First, get a timer of some kind. You can use an actual kitchen time or something like . . . → Read More: Time Management | The Doth Brands ‘Pomodoro’ Technique]]> I’ve used a variant of what is most often called The Pomodoro Technique since I was in high school. It is really simple and something you can do right away. You will see immediate results in your productivity.

First, get a timer of some kind.
You can use an actual kitchen time or something like this. A free timer widget for your computer.

Second, set it for 15 minutes.
Now work on something for 15 minutes straight. No interruptions.

Third, set it for 5 minutes.
Take a break. Do whatever. Check Facebook. Go to the bathroom. Call your Mom.

Repeat.

You will be amazed at how much you get done.

I’m including a PDF you can download and print out. It gives you a step-by-step for the Doth Brands’ method of the Pomodoro Technique.

[Download]

Tips for Advanced Time Managers
Depending on the day, I will adjust what I set my timer for. If I have a lot of design work, I’ll set it for 30 minutes and take a 10 minute break.
Different people maintain focus in different ways. What this technique does is it establishes clear boundaries for your work and for your play. Adjust until you find something right for your natural preferences and your line of work.

Resources:
The Pomodoro Technique Website

When you are busy—when your days are packed and when you’re up to your ears in meetings—it is especially important that you squeeze in a a yoga class, a run, a Spanish lesson or a paint-by-number session. . . . → Read More: Time Management | Adding Things In Gives You More Time]]> Do more when you are busy. It will make you more productive and you’ll end up with more free time.

When you are busy—when your days are packed and when you’re up to your ears in meetings—it is especially important that you squeeze in a a yoga class, a run, a Spanish lesson or a paint-by-number session. Whatever it is that you like to do; do it. Do it during the work day, do it during lunch—just do it.

Research shows that we become less productive the longer we ‘stay focused’ on something (except you’re really not focused). So, in about hour six of sitting at your desk working on ‘work,’ you are probably progressing a lot slower than you were in hour one. And you are probably flicking between writing an email, checking Facebook, double-checking your calendar, checking Facebook, making a phone call, checking Facebook. A downward spiral of time wasting.

Your ability to focus keeps decreasing until it’s basically non-existent. This is when you need to get up, do something else for a little bit and come back to it fresh. Your brain literally gets reset, your ability to focus improves and your willpower to avoid time-wasters increases.

Things to Add in:
✿ Sleep.
Being well-rested improves performance during the day.
✿ A Break for Something Creative.
Maybe this is a Sudoku puzzle. Or writing a postcard to your daughter. Or maybe it’s planning meals for your family’s dinner next week. Do something during the workday that is not work-related.
✿ A 10-minute Walk Outside.
Leave your cell phone at your desk, go outside and walk somewhere for 15 minutes. You’ll come back refreshed, mentally and physically.
✿ Prioritization.
If you can’t determine what’s important, how do you expect anyone else to? Likewise, if you don’t prioritize, you’ll end up wasting a lot more time.
✿ Silence.
Work with your phone off, door closed and radio off. Close your email program. Eliminate distraction.
✿ Water.
Drink lots of water. At least 8oz. an hour.
✿ Boundaries.
Establish boundaries between your work-life and home-life. Do you bring your work home with you? Do you actually have to do that? Or are you so inefficient during the workday that you have no choice but to bring it home with you?

During my busy time of year—I’m talking the absolutely busiest time of year—my yoga tends to increase. A mid-day yoga class, followed by a shower and a snack results in a very happy Cole. I’m able to come back to things with a fresh perspective and more gumption than I had before. Maybe my lunch break is a little longer, but I’m not missing deadlines and I don’t utter phrases like “oh my God I’m so busy” which tends to make you sound like a jerk anyway. I’m also happy to stick around a little later rather than trying to rush to a yoga class right after work when I’m hungry and tired. It’s so easy to skip the gym after work, don’t even tempt yourself.

We’re all busy, just some of us can handle it better than others. We all deserve time to ourselves and time with our families. This is why it’s important to be tuned in to your work habits.

Resources:
MindTools
Self Control
Egg Timer Widget

Elisabeth Galperin helps people get . . . → Read More: What is Time Management?]]> Managing your time effectively is a huge part of your day, no matter what you do. Manage it well and you end your day feeling accomplished, and perhaps with a lighter load for tomorrow. Mismanage your time, and well, we’ve all been there once or twice. It’s not a good feeling.

Elisabeth Galperin helps people get organized, both in their living spaces and in their day-timers. We contacted her to share some tips for greater time management to you. Here’s what she had to say.

