Category Archives: small business

A Festivus (at work) for the Rest of Us!

Posted on by
Reply

Festivus! A holiday celebration created by Seinfeld writer Daniel O’Keefe, which became a popular culture phenomenon when it was written into a 1997 episode of Seinfeld. Seinfeld fans, as well as, those who have never seen the show celebrate the unofficial holiday annually. Typically celebrated on December 23rd, Festivus is celebrated as an alternative to commercialism and the pressure of the traditional holiday season.

Keep reading to learn about traditional Festivus activities, and how to make them safe for your workplace this year!

festivusFestivus Pole

In contrast to your fully decorated office Christmas tree, a Festivus pole is a plain, unadorned aluminum pole. This is the ultimate symbol of Festivus, with no glitz or glamour. You can buy an official Festivus pole for the office from FestivusPoles.com, or go to your local hardware store and pick up a plain aluminum pole. However, in the anti-commercialism spirit of Festivus try to find an aluminum pole in an office closet or storage room.

Festivus Dinner

The official dish of Festivus is meatloaf! Although meatloaf might not be practical for your office Festivus celebration, why not turn it into a potluck. Ask everyone to contribute by bringing a dish. After all the importance of the meal is to prep for the Feats of Strength!

Airing of Grievances

Now this part of the celebration, although it created many comical TV moments, may not be work friendly for some. A few tips for including this in your work celebration are to remember to keep your grievances light-hearted, try to focus your grievances on celebrities and politicians and most importantly, remember that you need to keep your job!

Feats of Strength

Lastly, the Feats of Strength should follow your meal and Airing of Grievances. Although the traditional Feats of Strength wrestling match isn’t work appropriate, you can choose from some of these suggestions; arm wrestling, thumb wrestling, staring contest or board games.

 

The most important thing to remember when celebrating Festivus in the office is to be safe! We hope that you enjoy your Festivus celebration and have your share of Festivus miracles.

 

 

New Year, New Office: 5 Resolutions for the Workplace

Posted on by
Reply

img_4170

Looking out my window, the snow has finally begun to fly. In a few weeks, Christmas will be upon us and after that New Years. With the ringing in of 2017, we all want to start fresh. New year, new you, right? What about new year, new office? Here are five office New Year’s resolutions to help get you started with your list.

New Year, New Office: 5 #NewYearsResolutions for the #Workplace

Click To Tweet

1. Get and stay organized–If you are anything like me and your desk looks like a tornado hit it, this might be a good idea. I am always digging through piles hoping the document I need hasn’t been thrown away. I can’t imagine how much time I’ve wasted just looking for a Post-it with a phone number I wrote down days ago. By taking the time to organize your desk each evening before you leave and developing a better filing system, you can help save your sanity and save time.

2. Stay Positive–We all have days that try our patience, and sometimes all we want to do is complain. Though venting serves a purpose, it can spiral out of control and create a culture of negativity. This hurts productivity and quality of work. By trying to look at challenges in a different, more positive way it can change your mood and your work. When presented with a challenge instead of outwardly expressing your irritation, take a second to breathe and reform your thoughts.

3. Get Healthy–Many people include a health goal as part of their resolutions so bringing that to the office is only logical. If you have snacks in your desk take inventory and try to remove any bad temptations. Take it a step further and organize a workout challenge group in the office and cheer each other on towards your goal.

4. Give More–There’s something about giving a present to someone or contributing (time or money) to a good cause that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Taking time to give more in the workplace can help build better relationships with your co-workers and create a culture of caring. This can be a two-part resolution, internal and external. Part one: Start by giving more within the office and making small gestures among co-workers. If you know a co-worker is having a bad day, buy him or her a snack to help cheer them up. Part two: Take things outside of the office and volunteer as a group for a non-profit of your choice. For help and ideas on how to do this visit the Tapolci Foundation.

5. Focus on the Mission–The new year is always a great time to evaluate and re-focus your mission, be it organization-wide or just departmental. Getting everyone on board and moving in the right direction will help you conquer the year ahead effectively.

