If you sat down at a five-star steakhouse and ordered the best T-Bone available, and it came out with big thick layers of fat around the edges, what would your reaction be? Sure, it's still a good steak on the inside but now there's a bunch of extra work you need to do to get to the end result, which is an expensive and delicious melt-in-your-mouth T-Bone that you've been looking forward to for weeks.

Now imagine if they had trimmed the fat off before it got to you, it's still the same steak but there's a lot more time for you to enjoy it. It feels like less work and you're able to enjoy the end result (the steak) a lot sooner and with out all the work to get to the steak, you're going to enjoy it just a little more. Now, if only you could do this in the business world.

Oh, wait, you can.

In the 1990s, the Toyota Production System was developed by Japanese auto maker Toyota and is commonly known in the American business realm as lean manufacturing. The heart of TPS is based around Henry Ford, a pioneer in the automobile industry, who developed efficient assembly line structures that cut his total costs and ultimately raised his overall profit. In short… he cut the fat off his assembly line. Lean management focuses on the types of cuts that can be made across the entire spectrum, for example, a company that is truly lean also examines the number of steps it takes to complete a particular task. If the company is burning too much human energy they might modify the process the employee must take so that every step they make is the most efficient.

You're probably wondering how lean management can affect you and your business if you don't run an assembly line or a manufacturing facility. You can apply lean management in ways that don't require Sigma Six certified professionals to come in and completely revamp your business.

First of all, apply 5S to your office or building. 5S is a method of organization that helps not only to trim the fat from workspaces but to also maintain the organization that is created.

1. Sort: Go through and keep only essential items on hand while storing or throwing away everything that isn't needed right away.
2. Straighten: Arrange equipment in the most efficient order. For example if you have someone in your office who is mainly responsible for sending faxes, it would make the most sense to have the max machine set up right beside his or her desk.
3. Shining: This basically means to be systematic in cleaning the area. Once it's cleaned, it should remain that way. At the end of each shift, the area should be cleaned away of clutter or when you're dealing with individual desks, each person needs to be responsible for cleaning up their own space. Maintaining organization should be a part of everyone's assigned set of tasks.
4. Standardize: Everyone knows what their responsibilities are. There isn't a need to have two people doing a job that would only take one, and each person should know exactly what they need to do during their work day.
5. Sustain: Once the first 4 S's are implemented, they need to become the new way to operate. Maintain the new way that things are done without allowing any of the old practices that have been dealt away with to creep back in.

You can cut the fat in other ways as well. Feel like you're spending too much on company travel? Don't travel anymore. Use a video conferencing or audio conferencing service to lower your travel costs and be more time efficient. Think of it like this: a video or audio conference isn't going to run late, get delayed, lose baggage, or get caught in traffic. It's available when you need it and however you need it, so it eliminates the need to make grand plans to get everyone together for a discussion. Conference calls are only the distance from you to a phone or computer, so imagine the energy, time, and money you're saving by just picking up the phone.

Facebook and Twitter's impact on your job and your ability to keep it is back in the spotlight. Eweek.com reports on the ongoing argument about allowing it at work.
"Gartner analysts Anthony Bradley and Nikos Drakos say corporations should not ban social applications such as Twitter or social networks such as Facebook and MySpace in the enterprise.

"Their arguments come after banks such as Credit Suisse Group have stopped their employees from using such tools.

"Web collaboration tools are software applications that help users connect with each other to work on projects or to share information. They are key ways for users to leverage the Internet in the enterprise, allowing users to e-mail, send instant messages, set up Web conferences or create shared wiki sites.

"Microsoft SharePoint and IBM Lotus Connections are examples of these tools tailored for the enterprise. But with 90 million-plus users leveraging Facebook, businesses are increasingly looking at the social network as a business networking tool, the way professionals leverage LinkedIn.

"Partly because of this utility in the workplace, Bradley argued that organizations should not shun Web participation for fear of bad behavior.

