Time to go read. Improve and enjoy!

• Keep it Real, Even When it Sucks @ Slacker Manager.
• How Do You Answer Your Weakest Interview Question? @ Daily Career Connection.
• Top 5 Unexpected Places to Network @ Daily Biz Solutions.
• Get Things Started: Simpler Than GTD? @ Freelance Switch.
• 9 Ideas For A More Creative And Effective Brainstorming Process @ Freelance Folder.
• Cut Waste! Stop Spreadsheet Sloppiness @ Project Management 411.

There you go readers, six links to help you get up and go for a great week!

And as always, if you have a link that you feel would be great to feature in our weekly link love, please let us know!

This is an original The Office Gal post.

Yes, I do have a weekly meeting. On Friday, I pull together my calendar, notes, projects, and sit down with the phone to voice mail to concentrate on my review and follow-up.

Current Week:

• File completed projects
• Update timelines on open projects
• Layout timelines for new projects
• Update dates on my calendar
• Review any notes
• Rewrite sticky notes into my notebook

New Week:

• Begin To-Do list for new week
• Prioritize projects
• Highlight priority follow-ups
• Highlight priority e-mails
• Highlight priority calls

Yes, there will be things that might need to be updated throughout the week, but you should never miss a week without a complete sit down and review. Regardless if it is 30 minutes to two hours, it will be the best time spent of the whole week. You never know what you might have missed during the week. This is definitely the catch time!

Do you have any tips on a weekly meeting? How do you review your week? We would love to hear your tips - let us know!

This is an original The Office Gal post.

At one point, you will reach the level of no return. You will need to control the urge to accept the interruptions and put a stop to them. Rephrase that. It might not stop them, but it will limit them to allow you the time to carry on with your business.

The following tips may work alone or in a combination of several together to help you control your office. Not every tip will fit every office and some might not work at all for you. Give them a try and let us know which ones work!

Slash the e-mail. Funny thing is the largest interruption is actually your own e-mail. Some people are e-mail junkies and will check it every five to ten minutes. Slow down! Many e-mails have pop-ups that will show you a snippet of the e-mail. If it’s not important right now, leave it. Optimally, set up three times per day to check your inbox.

Set up office times. If you work out of your home, set up specific office hours for meetings and phone calls. Having this allotted time makes sure your remaining work hours are spent being productive on projects. Don’t allow calls and pop-ins to happen. Once it is accepted, people will begin to take advantage.

Close the door. If you work in an office with many others, walk-ins can be disastrous to your projects, especially if you have Miss Gossip that loves to visit, and visit often. Create a sign stating you are working on a project and hang it up - on your door, cubicle, or wall. Give yourself a a specific time window, like two hours, before you will begin seeing people again. Use your voice mail and e-mail to your advantage!

Set meet-up times. Of course you will have a handful of people that are “must” meets. An assistant, or fellow team leader, or your own team leader if you work in a home office. Set specific times to meet with these people daily or weekly. This will allow everyone to be prepared to meet and breeze through instead of dropping in and forgetting what you had to ask or say.

Do you have a tip or suggestion when it comes to avoiding office interruptions? Share it with the readers of The Office Gal. Leave a comment or contact me and I will add it to our list!

This is an original The Office Gal post.

This week I am sharing with you how you can plan to be more productive, building an online business, and how to have a great week at the office! Some great posts and articles to read with tips to take to the bank!

Monday morning reads are right below. Go read and be successful. Enjoy!

• Planning Your Way for a More Productive-Inducing Office @ Productivity Goal.
• So What Are the Rules For Dismissing Incompetent Employees? @ Daily Biz Solutions.
• Pay Attention! Attention to Details Will Set Your Business Apart @ Freelance Folder.
• 10 Quick Tips for Building a Business Online @ Copyblogger.
• Happiness and the End of the Working Week @ Put Things Off.
• What Are You Saying Between the Lines? @ Chris Garrett on New Media.

There you go readers, six links to help you get up and go for a great week!

And as always, if you have a link that you feel would be great to feature in our weekly link love, please let us know!

This is an original The Office Gal post.