Making New Year’s Resolutions is a tradition. We’d love to know what you have done in the past and what you are planning for in the future. What office resolutions did we miss? Do you have any suggestions on how to successfully keep them?

Looking Back on INBOUND16

Posted on by
Reply

Cold calling is dead.

It’s just that simple. We now live in a time where marketing no longer reaches out by annoyance but by content filled with rich stories, SEO, automation, analytics, and so many other intuitive methods. Generally anything besides making those awkward phone calls in hopes of securing a customer.

img_8953

That’s the beauty of Inbound Marketing. The barriers have been taken down. The opportunity for creativity and passion to be instilled in the way we choose to represent our brand is endless. Inbound brings forth a new frontier where captivating attention–and day trading it–becomes the holy grail of our marketing efforts.20161108_175314

INBOUND16 brought together over 18,000 attendees who live and breathe in the world of marketing, sales, and CEO-land, as well as HubSpot customers and agencies who understand the mentality and passion behind inbound and organic reach. All of us scurrying from session to session, taking notes and absorbing as many thoughts and tactical tips as possible to bring back to our organizations.

A few INBOUNDers from our marketing department flew to Boston to be a part of the gathering and came back full of insight. Upon landing, these three scattered throughout the convention center to gain the best marketing knowledge in the industry.

In the three and a half days of attendance Cherie, Cody, and Mark witnessed powerful keynote presentations from marketing gurus such as Gary Vaynerchuck, the “eloquently” spoken founder of VaynerMedia and host of #AskGaryVee, as well as Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah, Founders of HubSpot. Celebrities filled the halls of INBOUND as well. Stories of the rise and grind were told by Anna Kendrick, Michael Strahan, and Serena Williams. Even Alec Baldwin graced INBOUND16 with his presence one morning! The passionate life-tales and insight didn’t end there. Hundreds of breakout sessions filled all 80 rooms of the Boston Convention center as well as both of their grand ballrooms.20161110_141831_001

To summarize INBOUND completely is almost impossible. To experience this wealth of powerful knowledge and standout mentors, as well as those sharing the field of inbound from around the globe together in one location is something you truly have to be there for.

To squeeze just a little bit of this experience out of the conference we asked our three in-house-INBOUND-incumbents what moments of enlightenment, insight, actionable tips, and fun they experienced individually.

Cherie – PR & Social Media Specialist, ABG Capital: “INBOUND16 was such an incredible experience that it’s difficult for me to pick just one takeaway as my favorite. The initial thought I have anytime I reflect on INBOUND(16) is how amazing it was to be among other people in my field who just “get it.” The fellow attendees understand how crucial it is for us marketers to do what we do for a business. They also understand that while we have the “fun” jobs of the company, what we do takes hard work, strategic planning, analyzation, concentration, and creativity.

I’m downright giddy at INBOUND listening to others in my field “talk shop.”  And while my focus at work is on PR and Social Media, I have the opportunity to attend sessions on design, video, content creation, and storytelling, which aids in rounding out my expertise. If you want to be at the top of the sales and marketing field, a trip to INBOUND is a must for getting there!”

I was downright giddy at #INBOUND16 listening to others in my field “talk shop.”

Click To Tweet

 

Mark – Product Manager, InspiraFS:  The Session titled: ‘The Science of Selling: How to Sell the Way our Brains are Wired to be Influenced and Form Buying Decisions’ really stood out for me.

David Hoffeld, The Hoffeld Group stated “63% of the behaviors salespeople deploy decrease the likelihood of a sale.” SAD! As marketers, we should care deeply about how prospects’ brains react to sales strategies. At the end of the day we are trying to drive sales, just in a different environment. There’s no reason we shouldn’t incorporate the science of selling into our content.

 

As #marketers, we should care deeply about how prospects’ brains react to sales strategies. #INBOUND16

Click To Tweet

 

Cody – Inbound Marketing Specialist, ABG Capital: INBOUND showed me that your story matters. Something that outbound, or “interruption marketing,” doesn’t necessarily embrace. Interruption marketing is simply the interruption of someone’s activity to grasp his attention…it’s an annoyance. We’ve all seen in it with spam, pop-ups, ugly banner ads, cold calling, and even TV.

