Dan George - Biotechnologist

Regina Saunders - Manager Jetty Bunker Youth Services

• Get focussed. Often we are own worst enemies, interrupting ourselves by jumping from one half-finished task to another. Stop doing “the desktop shuffle” - moving papers aimlessly around on your desk. Every time you handle an item, take an action towards completing it.
• Write down & group your communications with individuals.  Share these communication lists at one or two planned times during the day.
• Process your messages/email & other paperwork once or twice each day at planned times.
• Computer files should be organised in file folders just like your paper or e-mail filing system for simplicity & ease of retrieval. Aim to keep your in-box empty. Archive all up till now, for ease & a clean slate. Use the ‘flag option’ in Outlook to choose dates as reminders…If the e-mail can be done in two minutes or less, take action & complete it.  Others may be dragged to the appropriate computer folder such as  URGENT Folder, Important Folder, or PendingFolder. When finished processing e-mails, your inbox should be totally empty.
• Clean out & remove all unnecessary, closed, or unused files every six months (In your filing cabinet & in your PC)
• Schedule appointments with yourself to get things done. Commit to spending time on the things you keep “not getting around to.”  When are you at your best & freshest - first thing in the morning maybe? – try to tackle the trickiest jobs then.
• Beware of perfectionism. Most routine work doesn’t need to be done perfectly. Ask yourself — Is your effort disproportionate to the value of the task? Will other, more important projects be delayed as a result? Can you reduce the frequency or level of detail of this task?

It is imperative that -
•    it serve you
•    it please you
•    it be under your control.

It’s important to realise that control is the goal of organisation. Organization is not a goal - it is a process. Yet there can be no control without understanding.

When the habits of very organised people are closely scrutinized, some basic principles or methods for being organised become apparent.

These people

• Create a place for everything - then put everything in its place. (An oldie but a goodie)
• They don’t delay, they make a decision today!  - Procrastination is the enemy of an organised space.
• One in/one out – an organised space requires a simple system for controlling what comes in and what goes out of your space.
• Sort like with like - categorizing is an essential skill for organised living.

Did you know?

• The average office has 19 copies of each document, yes 19.
• 80% of papers filed are NEVER retrieved again.
• People waste almost one hour per day trying to find misfiled, mis-labeled or misplaced items.
• There was 50% more paper in offices in 2005 than there was in 1995.

So at some point soon we are going to turn off our computers, roll up our sleeves and take some control of this space. There may be things about this space that we cannot change but there are still many things we can do to make this area work more efficiently for you.

My aim is:

1.    to cull excess and remove clutter.
2.    to create a visually friendlier environment.
3.    to allow the capacity for more efficiency and flow.

An Organised Space Requires Logical Decision Making

“Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide. “

Napoleon Bonaparte

The achievement of an organised space requires constant decision making in order to set priorities and control the amount of ‘stuff’ coming into and leaving your space.

Historically, decision making has long been recognised as a challenging activity.

Decision making can be made even more challenging because of:

• emotional interference
• no knowledge or understanding of the decision making process
• lack of experience with the decision making process
• lack of awareness of the questions that need to be asked to promote decision making

Decision making can be thought of as a cognitive process whereby an individual chooses between a number of alternatives so there is a single course of action or outcome.

Logical and informed decision making is essential to gaining control of your situation. Emotional decision making seldom leads to control!

Let’s examine the first reason for difficulty with decision making more clearly to see how it can influence an organised space.

Emotional interference

Human beings might be made of flesh and bone but it is our emotions that control us. Emotions can make it difficult for some people to make even the simplest decisions needed for organised living such as:

“Do I toss or do I keep?”
“If I keep it where do I put it?”
“If I put it somewhere how do I get to it?” etc etc

If you see yourself in this description you are not alone.Most of the decisions made by human beings, in fact, in everyday life are based on what a person is feeling and not what a person is thinking!

Making decisions from an emotional base will very seldom lead to control. The only way to stop the emotional interference is to be aware of its influence. When you are having difficulty with a decision ask yourself these two questions.

