Business Organizing Tips

The Joy of Paper Planners

10, May 2021

In this digital age, we’re online almost all the time. We stare at screens and type on keyboards. There is always a new app or widget that promotes itself as “the best way to be organized and productive.” But for people like me who are “doodlers,” we feel a little… Read more

Declutter Your Computer

12, Apr 2021

As entrepreneurs, we use computers to manage our business, and they often do double-duty as our home computer. They work hard, but we don’t realize how disorganized our accounts and the hard drive can get because we don’t see a physical mess. But over time, your system will slow down… Read more

Business Continuity Plan

15, Mar 2021

A family member is in the hospital, and you have to be across the country to care for them. A thief stole your laptop from your car. A storm has knocked out your internet service. Disasters are a part of life. But the ability of your business to function during… Read more

Productivity Pointers from Productive People – Jane Veldhoven Edition

15, Feb 2021

Do you ever wonder how some business leaders are so productive? They are incredibly busy yet accomplish what they want in less time than many others. As a Professional Organizer, I’m lucky to meet many inspiring individuals who fall into this illustrious category.  In this Productivity Pointers from Productive People… Read more

Productivity Journal and Time Tracking

18, Jan 2021

Money and time are similar. We only have a limited amount of each, and we have to use what we have wisely. To manage our money, better financial advisors suggest we track our money spending habits. We can use this same technique and track our time spending habits in a… Read more

Personal Productivity Tools Alone Are Not the Answer

07, Dec 2020

An article in The New Yorker magazine entitled, “The Rise and Fall of Getting Things Done” summarized the personal productivity industry’s growth and development. The article concludes by recognizing the limitations of personal productivity and asking if there is a more effective way to accomplish our tasks. To clarify, the… Read more

Job Tasks and Productivity

09, Nov 2020

It sounds counter-intuitive that additional work can help us do our jobs better, but I recently read a study1 about how supplementary job tasks can increase productivity. Types of Job Tasks We can define a job as a group of tasks. The core task takes up the largest percentage of… Read more

Create a ‘To-Don’t’ List for Productivity

13, Jul 2020

Task lists are useful because they help us get from ‘to-do’ to ‘to-done.’ While they keep us on track, we always add more tasks to them. The more we add, the more we feel like a hamster on a treadmill – doing, doing, doing. One way to jump off that… Read more

The Power of the Checklist

20, Apr 2020

Many of us have repetitive tasks to complete. Some tasks we do almost every day. When we are busy or distracted, we may forget certain steps in a process. Other tasks, we only do occasionally. While we certainly have the skill to complete the task, we can’t always remember every… Read more

Globe & Mail: Get Your Inbox Under Control

25, Mar 2020

I recently had a lovely conversation with Rosemary Counter a journalist with Globe & Mail’s Report on Business Magazine. During the interview, she asked me about email management and how to get your inbox under control. As a result of this interview, the Ask the Experts column printed my advice…. Read more