#INBOUND16 showed me that your story matters.

Click To Tweet

In Gary Vaynerchuck’s keynote he explained that the television networks we know and love are becoming extinct. What’s replacing them? Intuitive social media platforms that tell stories. Our iPhones have become the basis of our entertainment. They’re our new television sets. They’re filled with the networks we know and love–Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, Instagram.

We follow brands and celebrities by choice. Not by interruption. We “tune-in” to their stories, latch onto their content, and implement their output into our daily lives. Not because we were caged into watching a 30 second spot in the middle of the Walking Dead because our On-Demand isn’t working–but because we as a society, we as a human race, place emotional ties into what we view and love–the quality of story-telling.

 

Tactical Advice You Can Use Today20161109_144812

As I said earlier, summing up the lessons learned from INBOUND in their entirety is nearly impossible. However, we can give you few actionable tips that can improve your website and your conversions today!

 

 

Here are some tips you can incorporate right now:

  • Remove your slider/carousel hero banner. These diminish CTR (Click Through Rate) and take away from your value proposition.
  • A value proposition–you should have one! Peep Laja with ConversionXL has one of the best articles on how to create a great value proposition. Read it and test yours starting today. If you find this hard, just pretend someone asked you what you do and how you’re different. Once you’ve compiled that, organize it into a value prop and get it up on your site.
  • Define your conversion funnel assumptions. When someone lands on your homepage, where would he or she logically go next? Make that next step easier. That’s conversion optimization in a nutshell, and you can try that for each page. Use any data you have, or start with assumptions and test, test, and test some more.
  • Optimize your blog. Aside from your homepage, your blog is probably the second highest visited part of your website. You’d be surprised how your blog is leaking opportunities to convert.
  • Testing…Testing…Testing! So how can you do that? Add Hotjar to your site today. This will show you heatmaps, user recordings, and more.

Start using these tips today! We’ll be sure to enlighten you with more after INBOUND17. Grab your tickets for next years INBOUND with your company; you never know, we might just happen to see you there!

 

National Letter Writing Day

Posted on by
Reply

Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you actually wrote a letter? Not an e-mail, or a text message, a paper and pen, envelope, and stamp, letter? For most of us the answer is “I don’t remember” or “third grade?” Well it’s time to get that pen and paper out, buy some stamps, and sit down to write because December 7th is National Letter Writing Day!

lettersLetter writing has a very long history; it can be traced back to ancient times in Egypt, India, Rome, and China. Only recently has society begun to correspond in 140 characters or less. Although you might not feel a need to write a letter to your family and friends (because they follow you on Twitter), let’s discuss who would still appreciate receiving a letter…Potential employers!

Writing a thank you letter after an interview is still an important use of the letter. Whether you actually mail the letter or attach it to e-mail in letter format is still hotly debated. The point is that potential employers love to hear words of gratitude from those they’ve interviewed.

Here are some tips when writing thank you letters.

Address the letter to your interviewer

Addressing your interviewer by name will reinforce to the potential employer that you are detail oriented. The best way to make sure you get the name and contact of an interviewer correct is to ask for a business card before leaving the interview.

Reaffirm your interest in the position and company

Let them know that you are still interested after the interview. Include a few highlights from the interview that reaffirm why you’re interested in the position. Make sure to be enthusiastic, but genuine.

Highlight your strengths

Was there something during the interview that made you think, “I would be really good at that?” Make sure the interviewer knows what it is! Tell him again what you would bring to his team, and why you’re a better fit than the other candidates.

In conclusion, don’t “write” sending letters off as an ancient art form, but use them to your advantage to wrap up a great job interview and land your dream job!

#ShopSmall: Small Business Saturday is Coming!