1. What am I thinking about this?
2. What am I feeling about this?

Reflecting on the answers to these two questions will reveal whether it is the logic or the emotion that is influencing the decision.

Here is a simple checklist to use to create/refine a workspace that is effective, efficient & distraction free!  Check off each item as you complete the instruction & see what a difference it makes…

DESK management

• Remove distracting objects from your field of view when sitting at your desk in the ready work position.  Place personal items & pictures in specific locations or behind you out of sight when working.  Remove & store out of sight excess pen or pencil holders, tape dispensers, staplers, or other tools that are not used daily.
• Place your telephone(s) on weak side of desk (if right handed, then on your left side).
  Place your phone directory, next to the telephone.
  Remove note pads, & post-it note pads.
• Use one calendar commitment system such as a day planner.  Keep your day planner open & ready to use on the desk strong side (right side if you are right handed).  Write all notes, commitments, voice-mails, & other items of interest there on a daily basis.
• On the inside cover of your diary have a MASTER TO-DO-LIST; a page which is the ongoing list of tasks for you to achieve.
• Type a list of all the phone numbers, codes, extensions, policy numbers & repeatedly required information & pin above your phone on your pin board. (Instead of several old post-it notes)
• Grab a plastic-sleeved book and create your ‘bible’ of all the information you need at your fingertips. (I have one at home called, ‘To do, To buy, To get, To fix’ which hold all my bills and papers to be actioned.)
• Create a place for everything & put it back after you’ve used it.

Aim for effectiveness, not neatness. Neatness as an end in itself can even be risky: Putting things away just to clear off your desk can cause you to lose or forget them. At the end of the day put everything left in one pile for sorting, first thing the next morning.

Clutter is rarely caused by insufficient space or time. The culprit is usually indecisiveness. So be selective about what you bring into your office. If you are clear about what you value & what your goals are, being selective is not hard.

In-Trays & Toaster racks

• Establish a visibly labelled In-Tray “For Bek” outside the opening to your office area for others to use.
• Create an ‘URGENT’ In-Tray, an ‘IMPORTANT’ & ‘PENDING’ In-Tray.  Place these trays together, out of eyesight, to avoid eye jumping.  Prioritise all the items in each basket placing the highest priority item on top.  Create & place your ‘FINISHED’ In-Tray where it may be seen. File its contents once a week.
• Have a toaster rack for clearly labelled manilla folders that are being used today/this week.

FILES

• Establish TALK-TO-Files for each colleague or team member to store notes & communications that will be shared at one or two planned times.  (Kept in Toaster rack)
• Establish READ-File for articles, updates or other materials you would like to read.  (Kept in Toaster rack)
• Establish REFERENCE & HISTORICAL files out of sight, in filing cabinets.
• Use color-coded folders for easy visual identification of files (eg red - projects, blue - people, green - read, etc.).  File alphabetically with titles you are familiar with.

I recommend you label the file properly. The easiest way to do this is to buy a label maker. They are inexpensive, neat, practical, small and easy to store in a drawer when you are done. File your folders alphabetically.

Don’t save paper that you’re not willing to spend time filing: every item needs one of the following actions -

1. Handle it
2. File it,
3. Delegate it
4. Get rid of it

The clean up process can take a lot of time. Obviously, the bigger the mess, the more effort will be involved in removing the items and applying the four options to each item. However, the reward at the end is well worth it.

At the end of the process, you should be left with a clean work area. The only things that should be left out are the things you are immediately working on. This is very important. At the end of the day, there should be nothing on the top of your desk except your monitor, telephone and minimal accessories such as two pens and two pencils in a holder. The only thing that should ever be on top of a workspace should be the one thing you are actively engaged in. Everything else that you are currently working on should be filed or delegated to someone else.

My reasoning? Because a new employee’s first 3-6 months is generally considered the highest period of risk in terms of potential turnover.

How they are treated in the first part of their tenure can be the difference between an employee with a long term commitment to your organisation, and one who leaves before the year is out. In the current climate, they may become disillusioned very quickly and are likely to quit unexpectedly, or are vulnerable to being poached by another employer. It has also been shown the more quickly an employee is integrated and settled into a new working environment, the faster they will achieve productivity returns for an employer.

