Competent using MS Outlook but still write things on bits of paper and scribble in your desk diary where you have to remember to look to remind yourself of what you should be doing??
Is this because it works for you or are you wasting valuable time that could be spent much more profitably by using your expertise to grow your business?
When enquiries come in, why not key the information directly into MS Outlook where you can immediately set up contact details and a reminder to follow up at a specific date and time. Then you don’t have to remember, as MS Outlook will remind you, and you won’t have to try and decipher notes scribbled on pieces of paper.
A simple process perhaps, but one that will enable you to de-clutter your desk and your mind!
Use the simple tools available in MS Outlook to save you time and co-ordinate business (and social) activities.
BeLog
De-Cluttering paperwork in the Office
February 1st, 2011Sometimes office paperwork accumulates almost without one noticing, it is amazing how quickly it can grow and become completely daunting!
In business, individuals can be so busy doing what they know they are good at, concentrating on their own particular area of expertise, whatever trade or profession that may be, that it can come as a real shock to realise they are drowning in office paperwork.
If you work from a home office are business items kept separately from personal ones?
This week we focus on simple tips to get home office paperwork organised and help you stay on top of it!
- Cull everything you can throw away. Start with obvious junk mail and catalogues. Put them in recycling bags and take them out of your office immediately.
- Open any official mail such as bank statements, invoices, client orders, utility bills etc.; throw away the envelopes and any advertising inserts. Put the official mail to one side.
- Shred any loan offers or those blank cheques you receive from credit card companies immediately.
- For paperwork you need to keep but don’t need now, put this into boxes, clearly labelled and take it out of your office. If you use the garage or attic as secondary storage, plastic boxes work best as they are not affected by damp conditions.
- Sort your official ‘active’ paperwork into as many folders as you need, doing a secondary cull of irrelevant inserts at the same time.
- Arrange items chronologically within each folder with the most recent correspondence on top.
- Make a separate folder of ‘To Do’ items such as invoices not yet due for payment. Use a different colour for this folder to differentiate it from the others. Put it in a prominent place.
- Write on each folder to describe the content. Put them away in the filing cabinet or drawer.
- Arrange the folders alphabetically or alphabetically within a specific topic e.g. Clients or Utilities.
- Put everything away so you completely de-clutter your desk and have a clear work space.
- Make it a DAILY routine to go through the mail, discard the rubbish immediately and file the rest.
Sometimes help is needed to get the momentum going and this is where BeSorted comes in. We can advise or manage the entire process. It is our aim to leave an office with well-organised paperwork that can be easily managed in the future.
If you know anyone who needs guidance to organise their hard copy paperwork and business documents suggest they contact BeSorted.
Check in next week when the focus is on electronic files!
Do you know how long you should keep particular documents?
January 25th, 2011This week we focus on Records Management and the life-cycle of documents. A record could be any type of hard copy document, paper or electronic file.
All businesses keep hard copy and electronic files and documents – the important questions are – why and for how long?
OK, there are a variety of valid reasons for document retention including:
- Legal requirements related to documents such as licences, contracts, tax or finance records
- Important information about products or competitors
- Guidelines, handbooks, Standard operating procedures and Working Instructions to assist staff
However,
- Do businesses hang onto documents because they don’t know how long they should be kept?
- Is it because no-one wants to take responsibility for discarding any items on the vague off chance that it might be needed sometime?
- Are duplicate copies of files clogging up physical and electronic space because there is no document management policy in place to guide the business?
BeSorted has worked with records management systems for a number of years and can advise businesses on the recommended retention period for specific document types.
The benefit to businesses is the security of knowing exactly when they can safely dispose of documents and de-clutter both office space and electronic sources.
Ideal candidates for BeSorted are businesses requiring help to organise their documents and identify what needs to be kept, what should be discarded and when to do both.
In business or at home, is it time for a document spring clean??
January 18th, 2011It is a New Year so why not start now?