Posted on by
Reply

“Behind every small business, there’s a story worth knowing. All the corner shops in our towns and cities, the restaurants, cleaners, gyms, hair salons, hardware stores – these didn’t come out of nowhere.” – Paul Ryan

small-business-saturday-2016_1_orig

Many of us will look forward to Black Friday Shopping after we eat our turkey this week. With so many deals and steals, who can resist? However, you should make sure to save some of your Christmas budget for November 26th and help celebrate Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday encourages consumers to shop small and shop local. The event was first observed on November 27, 2010, and was sponsored by American Express. To this day, it is still a registered trademark of American Express and has been celebrated Saturday after Thanksgiving every year since 2010. In 2011, the United States Senate passed a resolution in support of Small Business Saturday.

Are you going to #ShopSmall this #SmallBizSat? You should and we’ll tell you why!

Click To Tweet

The event has taken on its own life on social media through Facebook advertisements and “likes”, various hashtags such as, #SmallBizSat and #ShopSmall, and American Express sponsored ads for small business owners. According to American Express, in 2015, 95 million people went out to shop at small businesses on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Supporting local small businesses is both good for your community and good for the business owners. Small businesses are the backbones of many communities across the country. Are you planning to celebrate Small Business Saturday this year? American Express has provided us with this handy tool that allows you to easily locate your local small businesses, just click here! Although the point of Small Business Saturday is to visit brick and mortar shops, if you are an online shopper you can still find local business on their webpages and online shops like Etsy.

 

Have you shopped Small Business Saturday in the past? Share your favorite small businesses and products in the comments section!

4 Business Life Hacks to Make Life Easier

Posted on by
Reply

Who doesn’t like a good life hack? A way to make dinner, exercise, cleaning or another everyday activity easier. From apps to technology to organizational tips, the internet is full of ways to make your life easier. Today I want to show you a few life hacks that can help you stay organized at work, avoid interruption, and use technology to its fullest potential.

Business Hacks

Apps

Dropbox

If you don’t already have Dropbox, you don’t know what you’re missing. This app and website allow you to save, then access your files from anywhere you have the app or website access. You no longer have to worry about putting files on a flash drive or e-mailing them to yourself. Let Dropbox use cloud technology to help you.

Wunderlist

Wunderlist is a to-do list you can always have at your fingertips. Using this app you are able to make and share multiple to-do lists to help you manage your personal or professional life, as well as multiple projects. Who doesn’t like to check off items when working their way toward a goal?!

Organization

Erin Condren

For those of you who like to hold their to-do list in their hands; Erin Condren has a solution for you. The website’s “Lifeplanner” allows you to purchase a custom planner with inserts for just about anything. Custom additions range from custom post-it notes to wet erase to-do lists to interchangeable covers.

LastPass

Everyone forgets a password now and then; let technology help you. LastPass keeps your passwords organized for you by importing your passwords from all of your browsers to help keep you safe and organized. Also offered by Last Pass is credit and identity monitoring, cloud services and tech support.

Last but not least, treat yourself to this self stirring mug to make your morning pick me up even better!

Do you have any business hacks you use to get through your work day?

How to Cope with Stress During the Holiday Season

Posted on by
Reply

October has passed and the days are getting shorter and shorter. For the last month or so Christmas displays have been slowly occupying more space at retailers. The holiday season is upon us. “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” or so the old song goes, but it can also be the most stressful time of the year. On top of our already busy schedules we are all preparing for the festivities, visiting family and friends, and shopping (oh so much shopping). This is the time of year that retailers begin to see a profit (hence Black Friday), and other industries are working to wrap up projects before heading into the new year. With all of this going on it’s easy to become stressed. During what is marketed as the most joyful time of the year, how can we best cope with stress during the holiday season?

What is #Stress and What Causes It? #nationalstressawarenessday

Click To Tweet

 What is Stress and What Causes It?

5242760927_cc8f6ca24d_bGood Question! Stress is very difficult to define because it can differ from person to person. What may cause one person great anticipation and agitation, can cause little to no effect on others. Public speaking is a common stressor for many people, however for some speaking in front of others is enjoyable and easy.

