Productivity Bits
NOVEMBER 30, 2011
T here is a temptation at times to lionize the self-employed for taking control of their occupational future. The self-employed make their own hours and have the freedom to work hard or hardly work. However, while the idea of being your own boss is nice, the uncertainty and financial constraints of being self-employed can be a harsh reality. In fact, it might even suck.
Stephanie LH Calahan
NOVEMBER 11, 2011
On a Clear Day …. I Can See the Top of My Desk! The average person wastes 150 hours per year just looking for things. To make it worse, the average executive wastes 6 weeks a year looking for things! Does that sound familiar? I know it does to many. The other day, Allyson Lewis and I were talking and she mentioned that she'd love to share office organization with her audience, and asked if I would present on her webinar program. I loved the idea and we agreed that you co
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Small Business Labs
NOVEMBER 17, 2011
We've long been forecasting and writing about the growing trend of Americans working past traditional retirement age. But even we're surprised by a Wells Fargo survey showing that 75% of Americans plan to work in their retirement years - and 25 percent saying they'll need to work until at least age 80 because they will not have enough money to retire comfortably. According to a Business Week article on the study, this means 80 is the new 65. I haven't had a c
Eat Your Career
NOVEMBER 17, 2011
The other night, my parents and I hit a local restaurant for happy hour. We ordered a round of drinks at discounted prices and were hoping to get a final round in before the cutoff time (happy hour ended at 6:30). We called the server over at what we thought was the right time and ordered. She went to grab our drinks but came back and said it was 2 minutes past the cutoff.
Speaker: Joe Sharpe and James Carlson
Payroll optimization can be one of the most time-consuming and complex factors of small business management. Yet, organizations that crack the code on streamlining employee compensation often discover innovative avenues for growth. With the right strategies in place, outsourcing and streamlining payroll processes can result in substantial time and resource savings.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 29, 2011
I recently came across a couple of interesting INFOGRAPHICS relating to small and micro-enterprises in the UK and USA which I would like to share with you. The first is from the UK based on research from Smarta – the DNA of Sole Traders.
Office Dynamics
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
As some of you may know my executive, Jasmine Freeman, was a speaker at this year’s 18th Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence. I have to take a moment and pay tribute to her for doing what so many of us fear. Public speaking! The days leading up to the conference she had some definite anxiety. She stepped up in true Jasmine fashion and was committed, focused, and determined to give it her best.
Administrative Professionals Pulse brings together the best content for administrative professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
Stephanie LH Calahan
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
The other day I delivered a Webinar with Allyson Lewis called Reduce the Clutter & Organize Your Desk - On a Clear Day I Can See The Top of My Desk! After the session, I received this message: Stephanie: I have trouble with time blocking. I don't always feel mentally, emotionally, or physically ready to do what I've scheduled for that specific period.
Small Business Labs
NOVEMBER 14, 2011
Gosh, is it already time for 2012 top 10 prediction lists? I guess so since Gartner recently released their list of the top 10 technologies and trends they think will be strategic for most organizations in 2012. Gartner's top 10 are: 1. Tablets: No great shock here, tablet sales are booming. 2. Mobile-Centric Applications and Interfaces: Good quote on why this is important - "The user interface (IU) paradigm in place for more tha
Eco-Office Gals
NOVEMBER 25, 2011
Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday… Let’s go with the HUGE EOG SALE! We’re combining all our affiliate savings to bring you and offer you’d be crazy not to grab! Build a great site on the best platform with wonderful hosting and a superior theme and save, save save!! Hosting: 50% OFF ANY hosting package! {affiliate link}.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 28, 2011
There’s an old adage “Build it and they will come” I’m not sure where it originates from but it was popularised by James Earl Jones, playing Terence Mann, when speaking to Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner, in the film: Field of Dreams.
Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions
Join this brand new webinar with Tim Buteyn to learn how you can master the art of remote onboarding! By the end of this session, you'll understand how to: Craft a Tailored Onboarding Checklist 📝 Develop a comprehensive, customized checklist that ensures every new hire has a smooth transition into your company, no matter where they are in the world.
Office Dynamics
NOVEMBER 20, 2011
T-. Is for thankful. Oprah Winfrey said, “Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.”. H-. Is for happy. Did you know it’s a choice to be happy? So many people think when such-and-so happens, then and only then will they reach happiness -- as though it was a sort of destination.
Productivity Bits
NOVEMBER 2, 2011
Copyright © 2011 Productivity Bits. Visit the original article at [link]. Guest Post. R enovating your home can be more than just a means of improving its appearance, adding some extra space, or facilitating better movement. It can actually help you become more productive and motivated. There is a direct link between a successful renovation and states of mind and concentration.
Stephanie LH Calahan
NOVEMBER 2, 2011
For the last few weeks, I have been talking to my communities on Facebook asking them: I would love to know what is YOUR biggest challenge to GETTING IT ALL DONE? One of the responses I heard quite a bit was: " Everyone wants everything right now! " Does that feel familiar? Today, we are in a instant gratification society. We can get information SO quickly that sometimes we forget that people are not machines. One of the biggest time stealers is interruptions
Small Business Labs
NOVEMBER 22, 2011
The recent European Coworking Conference was hosted by two coworking spaces, Club Office and Betahaus. Both of these are very large compared to most coworking facilities. Betahaus is housed in a 4 story building and has a cafe, several floors of open coworking space and a big events space on the top floor. I didn't find out their exact size, but my guess is they have around 10,000 square feet. Club Office is even bigger. It's a 9 story building with over
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Job Advice Blog
NOVEMBER 13, 2011
Today’s weak economy has changed the psychology of hiring. During past weak economic times, companies might hire temps, and once the economy gained strength permanent hiring ensued. We have not yet seen that pattern, and there are no signs that it’s on its way. The situation has caused various and serious difficulties for most of [.].
