|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Organizational Techniques - Tickler and Chron File
One of the biggest problems we encounter in our consulting with businesses, and our students is time management and organizational techniques. This article will concentrate on some good organizational strategies. Two of the best organizational techniques I have found over the years are the Tickler File and the Chron File. This article will concentrate on how to use them everyday in your business.
A Tickler file is used extensively in the legal arena. A Tickler file is a file in which you put items that you need to take care of by a certain date. For example, an accordion file is used in the legal office, the accordion file has dates from 1-31 with monthly folders (January-December). If a court case is to go to trial on June 13th with depositions to take place through May, the case would be put in the accordion file in April, so that letters could be sent out in April to those who need to be deposed in May. The letter for a particular individual would be placed in the appropriate day for May that the person was to come in, or even the day before with a note to call and remind this individual they have an appointment. Anyway you get the idea. The tickler file allows you to put notes, files or letters in them as a reminder (tickle your memory) for you to do something. The tickler file is also a great way to get all the papers off your desk. When I am done at the end of the day, I place my to do list (with the items to be done), in my tickler file. My tickler file is a legal size accordion file, which is numbered 1-31. I have made up my own monthly files. Yes, you can purchase manila files with the months already on them, however, they are expensive, an expense I don't think is necessary. My tickler file is in the drawer of my desk. When I am finished at the end of the day, all of the items I am still working on are placed in my tickler file for the next day. So the tickler file can serve a two-fold purpose, clearing off your desk at the end of the day, along with acting as reminder and keeping track of what need to be done in the upcoming days and months for you.
For those of you running your own Lease Purchasing business it also allows you to tickle a reminder to yourself to run your ads on a consistent basis, utilize your marketing strategies, Real Estate meetings, speeches, and articles to write, along with the other items you need to do.
I know many of you use computer programs that act as tickler files do. This is fine, as long as you use them. I know you can set up a system like this one in Outlook and many of the Personal Management Programs. That's fine. However, I find that most people don't follow through with the computer programs, and have found when consulting with businesses that the old fashioned way makes them more comfortable, since they are handling paper and files and don't have to bring up a specific program to look for something. However, if you are more comfortable with a computer program, please feel free to employ one. Just remember, to be organized, you do have to use it.
Another issue that comes up quite often is finding a particular letter or memo in a file. One of the best ways to keep track of correspondence is by using a Chron File. A chron file is a chronological file of all the correspondence you send out on a monthly basis. You would have chron files for all twelve months with the letters sent out that month in date order. If you use client files, you can still use the chron file, just make a second copy of the letter for your chron file. It might seem extra work for you, however, I have found over time, not everyone can remember a particular clients' name, and it is much easier to remember they did a letter in a particular month, and find it that way. Chron files are very handy for those businesses that don't send out a lot of correspondence and don't want to have to make a file for one piece of correspondence. Your correspondence is organized by month and year and much easier to retrieve if you need to. I keep the current monthly chron file and the past two months in my desk drawer before my tickler file.
For those running a lease purchase business, your chron file is perfect for those follow-up letters from telephone calls to sellers, marketing letters to mortgage brokers, real estate agents, etc. You don't need to make a separate file for those type of letters, just place them in your chron file.
For more organizational and time management strategies, check out our Complete Home Based Business Manual at:
http://www.homebusinesssolutions.c
om/products/hbmanual.htm
Copyright DeFiore Enterprises 2001
Interested in having your own successful, home based creative real estate investing business? Chuck and Sue have been helping folks start successful home based businesses for over 19 years, and we can help you too! To see how, visit http://www.homebusinesssolutions.com for the latest FREE tips and tricks, educational products and coaching in creative real estate investing and home based businesses. No time to visit the site? Subscribe to our "how to" Home Business Solutions Digest, it's like having your own personal coach: mailto:subscribeHBS@homebusinesssolutions.com
CNNMoney.com - 5 hours ago
( Kristen McNamara writes Practice Management, a column that looks at ways financial advisers can build and improve their business. ...
CNNMoney.com - 5 hours ago
These statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. ...
Reuters
Wall Street Journal - 23 hours ago
The business has $4.5 billion under management, and holds stakes in more than a dozen portfolio companies including a Spanish railcar manufacturer to a US ...
Lehman Deal Spins Off Part of Private Equity Unit Into Independent ... New York Times
Lehman deal on private equity close Reuters
Lehman Said to Be in Talks to Sell Fund to Managers, Reinet Bloomberg
FINalternatives - RTT Newsall 95 news articles
CNNMoney.com - 9 hours ago
New Management stated the following: "We are very pleased to begin our new operations and to share our visions and exclusive development program whit HE-5 ...
Chicago Tribune, United States - 1 hour ago
It had $23.8 billion in assets under management as of November, down from $46.2 billion in December 2007. The job cuts were made companywide, except for the ...
Calamos Asset Management, Inc. Reduces Staff as Part of Expense ... PR Newswire (press release)
all 12 news articles
GigaOm, CA - 5 hours ago
Today, Amazon ( s AMZN) Web Services announced a management console that illustrates how carefully Amazon is playing its role as a platform provider. ...
