A good coach will help you get your business and home life organized for maximum potential in your chosen field of interest. And because being well organized can take a lot of time and effort, since there is a lot to remember, here are some good tips to help you to remember it all:

1. Take notes. Stop trying to remember every little detail, every project and every client. Grab a 3-ring binder or notebook, and take notes daily inside. Keep it out and handy for convenient reference, too.
2. Keep like things together. Stop stashing things here and there. Keep like things together. Start shoe boxes of file folders to keep your items stored in together. And stop spending so much valuable time searching for things.
3. Get and stay healthy. As much as possible, enjoy a well-nourished mindset. In other words: eat healthy meals and snacks, get plenty of rest, enjoy plenty of good exercise. By maintaining this healthy routine, you’ll help your mind stay sharp, your body stay healthy and your own self be focused and alert.
4. Plan ahead and email ahead. When you have tasks to conquer like bills that need adjustments, credit that need posted, etc., don’t waste time on the phone with automated phone menus. Instead, reach out via email and online forms when possible, for support services. You’ll save time and hair-pulling!
5. Stop doubting yourself. Take charge of your business and run it accordingly. Sure, other people can offer their ideas, critique, feedback, etc. But the bottom line is up to you. So be confident, make decisions and take a stand for your business, your interests, yourself.
6. Handy online calendars. To help with your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly planning, use online calendars with email reminders like your own Microsoft Outlook software may have. Backup regularly in case of power-outages or computer mishaps, and you’ll have an excellent planning system.
7. Experiment with colorful sticky notes. Post-it notes come in all sizes, shapes and colors today. So experiment with all the many ways you can use these. Examples: you can bookmark your places in workshop study materials, correspondence courses, print books. And you can make handy notes for yourself and stick them to your phone, laptop, door handle,  anywhere!
8. Plot your time. Get a cheap kitchen alarm clock or inexpensive bedroom type version to help manage your time with work and client projects. Attorneys and doctors monitor times and have funds set aside to cover these expenses for clients, get with the program and set one up for your company, too.

Coaching Check List for Getting & Staying On Top of Things

• Make this a new rule with your home / business “stuff”: for every new purchase that enters your environment, throw out an old item.
• Make use of the stair by always carrying something up or down with you. Keep a box at the top and bottom of the stairway with items that need to go up and down, as reminders, like client folders, paper products, etc.
• Understand that a little “disorganization” is OK. No need to be a perfectionist.
• Start organizing large areas of focus that come into view daily: your desktop, what you view surrounding your work area.
• Make a place for everything. Find a home for small tools (pencils, erasers, pens, etc.) and a place for papers (storage boxes, file cabinet on wheels, etc.)
• Set up an in-basket for things that need done, and set up a basket for filing, plus an out-basket for mailings.
• Use colored print folders for different clients, for special projects and other materials that you can separate for easy handling and retrieval. Label them or add stickers to help, too. Doesn’t have to be “all work and no play” so get creative!
• Keep items that you use a lot, all together in a handy place, like a storage bin on wheels.
• Use drawers in dividers for pencils, pens, markers, erasers, etc. to keep them separated and organized.
• Hang hooks near your office door for keys and backup zip sticks so that they are handy and convenient when you go to use them.
• Establish a well-defined space in your home-office area just for placing your checked-out library books, so that you do not have to search around for them when they come due.
• Make your junk drawer very small or get rid of it altogether. You don’t need one. Through junk out in the trash or sell it on eBay.

Get rid of things you do not need any longer:

• Magazines that have accumulated that you meant to read but haven’t for years
• Expired, dried up white out and other solutions
• Outdated suits and other business clothing
• Packaging and wrap from purchases: it’s trash. Toss it.
• Book you rarely use. Borrow them or print out pages you want to save.
• Organize your bank statements and credit card statements, tossing those dating beyond 7 years.

Free your home-office of clutter and free your mind of clutter, too. Once you de-clutter huge areas, keep them up regularly, scheduling quick checks every Friday before you close down for the weekend. Or make this a weekend chore, like emptying your trash.

Coaching Tips and Tricks

Multi-tasking – Only multi-task if you know it’s faster and more efficient. Often times it’s best to complete one task at a time. That said, begin multi-tasking by combining similar activities or activities that may take equal amounts of time and effort, so you can spread yourself across all of them like: 1) listening to audio self-help cassettes while doing light admin work 2) speaking on the telephone while sorting mail, email and / or junk that needs tossed out that week 3) keying in data while listening to an audio workshop file 4) learning a new language from CDs in your car while driving to a conference.
Organize your self and family – Be a leader in your home environment and get everyone organized. Clutter tends to be like rabbits and multiplies quickly, so if you help nip it in the bud for everyone, if won’t increase as rapidly. Start with bedroom area organizing closets, drawers and all other areas with shelving and storage units, hanging bags and under-the-bed storage boxes.  Then reach out to the family room, living room, kitchen, garage, desk and all other areas – -even your vehicles. Get a grip everywhere and stay organized.

Use one main planner – You don’t need one for business and for your personal life. Use one. Period. Consolidate your activities and schedules for less stress and a more well-rounded life overall.

Just say, “No!” and mean  it. You don’t need to do everything. Say, “No” right away, then ask people to get back with you later, if you must. But be firm and take charge of your time.

More Coaching Tips!!

1. Use a Note Tablet: Keep a small note tablet and pencil with eraser at hand beside your computer. Then when you go online, jot sown EXACTLY what you want to find first, so you don’t get side-tracked and end up searching and surfing all over the place.
2. Establish Good phone Habits: Set aside a certain amount of time each day for the phone, and stick to your guns here. Have your voicemail answer it during other times.
3. Waiting Time is Wise Time: Make it so, next time you go anywhere. Take along client project files to read, printed out articles you want to catch up on, workshop content you need to learn. Keep a reading pile handy and a carry-all bag to place it in so you can grab it and go next time you have a doctor’s appointment or need to pick up your child after school, etc.
4. Give back. Help others as you have been helped. Compliment people. Be kind. DO unto others….
5. Stop procrastinating. DO your hardest work first and get it out of the way.
6. Outsource when you can. Stop doing all the menial tasks yourself.
7. Team up with Joint Ventures: No need to do everything on your own. Team up with fellow business associates, friends, neighbors, etc. for car pooling, errands, bulk purchases, advertising efforts, work projects and more.
8. Make time for fun and relaxation. You need these things in your life, too, so schedule them! And do make time for your spouse and children, too. You need a well-balanced life, not a life of a workaholic.
9. Take charge and deal with things once, then let others do their job. When you delegate, let that person handle his or her own tasks. And get on with your other things.
10. Practice the C.O.P.E. method:

COPE is an acronym for Capitalize, Organize, Prioritize, and Energize.

Capitalize on the ability of every person to help with business and household tasks like admin work, cleaning and putting things away. Train everyone very clearly and don’t be a perfectionist.

Organize your business and home environment so that it’s easier to find and store things. Large shelves and hanging pegs can work wonders. Use them.  Keep things in see-through containers, on wheels, on wall racks or shelves, in storage bins, etc. And trash what’s trash.

Prioritize your tasks. Do your 3 most important things first each day.

Energize yourself with enough rest each day, good healthy foods and beverages and plenty of exercise.

Being your own best coach with your physical and mental fitness can work wonders.  Do you best and enjoy more success!