"Instead, they should create a trust model and policies that dictate fair use of Facebook and its cousins, as well as microblogging tools such as Twitter and Plurk. This trust model would include a definition of community and its characteristics, the likelihood of positive and negative behaviors, and a framework for guiding behaviors."

The Tri-CityHerald.com talks about how a Facebook profile can either land you the job or land you in hot water.

"Want a job?

"Forget about getting together all the usual stuff. You know, that booooring list of education, references, experience, previous jobs, blah, blah, blah ....

"First, you better take a hard look at your Facebook profile.

"Scour it for ‘inappropriate' content, suggests new research published by Katherine Karl of Marshall University and Joy Peluchette of the University of Southern Indiana.

"And what exactly might that content be? Well, this won't surprise folks who are 40 or more, but it must be a revelation to many twentysomethings. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't post it for millions to see.

"Among the ‘inappropriate' materials for your Facebook page are comments about sexual activity, alcohol abuse, drug use, profanity and negative attitudes about work.

"That's according to Megan Childs, a marketing communications coordinator for IGI Global in Hershey, Pa.

"The researchers studied 148 graduate students taking human resources and organizational behavior courses. The students played the role of hiring manager and were provided access to five job applicants' Facebook profiles."

I say, let Facebook help hiring managers and for those of us who use Facebook as a professional tool, why not let us network and socialize? What do you think?

I'm talking productivity yet again. It might be because I tested out as Generation Y (in reality, I'm Generation X) a couple of months ago, but I'm fascinated with productivity information and various ways that companies are trying to improve workflow and process and profit. How do they do it? Measuring productivity, of course!

In the town of Redding, Connecticut, city workers moved to a four-day workweek, working Monday through Thursday, and not working on Friday. The Acorn-Online.com reports on the early results.

"It has been only a little over a week since the town went to a four-day workweek, closing offices on Fridays, but an increase in productivity is already being noticed.
"'I've received positive feedback from employees,' said First Selectman Natalie Ketcham. 'Most of us field telephone calls from residents. With the longer workday, we are able to finish other work that may have been put aside when responding to those calls.'"

Smartbrief.com has a nice round-up of stories related to productivity, but the main point is that there are many options out there and it can't hurt to try a few and see how your employees do.

"If you want employees to work nights and weekends to complete a project, you've got to give something in return. Some companies find that something can be flexibility in employees' schedules, which not only allows workers to pursue outside interests, but also benefits the company.

"Flexible schedules can be completely open-ended -- as long as the work gets done -- or can be scheduled around a graduate student's school schedule, pro bono work or even a second job.

"Companies find that flex time helps their employees become more productive and helps create a 'good workplace environment that begets good work.'"

Business24-7.com, based in the United Arab Emirates, talks about ergonomic issues as a factor in productivity.

"Two out of three employees suffer from work-related repetitive strain injury (RSI) and this costs companies a fortune in lost working hours, says a new report from the UK.

"RSI - widely linked to the use of computer keyboards - costs employers in Britain £300 million (Dh2.2 billion) annually in lost productivity and sick pay, according to a study by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. The condition accounted for an estimated 3.5m lost working days in 2006-07.

"The problem is also acute in the Middle East with the hot summer preventing staff from taking breaks from their desks. And the region is not as advanced as Europe at preventing the disabling condition."

So what ideas have you put into place to improve productivity? Post a comment and let me know!

I figured it was time to make the case for productivity in other types of business environments that do not have the tendency or desire to grant Facebook time, goof-off time, or even nap time. Many of these companies do business in a very competitive market and it's a daily race to get ahead and stay ahead.

For instance, Tom Siebel, CEO of Siebel Systems, doesn't play by society's rules nor does he think much about making work comfortable for his employees.

In a 2000 article for Fortune magazine, Siebel says, "'Running a business is a fundamentally rational process,' Siebel says squarely. 'We unemotionally put things on the table, look each other straight in the eye, and state the facts.' The article also reports that "[I]f employees are offended by this perfunctory management style, then they're probably not right for Siebel Systems. Employees who perform are rewarded; those who don't are disposed of. Nearly everyone at Siebel is given a rank within each department, and every six months Tom Siebel lops off the bottom 5%. Siebel is intense, competitive, and driven[.]"