The National Institute of Mental Health gives this explanation of stress;

“Stress can be defined as the brain’s response to any demand. Many things can trigger this response, including change. Changes can be positive or negative, as well as real or perceived.”

There are also good stressors. Good stress or eustress is caused by beneficial emotions like excitement and in anticipation of positive events like riding a roller coaster or preparing for a big date. During the holiday season there is a lot of eustress around as well. If you are like I am, preparing your home for family visits or the excitement of decorating the Christmas tree are things you look forward to this time of year.

So what causes stress? Again, that’s a rough question to answer as it varies from person to person. There are some common stressors though, especially during the holidays, like money, family, time management issues. The American Psychological Association put together a report in 2006 outlining how holiday stressors impact us; of those interviewed for the report 85% stated that lack of time is their greatest cause of stress during the this time of year.

screen-shot-2016-11-01-at-8-13-23-pm-1Symptoms

Again, each person will react to stress differently; but, by being able to identify the symptoms of stress we can either learn to avoid what triggers such a response and how to best cope with it. According to the Mayo Clinic here some of the most common symptoms of stress are:

  • Headache
  • Muscle tension or pain
  • Fatigue
  • Stomach upset
  • Sleep problems
  • Restlessness
  • Lack of motivation or focus
  • Irritability or anger
  • Overeating or under-eating
  • Drug or alcohol abuse
  • Tobacco use
  • Social withdrawal
What stresses you out most during this time of the year? #nationalstressawarenessday

Click To Tweet

Coping Methods

If you start to notice you are exhibiting some of the symptoms above you can combat those feelings by using some of these coping methods:

  • Take time to breathe: During the holidays we can feel like there is not enough time to get all of our tasks done and lose ourselves in the throngs of fellow shoppers at the store. By taking a moment to just breathe and center yourself you can renew your focus and conquer your tasks.
  • Exercise: If you are feeling frustrated and restless work off your anger and excess energy by working out. My go to activity during stressful times is running. It gives me time to myself and I literally run off my stress. If you aren’t up for a heavy cardio session or the weather isn’t cooperative, think about yoga (you can do some breathing during this too), or walking on the treadmill.
  • Treat yourself: You’ve spent all day shopping for others grab yourself something nice, maybe some nice comfy PJs to snuggle up in later. Or, maybe you need some you time, pick up a candle/bubble bath in your favorite scent and take a bath that will soothe your aching muscles.
  • Make time for yourself and for sleep: This time of year the days grow shorter (don’t forget to move those clocks back this weekend!) and our lists of tasks grow longer. As you are running around completing your to-do list, make sure you pencil in time for yourself to relax and prepare for sleep. If you can set aside at least a half an hour before bed to unwind. Make sure this time does not include your cell phone or computer where you can be distracted by work, or holiday project planning.
  • Take time to laugh: Though sometimes our friends and family can be the cause of our stress, they can also help us cope with it. During this busy time take the time to actually enjoy your company and have a good laugh. That’s what this season is about anyways, fellowship and joy!

Don’t let the stress of the coming holiday season get to you. Remember to take time to breathe and enjoy those around you. This time of year is about togetherness more than it is about the present and decorations.

Did we miss anything? What stresses you out most during this time of the year, and how do you deal with it? Please share with us!

Office Etiquette: Halloween

Posted on by
Reply

As we reach the end of October things are starting to get spooky. Halloween is approaching and many of your coworkers may be ready to get into the holiday spirit. Halloween in the workplace can get a bit frightening if you’re not sure of Halloween office etiquette. Whether your workplace has an official Halloween celebration, or you like to bring the celebration to your own workspace, you should probably switch out your sexy pizza costume, for a more work appropriate peanut butter and jelly costume this year.

Halloween costumes for work

Since sexy costumes are out of the question, you may be asking yourself if it’s okay to put together something scarier. Experts suggest that a good rule of thumb is to skip the mask, excessive fake blood, or anything exceptionally gory in the workplace. This is mainly for safety purposes. It is best for the working environment if your coworkers can see your face, and know that you aren’t really hurt or in danger at work.