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 4, 2011
As the world continues to recover from the pitfalls of the economic recession, businesses seek out ways to obtain conventional business finance and keep their debt at minimal level. This causes a huge strain on the cash flow of businesses especially those actively involved in day-to-day commercial operations.
Office Dynamics
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
As if the holidays weren't busy and sometime stressful enough? Try adding a job hunt to the mix of gift wrapping and card mailing and life can all of a sudden seem to be too much! Give yourself a leg up and watch this great video from Career Expert, Alexia Vernon, on how to get the competitive edge during the holidays while seeking your future dream job.
Productivity Bits
NOVEMBER 28, 2011
Copyright © 2011 Productivity Bits. Visit the original article at [link]. W aking up early can be hard when you don’t have something to look forward to. Often we put off the things we always wanted to do because of the lack of time. But wouldn’t it be great if you turn your morning hours into the special time you spend on yourself? Doing something fun first thing in the morning is a great motivation that will help you to get up early.
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Stephanie LH Calahan
NOVEMBER 4, 2011
Last Friday, I shared a post on how you can save time using a Master Power Point (Keynote if you are a Mac user) file to create your custom presentations really fast. The post was shared on Facebook and I received some great comments. But, what if you have 100s or even 1000s of slides to manage? What if the files are huge ? Today, I'm sharing one of the comments (with permission of course) and expanding on the idea of a Master File.
Practically Perfect PA
NOVEMBER 17, 2011
A well organised travel itinerary is an essential service that assistants can provide for their managers. Think about all the different bits of paper you have to keep with you – tickets, hotel details, travel guides. Well along with the usual stresses of travelling your boss also has to attend meetings and act professionally when in many cases they are dealing with jet lag and the continuous business activities back in the UK office.
Office Organization Success
NOVEMBER 23, 2011
Creating a business plan and having a specific marketing strategy is the foundation of building a thriving and profitable business, but how many of you are reading this article right now and wondering, “What’s that? What is a marketing strategy?”. You feel out of your depth when it comes to planning your business and really don’t know where to start with creating your marketing strategy.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 18, 2011
Today, I want to tell you a personal story of doing new things, taking risks, being innovative and being willing to fail in the quest to create something of value for my business, the people that I know, the small business community and my customers.
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Virtual Moxie
NOVEMBER 7, 2011
As much as I believe I have zero imagination (at least not on demand), when something sparks my creativity, it screams at me, inside my head until I do the thing. I've come to think of it as a way my wise self communicates with me that I need time for fun, or soul nurturing, or just a different thing than whatever I've been doing. So I usually don't fight it much.
Productivity Bits
NOVEMBER 7, 2011
Copyright © 2011 Productivity Bits. Visit the original article at [link]. Guest Post. A lbert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again. — expecting different results. If you find yourself in that place where the results you’ve been getting are not solving the problem or helping you achieve your goals, you need to do something different.
Stephanie LH Calahan
NOVEMBER 9, 2011
Can you help this Business Owner? Here is the question I received: "I own a jewelry retail store. There are 7 part time employees working for me, so communication between shifts has been a challenge. We currently use a "bulletin board" system and it isn't working at all. We have activities all of the time: selling jewelry, buying jewelry, taking items for repair/cleaning and collecting items that the store will sell on e-bay.
Small Business Labs
NOVEMBER 2, 2011
Regular readers know that one of my favorite resources is Nielsenwire , a blog from the famous market research firm. I like it because the information is excellent, the articles are timely and they provide a lot of cool data for free. Their article Getting to Know (and like) the Social Mom covers recent research showing that "“social moms” (defined as females with at least one child who actively participate in social networking) are quite influential." The chart below (from
Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions
💢 Do you find yourself stuck in never-ending review cycles? Are you wondering if your Subject Matter Expert actually got that last review request? Are you having trouble trying to decipher impractical or conflicting feedback? 💢 If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, you may benefit from a crash course on managing SME relationships!
Eco-Office Gals
NOVEMBER 22, 2011
Anyone that has worked with Eco-Office Gals know I’ve become a StudioPress junkie. You can’t convince us there is a better platform out there to date, hands down! So, what could be better then the best WordPress Framework out there? Getting it at a lower then already low price! Yep, It’s not often StudioPress cuts prices anymore, so grab up the discount while you have a chance.
The Small Business Blog
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
The weekly top 5 tips post is always full of helpful hints and advice for small, home and micro business owners. 1. Offer your product or service at a lower price if someone tells you that they already have a supplier. Reduced risk is always an attractive proposition. 2.
Virtual Moxie
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
Another great Pick Anastacia’s Brain question… this one from Emma (thanks, Emma!!): Sometimes, I just can’t get started on anything. It’s as if there’s a mule inside me saying, “Since you don’t have enough time to get it all done, why start?”< Do you know any tips or tricks to get me past that place? I can certainly tell you what I do. And since you’re talking about getting off the dime (getting started and taking action) rather than how to get finished, this might be perfect for you, too!
Productivity Bits
NOVEMBER 9, 2011
Copyright © 2011 Productivity Bits. Visit the original article at [link]. Guest Post. H aving an account hacked can not only be a major productivity killer, it can cost you clients, your job, or worse. If you’re like me, you think that two-step is a dance, not a security feature. When you’re done with this article you may see that two-stepping your security isn’t unlike two-stepping with a dance partner, though.
Speaker: Tim Buteyn
Let's set the scene: you’ve identified a critical performance gap in your organization and need to close that gap. A colleague suggests training, but you suspect there’s something going on that training can’t address. How can you determine if training is the right solution before you commit your budget and resources to a new training program? In this webinar, you will learn how to determine if training is the right solution using the Behavior Engineering Model.
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