Think it a little extreme? If so, you're probably better off working in an adaptive management culture, one that encourages performance, but doesn't demand it. Remember, there is no right or wrong here. The adaptive culture may allow more free time, self-management, and self-expression, but Siebel's achievement culture (a phrase used in business management textbooks) may be a good fit for a high achievers who seek to make a lot of progress in a short amount of time. And it seems to work for Siebel and his company.

Fortune reports that "Siebel Systems is the only U.S. enterprise-software company to accelerate past $1 billion in revenues without running off the rails. Oracle, Informix, PeopleSoft, Sybase, and Baan have all had to clean up wreckage at some point. Oracle had an accounting scandal in 1993, which resulted in a $100,000 fine by the Securities and Exchange Commission and shareholder suits that cost Oracle $24 million to settle. Informix, too, was reprimanded for accounting shenanigans. PeopleSoft management fell into disarray. Siebel, meanwhile, is growing by leaps and bounds--analysts expect the company to do $1.6 billion in sales this year [in 2000] and plans to double its work force within the next 12 months."

In 2008, Oracle (who serendipitously bought Siebel Systems in 2006) has gone the way of most IT companies--"four consecutive quarters where its revenue and profit figures are sharply down on the same period a year before" and this reflects not on a certain management style, but on the state of IT as an industry.

Many called Siebel a control freak and many more chose not to take a job at Siebel Systems back in the years 2000 through 2006 just because of this achievement culture, but the lesson here is that there is no "one" way to approach business culture. And it is only up to you to choose which way you go, especially if your business struggles with productivity. Just don't fret if early efforts have not paid off. The market is tough on everyone these days, even those folks who still aren't on Facebook and never get naps at work.

In an increasingly data-oriented world, sifting through mounds and mounds of information quickly becomes more and more important.  Look at tools like Google Desktop and the Microsoft Search built into Windows Vista.  They are all about finding information quickly and efficiently.

It is with this goal in mind that Xobni developed their software.  Being able to click on an e-mail and see everything about that contact is an extremely valuable tool.  Automatically, Xobni has extracted the phone number from my contact’s signature, listed everyone else in my network that this contact has communicated with, as well as putting the files and conversations with this contact at my fingertips.  But Xobni goes further than that by actually quantizing the data and informing me just how important this contact is to me (in a strictly e-mail sense of the word – my wife won’t be happy to find out that she’s #5).  Having this data handy helps to better prioritize and respond to "critical" items in your inbox more efficiently.  My day is freed up from reading UPS shipping notices and standard report reminders and I can focus on doing my work, with the knowledge that Xobni is watching my inbox for one of my top e-mailers for me.  If one of my contacts has multiple e-mail addresses, Xobni automatically groups them together and shows me all communications with this person, not just from the e-mail address they sent me e-mail from.

It is an Outlook search engine on steroids, allowing a much quicker path to recent e-mail to and from each contact.  I would highly recommend it to people like me that have 8 GB mailboxes and desperately need to bring some order to their lives.

After a previous post about boosting productivity by allowing employees to surf Facebook (I’m sure you’re delighted to have me bring that point up again), I want to clarify exactly what I believe is a productivity booster and what is not. Some companies advocate naps at work (a few heavily creative jobs really do necessitate this) and others ban personal Internet surfing (which I really don’t think is entirely all good) and so I’d like to come into this discussion again squarely in the middle.

Canada.com recently cited a study that indicates allowing people to goof off at work (surfing the Internet) boosts morale and productivity.
"[A] new study by a U.K. research group might help boost the Internet's image. It found that taking short breaks to surf the Internet at work might actually be beneficial to an employee's productivity.

Conducted by MindLab International, the study involved European women from seven different countries who were asked to complete computer-based intelligence tests designed to induce stress. They were then offered a 10-minute break in which they could surf the Internet freely before returning to further testing. Stress levels and productivity were monitored throughout and the researchers found that the break resulted in both a reduction in stress and an increase in productivity."

