out action (but great intention!) contact me http://www.withinreach.biz.

• Do you feel overwhelmed, inundated by your office, out of control, overscheduled and full of mental and physical stress? 
• Are you running faster, multi-tasking more and feeling that you can’t get ahead? 
• Do you accumulate piles of all the things you need to “decide” on?  e.g. “I might need this info some day!”, “I don’t know if this is important”, “I don’t have time to deal with this now”?
• Do you spend money on expos, advertising, brochures, networking etc without a clear understanding of the real costs or payback (ROI – return on investment both for money AND time)?
• Do you lose sales and opportunities because of lack of timely follow-thru?

 Running a home-based business or working as an entrepreneur is different! Time management skills and workflow/follow-up processes are critical for success. When you do not have strong, well thought out decision making criteria, it’s easy for piles to build, procrastination to set in and time to fly by unproductively.

 It’s about getting a 30,000 foot view:

If you think that multitasking faster, sleeping less and buying more storage containers will give you the edge, you are too close to the problem and are dealing with symptoms vs. the causes.

THE KEY to being organized LONG TERM, is the ability for you to see the bigger picture and assess where you are and what you want to accomplish.

Planning and goal setting: You get stuck and stressed when you don’t have a plan because you don’t know where to start, what to do or how to set up a system. Overwhelm, procrastination, fear, and perfectionism pull you into the abyss of despair and non action or misdirected action.

You will struggle with being organized and time management if you do not have the following decision making criteria in place:

1) What to let in

2) Where is it going to go – schedule & space

3) When are you done & what’s the exit strategy?

3 Secrets to long term success:

1) Work with someone on big picture goals. Determine what is important - set priorities.

2) Be selective. Set up appropriate decision making criteria to realistically assess opportunities and obligations you take on. This is the number 1 thing I coach my clients on - ALWAYS!

3) Simplify your life. Develop good habits and get into routines that keep you on track.

7Tips

• Three email accounts & set up rules to create folders to keep your email inbox from looking like your “in basket”.
• Multi-task with caution (higher & lower brain function). No, it’s not a good use of your time to read your email while you are talking to a client!
• Get your “to do’s” on your Calendar
• Un-clutter your work space so you can focus – this affects your productivity more than you realize.
• Block your time for increased productivity
• Set up an easy to use filing system – I do this all the time with my clients to save them 6 weeks a year looking for misplaced (or buried) information.   
• Have a coach or accountability partner if you are a procrastinator, get overwhelmed or are too distractible to focus – good intentions get you nowhere, create extra stress and deplete resources! The difference between success and failure in business is the ability to focus AND act on appropriate priorities consistently. I play this role for some of my very successful clients. What are you doing to move YOU ahead?

 It’s Really All About You (and your market) Questions:

What is your biggest issue?

What do you need to work on?

What is keeping you from moving forward on this?

Finally, my challenge for you - print this article out and put it on your desk. If it is still “floating” around your desk or environment in 30 days with

 Copyright 2010

Gather those receipts & tax forms….

According to the IRS, there are 2 groups of filers - those who get their returns in as soon as they have their W-2’s & 1099’s and those who file at the ‘last minute’. Interestingly many of the ‘last minute’ filers have money coming back but do not have their records organized and feel overwhelmed by the process. According to the Consumer Reports National Research Center, only 40% of Americans think they can find a document at a moment’s notice.

Tips to get & keep you organized:
• Have one place to put all those tax related papers & receipts.
Envelope, accordion file, box etc - Watch Mary’s interview with TV13 http://bit.ly/cALNeN
• Using software to track your expenses & balances like MS Money, Quicken, Quick Books etc is great at helping you sort your tax related expenditures but you still need to keep track of your physical receipts.
• Can’t remember all the things you did or might need this year? Pull out last year’s income tax forms to review & refresh.
• If you are going to work with a tax preparer, write a list of questions before your meeting so you don’t waste time or forget anything.
• Depending on your particular situation don’t forget the following documents:
W-2’s
Homeowner’s credit
Education credit
Energy credit
Mortgage interest paid
Property tax paid
License plate fees
Retirement contributions
1099 interest & dividends
Mileage ($.50 per mile business, $.14 for medical & volunteer work)
Non cash & cash donations
HSA Contributions
Self employment expenses including home office deductions if applicable
Medical expenses & health insurance (can be used if over 7.5% of AGI).
• So how long do I need to keep all this stuff???
Rule of thumb 7 years for most everything - check out the suggested retention schedule provided by Baker, Spindler & Holtz http://bit.ly/bjnbpT

To help avoid identity theft, shred information that contains your personal information.

