing, Start Producing: Leverage the 12 Factors that Make or Break the Busy Professional by Casey Moore is an all-time favorite in the organizing books genre, and here’s why. It shows you that productivity is a chain with strong and weak links. Instead of focusing on fixing what isn’t broken, you’re able to break down your process and figure out where you’re wasting time. It’s for the busy professional who needs to leverage their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. By using her Productivity Chain® model, you can control your work, time, and perspective to increase productivity and gain a richer quality of life.

Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui

Sometimes you have trouble identifying clutter whether it’s in your home, workspace, or in the mind, body, or spirit. You’ve heard the phrase that a workspace or home is a reflection of the mind, right? Karen Kingston wrote a book that changed the way we viewed clutter in our lives. Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui: Free Yourself from Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual Clutter Forever is the guide for overcoming the emotional restrictions that keep us from decluttering. With over 457 Amazon reviews and critical acclaim by entrepreneurs, CEOs, and busy Moms alike, this guide from the Space Clearing branch of Feng Shui has proven itself for almost twenty years.

Organizing Plain & Simple

If you need practical tips and a fantastic resource for checklists for building schedules, routines, and habits, then Organizing Plain and Simple: A Ready Reference Guide With Hundreds of Solutions to Your Everyday Clutter Challenges may be precisely what you’re looking for. Donna Smallin has written a straightforward guide to set you on the path to reorganizing your life. She takes organization down to the basics and gives you room-by-room solutions, as well as tips on organizing your finances, time, home life, and those tricky life transitions like moving and season changes that throw us off.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

By now, you’ve probably heard of Marie Kondo. She’s the founder of the widely regarded KonMari Method of de-cluttering. Her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing is more about the lifestyle change needed to overcome clutter in our lives and minds. Instead of organizing room-by-room, the KonMari Method lets you organize category-by-category; this is destined to be one of those classic organizing books.

The Myth of Multi-Tasking

For years we’ve believed that multitasking was the key to success, but research has proven that the opposite is true. Dave Crenshaw tackles this in his book The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing it All” Gets Nothing Done. In a short amount of time, Dave breaks down the myth and provides actionable solutions to wrangle control of your time. If you’ve ever wondered why you’re always busy but not as productive as you thought, this may be the book for you.

The Power of Habit

Dealing with our habits is a constant struggle. Good or bad, our habits define our lives. Charles Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business explains why habits exist and how they can be changed. He breaks down how to find those cues and triggers that start the bad habit and then helps us find out why (the reward) we do it. It’s an excellent book for those who want to break bad habits and build solid ones that lead to a happier, healthier lifestyle.

You’re not born organized, and everyone’s process of organization is different. Which books about getting organized have you interested? Let us know in the comments below. If you’ve got another recommended read, we’d love to hear that one, too.

This is just some of the value you can get when partnering with GetReorganized.com™. If you’d like more tips, advice or suggestions on how to be more productive and organized, sign up for our FREE newsletter by emailing info@getreorganized.com.

___________________________________________________________________________
Be Well. Be Organized.
Make sure you are following GetReorganized.com™ so you don’t miss out on fresh organizing tips, ideas, and inspiration!
Be #InstaOrganized! Follow us on Instagram
A pin a day keeps the organizer away! Check out our boards on Pinterest
Tweet us and follow our Twitter
Like (or love) our Facebook Page
Prefer the professional approach? We’re also on LinkedIn
Learn more about Professional Organizing at www.GetReorganized.com
Stop the procrastination and BOOK A FREE PHONE CONSULTATION

How Office Space is Changing: You’ll Be Seeing More of These 3 Alternative Offices

Posted on 06/13/201805/07/2019 by GetReorganized.com

The world is changing, and the way we do business is changing as well. Whether you work for someone, own your business, or have a money-making side hustle, how you work can depend on where you work. The traditional “office” has evolved, so let’s explore three alternative “offices” you’ll be seeing more of.

Home Offices

Working from home can actually increase worker productivity and decrease employee turnover. For business owners, having workers deployed remotely decreases business costs and overhead, as well.

What about those who work for themselves? It turns out that more people than ever are venturing into the solopreneur territory. Why rent office space for your small company when you can make use of an extra room at home? With cloud-based software options and applications that streamline your costs, running a business from home has never been easier. Working from home comes with unique challenges, of course; you need to be sure that your work space is where work actually gets done and that friends, family, and even pets don’t interfere. Discipline, organization, and focus must become strict habits for this arrangement to work

Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash

Virtual Offices

When a company decides to have all of its employees work from home, it’s called a virtual office. Virtual offices use cloud solutions for storage and work, collaboration tools for management and meetings, and rely on the internet for employees to connect with one another. There are virtual assistants, and virtual meetings are conducted with apps like Zoom and Skype. With the touch of a button on any mobile device or computer (and a reliable internet connection), you can access your work wherever you are. A virtual office saves money and can boost productivity, but like the home office, it requires discipline and a dedicated workspace to be effective.

Photo by Kevin Bhagat on Unsplash

Co-Working Spaces

Co-working spaces are one of the more innovative examples of how office space is changing. It’s a shared office design where people can rent space as needed to perform their work. Commercial real estate owners are increasingly creating attractive shared workspaces for companies to rent for those employees whose commute is too distant.

Over 80% of co-working spaces offer private offices, and the core users are small business owners. Some coworking spaces allow you to rent storage solutions or full-time single occupant offices, but most people tend to use the office areas as needed. It’s more cost-effective that way. Landlords generally provide some perks and office amenities like small kitchens and appliances, reliable high-speed internet service, and a professional, creative atmosphere. Imagine working in a place that stimulates productivity and collaboration. It can be a solid and worthwhile investment. Like the virtual office mentioned above, you’ll want to have mobile organization solutions for your business.

