Home Safe Home -- 7 quick tips to keep you safe!

Going over the river and through the woods for the holidays? Let's make all your memories be positive with these 7 quick tips to keep you safe.

Consider these simple preventative measures to help keep your home safe and secure while you're away.

Don't put out the "we're not home" sign -- set up timers on lights and a radio or television so that your home appears and may sound lived in.

1. Tell trusted friends and neighbors know how long you will be away and ways to get in touch with you in an emergency. Ask them to help keep an observant eye on your home. Ask them to collect your mail and newspapers, or you can suspend delivery until you return. 
2. Perhaps your neighbor could park their cars in your driveway periodically. In snowy climates, ask them to shovel your walk and driveway.  The last suggestion is really a big one, so I would offer them a bonus for that extra work.
3. Detach home address and phone numbers from your luggage tags and include only your cell-phone number, in case an unscrupulous baggage handler gets any shady ideas.
4. Lock up and hide your valuables. Keep some shades partially closed to keep expensive items (such as your big-screen TV) out of view. (But don't completely close all window coverings, or it will be obvious that no one is home.)
5. Set the thermostat to an energy-saving level. Unplug most appliances to save electricity.
6. Remove all perishable items from your refrigerator, and take out the trash so you don't return to unpleasant odors.
7. It may seem obvious, but don't forget to lock all doors and windows. If you leave a vehicle in the driveway, be sure to remove any garage door openers.

Last year, I published this blog. I had a family member who was away in college have her sorority house broken into, unfortunately, her mom didn't send her my newsletter.  These tips would have been really helpful to her.  If you have any kiddos away at college, please forward this article to them.  They're probably just as excited to come home and may not be thinking about how to keep their home away from home safe. 

Happy Holidays! 

Organizing Tools: what you need to get organized

One of the keys to staying organized is to routinely edit your closet, home office, or workplace.  The reason most people think they don’t want to clear the clutter  is because  it takes too much effort or it’s too time consuming.  Truth be known, it’s more about the fact that clearing the clutter is a very emotional process that feels like therapy.  It takes emotional stamina to declutter.    –  Anne McGurty, NAPO Colorado Past President, CEO/Founder, Strategize & Organize. www.strategizeandorganize.com  480-442-2014

My favorite words are “I’ve been looking for that.” It makes me smile when my clients say that. I like to give people something they thought they had lost. For many of my clients make organizing is  a low priority, without realizing that disorganization is such a major trigger of stress. Organizing allows you to be in control of your things instead of the other way around. As a professional organizer, I never know what I’m going to come up against. Sometimes I’m sorting paper; sometimes I’m discovering that forgotten coin collection. My job is to solve problems, so I never go to a client’s home or office unprepared. Here’s what I keep in my workbag:

IN THE TRAVELING BAG

• Brother Label Maker (and extra batteries) 
• Post-it notes for everything
• Screwdriver, hammer, pocket knife, tape measures
• Ziploc bags, for sorting
• SmartPhone with  camera, crucial for restaging so you can re-create an area.  Not to mention the satisfying before and after pictures.
• Paper clips, pens, pencils, tape, scissors, rubber bands, clipboard, calculator
• Pendaflex hanging file folders, insert tabs, and Avery labels
• Personal Emergency and Stamina items: Stevia packets, hand cream, protein bar, water bottle with Super Reds, Q96 and stain remover

THE BAG:   A garage sale find in my Paradise Valley, Arizona, neighborhood. SCORE!

Office Space! Are you squeezed into a corner?

Maximize whatever space you have.

Winston Churchill once said, “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.” How true, not just for buildings but for our offices as well.

Studies have found that the physical space in which we work affects satisfaction, productivity, and even learning. Yet few of us take time to strategize and organize our workplaces or our homes.  Business consulting is more than creating strategies, it starts with building a foundation with the right space.

Imagine an office where you show up every day and feel excited each day to get started because your desk is inviting you to sit down. Your chair is ergonomically correct, you have all the latest technology, and you have comfortable seats for your guests. When your office is right, you will feel comfortable and energized. When you check into your office each morning, you will have the right keys for being organized.

Here are a few keys and a few simple steps, ranging from the right workspace system to ergonomic-friendly products that can help businesses boost employee productivity and ease.

1.  Be ergonomically correct

Keep a massage ball handy to free your hands from stress. People performing repetitive activities on a keyboard or an adding machine can injure their hands. A stress ball will help you or your staff exercise your hands in new ways, rather than just typing.

Arrange your office room in such a way as to maintain appropriate air circulation. Position yourself away from air conditioning vents that push air right on top of you.

