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I know it is not quite spring yet but with the summer weather we are having on the East Coast I cannot help but think Spring. It started by me going through some closets and clothing as I do at the beginning of every season. One of those closets is in my office and after I am done going through my “work” clothes I usually move on to the desk, file cabinets and shelves.

This is not the only “cleaning” that you should do. Below are some other parts of our business which need a regular look at and touch up if necessary.

Go through your social media profiles and accounts. If you have added a skill, education or certification be sure to add it. Look at your bio, both short and long and make sure that it is accurately portraying your brand.  Edit your picture to reflect how you look today.

Review your website. Check to be sure the links are still working and that your targeted keywords are incorporated. Also be sure to add new products or services that you may have added. This can even be your chance to revive an ailing website because it is outdated.

Go through your computer files. Archive those that are older and that you no longer access. If you know that you will not be using them again, delete them. Usually when I do this I move the files to the cloud, put a tickler on my calender, notify past clients that they have 30 days to retrieve this information before it is permanently removed.

Update your email accounts. If you are like me, you have email accounts for business, personal and even signing up for freebies. If you have accounts that you never access, close them or safeguard them from hijacking. On the flip side, set up accounts needed for your business (i.e. billing@, custservice@, administration@) and if you have not set up account in conjunction with your domain, no time like the present.

And finally, update business safeguard processes. Check to be sure you have the latest version of hard-drive backup, process manuals and security programs. If you do not have these items now is a great time to get them together so in the event of an emergency you will be more than prepared.

What other things do you do to keep yourself and your business organized and ready to go? Not sure what you need to do, contact us for a needs analysis to get your business thinking spring.

Oh yeah…don’t forget to review your credit reports.  itis important to protect your identity but to be also that your scores accurately reflect your accounts and activity.

Rest your eyes.  There are times that we will get into a project and be looking at the screen for hours on end.  It is not drastic, just one simple step and it is called the 20/20/20 rule. It goes a little something like this.

• 20 minutes of using the computer- in which you focus intently upon the screen.
• 20 second break – take a 20 second break after you have focused on the screen for 20 minutes
• 20 feet away – focus your eyes upon something roughly 20 feet away for this 20 second break.

This should help with blurry vision, eye strain, burning and itchy eyes.  You may also want to check to see if “computer” glasses can work for you.  These are special glasses that are designed for those who do heavy and extensive computer use.

Keeping ourselves healthy is key to operating your business without disruption however some times it is the little things that we tend to overlook.

What other tips do you practice to keep yourself healthy during the business day?

Signing off,
Lee

Flickr image by Goat's Accordion

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.  As long as the power stays on I am good to go, but what happens if the snow if too much and I do lose power?

As an entrepreneur working from a home office, I am it.  As they say, stuff happens and having a plan can be the difference between success and epic failure.  Many entrepreneurs and small business owners have no backup plan because they either think nothing will happen or it is too overwhelming to think of.  Here are a few things I have in place that may help you to devise your plan.

1. Backup your computer – DAILY.  I use a cloud program to backup all my files.  I also have an external hard drive that I backup to once a week.  Many of my programs of choice are now on the cloud but that does not stop me from having all files in one central location.
2. Enlist a colleague.  Find someone you trust that can be a fill in if something would happen to you.  You should have someone who you can hand off your most important tasks in the event of an emergency and you are out of pocket. (hint, hint: VA’s can do this and more!)
3. Have a processes manual (creating one will be another post).  All big businesses have one and many small businesses too, so should you.  At the very least it should include how you operate your day and your most important client procedures.  If someone needs to step in they will have a guide to help them with the service quality that you now provide.
4. Office on the go.  I have set up my office so that if I need to operate out of another location I can do so in a few simple steps.  My cell phone provider offers mobile broadband that I can use and activate with a simple phone call.  My office phone is a Google Voice number that I can forward to any phone number I choose.  I also use Google Apps for business so if I have to use a different computer I can get to my email, documents, passwords, critical client information and project management program.

Prepare My Business.org offers a great pdf checklist for creating a disaster plan which you can use as a guide to begin your plan.  Do you have plans in place for your business?

Signing off,
Lee

First tell every one that while you are at home, your office is there and give them your working hours. Now do not expect this to be the light bulb moment for them. It will help with a few but there will still be people in your circle who will expect you to take a break when they pop in.

After that you could ignore their knocking or door bell ringing however if they know you are in they will call you to let you know they are outside. Sometimes on the guise that they wanted to be sure you were okay but the damage is now done, you are officially interrupted.

Now here is something that I have found works every time. I post a note on my door, I actually learned this trick by testing it out inside my home when taking conference calls or monitoring webinars. I simply say: RECORDING IN PROGRESS – PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE. For some reason this works, well except for one 17 year old child who has learned to interrupt by shoving notes under the door. I believe that it does work because you have given them a valid reason to not disrupt your day.

I hope that you do not encounter that one hold out however this easy trick will help you to curb the unexpected visitor. This will also show others that you are working and they will be able to relate that you have important tasks at hand and they should respect them.

Have you found another method that has worked for you?

Signing off short and sweet,
Lee

My favorite is walking and bike riding, outdoors only.  First off, I live in a great area with lots of trees, nature and quiet.  Getting out in the fresh air helps me to clear my mind and recharge. Sometimes I go for only 10-15 minutes and other times for an hour.  It depends on how much time I can squeeze in but I go rain, snow or shine.  I am not partial to sleet so those days I usually do something different.

So if you find yourself in a rut, get out and move around even if you only have 5 minutes.  Just breaking up the routine will help.

Signing off short and sweet,
Lee

Flickr img by susansimon

Each year on January 1st I undecorate from the holiday season.  I did not always do this however several years ago I actually went out on New Years Eve and shall we say had one too many cocktails.  Hungover and unable to sleep I decided to “work” the yuk out of me and took down the tree, the decorations and everything else.  Then I went back to bed and woke up refreshed and to a clean house.  It was then that I had that aha moment of how to start the new year.  Fresh and ready to go.

I, like many of you, work from my home so when that is not in order it throws a wrench in everything else.  I have found that no matter how many business goals I have, if the life or personal goals are not being met then I feel like a mouse on a wheel.    Being a mom, wife and business owner the three need to be on an even keel so that one area is not overpowering the next.  By putting everything back to where it needs to be on January 1 I can now move on and not have to figure out when am I going to get my house back in order.  I now can concentrate on what I need to do to make 2012 (or any year) fantastic.

So if you find yourself struggling already, either with your goals or resolutions, try to take a step back and take another approach.  Figure out what is going to get you fresh and ready to roll.

Signing off short and sweet,

Lee

I discovered that I write too wordy of articles and this makes it a chore to keep them coming.  So I decided to write at least 100-150 words per day. If i write more that is okay but I will settle for short and sweet tidbits.  Also, being the organizer I am,  I also tried to have a set topic schedule.  That is going to change to as I am now going to write on random information, things I find useful and just plain interesting stuff.  Some may be business, some not.

Hope that you enjoy my musings, find some great tips or just something to make you smile each day.

Signing off short and sweet,
Lee