So what can you do to maximise your employee’s experience?

• Ensure they have the right tools required for the role.
• Determine if additional skills need to be developed - Acknowledgment of skills development and training as required
• Implement a creative and structured induction program including business history, values, strategy and financial goals of the organisation.
• Meet and greet session with other staff; a walk around building with full explanations.
• Regular formal and informal two-way feedback to assess the employee’s progress and concerns.
• An explanation and example of a performance review.
• A tailored coaching and mentoring program or an agreed career development plan in place that will add value to the new employee’s career growth.

Analysing a slow payer is easy. Each debtor is going to fall into one of the following 4 categories.

• Memory loss
• Cash flow difficulties
• Dissatisfaction
• Poor Ethics

All you need do is ask the question ‘I note your account hasn’t been paid. Why is that?’

Reason 1: Memory Difficulty

The response is along the lines - ‘sorry I forgot’. Whilst we can imagine this happening as it does to most people at some time or another you need to ask ‘so when can I expect payment?’ Either you will be paid as promised or you won’t. If you do then the situation is contained for now. If you don’t then your debtor has ethical difficulties.

Memory difficulty can also be when YOU have forgotten to use a correct order or job number on your invoice. Approval for payment may then be delayed.

Reason 2: Cash Flow Difficulty

The typical response here is ‘sorry, things are really tight at the moment’. Whilst most of us can relate to this one your debtor had an obligation to discuss this issue with you before their account became overdue. You are therefore entitled to negotiate a payment plan. For example you could say ‘sorry to hear that but unfortunately this doesn’t help me pay my bills. How about you pay half now and half next month?’ Drive your debtor into making a commitment. Get it in writing via email.  Always expect a reasonable payment immediately. Either you will receive payments as promised or you won’t. If you do then the situation is contained. If you don’t, then your debtor has ethical difficulties.

Reason 3: Dissatisfaction

The response is along the lines ‘sorry but I wasn’t happy with the job you did’. Like having a cash flow difficulty your debtor had an obligation to discuss this issue with you before their account became overdue. However, what you need to do here is to fix the problem that your debtor has. They then have no excuse for not paying. Once you have fixed the problem you will either receive payment as promised. If you do then the situation is contained for now. If you don’t then your debtor has ethical difficulties.

Reason 4: Poor Ethics

The signs your debtor is having ethical difficulties is when they don’t respond to your calls or letters or because they have not kept one of the arrangements made above. Clearly your debtor has an ethical difficulty in making payment. This spells danger to your cash flow. Call in a specialist to help.

Advertising, equipping and administration, time taken for screening, interviews and orientation/training, legal costs and severance payments, lost productivity, interrupted client relationships, negative impact of team morale and disruptions to core activity must be factored in.

Whilst these costs will naturally vary between organisations and positions, the figure of three times the annual salary is often used as a rule of thumb and indicates just how seriously incorrect hiring can affect an organisation’s profitability.

The purpose of a headline is to grab your customers attention.

1. The headline should offer the customer the big benefit right up-front.
2. Every headline should instantly appeal to the customer’s self-interest.
3. If possible, try to add some educational or informational content as well.
4. Valuable words to use are free, new, how to, now, announcing, introducing, it is here, just arrived, an important announcement, improvement, amazing, sensation, remarkable, revolutionary, startling, miraculous, magic, offer, quick, easy, simple, powerful, wanted, challenge, advice, the truth about, compare, bargain hurry,  and…last chance.
5. Always try to incorporate your ‘unique buy reason’ into your headline. And make that reason as specific, desirable and advantageous to the customer as you possibly can.
6. Avoid headlines that don’t mean anything unless you read the whole ad.
7. When constructing headlines try to remember your customer is not buying a product or service they are buying a result.
8. Remember it’s all about the benefit to the customer - Use ‘You’, not ‘We’ or ‘Our’ product service or company.
9. Don’t worry about the length. Fourteen-word headlines get almost as much readership as three-word headlines.
10. Avoid headlines that are tricky, confusing or incomplete in their message.

Dee S - Marketing Consultant