#OfficeEtiquette: The #Halloween Edition…are you a Do or a Don’t?

Click To Tweet

So you want to try out a new recipe you saw on Pinterest and bring some creepy treats into the office this year? Keep in mind regular office etiquette when it comes to bringing food into your workplace. Do you have a place to store the food safely? Also, try to be considerate of those with allergies by either avoiding the reaction causing ingredients or, at least, by adding a warning to your dish so that they can avoid it if necessary.

Most importantly, remember that you are at work! Unfortunately, a celebration isn’t a reason to avoid your work for the day. Don’t ignore your phone, e-mail, or other responsibilities just because you’re feeling spirited. You’re boss will still know which witch, ghost, or werewolf was responsible for your work, and why it didn’t get done. This could jeopardize future holiday celebrations for everyone!

 

Does your workplace have a Halloween party? Do you have a costume chosen for this year? Let us know in the comments!

ABG Capital to Attend Fall 2016 Growth Summit

Posted on by
Reply
logo-copy

Source: gazelles.com

Staying current on the latest strategies for recruitment, execution, development, and operations is key. It’s a tool that ABG Capital uses to sharpen their current skill sets. It’s hard to argue that attending the Gazelles Growth Summit isn’t worth the time and travel. Especially when you’re recognized and awarded time and time again for growth, culture, and employee satisfaction. This year alone ABG Capital and its portfolio companies have reeled in eleven awards from Inc. 5000, Pittsburgh Business Times’ 100 Fastest Growing Companies, and Inc.’s 50 Best Places to work…just to name a few!

As some of you may or may not know, ABG Capital attends the Gazelles Summit, presented by Fortune, twice a year. The spring Summit focuses on leadership and the fall Summit focuses on growth. There, top news-makers and thought-leaders along with hundreds of executive teams from participating companies are gathered for two intense days of learning, networking, and idea generation.These recognitions have been earned as a result of not neglecting their own education and development as a whole.

This past spring the Growth Summit focused on Verne Harnish’s book Scaling Up- Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. A book designed to scale a “hyper-growth” business. The book and the seminar have a very specific focus; it’s written with so-called “gazelles” in mind; ambitious, small, entrepreneurial firms that make the transition to hyper-growth companies. Those are companies where a month, or a quarter is more like a year for a regular business. When you’re growing that fast you need some guiding principles, or rules to run by. Verne Harnish created the “Rockefeller Habits” based on the leadership and management principles used by John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil. (Often regarded as the richest person in history).

It’s safe to say that whatever stage of business you’re at, this book is packed with practical things you can implement in this moment to make a noticeable difference to the performance of your company.

As we’ve discussed in a previous post, the book focuses on 3 habitual pillars:

  • Priority: Does the company have their Top 5 objective priorities for the year and quarter, and a clear Top 1 priority? Does everyone in the company have his or her own priorities aligned with these? Priorities matter because you’ll make faster progress by focusing everyone’s energies on one area.
  • Data: Does the company have sufficient feedback on a daily and weekly basis to ensure the company is running and the market is demanding? This will also help you predict the near-future.
  • Rhythm: Does the company have an effective pattern of well-organized daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual meetings to maintain alignment and drive accountability?

The book goes into depth on how to make sure you’re doing these three things right, as well as touching on company culture and how to recruit effectively.

What about this fall’s Growth Summit? It will focus on the idea and implementation of acquired contacts, deal flow, and knowledge as being the fundamental key sources of business development. Gazelles International will bring together experts in leadership, strategy, marketing, sales, operations, and finance to create a best-in-class interactive educational experience.

This gives #businessowners the opportunity to become the leader they’ve always imagined they could be–while surpassing all competition.

Click To Tweet

This gives business owners the opportunity to become the leader they’ve always imagined they could be–while surpassing all competition. This Summit will teach the ideas and tools of connecting with people that will propel any enterprise to the next level.