If you are buried in paperwork and want to dig your way out, or spend hours trying to find specific files on your pc but are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data, relax, because BeSorted can help you.
Think about how many duplicate or obsolete items are being kept unnecessarily, simply because no standardised naming conventions have been applied to them – BeSorted offers the assistance needed with reorganising and de-cluttering hard copy or electronic documents.
We give practical advice and guidance on how to manage and control files and documents simply and easily, and how best to organise them to meet the particular needs of the business or home – items should be easy to name, file, and then find again quickly when needed!
Files and documents should be an asset working for you and/or your business, let BeSorted help make that a reality, giving you more precious time to work on your business or your leisure!
So, if you want to get organised but don’t know where to start, contact BeSorted and let us take those first steps with you.
Event – Document Management Seminar in April
March 30th, 2010Invitation to BeSorted Document Management Seminar on Thursday 22nd April 2010
Are you sole proprietor looking to save space ?
Or a multi-office company wanting to become more efficient and store / share files securely ?
Maybe your business is somewhere in between ?
We have great pleasure in inviting you to our seminar on Document Management to discuss how DocuSoft software can assist companies, increase staff productivity and save time and money. Our next seminar is planned for Thursday 22nd April from 2pm to 4.30pm with a small select number of delegates at the event, so please give us a call to reserve your place.
During the seminar we will discuss the topic of document management within businesses and how one can work towards dramatically reducing volumes of paperwork, improving document security and making significant reductions to business costs. It will also be an opportunity to network with other businesses present.
Proof Reading – An eye for detail
March 25th, 2009I should like to talk about proof-reading today. Not everyone has an eye for detail and BeSorted is well qualified to help as we are trained to spot the anomaly and find it easy to do so
We previously carried out regulatory work for the pharmaceutical industry, where attention to detail was absolutely vital and if something was missed it could result in a product recall. This worst case scenario would mean that product being removed from every shelf in every pharmacy or supermarket throughout the UK – a very costly error.
I have been doing some copy-proofing recently and have really enjoyed reading through the content. It occurred to me that sometimes with proof-reading, what’s needed is a fresh eye to review hard copy or electronic reports, books, newsletters, guides or handbooks, in order to pick up any inconsistencies or grammatical errors in the text.
Please think about companies where you have noticed mistakes in their literature, because this week, BeSorted would like to help any small businesses where proof-reading is a chore.
Linda Ralph,
BeSorted
Untidy Offices
February 25th, 2009I am returning to the untidy office today – so, when visiting clients and customers who have to clear a chair of paperwork and files before there is anywhere to sit down – mention BeSorted!
Look around – if there is paperwork on every surface – blocking window sills, hanging off the tops of cupboards or in piles on the floor and under desks – suggest they contact BeSorted because we can help them!
We create order and implement simple and practical solutions to help staff manage their paperwork and documents easily.
With an organised office comes the added bonus of more time for busy people, allowing them time to focus on growing the business, rather than just growing their piles of paperwork.
So, think about someone who may benefit from BeSorted’s help.
This week, my ideal referrals are small companies who need a kick start to organise their hard copy or electronic documents.
> For more information about decluttering
Linda Ralph,
BeSorted
Finding Electronic Documents
January 1st, 2009Think about how long it takes to find a specific electronic file or document. Sometimes businesses find it hard to locate them quickly because everything is kept in a folder entitled ‘General’ that may contain hundreds of files to which no standardised naming conventions have been applied and from which nothing has ever been deleted.
It can be like searching for a needle in a haystack as each file then has to be opened to find the one that is needed.
BeSorted helps businesses to resolve this problem.
We aim to help businesses become self-sufficient in managing their vital documents by applying simple, common-sense naming conventions to electronic files and folders, enabling them to be easily indexed, stored and found again! This process also helps to weed out irrelevant or out of date material.
The time saved in searching for files can then be employed much more productively on growing the business.
Our ideal referral this week is for small local businesses that you know, where time is of the essence and their electronic files difficult to locate.
Linda Ralph,
BeSorted