Starting a business blog is not a difficult process. As a business you have something to say, so share it! Capture the opportunity that you have by blogging. Blogs are also inexpensive. Start a free blog with a service such as WordPress. Once your have gained some exposure and feel the need to expand, your free service will give you options of several different packages to purchase. 

So what are the BIG positives for your business? Well, I have expanded on them below, but quickly: potential sales, potential work, communicating, and networking.

Communications and networking. Like I said earlier, you own a business, so you have something to share. Blogs are a great tool to talk about your industry by discussing new techniques in your field or giving your opinions on industry standard. With your first post, you have opened yourself up to a vast group of new people. Others in your field will be drawn into discussions with you - sharing, offering advice, and giving you feedback.

One you have opened up the lines of communication, you have started networking. Reaching partners and possible expansion financing.

Potential customers or clients. As your business opens up to your industry, you have also opened up to potential new customers and clients. With your blog you have become global. Now your blog has become an effective advertising tool. Promote new products and services by one simple post. Talk about what is happening within your company. Share how your company supports the community. Knowing something a bit more personal about your company will help a new customer or client say “Yes” to your business.

Do you have some suggestions for starting a business blog? Leave a comment or let us know!

This is an original The Office Gal post.

Advertising can cost large sums when you want to spread the word, sums of money that small businesses can’t afford. No worries. Not every company has to have thousand dollar commercials to draw in lucrative clients. Thinking small can give you big rewards.

Pens. Pens are used everyday by everyone. Making lists, jotting notes, and signing receipts. You can reach a huge sum of potential by strategically placing pens where they are needed most.

Magnets. Magnets are used to hold precious works of art from the youngsters. Everyone can use an extra few and your magnet is always in front of people. Offices will use them on filing cabinets too. Always in the open.

Here are a few places to strategically locate your advertising:

• Servers at restaurants
• Doctor offices
• Check-out lines
• Goodie bags for school
• Fitness center central locations
• Neighborhood newsletters

I have even seen businesses add pens and magnets to kids Halloween containers!

Car signs. Signs placed on your car can grab the attention of people from everywhere. Tons of businesses use this tool - services for cleaning, realtors, even child care facilities. In today’s digital world, with one snap of a camera phone, viola, a new customer might have pulled up right next to you.

Regardless of which route you take, make sure to always include the pertinent information when space is available. Some items might not be able to have everything included, but you should always include your name, phone number, and a quick tidbit like “Best Window Cleaners.” As you get more space include a web address and street address or more information about your business.

Good luck with all of your future advertising! Before you go, check out these online locations for inexpensive pens and magnets!

Vista Print

Four Color Magnets

National Pen

Do you have a low-cost advertising suggestion? Please let us know or leave a comment.

This is an original The Office Gal post.

Over the weekend while reading various articles, finding some that stand out more than others to share with you, I believe I found some real gems. In business, if you blog, we have a great article on how to increase readers. We also have a tip from a CEO on how to create clear goals for yourself. Honestly, I can’t name one person that doesn’t need to create a better list for themselves - at least spend more thinking time on the ones they already have.

Monday morning reads are right below. Go read and be successful. Enjoy!

• How To Visualize Your Success @ Pick The Brain.
• 60 Minutes To Clear Goals @ Isnare by Jim Estall, CEO of SYNNEX Canada.
• How I Went from 8 to 800 Subscribers in 5 Months @ Blissfully Domestic.
• One at a Time? Prioritizing versus Multi-tasking @ Productivity Goal.
• How to Manage Your Team in a Downturn (and Come Out on Top) @ BNET.
• 10 Ways You Might Be Breaking the Law With Your Computer @ TechRepublic.

There you go readers, six links to help you ease frustrations or to clear out your head.

And as always, if you have a link that you feel would be great to feature in our weekly link love, please let us know!

This is an original The Office Gal post.

Well, an item that is inexpensive, takes up no space, uses only man-power, and is a priceless necessity in the office, that item would be Shredder Scissors. Yes, scissors that will shred all of the important items and a fraction of a cost to electric shredders. With five blades, anything can be shredded, even those pesky credit cards.

Yes, it does take some manual power to use this shredder, but it is light-weight and quick to use. Stashed right there in your desk this is a smart alternative to to large bulky shredders when you really have no space for another office tool. Definitely a positive tool for the small home office or one person team.