Amazon Web Services Launches Management Console CMSWire
Amazon Web Services releases web-based EC2 console CNET News
Amazon EC2 launches Web-based management console Examiner.com
ReadWriteWeb - PC Worldall 29 news articles
Reuters - 10 hours ago
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 9 (Reuters) - South African wealth and asset management firm Peregrine Holdings Limited (PGRJ.J) said on Friday a management buyout plan ...
Bizjournals.com, NC - 6 hours ago
A pay freeze for senior management of the University of California system will be considered by the UC Board of Regents during a Jan. 14 teleconference. ...
CNNMoney.com - 6 hours ago
PARIS -(Dow Jones)- JPMorgan Asset Management's stake in French IT company Bull SA (BULL.FR) has fallen through the 5% threshold to 1.72%, according to a ...
MSNBC - 13 hours ago
LEXINGTON, MA - Ipswitch, Inc.'s Network Management division, the leading developer of affordable and easy to use network management software, WhatsUp Gold, ...
The Retailers Calendar
The Julian calendar we use to pass the time every day, every week, every month and every year is the one most commonly used by businesses. Its... Read More
Communicating Effectively In The Workplace: Four Vital Steps
Ineffective communication is a major, yet avoidable, obstacle to business productivity. And yes, it can be avoided. Given the will, the bleakest of situations can be turned... Read More
Think Before You Talk
What you say to other people can make or break you and it can happen without you even knowing about it. That old saying "loose lips sink... Read More
Success: A Wholistic Perspective
The world has always been mixed with the rich, the poor and the middle ground. Should we assume that if you make more and more... Read More
The Changing Boss-Secretary Relationship
THE CHANGING BOSS-SECRETARY RELATIONSHIP: Imagine a partnership at work. One member is outlining the agenda for the annual stockholders' meeting, the other is managing the logistics. The... Read More
How to Find the Right Virtual Assistant for You
If you search on Google for "virtual assistant", you'll find a ton of listings. You can search through those, check out their services and do some interviews.... Read More
Objects in the Mirror are Further Than They Appear
Definition From http://www.merriamwebster.com -- "Virtual: - being such in essence or effect though not formally recognized or admitted."Virtual Businesses offer Real World ProfitabilityLet's face it, most of... Read More
Outsourced Learning: Are You Ready for Learning BPO?
As the business world enters a period of hyper-competitiveness, every business process will be subjected to examination and possible restructuring. We have already seen outsourcing and offshoring... Read More
Tap Employee Passion For Business Success
Meriwether Lewis set the stage for the Corps of Discovery's success before one single "employee" had been hired. From the outset Lewis and Clark engendered a communications... Read More
Improved Communication to Improve Results
Facilitating good communication can make the difference between a well oiled, effective team and disorganization and ambiguity. By following the tips below, you, the supervisor, can take... Read More
Employee Motivation: Make Everyone A Cheerleader For Your Company
Do you manage by walking around? What do you see? People excited about their job or people just going through the motions? Here are seven ways, that... Read More
Innovation Management ? Rigorous data analysis
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More
Training Adults, Not Teaching Children
Adults are vulnerable to personal and professional embarrassment from poor performance in the training program. Poor performance in the classroom may become the basis for personnel decisions... Read More
How to Delegate More Effectively
Do this simple excercise, and transform your life.First, Make a list of recurring "to do's". (Daily To-Do's, Weekly To-Do's, monthly To-Do's, Quarterly To-Do's, Annual To Do's, and... Read More
How to Reduce Temporary Employee Turnover
The use of temporary services to stock a farm of employees is beneficial in a number of ways for an employer, and detrimental in others; but the... Read More
5 Creative Evolutionary Leadership Niche Strategies!
I have a short story to share with you about an important skill many leaders need to develop, use and perfect.Life is a journey. The signposts along... Read More
Future Business Success - What Does Good Look Like?
When you know you need to shift up a gear, in any area of your business (or your life for that matter), it's really important to have... Read More
Great Hires: Avoid Costly Mistakes
Picking people for a job is like going to the store to buy apples. Before you go, you ought to know whether the apples are... Read More
Dont Let Your Measurements Mislead You
Don't Let Your Measurements Mislead You There aren't too many words that can strike as much fear and loathing into the hearts of... Read More
Policy & Procedure Manuals - Tools For Greater Productivity and Efficiency
In today's tough retail environment the retailer needs all the tools he can get to help improve efficiency, productivity, and the bottom line. Two of these tools... Read More
What to Do When Trust is Low
Trust is essential. You can't run a business without it. Customers leave. Risk taking evaporates. You find yourself surrounded by naysayers ? or worse ? yes men... Read More
Performance Appraisal Checklist: Raise Not Just Appraise Performance
It's that time again! Perhaps the most dreaded management practice is the annual performance review. Whenever the subject comes up, out comes the groans from both managers... Read More
Learn About Commercial Collections Agencies Fees
As with any other service, there are good and bad commercial collection agencies. Beware of any agency that offers you cut rate commissions far below the accepted... Read More
Why Do Managers Create Low Morale? Or Does My Bum Look Big In This?
