Defining Time & Space News

Decluttering provides not only an opportunity to rid ourselves of unnecessary baggage and  space for new things to flow to us but gives us an opportunity to give to others in need.  Another place where the items we no longer need can give hope to others is through the St. Vincent dePaul Society.  They have locations all over the country where items can be donated and are provided to those in the community they serve.  They usually do this through selling donated items in a thrift store for nominal fees.  These fees cover the expenses of the store front.  These stores are run by the hard work and dedication of many volunteers that are usually supported by members of the local Catholic church and others who give much of their time to help others.

Best Wishes,

Rosanne Larkins

Tags: De-cluttering, Uncategorized // Add Comment »

Along with the long list of stuff to take and have in an emergency are the important records.  This fall into two categories:  the important paper records and our electronic records.

For paper records, certificates of birth, marriage, death, baptism, etc. and house deeds, stock certificates, etc., we should consider a safety deposit box at the bank or a steel fire proof safe at home.  Business vital records should also be handles in a similar manner.

For electronic records it is important that we back this information up in case of accidental lost of system records, theft of computer equipment or software corruption.  Many business records are only kept electronic and would be devastating to any company (large or small) if these records were to be unrecoverable.  Also consider photographs in these important records.  Since most people use digital camera’s now, these pictures/files need to be stored and backed up.

There are many electronic back-up systems available.  The decision falls in the volume and importance of the information.  There is anywhere from a simple flash/thumb drive (very portable but also easy to lose), an external hard drive (such as those made by Maxtor) or using an external server (either that you own on or offsite or that another company provides as a back-up service off site such as Carbonite).   The benefits to an offsite system are that records are protected from fire or theft.  Just be sure to understand how the back-up company backs up their records! 

Take care of those records,

Rosanne

770.995.8556

www.dtsorganizing.com

Tags: Filing, Home, Office, Planning // Add Comment »

If you lost power for several days, would you be ready? Again in keeping with September being National Disaster Preparedness month here is a checklist that can help be more prepared:

1. Flashlights and extra batteries
2. Non-perishable or ready to eat foods (enough for 3 days – one to three 1lbs per person is recommended). Foods such as: canned and dried foods (pop top or twist tops are preferable), dried foods such as fruits and cereals), granola, breakfast/food bars, salt free crackers, dry or canned milk and soups, peanut butter, jelly, nuts, trail mix)
3. Manual can opener
4. Baby formula and foods
5. Pet food
6. Medication (over the counter and prescription)
7. Water - at least one gallon per person is recommended (1-3 gallons preferably) Water Tips: Boiling is the preferable way to purify water. Let water boil fully one minute. Cool before drinking. If unable to boil, use pure chlorine bleach (1/4 tsp, 1.25 ml or 16 drops to each gallon). Stir, then let stand 30 min. Slight chlorine taste and smell is normal.
8. Portable, battery operated radio (& extra batteries)
9. Disposable utensils
10. Camping stove with fuel and matches.
11. Fire extinguisher
12. Toiletries
13. First Aid Kit; including a list of emergency contacts, bandages, scissors, tape, disinfectants, antiseptics, latex gloves, non prescription meds such as aspirin and non-aspirin, bendryl, and hand sanitizer.
14. Cell phone (charged) and/or standard land line phone (non remote) if power is out.
15. Emergency plan for family or business

Rosanne
770.995.8556
www.dtsorganizing.com

Tags: Home, Planning, Uncategorized // Add Comment »

If you have to leave in an emergency you may not have much time to prepare.  What will YOU take in a moments notice?  Here are some things you can do to be prepared:

1. Find a home for your pet(s).  Most shelters will not accept pets except for those who are service animals due to health and safety regulations.
2. Turn the gas off in your home if you can.  Do you know how and where to do this?
3. Have a 1^st aid kit
4. Have a portable battery operated radio
5. Have a grab and go bag labeled for each member of the family.  You can use a backpack or small rolling bag.  The items each bag should contain are:
   1. Change of clothing and extra underwear for children.
   2. Toiletries
   3. Food (high protein/calorie food bars, crackers (no salt), dried fruit, nuts, etc.)
   4. Medication (prescription and over the counter)
   5. Eye glasses and contact lenses (& solutions)
   6. 2 bottles of water
   7. Individual towelettes
   8. Children (diapers and special foods)
   9. Plastic & sealing type bags
   10. Favorite item or comfort toy for younger children
   11. Any necessities for disabilities
6. Family communication plan
7. Important/Vital documents
8. Computer file back-up(s)
9. Blanket
10. Cell phone (& charger)
11.  Keys & utility or pocket knife
12. Wallet/Purse

Tags: Home, Planning, Uncategorized // Add Comment »

We have discussed our calendar and our contacts; the third area is our tasks.  This can be the hardest of all of these to gain real control of.   Much of this has to do with how record this information and how we prioritize what we do.  The task list never ends so we can find ourselves frustrated with what we accomplish or shall I say what we don’t accomplish. 