On the other hand, some companies struggle with workers goofing off by gossiping and stirring up trouble among fellow employees. That is not my idea of boosting morale.
AfricanPath.com, a site geared to reporting news of and by Africans around the world talks about the problem of gossip in the workplace and I really liked blogger Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi’s June 26, 2008 checklist on the subject.

"Do you:

1. Spread rumors about other people?
2. Have you good things to say about others?
3. Judge others only on the basis of facts?
4. Encourage others to bring their rumors to you?
5. Precede your conversations with a "don’t-tell-anyone, and you-didn’t-hear-it-from- me"?
   
6. Keep" confidential "information confidential?
7. Feel guilty about what you say concerning other people?
8. Have an okra (slippery) mouth?
9. Like to hear reports of scandals?"

These examples should serve as a caution to employers who cite lost productivity as the number one factor impacted by employee turnover, according to TalentKeepers’ 2008 Employee Turnover Trends research report.

"‘It used to be that employee turnover was considered solely an HR problem, but now top executives are beginning to see the far-reaching impact of turnover and its implications,’ explains Craig Taylor, VP of Client Services for TalentKeepers and senior research author of the 2008 Employee Turnover Trends report. ‘It starts a domino effect that will eventually touch all aspects of an organization. The key is to stop the chain reaction by implementing tactical retention strategies before the last domino falls.’"

Is allowing goof off time a tactical retention strategy? According to many employed workers, the rigidness of an employer is also a measure of their willingness to stick around for the long term. I think every employer must ultimately make the call about goof-off time that best suits their particular needs. But I urge moderation. Polling employees about their preferences and discussing these issues openly is the best next action for companies seeking a definitive policy.

Most people groan and complain about Word and how buggy it is and how it never does exactly what we want, when we want, and how we want.

C'mon people. Word is a powerful tool for business owners and once that power is harnessed to make your life easier, you'll be singing a different tune.

1. Word has a spreadsheet feature built in. No need to run back out to your desktop to open a spreadsheet when with one click you can build a table right into the screen you're working on. Don't know how? Look on the menu for Table > Insert. Then choose Formula from that same menu. Voila. It's that easy.
2. Track Changes isn't that scary. It's helpful, especially when multiple people are making changes on an important document. Just choose Tools in menu at the top of your Word screen and toggle it on. Now play with it on an old document. Delete a few words. Want to view the original text? There's a toolbar you can view (go to View > Toolbars > Reviewing) that has a dropdown menu. First choice is Final Showing Markup. But you can also view Final (which removes all the Track Changes marks), Original Showing Markup, and Original (with no Track Changes). To turn off Track Changes, toggle again in the Tools menu. Or to accept changes, make sure your Reviewing toolbar is still available and check out the buttons. Just press one! Again, play with it. You might be surprised how easy it really is.
3. Add a custom dictionary. The Word spellchecker is worthless sometimes. It really only spellchecks certain words and for industry-specific terms, it misses them altogether (especially legal, medical/pharma, and science/tech). You can buy add-on spellchecking programs that will turn Word into a powerful editing machine. For medical, Stedman's sells a nice add on. For legal, check out Bouvier's Law Dictionary and Legal Speller, and for science/tech, try Spellex.
4. Learn to master Word styles. It's easier than you think. For most of us users, Word applies its own formatting without being asked, which makes our blood boil. There is a way to conquer the automatic stylist in Word and to make it do what you want. For an overview (better than I could explain it), check Help > Styles and Reusing Formatting. (Also, if you go to Help > Microsoft Word Help and type in styles, you'll get more information than you need.) Once you learn a few things about styles, it's fun, very satisfying, and you'll wow clients and employers/employees.

Productivity is always a concern for business owners, especially during this time with rising gas and food prices, consumers tightening their belts, and the need to maintain a profit.

A few stories lately have discussed productivity and once again, the ideas aren't what you'd expect.

CNN talks about our "sleep-deprived nation" and points out that American employees work more than they sleep - a disturbing trend.