How many times have you thought to yourself, “if only I had two (or three, or four…) more hours in my day, then maybe I could get everything done?”

Time management is ultimately about managing you. It involves learning how to manage your choices and decisions within the constraints of time. The amount of time in a day will never change; 24 hours is all you get. What you can change, however, is how you utilize that time.

When you start each day, do you take time to evaluate all of the items on your To Do list and the appointments on your calendar? Most people simply jump right in and start working on whatever item is at the top of the list or on top of the desk. To apply the skills of time management, you need to be organizing your tasks and appointments based upon your priorities, responsibilities, and goals.

Set specific goals.  Make sure the tasks you are working on each day are moving you closer to your personal and/or professional goals.

Prioritize.  Do you have a clear definition of urgent versus important tasks? When a task arises, you must determine whether it is of high priority. This should be based upon value, profitability, time-constraints, and deadlines. Many “urgent” matters are truly not important, and important tasks do not always have to be handled urgently.

Turn your To- Do List into a To-Do schedule.  Creating a to-do list is a great first step, but it is not the last. Once you list the tasks that must be completed for the day or week, prioritize them based upon deadlines and value (tasks that are goal-related), then give each task a specific day and time to be addressed.

Follow a daily schedule.  If you begin each day without a plan, you will be sure to lose the battle against the clock. However, if each day starts with the guidance of a schedule, you are much more likely to stay in control of your day and the hours within.

Keep in mind, managing your time and your self is a skill; it takes practice and a willingness to try new strategies.  If you are committed to making better use of your valuable time, consider working with a business/life coach or a professional organizer; it will be well worth your time.

Elisabeth Galperin

About Elisabeth
Elisabeth Galperin is the owner of Turn Leaf Organizing, a professional organizing business located in North Carolina. For the past four years, she has been assisting home owners, small business owners, families and students gain control over clutter & develop organizational and time management skills. As a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and a nationally certified speech/language therapist, Elisabeth has combined her training in the field of education and her skills in organization to offer a unique approach and perspective to organizing. Her company’s services include residential organizing (closets, kitchens, playrooms, garages) small business organizing (paper and electronic filing, time management) and individual consulting & coaching for adults and children with general organizing difficulties, attention-deficits, and/or learning disabilities. Her priority as a professional organizer is to assist & educate her clients such that they experience long-term, positive changes in their lives and environments.

Just as each person’s style of dress, for example, is a marker of their unique personality, our handwriting is a marker of our unique selves. There’s nothing like . . . → Read More: Handwriting Is An Asset]]> Don’t ever undervalue your handwriting. No matter how sloppy it might be, your handwriting is an asset. An asset to your business and an asset to your personal life.

Just as each person’s style of dress, for example, is a marker of their unique personality, our handwriting is a marker of our unique selves. There’s nothing like a face-to-face meeting with body language, tone of voice and eye contact in tow. So, when it comes to the written word, there’s nothing like actual pen on paper.

We know through research and experience that something handwritten is always more authentic than something typed out.

What would you value more?
A greeting card your colleague just signs their name to.
or
A greeting card your colleague writes a few, thoughtful lines in, finished by a signature.
or
A short letter on decent stationery written to you.

We know from research (yes, the scientific kind) that handwritten notes are always perceived as a gift. Always.

We also know that cards printed with a handwriting font just looks like the real thing….telling the recipient, visually, that they are trying to fool you. It is clearly not the real thing. You are better off just using a normal typeface and not trying to fool anyone.

So back to handwriting being an asset. We know that handwritten notes are always perceived as a gift, right? Imagine how your business might change were you to send a ‘gift’ to everyone you met with or everyone you had as a client. That is an asset. An asset to your business (What a thoughtful company!) and an asset to you (What a thoughtful person!).

Handwritten notes are valuable in an age where it is almost expected to send email, or to text a message from your cell phone. They are a rarity. People know what it takes to send out a note. It takes remembering (seriously hard sometimes, no?), thinking through what you are going to say, writing it down, signing your name, getting the person’s mailing address, putting it in an envelope and sticking a stamp on it.
Oh, and then there’s remembering to take it to a mailbox.

In all my years doing what I do for a living, if I had to reduce everything down to just one thing—just one piece of advice—just one thing I would have other businesses do, it is this: To write a handwritten note after every meeting with a potential client or colleague. To write handwritten notes to people who gave you a gift, or took a little extra time with you, or who referred you a potential business lead (even if it didn’t come to fruition.) I have my clients initiate this practice from the second we begin working together and all have had success.