Position your computer monitor twenty-four to thirty-seven inches away from you with the screen at or below eye level to reduce strain on your neck and shoulders.

If you are on the phone a lot, use a Bluetooth device, headset or a quality speakerphone so that you can listen and write notes at the same time.

2.  Create an at-home workspace

Designate a spot in your home to do your business and money activities such as Internet research, writing thank-you notes, managing your schedule, and paying bills.

Always do work activities in that space and only that space.  Then you’ll always know where everything is.

3.  Arrange your main office

Arrange your office furniture for maximum use of the space.

Create a specific location for specific things, such as client files, supplies, books, calendar, briefcase, and appointment book.

Place your most frequently accessed files nearest your work desk.

Place peripherals and hardware where you can reach them without crossing the room.

Secure cables off the floor. Label them, so you always know what they are and to which equipment they connect.

4.  Work anywhere

Wherever you are, keep your work flowing.

5.  Create a portable office

Have an “on the go” system ready to roll whenever and wherever you go. Even at a moment’s notice, you can always have your schedule, work plan, and appointments list handy—in the car or however you travel.

6.  Get set up for mobility

Keep your critical information at hand by using a SmartPhone. These devices have the functionality of a computer but are compact enough to throw in a briefcase, handbag, or pocket (e.g., iPhone, Droid). This mobility can also be done with a laptop, which can be set up so you can work offline on your email, and once you hook up to the Internet it will synch, send, and reconcile your email.

Through Microsoft Outlook, you can synchronize your task list, calendar, and address book to your home computer using Microsoft Exchange or Google Apps for Business.   However, assess your true needs before you purchase. Keep it simple.

7.  Use the same organizing methods

Wherever you work—at the office or at home—consistency simplifies your thought process.  Use the same system.

Unclutter your brain. Let organizing do the work for you…so you do not have to try to remember what you were doing or where you put something.

Overwhelmed by Email? Maximize this invaluable resource

Are you way behind in your email? Think about how you handle email and why. Then strategize and organize to get your email under control.

Take a look at some of these key tips to organize the volume of email.

Synch your email

• Use a SmartPhone that is synchronized to the email on your computer it's really easy these days as most phones are automatically configured to your Gmail our Outlook account with just a few simple minutes configuring the settings. 
• Take those free minutes standing in line or waiting for an appointment to clear your email, keep scrolling and delete what isn't necessary. 

Set aside a time for email

• Focus time to check business email once a day, but not first thing in the morning. Does your morning (or main) work first so you do not get sidetracked
• Limit yourself to focus one hour of answering emails to keep your work goals on plan rather than respond to new inquiries. 

Answer business email within twenty-four hours. Set up an auto-responder when you can’t.

• Turn off the audible or ghost alert. 
• Check personal email during non-work time. 
• Unsubscribe from email lists you do not read.

Send efficient messages

• Use the subject line to clearly describe the purpose of your email. This helps the recipient, and it helps you when you are trying to find a message you previously sent.
• If your email requires an action by the recipient or is urgent, put URGENT or DECISION in the subject line or use the “urgent” notation provided in your email program. 
• Keep it short. Keep it simple. One topic per email. Do not overload with too much information. It might be overlooked…and where would you file it?
• Compose lengthy or complicated emails in your word-processing program, and then copy/paste into the email. If you have a glitch during the sending process, you can easily retrieve the message. 
• When replying to email, include enough of the old message that the recipient knows what you are talking about. Delete unnecessary information.
• When forwarding an email, delete the other email addresses. 

Follow up weekly

• Review your sent emails weekly. If you haven’t received a response, follow up.

Use BCC

• When sending an email to multiple addresses, put your email address in the “To” line and the recipients’ addresses in the “BCC” line (blind carbon copies). That way, only one name shows up and the recipients do not see everyone else’s names. Do not broadcast other people’s email addresses. 

Monitor attachments

• These two steps will keep your computer from receiving and spreading viruses: Do not open an attachment unless you know who sent it and you’re expecting it. Only send email attachments when the recipient is expecting it.
• If a file is too large to send through regular email, use Google Drive or DropBox.  These free services (for initial accounts) allow you to upload files and send invitations to specific individuals to open and download that file.  These services prevent the email from clogging the recipient’s mailbox and slowing down the sending and receiving process.

Monitor downloads

• Do not download anything unless you know who sent it, what it is, and you are expecting it. 
• Set up your email program to manually download upon your direction. 