"One-third of those surveyed for the National Sleep Foundation's annual 'Sleep in America' poll had fallen asleep or become sleepy at work in the past month. The telephone survey questioned 1,000 adults in the continental United States and was conducted between September 25, 2007, and November 19, 2007.

The poll also found that Americans are working more and sleeping less. The average amount of sleep was six hours and 40 minutes a night. The average workday? Nine hours and 28 minutes."

The Chicago Tribune approaches productivity in a similar way.

"'To be honest, employers may not be aware of the impact the physical environment has on individuals,'" said Steve Schiavo, a Wellesley College psychology professor who has presented papers at the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA). 'Employers may only think of financial compensation as contributing to morale, but clearly there's more than that.'"

PCWorld suggests that letting employees take breaks (even if only to view Facebook) can improve productivity.

"Feeling guilty about checking out Facebook when you should be working? Well, don't -- because according to PopCap Games research, taking a 10-minute break to surf the Net will reduce stress and sharpen your mind.

The games manufacturer claims 'electronic breaks' actually increase staff efficiency and morale, warning that by stopping workers surfing the web, businesses are contributing to a loss to of productivity worth up to US$8 billion every year.

The research will come as a blow to companies that have banned access to social networking sites. According to employment law firm Peninsula, seven out of 10 companies already prohibit workers from visiting sites such as Facebook and are even considering banning personal Internet access altogether."

I know. You're thinking why in this economy would I let my employees look at Facebook, sleep, or enjoy their surroundings?

Because it works. Productivity was up in the first quarter of 2008, even as companies cut jobs. Many industry analysts point out that our services-oriented workforce is more resilient to economic highs and lows than we were in the 1970s. And why not make a few tweaks geared toward the comfort of your employees? If productivity continues to keep up and surge ahead, the resulting strong economy will take care of high prices and job losses.

Work is work. Home is home. Running your business from home may be convenient, but you still have to keep home and work separate. Here are some tips to make this a bit easier.

1. Find your own space. You need to have a place where the only activity permitted is work. A den, a spare room, your corner of the basement, or any place that gives you some measure of privacy, so you can do your work uninterrupted. A room with a door is best, especially when you have customer contact and conference calls.
2. Have a business only phone line and separate office equipment. Your business shouldn't have to compete with the other activities in your household. Establish clear boundaries so that others know your priorities in these areas.
3. Establish specific "office hours". Family and friends need to know that you may be at home, but you're still at work. Personal calls take a back seat and may be returned at a more appropriate time. You're not at home for their convenience.  This means you're not available for chores and helping with errands and other distractions.
4. When the office is closed, leave it closed. Make an effort not to drift in and out of work once your business day has ended. The convenience of working from home means having your work available 24 hours.  Home and work both suffer when you ebb and flow between them.
5. Don't overlook the "green" benefits of working from home. With no commutes, your stress level goes down. You're saving hundreds of hours of drive time, thousands of gallons of gas, and keeping tons of carbon from entering our atmosphere. Don't blow your good works by jetting off to meet a client. Consider a virtual meeting. The technology exists that allows you to meet with clients and coworkers without ever seeing an airport.

Running your business from home has its challenges. When considering the benefits to you, your family and the environment, the impact would seem to do us all a world of good.

Once the favorite alternative work option for many large companies, telecommuting was purported to be the savior of the burnt-out cubicle worker. Over the past year or so, telecommuting has received a critical eye. A series of articles from eWeek discusses the rise and fall of telecommuting.

"Only a few years since it was heralded as a newer, better way to work, studies began to emerge that put chinks in the armor of telecommuting.
Sixty-one percent of executives surveyed in January 2007 by Korn/Ferry International, a Los Angeles-based recruiting firm, said they saw career stagnancy among telecommuting workers.

Nearly half of CIOs felt that remote employees' quality of work suffered due to reduced in-person contact with colleagues, and one-third said that these employees were less productive due to a lack of supervision, in a study released last July by Robert Half Technology, an IT staffing firm in Menlo Park, Calif." 