Why do managers create low morale as a product of their management and what can we do about it?The answer to the initial question is easy.We all... Read More
Great Groups! - Getting a Group to Think Like a Genius
Great Groups! - Getting a Group to Think Like a Genius Wouldn't it be great to have an Edison or Einstein, or Mozart at your next meeting?... Read More
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Dont Leave Your Key Stakeholders Guessing
Communicate! Don't leave you key stakeholders guessing.We are generally not very good about keeping others informed about the progress we're making, especially if there isn't much. You're... Read More
Get Over Yourself
Let me tell you a secret.Things don't always go the way we want them to.Let me tell you another secret.We don't always hear what we want to... Read More
Treat Employees Fairly, Car Wash Entrepreneur sets Industry Standards
I believe that whether corporations expense their stock options is besides the point, especially when the stock is worthless. We have studied over the years the rift... Read More
Dealing with Difficult People
You know, this would be a great business if it weren't for having to deal with people all the time?OK, so maybe I've exaggerated things a bit,... Read More
How to do SWOT Analysis for your Business
SWOT analysis is needed for all business to understand how to improve their business.To have best SWOT Analysis we use below methodSWOT on Strengths that you can... Read More
Managing YOUR Expectations
I sit on the board of an organization and at the last meeting found myself speaking with another board member named Standolyn Robertson. Standolyn is also a... Read More
What Cross-cultural Training Can Do for You
International business is more complex than ever before. Success in every sector is now seen in global terms. Yet success in working with colleagues from different cultures... Read More
Micromanagement and Delegation
Micro-Management and Delegation Recently I had a long discussion with a friend of mine about Managers and managing. She... Read More
30 Ways to be a Butt-Head Boss
1. Trust no one. Not your superiors and not your employees. Especially not your employees. They're probably out to get you anyway.2. Believe that all of your... Read More
Project Management - The Traveling Product Manager
Various studies ? and common sense ? indicate that involving customers increases the likelihood that your product will meet customer requirements (I hope these studies weren't funded... Read More
Time Management Tip: Stop Micro-Managing Employees
If I was a fly on the wall what would I hear your employees say? Would it something like this? "They won't allow me to make even... Read More
Setting a Pitiful Example: Twenty-six Warnings to Heed *
TO: All Parents [and Employers and Managers]From: Your Child and/or EmployeeDate: The present timeRe: Don't Spoil me; Teach Me1. Don't spoil me. I know quite well that... Read More
Quality Standards with ISO 9001
Standardizing Quality SystemsThe ISO, or International Organization for Standardization, was established in 1947 to develop international standards for everything from electronics to management systems. Having over 13,000... Read More
It?s Not All About Cheese: The Missing Component in Employee Development (Part 2)
In part one of this article I told you about how perceptions are changing in the workplace. In part two, I want to tell you more about... Read More
Business Innovation ? Organizational Culture
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this... Read More
1000 Managers Turned Their Plans Into Energy!
I bet you can't tell me how leadership training and strategic planning work together to boost business results and energize performance improvements.A recent survey of 1000 managers... Read More
Time Management - How to Have Productive Meetings
One of the greatest time wasters of all are unnecessary or poorly run meetings. If you want to dramatically improve your time management skills, then learn how... Read More
Coaching Employees in the Workplace
After a full week of training, you are still a little nervous about your new job. All of the information you need to digest, the new environment... Read More
The 3rd Plan Missing from your Business
If you're like most people, you probably started with wonderful ideas of fulfilling your dreams, to be successful and to take charge of your own destiny.I hope... Read More
Use Noncompete Agreements To Protect Your Business
Q: One of my former employees has launched an online business very similar to mine and is contacting my clients and trying to steal their business from... Read More
My Companys Leadership Sucks!
Maybe it's the season or just a more buoyant job market; but lately I'm sure involved in a lot more discussions about leadership.I'm receiving more requests for... Read More
Time-Wasting Problems - One Question to Move You Forward
In any organisation, progress is frequently impaired by the time taken up to resolve problems that occur again and again - usually with people's performance (or not!).... Read More
Dont Get Side-Tracked By The Nay-Sayers
You, the Entrepreneur, are 'normally' a type-A individual. One who has little patience with the establishment ~ he or she likes to do it 'his/her way' and... Read More
Spirits in the Corporate Boardroom.......Oh, sure......
There is a growing movement in the spiritual and holistic fields to bring a more metaphysical and human potential approach to the business community. Holism... Read More
Business Opportunity - Leverage Your Employees!
As a business asset, they don't sit well on the P&L statement. They aren't valuable like a piece of machinery, or an office block. There is no... Read More
Hire Winners: Ask the Right Questions
How do you as a manager, supervisor or team leader hire winners? One very successful interviewing technique is behavioral interviewing---selecting the right person for the right job... Read More
Creativity and Innovation Management: Generating Better Ideas
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation. There are other useful definitions for... Read More