Improve My Business

I find that seeing lots of different ideas on one page is really helpful when trying to come up with a creative solution.

The easiest of these is via brainstorming, where ideas are captured and (purposely) placed randomly on a piece of paper.  (Randomness is key - if we listed them in order, the mind automatically gives more weight to the top idea).  Once these ideas are captured, you can sort them via affinity diagrams, fishbone/cause-and-effect diagrams, or mindmaps.

I’ve talked about affinity diagrams and cause and effect diagrams in previous posts, so let’s talk a bit more about mindmaps.  Mindmaps are graphical representations of not only the ideas, but their relationships.  For example, if doing a mindmap about a vacation, I may have something that looks like this:

For folks who are visual learners, mindmaps are a great tool.  There are several free programs out there; I like Freemind and MindMeister.

What have you used a mindmap for, and how has it worked for you?

Technorati Tags: cause-and-effect diagram, de-clutter, fishbone diagram, FreeMind, mind map, mindmap, MindMeister

Clutter - it’s everywhere if we let it be… and it’s insidious, sneaking up on you.

When we moved to a new home we had a chance to declutter, and although it was sorta weird not putting everything out that we had in the old house, it was also really nice.  Although you don’t have to move abodes to declutter (that’s pretty extreme) - you can take some easy steps.

Here are some tips from a variety of experts:
From SCJohnson:  tips for decluttering your home

from Lifeorganizers.com: 10 ways to declutter your home and office (cable/wire) organization and organize your desk

Now, I was able to find these sources in literally seconds; and the info they provide is great.  What are some de-cluttering tips that you use?

I open mail at the recycle bin - if I don’t need it, into the recycling it goes.  If I do need it, it gets handled right away or the next day (hopefully).

I clean the kitchen counters off every evening (if I can/I’m home, etc.) so nothing has a chance to build up.

I file invoices as they’re paid, and don’t print them out from the accounting software until they are - so I only print once, not twice, and I file it right away.

What’s your best idea for decluttering - either at home or at work?  Do tell!

Technorati Tags: de-clutter, organizing, process improvement, Streamlining, stuff-onomics

Happy first day of Spring!

You know what that means…time for Spring Cleaning. When was the last time you thought about cleaning up around your office? I’m not just talking about straightening your desk and your top drawer; I mean really getting into the dark and dingy crevices that are never seen. Deep in your email box maybe, messages from 2003? What about those old programs and trials you downloaded and used once? Do you have 6 draft versions of the same document? Clean out your cache? Really, it’s better to do it now then when your computer freezes up and you get so frustrated you just delete it all!

Start with your desktop, do you really need all those shortcuts? I’m sure with a bit of thought you can create a file management system that will really make sense to you. A clean computer desktop is just as important as a clean desk-desk top.

Trust me, you’ll feel so much better!

Technorati Tags: de-clutter, organization, organizing

I came across this post today about decluttering your life - the author’s ‘epiphany’ occurred after a trip overseas. This reminded me of another friend who has recently radically changed her possession count after a trip to Central America - she’s downsized considerably and moved into a RV. The author also talks about moving as an impetus for change…

Does it take a trip to a foreign land or moving to get us to realize that we collect too much? Or, do you disagree with the ‘more is evil’ mentality?

Technorati Tags: de-clutter, downsizing, stuff-onomics