But is telecommuting really all bad?

San Francisco’s Chronicle espouses the concept of telecommuting as a cure for conserving energy and reducing gasoline usage.

"An estimated 1.35 billion gallons of gasoline could be conserved annually if every U.S. worker with the ability to telecommute did so 1.6 days per week, according to a report released today by the American Electronics Association.

‘Fewer commuters on the roads means reduced fuel consumption, traffic congestion and air pollution,’ said Christopher Hansen, president of the association, the nation's largest high-tech trade group.

And, he said, 'It is a win for workers, who can reduce long commute times and strike a better life-work balance.'"

And this article from CNN points out that for a better life-work balance, 43% of working moms would jump at the chance to telecommute.

"‘More than 25 percent of working moms are dissatisfied with their work/life balance," said Mary Delaney, chief sales officer at CareerBuilder.com and mother of three. ‘As companies continue to experience a tighter labor market, the importance of retaining star employees is requiring them to implement benefits that actually encourage workers to improve the balance between their professional and family lives. From flexible work schedules to job sharing to telecommuting, company-wide work/life initiatives are becoming much more universal.’"

As gas prices increase this year, perhaps companies should endeavor to make telecommuting more effective: encouraging in-house workers to coordinate more fully with telecommuting staff, pursuing online collaboration that encourages teamwork, and rewarding loyal and productive clients with a flexible work schedule.

Looking to improve productivity in your organization?

Check out a few of these recent news articles.

Reuters highlights a recent study on job flexibility as it relates to productivity and loyalty among employees.

"Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, found that workers who enjoyed more work flexibility were also less likely to say health problems affected their performance at work. Offering a variety of alternative work arrangements and training managers and supervisors to be supportive of workers' personal lives may help in creating a culture of flexibility, researchers added."

In the UK, "a survey of 2,347 people, commissioned by employee wellbeing specialist Right Corecare, found that four in 10 respondents work extra hours in the office, with 21% pointing to their bosses' expectations as the main reason to do so."

The article reports, "A quarter of respondents admit to checking Facebook or surfing the net on company time, often after they have finished work, with 16% admitting they work late to be seen as hard working."

From Canada's Globe and Mail, a quick and helpful guide to picking and choosing productivity tools.

Productivity consultant Francis Wade writes, "With the flood of productivity tips and productivity tools assailing you, which ones should you choose? . . . [T]here are seven essential practices that we carry out as we do our work. Each tool should be assessed by whether it helps you to manage one or more of those steps better."

If you think you can avoid work by calling your boss and complaining of a flu or cold; those days might soon be over. You won't have the opportunity to go shopping because your boss might suddenly throw together a conference call concerning a new client or perhaps to have a brainstorming session and your attendance from home is required.

You can probably remember at least a few occasions when a co-worker walked into your office, coughing and wiping his nose and looking miserable. You were terrified of acquiring the horrible germs. You tried to avoid him in a polite way but a few days later you were lying in bed feeling miserable. The sick employees can now stay home and attend meetings with their fellow employees with conference calls. You can touch the file cabinet without worrying about nasty germs.

Those who live in a heavy snow area and find no joy in the snow removal process at least have the benefit of skipping work a few days during the winter season due to hazardous road conditions. Teleconferencing will put an end to the mini break-from work. Snow and the flu are no longer excuses to avoid meetings.

Like any business meeting, teleconferences are either heralded by groans or cheers. The response your teleconference receives depends largely on how effectively you orchestrate the meeting. Knowing what participants hate or like most about teleconferences can help you avoid the pitfalls and hold an effective and productive conference.

The four things people like most about conference calls are:

1. They encourage group members to participate and share ideas openly.
2. They foster commitment to the organization by investing participants in the decision-making process.
3. They produce superior solutions through group participation and effort.
4. They create a feeling of organizational unity.

The four things people hate most about conference calls are:

1. They fail to begin or end on time.
2. They accomplish little for the amount of time invested.
3. They fail to reach a consensus or accomplish their goal.
4. They are dominated by a few participants.