The downside to using the Shredder Scissors is you will need to shred documents as you go or at least once per day. The plus side is that you won’t have pesky piles of paper accumulated in the corner. Plus, you won’t spend hours at a time trying to get everything shredded.

Remember, I said at a fraction of the cost of shredders? At around $8.00 the purchase price is about half the price of an inexpensive small electric shredder.

Time to go shopping! Take a peek here @ Solutions.com to pick you up a pair of scissors that shred!

Do you have an item that is perfect for the office - any size or type office? We would love to feature it at The Office Gal, just let us know!

This is an original The Office Gal post.

Hmm… make sense?

There is also a great link to a fabulous read on how you keep promises to yourself - including making a contract with yourself that helps you to stay on track.

Now it is time to run to the links and read up.

• Make ‘Em Laugh: Keeping Employees Productive Through Humor @ Productivity Goal.
• How to Get a Lot Done – 7 Tips to Achieve More @ Zen Habits.
• The 3 Key Steps For Keeping Promises To Yourself @ Organize It.
• 5 Essential Ways To Turbo-Charge Your Productivity @ Freelance Folder.
• Shooing Your Work Demons: Time-Wasting Activities @ Freelance Switch.
• 5 Things To Know About Marketing Your Small Business @ Work It, Mom.

So here ya go! I hope you all find something useful in the links I provided, I know I did.

And as always, if you have a link that you feel would be great to feature in our weekly link love, please let us know!

This is an original The Office Gal post.

1. Email. There are two main problems that pop up. One is the constant alert for new messages, which you can choose to turn off. The second is if your inbox is never emptied. You will continually scroll through all of the items because you are fearful of overlooking something. You need to find a system of folders that let you clear out the general inbox and prioritize your action items.

2. Telephone. Do you feel you have to answer every call right when it comes in? Set aside time blocks to deal with non-urgent calls, and let your voice mail tell callers when they can expect to hear from you.

3. Paper. If you have stacks of papers around your desk, you will shift through them frequently to find the urgent items of the day. Instead set up Daily Action folders, make a decision on the needed action the first time you look at it, and keep your desk cleared of distracting stacks.

4. Visitors. Clients may drop by without notice or a colleague may have a break and decide to take it in your space. Get to the point quickly if someone comes by and interrupts your work.

5. Environment. This can include heating and lighting. If you are too cold or too hot, you are constantly reflecting on how uncomfortable you are. The lighting in an office can create glare, leading to headaches and tired eyes, causing you to stop frequently. There is no one answer for the right temperature or light situation. You need to find the correct level for yourself.

6. Noise. Overhearing colleagues’ discussions, one-sided telephone conversations, or outside activities diverts your concentration. If you are easily distracted, close your door, use a small white noise machines, or try headphones.

7. Meetings. In a work environment where meetings are frequent, it becomes difficult to set aside an uninterrupted block of time for detailed projects. You end up coming in early or staying late so that you can finally get things done. Make sure that you have scheduled time to focus on projects during the day. It needs to be written on your calendar.

8. Lists. Working from lengthy lists, whether ToDos, a book of voice mail messages, or an email inbox, causes you to look at the same items again and again. You have to make decisions every time you scan through the items. Your mind keeps jumping around and planning ahead instead of focusing on one item in front of you. Write down tasks on single sheets of paper so that you can easily prioritize your work.

9. Expectations. What response time has unofficially developed with regard to returning phone calls and email messages? When you feel you have to immediately respond to a call, you allow yourself to constantly be interrupted. Could a 3-minute response time be changed, letting people know you will respond within two hours or four hours?

10. You. Often you may become bored with your activity and decide to check email for a few minutes; or you have several projects in view and your mind keeps jumping from one to the other. Work with only one project on your desk at a time. If you momentarily lose focus, do not give up, just try to get back on track.

The first step in limiting distractions is to be aware of them. You may be able to add more things to this beginning list. Once you recognize what interferes with your work, then you can begin to make the changes that will add to your daily productivity.

© 2008 Denise Landers, Key Organization Systems, Inc.

Do you work harder every day just to keep up with an ever increasing workload? Denise Landers shows you how simple it is to work smarter and stop stress overload in her time management seminars at http://www.KeyOrganization.com

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