Some of the ideas and principles at this fall’s Growth Summit:

  • Building new connections & nurturing leads
  • Discovering best practices & discussing case studies
  • Develop skills surrounding client acquisition & facilitation
  • Participation in spirited round tables & challenge convention
  • Presentations from renowned news makers & thought leaders
  • Expertise gained by implementing the Four Decisions
It has never been more important for #leaders of growth companies to make the right decisions about people, strategy, execution, and cash.

Click To Tweet

It has never been more important for leaders of growth companies to make the right decisions about people, strategy, execution, and cash. ABG Capital will continue their education in the days to come at the fall Growth Summit in order to continue cultivating their growth in all facets.

Keep checking in for our follow up post as we uncover what we have learned and improved on, all stemming from the lessons learned at the Growth Summit!

Not Enough Hours in the Day: Prioritizing and Time Management in the Office

Posted on by
Reply

My work day starts at 7:30 in the morning. Some days it doesn’t end until 6 in the evening; and I will take a “working” lunch. Let’s not even get started on the tasks that are waiting for me when I get home. There are so many tasks that need to be completed in a day, literally there are not enough hours in a day sometimes. I know my daily experiences are not unique. We all have busy schedules and wear many hats throughout the course of a day. So how do we fit it all in? What are the best ways to prioritize our precious time?

clock

Make a List

It sounds so simple doesn’t it? To me it always feels good to have a plan, and making a list always makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, even if I’ve yet to complete anything on said list. I feel even more accomplished when I get to cross something off my list! But, you must be organized when making your list. If you do not make a thoughtful to-do list, you will get no where.

Here are key steps to a successful to do lists:

to-do

  1. Rank the most important jobs, the one that need done today go at the top. The jobs that need to get done in the next few days come next. The jobs that can wait until next week go at the bottom.
  2. Make the list a “living document;” continue to build on it daily. The tasks that you do not complete that day get moved up to the next priority category the next day. Add new tasks at the bottom. If it helps you can color code your priority levels.
  3. Evaluate your list at the end of each day, and edit tasks priority levels as needed. Doing this will also help you get an idea of how long it takes you complete certain tasks, and assist you in future planning.

If you need help organizing your thoughts and placing tasks into priority category make yourself a priority matrix:
matrix

Make a Schedule

So you have your list and have mapped out what is on the agenda for today, but how do you know when you have spent enough time on one task? The simple answer is until it’s done, but we all know sometimes it’s just not possible. You could spend a whole month working on one task related to a long-term campaign. By setting specific time aside and schedulesticking to time parameters will help you fit more diverse work into a day. Assigning specific time periods to work on designated projects will also help you focus your attention. When making your schedule be sure to build in time to take a break and get up from your work so that you do not burn yourself out, as well as add “emergency time” in case of any unplanned issues that may pop up.

Expect the Unexpected

I know some of you have been reading this thinking, “List and schedules are a great idea but they do not fit my job functions”. I’m with you. In some positions you cannot plan how your day will progress in advance. Each day is a little different. There are still ways you can prioritize work as it comes at you, however. Here are some tips for those with positions like mine where the days can be unpredictable and everything is a priority.

  1. Realize you cannot be everywhere at once and it is OK to delegate lesser tasks. One of your colleagues who is available can place the order for the lunch room supplies if you have clients to work with.
  2. Set boundaries in your work. We all want to impress the higher ups, but sometimes you need to just say no. When you are good at what you do many times you can be pulled into others projects because you are reliable. While this is a good problem to have it can cause a lot of stress. If you have too much on your plate speak up.
  3. Be flexible and prepared to be pulled off task. In office settings where priorities are more fluid you’ll need to have good multitasking skills. Do not get irritated when you are pulled off a task for another; some things will need to be left undone or handed off to another.
  4. Teamwork is key. In situations where you may need to hand off tasks to another, try and establish a “we not me” outlook.

Time is precious and fleeting. Find what works for you and your work place, and remember to breathe. Something may have to wait until the next day. As you continue evaluate your work and make a habit of prioritizing tasks, what is important and what is not will become more apparent and you can manage your time more appropriately.

Do you have a technique for prioritizing work and managing time at the office? Share it with us!