Make an effort to plan conference call that will create positive synergy for your business. Avoid holding conferences that are boring, repetitive or fail to accomplish their goals. You should strive to conduct a conference call that follows a specific stated agenda, starts and ends on time, is conducted fairly with an opportunity for all to express their views, and accomplishes its stated goals.

Chances are you haven't explored the full breadth of your software capabilities. Microsoft Word and desktop publishing software like Publisher, InDesign, and Pagemaker all have built-in templates for everything from business cards to brochures. PowerPoint, a great tool for presentations and teleconferences, also has stored templates, and allows you to import design elements and backgrounds.

Microsoft provides free, fun downloadable templates for parties, dinners, and holiday themes at office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/default.aspx

Here is a Microsoft link for a business plan template:
www.microsoft.com/mac/resources/templates.aspx?pid=templates

Here is a Microsoft link for great resumes:
office.microsoft.com/en-ca/templates/default.aspx

Another resource you can use is on Office Depot's online Business Center.
http://www.officedepot.com/promo.do?file=/guides/papertemplates/papertemplates_od.jsp

There you will even find templates for balloons, bumper stickers, index dividers, media, post cards, tent cards, binders, greeting cards, tickets, and tri-fold brochures. These are a great place to start, allowing you to customize the design with your stored logo.

Avery labels (www.avery.com) also provides printable templates and downloadable easy-to-use Design Pro software. You can access all sorts of clipart images. There is also a tool for curved text. There is easy photo editing software. And something that you rarely find without special software, the ability to serial numbering and create bar coding. There is also a feature that makes mail merge easy.

There is no time like the present to get started with these projects. Search online for templates before you begin. It will help guide you, ensure there are no key omissions, save you time, and ensure a professional looking piece.

Beware of the communications faux pas that occur when a new technology or form of communication takes hold and goes mainstream in the business world.  Sometimes things that were accepted when the new form was being developed and moved forward, which generally happens in a more casual atmosphere, don't work when the tool becomes common in use in more formal settings.

Let's use text messaging as an example.  Some of the common text abbreviations like LOL (which could mean "laugh out loud” or “lots of love") just don't work, and could be considered offensive, in a business setting.  The classic example is to never say anything in text message or email for that matter that you would not say to someone's face, whether it is the person you are emailing or the person who you are talking about in the email.  This is because emails are a written record with your byline attached to them. These notes can be sent or forwarded purposefully or by mistake to others whom you might not want to know what you think about them.

Below are some good general rules for e-communication etiquette in the office.

1. Use Instant Messaging and text messages only for short requests or immediate responses.
2. Use email sparingly and don't expect people to respond right away.
3. Use the phone for building rapport or to discuss delicate matters
4. If you are going on travel and cannot be reached, leave phone and email answering messages that note this to anyone who might try to contact you.
5. Do not use humor, sarcasm, or anything that might be considered flirtatious at work.  It might be misinterpreted and cause trouble.
6. Do not use “emoticons” like smiley faces :) or frowny faces :( or other graphics in your emails, they make you look unprofessional.
7. Keep a record of important decisions reached over the phone or via IM and print out a copy and file any important emails or messages.
8. Don't say anything in an email or digital communication that you would not want to have read out loud in a staff meeting.

Among the innumerable advantages afforded by modern technology is the ability to transform your home into an office even though the two boundaries can be and often are somewhat blurry. Still, there is something to be said for not having to deal with traffic jams, rush hours, punching clocks and the cozy plushier alternative of sitting in an office chair clad in pajamas and silly slippers. Not only that, in terms of your own virtual business, your hours and profit are all your own. But beware. That could mean that your shop is NEVER closed!

The freedom afforded by a virtual company is limitless, but so are the problems and pitfalls if you do not organize, prioritize and get off your butt so that you can eventually sit down on your butt. Unlike a conventional organization, those of the virtual variety have no shared physical space and no employees. An entirely different frame of mind and set of skills are required than those who work at a physical location. There are some specific issues to be addressed however, some emotional, some practical and others purely fiscal. Starting with the character traits that best lend themselves to running a virtual business, here are some tips to consider about how to make your virtual business a lucrative, satisfying, interesting and successful business venture.