You see, if you think about it, no matter whether you are a service-based business or a product-based business, people buy from people. People don’t buy from businesses, they are buying from the people behind them. Nobody wants to be friends with a corporation, but they want to be friends with other people. They want to be friends and have relationships with actual people; actual authentic people. Sincere people.

This practice is just like any other task, it needs to become a habit. I write a lot of notes and letters throughout the week and I have correspondence to handle almost every morning of the week. But if you’re just getting started, here’s what I want you to try.

• Put a blank pad of paper on your desk. Throughout the week, you will list the names of people you had meetings with this week, or people who helped you, or people who might just need a little cheering up.
• On Friday, take a look at your list. Select the people you will write a little note to.
• On a small notecard (a great size is 4-bar; 3.625” x 5.125”), write out a little note.
• Lookup addresses, make phone calls—whatever you need to do to get those mailing addresses.
• Put a stamp on the envelope, slip your business card inside and mail it off. Come Monday morning, people will find something nice in their stack of mail.
• Take note of the response. Who called you? Who emailed you? I have clients that are suddenly overwhelmed by the response.

Then, see if it was worth your time and continue with the practice.

Later this month, I’ll post some letter-writing examples for common business situations. This way you have a bit of a template to go from. I’ll also post some of my favorite stationery products.

First, let me introduce you to two terms. Vocabulary lesson! Inbound Marketing and Outbound Marketing. Inbound Marketing is the opposite of Outbound Marketing. Inbound Marketing is modern advertising. Outbound Marketing is traditional advertising.

Some tools that can be found inside the Inbound Marketing toolbox include Facebook, email marketing, landing pages, search engine optimization and content . . . → Read More: Inbound Marketing | What is it?]]> What is Inbound Marketing?

First, let me introduce you to two terms. Vocabulary lesson! Inbound Marketing and Outbound Marketing. Inbound Marketing is the opposite of Outbound Marketing.
Inbound Marketing is modern advertising. Outbound Marketing is traditional advertising.

Some tools that can be found inside the Inbound Marketing toolbox include Facebook, email marketing, landing pages, search engine optimization and content like eBooks or whitepapers. The end result is customers finding YOU. In Inbound Marketing, youʼre going after a smaller, more qualified target.

Inbound Marketing Toolbox

Tools that can be found inside the Outbound Marketing toolbox include billboards, print ads, brochures, promotional items, trade shows, tv/radio ads, telemarketing and direct mail. The end result with Outbound Marketing is YOU finding customers. In Outbound Marketing, youʼre going after a very broad target.

Outbound Marketing Toolbox

Which one do you think is more expensive? Outbound Marketing, without a doubt.
Which one returns quicker results? It depends.
Which one can you quantify? You can quantify the results of both however Outbound Marketing tends to be more cut and dry.

Hereʼs an example of costs.
Design of Direct Mail Campaign: $499
Cost of 3,000 addresses: $999
Printing of 3,000 Direct Mail postcards: $1,199
Postage for 3,000 postcards: $624
Total Cost: $3,321
Average response rate: 2.61% (source: DMA)
Design of an Inbound Marketing Campaign using Facebook: $299
Cost of Facebook ad: $50-$200 for 1 week
Total Cost: $349+
Average conversion rate: 24%+ (source: pagelever.com)

Inbound Marketing has been used with great success. Barack Obama used Inbound Marketing to beat Hilary Clinton in the race to become President of the United States. Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook, was hired as Obamaʼs internet strategist. This was after he co-founded Facebook. How did Facebook become what it is today? Inbound Marketing.

In the mid-1990s, there were a . . . → Read More: SEO: An Introduction]]> If you know what SEO stands for, then you are off to a good start. If you don’t, here is why you should: SEO helps you find what you are looking for when you search the web. More importantly, it helps your would-be customers find you.

Where did this all come from?

In the mid-1990s, there were a host of different search engines, none of which were very good. To get your site indexed, you essentially gave the good people at Alta Vista (or Excite or Lycos, etc.) a call and said, “Hey, I’ve got this site about giraffes. Here’s the URL. You should index it.” And, they would. Then, when somebody searched ‘giraffes,’ your site would come up. (Ok, no actual phone calls were made, but you get the idea. It was simple.)

Soon, people started realizing how important it was to show up at the top of search results. They also realized that they could lie. SEO wasn’t much more than telling the search engines what your site was about, and the search engines didn’t have reliable mechanisms to double check, so search results were often populated with junk. It was difficult to find what you were looking for, and it wasn’t uncommon to search through six different search engines and still walk away without the info you wanted.