Photo by Venveo on Unsplash

Which of these solutions interest you? Have you tried any or all of them? Let us know in comments what you think will continue to change in office space.

Transitioning from Paper Filing to Digital Filing in “The Cloud”

Posted on 05/11/201805/07/2019 by GetReorganized.com

Going paperless can feel like a daunting task, but making the transition is easier than you might think. With today’s cloud services options, it’s an inexpensive and effective solution for your business.

The Cloud

But what, exactly, is “the cloud”? The cloud refers to an independently hosted storage area that can be accessed by you from any place on the planet with Internet access. It means that you don’t have to wait until you get back home to access a document. You can have all of your information at your fingertips no matter what time of day or night.

Photo by Domenico Loia on Unsplash

Paper vs Digital

Paper filing is a traditional, solid method of keeping track of your business. It comes with limitations, however. With the cost of ink and paper, printing costs are overhead expenses your business doesn’t need. Finding what you need can be daunting, especially when you have multiple people filing papers or if you’ve gotten behind in filing or organizing your paperwork. Digital filing, on the other hand, comes with a search toolbar at your fingertips – allowing you to quickly find any document by doing a simple search. Both paper and digital files allow your files to be organized, categorized, and filed in the same place. Reorganization of your digital file system is also a lot easier since you can drag and drop files wherever you need them. In addition, digital filing takes less physical space, leaving you with more room to help your business grow.

Photo by Ilya Pavlov on Unsplash

Cloud Storage Options

When it’s time to organize your digital files, you’ll want to consider a system that offers the most versatility, ease of access and use, and cost-effectiveness for your type of work.

When shifting to the cloud, I would recommend considering one of these four options: OneDrive, Google Docs, Dropbox, and Box. We won’t mention Apple’s iCloud Drive because it’s not available for Android. Having that type of restriction for your digital filing system may severely limit you in the future. Because of that, we’re going to focus on universal storage systems for organizing your digital files.

OneDrive
OneDrive is a Microsoft product, but it can be used by Mac, Android, iOS, and Windows phones users. It offers 5GB of free storage and a limit to the files size of 10GB. You can’t earn extra storage with this system, but the paid plan is $2 a month for 50 GB of storage. If you’re a Windows 8 or 10 user, this is already built into your operating system. It has a desktop app for all other options. There’s even an app for the Xbox.

You can store any type of file in the service and it organizes them for you. Android, iOS, and Windows Phone apps have automatic photo uploads so that any photo you take is automatically saved to your account. It also allows you to collaborate in real time on Microsoft Office apps if have an Office 365 subscription. It’s easy to open and edit files for Microsoft’s other applications and signing up for OneDrive gets you a Microsoft account. One downside is that it’s automatic file organization doesn’t always put files in the proper folders.

Google Docs
Google Docs (Google Drive) is another option that many cloud users have relied on for years. It offers 15 GB of free storage and a 5TB file size restriction. Google docs are a word processing option within your Google account that lets you work online in a collaborative, real-time manner. There is a drive app you can download that has unlimited storage capability. You decide what gets uploaded to the drive. With its built-in office suite and additional third-party apps (like one that lets you send faxes or sign documents), it’s the most versatile of all the options. It’s easy to use and set up. All you need is a Google account. Keep in mind that your drive shares the storage space with your Gmail, but the upgrade cost for storage is the lowest of all the services.

Organizing your digital files is as easy as dragging and dropping them into the folders you create. You can also adjust the file folder color and icon as needed for your storage solutions. When you use the Google office suite apps it makes a Google version of it. Keep in mind that you’ll need to export those files in the proper format (.doc, .docx, .pptx, etc.) to use them in other programs. Other than that, it’s an excellent solution for going paperless.

Dropbox
Dropbox is a unique storage solution among the others. It allows you earn 250 MB by completing the Getting Started tutorial. If you turn on the automatic photo upload feature on any of the mobile apps and you’ll get one time upgrade of 3GB of extra space. For every friend you refer to Dropbox, you’ll get 500 MB for each friend. This is limited to 16GB total or 32 referrals. Paid plans are $10 a month for 1TB and support Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, and Kindle Fire. It is the most versatile of all the options since it’s available for so many platforms. It’s also a huge favorite because it’s easy to use, a breeze to set up, and super reliable. This also lets you upload any file types and synchronizes automatically across all your devices. The biggest downside is that it doesn't let you control how your files are displayed. This is an excellent storage option for simple sharing, but also doesn’t work for real-time collaboration.

Box
Box offers 10GB of free storage, but it has the largest restriction for file size upload (250MB for the free plan and 5GB for a paid personal plan). For $10 a month, you can get 100 GB of storage, but it’s available for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Blackberry. This system was built specifically for business and IT users. Box also takes collaboration to the next level by allowing you to share files with colleagues, assign tasks, get notifications when a file changes, and leave comments on someone’s work. Like Google Drive, you can control the privacy of your files and determine who gets access to what file. Box takes it a step further, however, by password-protecting individual files and set expiration dates for shared folders. Organizing digital files can’t be simpler. Other business apps like NetSuite and Salesforce can connect to Box. It comes with a host of tools for businesses. It is a much more complicated system than you need if you’re using the service for personal storage, but if you have teams of employees working together or need a place to securely share documents with multiple people, Box is a fantastic choice.

Whatever cloud service you decide, make sure you keep your logins and passwords to yourself. Most of these options allow you to collaborate with others, so they can set up an account.

Did you like this article? This is just some of the value you can get when partnering with GetReorganized.com™. If you’d like more tips, advice or suggestions on how to be more productive and organized, sign up for our FREE newsletter by emailing info@getreorganized.com.