Establish an Organized Home Office
Follow the lead of a well-organized home office. Using the checklist below, incorporate many of the organizing tips found on the list. You will have both a professional and efficient home office.
ORGANIZE YOUR BOOKKEEPING
* Prepare and send invoices to clients
* Enter monthly transactions into bookkeeping software
* Reconcile bank, credit card, and other account statements
* Send reminders for paying bills on their due dates
* Write and prepare checks to be signed to pay bills
ORGANIZE YOUR DATABASE MANAGEMENT
* Enter business card data into a database
* Send an introductory letter to new prospect leads
* Send scheduled marketing pieces to clients and prospects
* Track marketing efforts and summarize the results in a report
* Send regular follow-ups, reminders, and communications to clients
* Call people for missing contact information
* Send fax and email broadcasts
ORGANIZE YOUR DESKTOP PUBLISHING
* Design and print brochures and business cards
* Create flyers, price lists, and other marketing documents
* Lay out, printing, and mailing regular client newsletters
* Prepare professional-looking certificates for seminar participants
* Print labels using company logos or clip art
ORGANIZE YOUR INTERNET SERVICES
* Maintain a newsletter subscription database
* Post announcements and newsletter issues to the list
* Perform an internet search for an item or piece of information
* Edit or upload new information to a website
ORGANIZE YOUR MAIL AND EMAIL SERVICES
* Retrieve email and mail, sort, and get rid of junk
* Respond to routine email requests
* Forward items of importance to the client for attention
* Track and forward urgent issues while client is out of town
* Prepare packages and mail out products as orders arrive
ORGANIZE YOUR MARKETING SERVICES
* Send out the appropriate sales brochures for inquiries
* Create and mail a customer feedback questionnaire
* Track the responses to this questionnaire
* Summarize the responses and suggestions in a report
ORGANIZE YOUR PERSONNEL SERVICES
* Send reminders for annual performance reviews
* Prepare or update resumes and introduction letters
* Review resumes and summarize each in a short biography
* Sort resumes for a job according to pre-arranged criteria
ORGANIZE YOUR PRESENTATIONS
* Prepare PowerPoint slides from sketches of diagrams and charts
* Send questionnaires to seminar participants before the talk
* Track completed questionnaires and call non-responders
* Summarize the questionnaire results in a report
ORGANIZE YOUR RESEARCH
* Research potential locations for an upcoming seminar
* Find which locations have the appropriate dates available
* Find which can accommodate the size and type of event
* Research the services available (decorating, food, entertainment)
* Obtain written quotes and specifications from each location
* Monitor periodicals and clip articles of interest
* Visit the library to copy specific articles
ORGANIZE YOUR SECRETARIAL SERVICES
* Confirm upcoming appointments
* Schedule or reschedule appointments
* Get directions for a meeting or appointment
* Store back-up computer tapes for safekeeping
* Track birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates
* Send out the appropriate cards or gifts for special events
* Manage lists of necessary office supplies and ordering refills
* Coordinate air travel, car rental, and hotel reservations
ORGANIZE YOUR TELEPHONE AND FAX SERVICES
* Receive telephone calls while a client is out of town
* Forward important messages that require immediate attention
* Retrieve voice messages and responding to routine requests
* Receive and handle faxes while a client is out of town
ORGANIZE YOUR TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES
* Type letters and memos from tape or handwritten notes
* Type legal transcripts from cassette tape
* Type medical reports from tape or handwritten notes
ORGANIZE YOUR WORD PROCESSING
* Type handwritten notes from a meeting or seminar
* Type letters, printing on stationery, addressing, and mailing
* Proofread, edit, and check spelling / grammar
* Lay out larger documents
Organizing Home Office Tip of the Day:
PAPER Try to keep paper that requires an action on your part stored separately from items that you are keeping just for reference purposes.
Even the most organized person will occasionally have to return to unused or unseen items to remember they own them in the first place.
Free Getting Organized
Hang it closer to your machines for convenience.
The more organized you are the more time you will have for yourself. Have it placed at a designated tray, basket, shelf or drawer. Take a few steps to ensure that it is not and you will have time for the things that really matter to you most. Did you put the full bundle into a basket, for example? in six months, find a picture or ornament that will help remind you of this goal each day.
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