domesticdownsizing.com » Home office

9 Tips to Tackle Your Emails When Travelling

Kerri Rodley — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 22:57:11 +0000

Why won't they stop???

This recent post from Unclutterer is so relevant for me at the moment and I am sure many of my readers will find it interesting too. Here are 9 tips that may help you to stay on top of the plethora of emails that don’t stop when you are travelling:

Tie yourself to a smartphone. If you want to stay on top of email, you have to keep a smartphone on you. Keep the ringer off and the message alerts set to vibrate.
Enable automatic sorting and color coding in your smartphone’s email program. Have a filter that automatically routes all messages out of your inbox and into separate folders where you are copied instead of listed as the main recipient, all newsletters or read-only emails you subscribe to, and all emails from sources you know are not going to be must-respond-now messages. Have your system color code messages from your boss and/or other very important folks so these messages will catch your attention when they come into your main inbox. (If you’re on a Windows-based phone, there are macros and add-ins for Outlook you can install. If you can legally route your work email through Gmail, you can also do this. I was unable to find an app for the iPhone that enables these features.)
Check messages during lulls in your schedule. As you wait in the line at the airport, switch between sessions at a conference, or grab a snack, process your priority emails then.
Only check work email. If someone needs to contact you about an important personal matter, he/she will text or call you. Check your personal email account on weekends or after you get home from traveling.
Only respond to items that can be handled in less than one minute. Delegate as much as possible, delete or archive anything that doesn’t need a response, and only send short messages of less than a paragraph to the priority emails you respond to.
Manage expectations. Have an automated out-of-office message enabled on your account that says you will have limited access to emails and no one should expect a response until you are back in the office (be sure to list that specific date). Provide detailed contact information for someone in the office who may be able to handle emergencies, and give that person in the office your cell number so he/she can call you if there is a major event. Also, let your office contact know when you expect to be on flights and/or completely out of connection.
Manage more expectations. When you reply to someone from your smartphone, have a “Sent from mobile device, please excuse typos and brevity” signature on the bottom of every message. You might also want to consider posting your return date on your out-of-office message as the day after you return so you have a full day to gather your bearings once you’re back in the office. Under promise, over deliver.
Have access to cloud file storage. Not all smartphones allow you to attach documents, so you’ll need to be able to send links to documents stored online with services like Dropbox. If your employer doesn’t allow file posting online and attaching documents to emails is essential to your job, you’ll want to get the smallest, lightest laptop you can because you’re going to have to carry it with you instead of a smartphone.
Work on email every night when you get to your hotel room. It will add to your workday, but taking 30 minutes or an hour every night to process the entirety of all your email inboxes and folders will guarantee you don’t have an avalanche of messages when you get back to your office.

Read more here: http://unclutterer.com/2012/04/03/how-to-manage-email-when-traveling-for-work/

Clutter Challenge: How do I organise my collection of books – I have so many!

Kerri Rodley — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 07:35:09 +0000

So many books - so little time to read!

Do you have a book fetish?

Do you find yourself buying new books that you have absolutely no time to read because you think you will “one day” or that it will look good on your bookshelf? I do.

But I also have one golden rule – once I have read a book that I really love, I need to pass it on to someone else whose life will also be enriched by the story. Why have it sitting there unloved and cluttering up my bookshelf?

And remember the golden rule, letting go of the old will make room for the new! Here are some other golden rules when it comes to decluttering and organising your bookshelves:

Instead of starting to read new books, re-read some old favourites.
Let go of books you know you won’t re-read.
Put it in a “three months to re-read it” pile. Write in on your calendar and then pass it one if it isn’t re-read.
Donate your surplus of books to your local library or school.
Keep current reference books if they are as up-to-date and are more accurate or specific than what you might find online.
Keep at least one dictionary and thesaurus – especially for Scrabble!
Keep handy regularly accessed cookbooks – but if you use it less than once a month you might want to consider giving it away.
Only have a reasonable pile of books you plan to read and don’t over commit. Any more than that and your unread books may start to overwhelm the bookcase and it will stress you out that you don’t have time to read them.

Read the remaining tips here: http://www.atcbiz.com.au/ems/archives.php?n=edru7syrbw&c=3tgsczjemf

5 steps to successfully styling a home office

Kerri Rodley — Fri, 27 May 2011 04:36:35 +0000

The perfectly balanced home office

Need something to do this weekend? Why not restyle your home office. Here are 5 easy steps to get you on your way.

1. Declutter and organise: If you won’t want to do it yourself call a professional organiser who will customise an organisational and filing system that is tailor made to you and your workflow. While you are at it, also have a OH&S consultant check your desk and chair suitability.

2. Interior styling: Start with something that inspires you: a piece of artwork, a rug, a lamp, or an accessory that you love then build the room’s style and palette based on that.

3. Colour: You don’t have to paint the walls, you can bring colour in through soft furnishings such as curtains, rugs or cushions and through your storage items such as coloured in-trays and folders. This way you can also change it up when the mood strikes! Here are what some colour can do for the ambience:

•     Blues: imaginative and progressive
•     Yellow: cheerful and stimulating
•     Red: powerful and daring
•     Orange: adventurous and unique
•     Green: soothing and helps you think
•     Purple: ambitious and abundant

4. Lighting: At a minimum you need at least two sources of light; in addition to your overhead light, consider a desk lamp or a floor lamp that illuminates the desk.

5. Inspiration and motivation: Visual encouragement helps remind you of your accomplishments and goals on a daily basis and keeps you motivated.
•     Favourite painting or photo
•     Vision or goal board with pictures of dream holidays etc.
•     Gratitude board with client thank you notes etc.
•     Your business’s mission statement and your logo
•     Family photos and fresh flowers
•     An inspirational quote that speaks to you.