Extraordinary Results April Newsletter

>> Personal Note

I am very excited to present to you my new newsletter "Extraordinary Results"! Many of you have been wonderful subscribers for a long time to my past newsletter "The Organized Times". I've completely redone my website and decided to change my newsletter, too. I hope that you will love the new format and be sure and visit www.elizabethhagen.com and see my new "look"!

I've had an awesome 2005 so far and I hope the year is going well for all of you. I know that the time I spent in January writing my goals and setting up an action plan is definitely paying off. If you have not taken the time to think through where you want to go with your life and have not written your goals down - now is the time! Please run out and purchase "Success Principles" by Jack Canfield. I had the pleasure of meeting him at a conference I attended in Las Vegas. He is a gracious gentleman and I enjoyed visiting with him. This book will help you to take action and get ready for success.

If you'd like to start working on your goals, don't know where to start and would like some help - please e-mail me and put "Goal Teleclass" in the subject line. I will let you know the date and time of "Developing Your Own GPS (Goal Planning System)" teleclass. If you're not familiar with teleclasses they are a lot of fun. You dial into a number that I will give you, enter the passcode and you're in the class, all in the comfort of your own home. You will receive the handouts prior to the class via e-mail and you'll be all set.

Some exciting news in my career is that I have just earned the Golden Circle Membership of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers). This is an honor and I'm proud to be part of this elite group. I will be speaking at our national convention in San Diego the end of April. Also, I have joined NSA (National Speakers Association) and am looking forward to attending that convention in Atlanta in July.

My desire is that all of you take the time to fully appreciate who you are, live an amazing life and achieve Extraordinary Results!

>> Feature Article

Paper, Paper Everywhere!

Ever feel totally overwhelmed as you walk into your office? Do you feel that the stacks of paper multiply while you sleep? There is hope!

It may feel like a lot more but there are 5 things coming at you during the day – e-mail, voice mail, things you think of, verbal requests, and paper. There are 5 decisions to make with each category. You can throw it (or delete), delegate it (or forward), act on it, file for follow-up, or put in a reference file.

Throw
We need to keep a lot less paper than we think. If you can easily get it again from another source, it’s out of date or just not important – throw it.

Delegate
If it needs to be done but not necessarily by you – delegate it. But know that there are guidelines to delegating a task.
1. Pick the right person
2. Clarify what you want done
3. Verify they understand
4. Specify a completion date
5. Get their agreement

Act
If it will only take about 2 minutes to handle the paper or task - as Nike says – just do it! It usually takes more time to move the paper around the desk and into a pile than it takes to actually do the task.

File for Follow-Up
If the paper or e-mail, etc. takes longer than 2 minutes you probably just set it on the desk or floor because if you’d put it anywhere else you might forget it. This category is what makes up most of the stacks in anyone’s office.

Clutter is caused by not having a home and not taking the time to put it away. The difficulty is that you can’t put something away if there is no home! The answer is to have a designated place to put things and form the habit of putting things away where they belong…in their place.

The solution in an office for follow-up items is to set up the GO System files which I teach in my GO System seminars. Have folders labeled 1-31 and January – December. Then, when you pick up a paper and make the decision that it needs to be done later – decide when ‘later’ is and put it in the appropriate folder. Yes, it is as easy as that! And, takes no batteries!  Purchase the GO System Implementation Kit to make putting this system together a breeze!

Reference File
If you can’t throw it, can’t delegate it, there is no action but you need to keep it – put it in a reference file. Many of you may be thinking “My reference files?! I haven’t been able to find anything in there in years!” You’re not alone. I’ll have an article on that in the future but in the meantime, go through your files and weed them out. 80% of what we file we never look at again!

>> Quick Tip

Ok, this may sound silly – but have a good sized wastebasket! The bigger it is the more you’ll throw. Try it!

>> Workshops/Teleclasses

April 1 – 9:00 am – MOPS at Faith Baptist, Sioux Falls, SD
Calming the Chaos of Clutter

April 2 – 11:30 am – New Hope Evangelical Free Church, Orange City, IA
Calming the Chaos of Clutter

April 6 – 9:00 am - MOPS at Bethel Baptist, Brookings, SD
Fashion, Figures & Fun

April 12 – 6:30 pm - If you’re in the Sioux Falls, SD area please watch the special “Master the Madness” on KELO-TV. The show is about stress and I’ll have a segment on controlling stress in the kitchen.

April 13 – noon – Airport Rotary, Sioux Falls, SD
Office Organization Tips

April 14 – 5:30 pm – E-Women Network, Sheraton Convention Center, Sioux Falls, SD
GO System: Get Organized for Life

April 21 – 6:00 pm – Home Builder’s Association, Westward Ho Country Club
GO System: Get Organized for Life

April 23 – 10:00 am – Faith United Presbyterian, Brandon, SD
Calming the Chaos of Clutter

April 29 – 2:00 pm – National Association of Professional Organizers Convention, San Diego, CA
Meet Me in the Kitchen Because Now I Love Being There!