What we can do to remedy this is to focus on what are goals are and which of these tasks get us to that end.  Now that is easy to say, but how do we do it.  This is where we have to try to match a system to how we think and act or our willing to try to change or behavior to.  This can be a simple as a system you create, a Franklin Covey Planner (which has a great built in system), or a Planner Pad.

Choose a system that allows for:

1.    A list of tasks

2.    A way to review them to be able to choose the highest priorities each week

3.    The ability to schedule those prioritized tasks into our calendar

Then we must be disciplined to review the bigger picture list on a weekly basis and the daily tasks schedule for the week on a daily basis.  Getting into a routine of doing this can make a fantastic difference in what we accomplish each day!

Best wishes,

Rosanne

770.995.8556

www.dtsorganizing.com

Tags: Office, Time management // Add Comment »

Like our calendar we can keep a paper or electronic system for our contacts but we must choose one that works best for our needs.  We must define our needs not just for our present use but how we would like this system to accommodate our needs in the future.

In trying to decide what is best there are a few things to consider:

1.     How often does it need to be updated? 

2.    How often it is accessed?

3.    Does it need to be mobile?

4.    How many contacts do we expect to keep?

5.    What information do we need to keep for our contacts?

To decide on the best system these questions need to be considered.  Smaller lists of contacts can be managed with a simpler system, may not need to be with us all the time and can be a simple address book or addresses in an email system.  Larger data bases of contacts may need to be accessed often, probably need to have the ability to sync with a mobile device and are added to and updated often.  Here a system like Outlook and syncing with a Blackberry or Palm type device may be a better solution.

Finally when thinking about managing contacts, especially larger numbers of them.  Consider whether the system allows for sorting, the fields available to capture the data needed and also the search capability to find information.  Again Outlook 2007 provides a very good way to capture this information, sort and use it to provide a great productivity tool.

Keeping in contact,

Rosanne

770.995.8556

www.dtsorganizing.com

Tags: E-mail, Time management // Add Comment »

This first week we will focus on our calendar.  Whether we use a simple calendar, a planner or a Blackberry/Palm type electronic system, we need to be sure to “keep one set of books”.  When we keep multiple calendars it leaves us open to missing events and not knowing when our time is and is not available.  It is very important that we keep our calendar system current so that we have all the facts included.  Finally it is critical that we look at it routinely.  Looking at our calendar may sound like a “no brainer” but, many of us often start the morning without even knowing what we have planned for the day.

Things to think about in choosing between a paper and electronic system: 

1.     Is the system portable to have with you all the time?

2.     Is the system easy to update?

3.     Is the system easy to share with those who need to know what is on your schedule?

4.     Do you need to be a able to sync it to your computer?

5.    Do you want to be able to back up the information?

Keeping a good calendar will make a big difference in keeping a smooth office running.

Make the best of your time,

Rosanne

770.995.8556

www.dtsorganizing.com

Tags: Office, Time management // Add Comment »

Even after prioritizing and scheduling tasks, we can help ourselves a little more by taking the time to decide whether all the actions or steps of our tasks need to be done to begin with and the best time and way to do them.  Sometimes we do things because this is the way we have always done them or because we haven’t spent time to really analyze the tasks to be accomplished.

The simple act of looking carefully at the specifics of tasks can streamline the process and allow us to accomplish them easier.  Are we planning the detailed steps in the best order?  Are we allowing sufficient time to execute the tasks?  Do we have the tools needed?  Are we planning difficult tasks when we are able to work at our peak performance?  These steps can help us eliminate effort while actually accomplishing more.

Tags: Time management // Add Comment »

Even after prioritizing and scheduling tasks, we can help ourselves a little more by taking the time to decide whether all the actions or steps of our tasks need to be done to begin with and the best time and way to do them.  Sometimes we do things because this is the way we have always done them or because we haven’t spent time to really analyze the tasks to be accomplished.

The simple act of looking carefully at the specifics of tasks can streamline the process and allow us to accomplish them easier.  Are we planning out the detailed steps?  Are these steps in the best order?  Are we allowing sufficient time to execute the tasks?  Do we have the tools needed?  Are we planning difficult tasks when we are able to work at our peak performance?  Using these steps can help us eliminate effort while actually accomplishing more.

Best wishes,

Rosanne

770.995.8556

www.dtsorganizing.com

Tags: Time management // Add Comment »

We have talked about the benefits of prioritizing our tasks and knowing which tasks are the most important, but sometimes that isn’t enough to get them done.  We put tasks, we have defined as important, on our task list but often days, weeks or even months go by and they just don’t seem to get done. 

What is the reason for this?  The number one reason and the solution are one and the same.  We need to schedule them.  It is amazing how we schedule all the things other people ask us to do or that we do for others but forget to put the things we need to really get accomplished for ourselves either personally or professionally.  The solution is to take time to decide when these tasks need to be accomplished and put them on our calendar.  Remember to schedule an appropriate amount of time to get the task completed and/or break the task down into smaller increments to ensure success.

To your scheduling success,

Rosanne

770.995.8556

www.dtsorganizing.com

Tags: Time management // Add Comment »