Set preferences for receiving emails

• Set a file size limit for receiving emails; most are thirty to fifty kilobytes. This is especially useful if you travel without fast Internet access. 
• To prevent your inbox from overflowing, ask yourself: “Does this information contribute to my professional or personal goals?” If not, delete (such as by using Orla). 
• If you are unavailable for a period of time, set the “Out of Office” feature so senders will receive one automatic message as to when you will return. 
• Some email programs allow changing the subject line of an incoming message, so you can more easily find and retrieve the letter later. 

Eliminate clutter

• Open and read an email only when you are ready to act on it. 
• Before you read your emails, go through and delete the ones that obviously do not interest you or do not need to be saved or clearly are spam. 
• Set up block controls for spam. 

File online and offline

• Take some time to manage and organize email files, folders, and cabinets offline on your hard drive, and online through your service provider, where it remains even if your hard drive crashes. 
• Copy an email to your hard drive by using F12 on your PC.  This action converts your email into document that you can store in its appropriate folder within your hard drive, for example, under My Documents; create new folders such as My Finances, My Clients, My Correspondence, or Personal. 
• Turn emails into tasks by using Microsoft Outlook. Left-click on the email, drag it to your designated task folder, and drop it. A task window pops open with the email appended to it. Write in the task description; assign a priority and a due date. Click Save. Now you can delete the original email. Change the subject line to reflect the action required (e.g., change “re: Annual Meeting” to “Call travel agent re: Chicago trip”). 
• If you use a “tickler” date file system for hard copies (days 1-31, months Jan-Dec), print the related email and file into the folder for the day you will need it (e.g., a message with driving directions you will need on the date of the appointment).  

Get organized. Continue to think about how you work each day. When you understand why you feel like you’re always running but never getting ahead, you can change how you process your email. When you do, you’ll be able to check out of the office, feeling like you’re in control and on top of your job.

This blog post is an excerpt from Anne's book, Lost in Your Own Office.  Available at www.annemcgurty.com

Are you doing what is your passion?

This morning I was working on my website and I had the television on in the background and was listening to Wayne Dyer talking.  He said something that really struck home with me.

“When we live in a place of passion, we can create anything.  Passion is the creative source in our soul.. live it and let it be your number one source of living life.. it is God guiding you.”

As a business consultant, I know that may be a little too “God focused” for a business dialogue, but I see the value in living your passion.  When we feel something inside of us,driving us, and we ignore, I think we are destined to live in chaos.  The chaos is the conflict of doing what we think we should be doing versus what we enjoy doing.

I know I get so excited when I am working with people as a business coach, being productive, being of service.  It is obviously nurturing my soul when I am working with others, my clients, my friends.

Think about your life, try to feel it in your heart and soul.  Is it serving you? Or are you serving another force outside your comfort zone.  If your life is calm, organized, and balance, chances are you are living your passion.  If you are feeling conflict and disorder, there is opportunity to strategize and organize yourself into a more fulfilling life.

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 Sure! If you are outside of Arizona, you can break it up into 2 four hour sessions for each day you buy.

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 Absolutely, just fill out the form and pay for as may days as you would like. aching calls that are laser-focused weekly by phone or by SKYPE.

As my business coach tells me, “The Universe helps those who take action. Click BELOW To set your success in motion!"

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Testimonials 

Anne is a professional and expert in organizational development and strategies. She inspires others with her knowledge and experience to become more productive and to seek out solutions to everyday obstacles in the workplace and home. Her dedicated approach towards her clients gives them that personal attention lost in today’s fast paced society. As both a friend and colleague I highly recommend Anne! — Lisa Jimenez, Director of Human Resources, Allied Business Schools

Anne McGurty of Strategize and Organize has made a tremendous impact on our business. Her skill in client service and experience has created significant results inside our firm. — Rob Ekern President/CEO, C.R. Ekern & Company and author of ‘Consultative Brokerage®: A Value Strategy

I have worked with Anne in the private sector, the public sector, and at home. Anne has a remarkable talent which makes initial organization, as well as continuity in knowing where things are, simple and logical. Anne’s coaching technique is very personable and caring. If I move to another job, I’m taking Anne with me! -- Sharla Allen ORH Manager at Wyoming Department of Health

Managing time and resources efficiently and effectively is critical to success. I found Anne skilled in identifying what aspects of time management and organizational management I needed help in and then being able to customize an approach to fit my needs (and then proceeded to do the same for my management team). It seems these days we are all pressed for time, thus I highly recommend you take a few minutes and learn where Anne can help you and your business. — Jeff Poe, CEO, Vision Care Specialists (formerly Executive Director of US Oncology)

VIP Day with Anne

1 VIP Day with Anne McGurty $597.00 USD 2 VIP Days with Anne $997.00 USD