And then, there was Google.

Yes. That’s right. Google changed it all. There is a reason that we say ‘google’ now, when what we mean is ‘search’. To put it very simply, Google developed a reliable mechanism to double check what site owners were saying about their sites. If you said your site was about giraffes, Google had a way to verify if it was, in fact, about giraffes.

Now, Google does a lot more than just verify that you’ve been honest about your site, and their mechanisms for doing so have become much more sophisticated. In fact, they don’t only analyze data from all of the sites on the internet, they analyze all the searches. So, when Johnnie A, the zoologist, searches for ‘giraffes,’ Google knows that he usually clicks on links to zoological research, prompting Google to provide those same kinds of links at the top of his results. On the other hand, when Mary B, the mother of four, searches for ‘giraffes,’ Google knows that she frequently visits sites to purchase tickets to amusement parks, so for her, Google puts popular zoos and tourist attractions at the top of her results.

So, why is this important?

It is important because it illustrates what the business of being a search engine is all about: giving you the exact information you want, quickly and easily. We take it for granted how easy it is to find what we want online, but most of us don’t realize how Google, and all the rest, make this happen. And if you don’t understand a little of how they make that happen, your site is going to get lost in the mix, somewhere back on page nine or ten of the search results.

Ok, what can I do?

SEO is a complicated (and sometimes, expensive) business. Whether you are a big company with a bunch of money to throw at SEO, or you are a small business with a tight budget and a DIY attitude, there is one simple piece of advice that often gets left out of all the tutorials and white papers:

Be something people want to find.

Simple, right? Well, simple or not, if you aren’t providing something that people want to find, a product, a service, information, whatever, the search engines don’t care to make your site all that available.

Going a little further:

Determine your audience, and make it as narrow as possible.

This may seem counter-intuitive. You want as many people as possible to find you, right? No. Think of this. If you sell pens, do you really want to show up in the searches of people looking to buy pencils? Besides, the broader your audience, the more competition your site is up against. It’s a lot easier to become the number one site for pens than it is to be the number one site for writing instruments.

Now, there is, of course, a lot more to SEO than just this, but it isn’t a bad place to start; for SEO or for business in general. Provide something that people want, find your niche, and, eventually, the other pieces will fall into place.

*Disclaimer: For all of the SEO experts reading this, please be aware that this is very general, and examples have been exaggerated for illustrative purposes.

Disaster Planning….that’s probably not something on your mind, right?

And if it is actually something to tackle on your to-do list, I bet it’s towards the bottom.

Whether you own a business or not, having a disaster plan in place is really important. What if the power is out and you’re told it will be at least 5 . . . → Read More: Disaster Planning]]>

Disaster Planning….that’s probably not something on your mind, right?

And if it is actually something to tackle on your to-do list, I bet it’s towards the bottom.

Whether you own a business or not, having a disaster plan in place is really important. What if the power is out and you’re told it will be at least 5 days before it’s back up at the office–what then? Where will you work? Can you move your equipment? How will you move it?

True, disasters rarely happen, but wouldn’t you say that a business with a disaster plan is probably a business that has it together? That a business with a plan for the worst probably will be sticking around awhile?

Generally, when it comes to disaster planning, businesses need to look at the following to start:

• Where are important documents? How many copies do you have and where are they located?
• If you can’t use the physical office space for some reason, what will you do? How will you notify the staff of where to go and when?
• What are your contact methods for your staff? Who should they call? Who should you call?
• Double check your insurance plans.
• Digital files and software–pretend all the computers are damaged. Where is the software so you can reinstall? Where are your files backed up? How can you access them?

At Doth Brands, we back all of our computers and files up with triple redundancy. In case we can’t get to the office physically, we can download all files from our cloud backup service. Our cloud service backs everything up every 15 minutes. We also know what our important documents are and where they’re stored. We also have encrypted scans of those documents at an off-site location on a thumb drive as well. We have current contact information for all of our employees, including home email addresses and personal cell phone numbers.

Having a disaster plan for a business is really not a huge undertaking. It just requires a few hours and some common sense.

And what about personally? If you were to lose your birth certificate, social security card and copies of all your financial accounts–what would you do? What if your credit cards get stolen?

Cole Imperi, our Creative Director, spoke with Gina Roberts-Grey of GetCurrency about this very topic.

Here’s a link to the article on disaster planning.