Something new this year: Financial donations for Haiti dated between January 11, 2010 and March 1, 2010 can be claimed on your 2009 taxes.

Hope these tips & reminders help! If you typically wait until the last minute, get rid of the stress & start on those taxes now. You can also go to irs.gov for help & if you make less than $57,000 AGI, you may qualify for free tax prep & filing. Learn more at irs.gov

Time to Organize the Home Office with TV13 Grand Rapids, MI

http://www.wzzm13.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=63391376001  

For those of you who do not have the 4 minutes to watch the segment, this is what we covered:

Rule Number 1: The containers are NOT the organizers, it’s your brain!!!

Products are only TOOLS that help you to stay organized. With that in mind, let’s get started:

• Purge your area of broken and unrelated home office items. Dry pens, old brochures, obsolete information, used file folders, pop cans…

• Set up appropriate files so you can eliminate the PILES!*

Keep your most active files at your finger tips.

• Create a CLEAR work surface at least 2 feet by 4 feet.

• Product tips: Get stuff in an upright position. Piles hide & waste time. File drawers, file holders, magazine holders, book ends, pencil cup etc.

*If you have struggled with getting organized, consider hiring a Certified Professional Organizer to help you set up custom systems that will meet your needs long-term. Remember, it’s not about buying a lot of organizing containers, it’s about helping you establish great decision making criteria going forward so you are self empowered to know what you are going to let in (schedule or space) and what you can let go.

Piles can be very overwhelming because they are filled with decisions you need to make and opportunities missed. Having a non-biased, non-judgmental  professional who can help get you organized around core issues vs. just Band-Aiding symptoms will serve you well your whole life. I am absolutely passionate about my vocation and work because I see it positively change lives everyday. Call me…. I can help you clear the clutter from your mind and environment so you can focus on your highest payoff activities! 616-453-2976

I had a great Interview in studio with WZZM TV 13 yesterday and shared the following tips:

Start with setting or adjusting New Year goals to be realistic & attainable:

• Be realistic and break goals into steps with timetables
• Announce your intention to others
• Create accountability partners so you will have follow through!

Eliminate the piles in 2010!

• Move last year’s files to archive
• Consolidate your receipts etc for your April taxes
• Set up your 2010 files now

Start the new decade with purpose! Be conscious about what you let into your life:

• stuff (The less stuff you choose to have, the less you have to look after, look through and take care of).
• mental clutter (This can really slow you down and can keep you unfocused).
• schedule (It’s easy to pack too much in & then things start to fall through the cracks, your sleep can suffer and so can your health if you don’t lead a balanced life).

Mary Dykstra’s quick top 10 list for being organized for the holidays …..

1) The value of gift giving – the perfect fit in most cases? Gift cards & services. If you give items, ask what they want to maximize the value to the recipient vs. giving gifts that will end up in the donation box. I see & hear the horror stories from my clients all the time.

2) It helps to have an extra gift or 2 wrapped for the unexpected guest.

3) Holiday meals – ask for help in food prep & keep it simple – remember, the season is not about the stuff – it’s about the relationships.

4) Plan your holiday meals in advance so you can be prepared. Next, set up your pantry for success – purge old outdated foods, assess what ingredients and supplies you will need for holiday meals so you aren’t running to the store on Christmas Eve.

5) Plan for ‘lite’ snacks for hungry bodies when you will not be eating at the prescribed time – fresh fruit, raw veggie tray, crackers & cheese (keep sugar content low until dessert!)

6) Tell the chronically late guests an earlier start time so you can actually eat together.

7) If you are opening your home to small children, make sure it is safe for them to wander & make sure all chemicals and medicines are out of reach.

Don’t forget to plan a cleared space for coats & boots when your guests arrive! Work on that coat closet (great time to make a bag of donations for outdated things!)

9) Create some great memories this season – Pull out the boxes of photographs & childhood memorabilia – family sharing. It’s a great time to come around the table or tree and pull out all those pictures. Purge the fuzzy ones & create albums for members to take home with them. This creates (for most families) warm shared time and builds lasting memories.

10) Get your tax credit & help others: Donations for year end, New Year’s resolutions and tax relief – it’s a great time to purge & get a tax deduction (use Itsdeductible by TurboTax (the donation software is free to use).

How many times have you gotten something as a gift that had little meaning or value to you? Many of my clients struggle with what to do with some of the gifts they get from friends & family. They get gifts that don’t fit their needs, interests or lifestyles.  When this happens, value is lost between the money the giver spends and the value the receiver gets. In some cases they get negative or 0 value.    continue