1. Be passionate about working from your home. If you do not live and breathe your particular product or service, you will eventually want to take it out to the backyard and kill it along with all your dreams for success on your own terms.
2. Understand your motivations. Are you driven to work for yourself? Virtual work settings attract different people for different reasons. Make sure your reasons are clearly etched in your brain, as they will become part of your emotional mantra when the hard times come and help to propel you through them.
3. If it is at all possible, maintain two separate computers in your home; one for work and one for your other life. This helps you to distinguish work from leisure in your own mind, which is one of the greatest challenges in maintaining a successful virtual business. Do not install instant messenger programs, chat room applets or computer games on your workstation computer; save those for your private time.
4. If you are not determined to succeed, you probably will not make your concept for a successful virtual business work very well. There's an old saying that translates into something like: "Those who think they can usually do and those who think they can't, usually can't." The good news is that just like any other positive habit, determination is something that can be developed over time. Make up your mind to not let anything stand in your way to success and it won't.
5. You will have to assume full responsibility for everything that succeeds or fails within your virtual business. When problems arise, you must solve them in the most responsible manner possible. Conversely, you get to take every single scrap of credit for jobs well done, making the virtual business unmatched in rendering a sense of pride and satisfaction.
6. You must cultivate self-discipline and realize that if you only have to report to yourself, the work involved will not get done unless you go and do it. Distractions are everywhere even on your own website where pleasant things are only a click away from realization. Most people don't have this skill naturally, but rather learn how to acquire it over time. You too can be among them (and maybe even be the first on your block to do so).
7. You must get organized, set a schedule for yourself and stick to it. As the head of your virtual business, you have the advantage of being able to create a flexible schedule for yourself that fits around the rest of your life. Whether your personal bio-rhythms call for you to work week-ends, evenings, early morning or all or some of the above, you must remember that your decided work schedule must be adhered to as strictly as possible. Be your own slave driver. In the end, it will all pay off.
8. Select practical office furniture. You will spend a major part of every day in your office. Shop around and find the best computer, office chair, and equipment and supplies for your money and your needs. These items can be tax-deductible and are well worth their cost. They will serve you well. Buy the best you can afford and do not buy impulsively.
9. Select the right spot in your home for your office. This is not only true for the achievement of that elusive concept known as optimum feng shui. It also pertains to a space where you can work UNDISTURBED for hours at a time. No distractions. This means, wives, husbands, children, pets, friends and relatives, well meaning and otherwise. 
10. There must be a leader of the virtual business. No matter how many partners and participants, there must be one person in charge of all the operations of your virtual business. There is no underestimating the importance of a strong leadership from the corporation's very inception.
11. All partners must be able to communicate with each other at all times. With so many remote locations, it is mandatory for all who share both profits and responsibility for the daily operations of a virtual business to remain "in the loop" so to speak about all events and decisions affecting the company. The two most effective ways to accomplish that are video conferencing and conference calls. The most current video-conferencing systems are very easy to use and they transmit pictures and audio of the best possible quality. It really is almost like being there.
12. Despite the liabilities associated with video conferencing, namely the absence of eye contact and appearance consciousness, experts agree that it is a valuable tool for the day-to-day operations of the virtual business. As people become more accustomed to video conferencing as a means of communication, these issues will disappear. Now that personal video-conference systems based on a web cam, personal computer system, software compression and broadband Internet connectivity have become affordable commodities, video conferencing is available to many who otherwise would not have been able to afford it.
13. The distribution of equity in a virtual business must be clearly established in writing and understood by all participants. With multiple partners, who does what and for how much should never be a matter of guesswork. There will always be those partners who are either "hunters or skimmers" in terms of working styles. Hunters make the kill and skimmers watch them. In a very lean organization, however, there is no room for skimmers. Everyone must pick up the slack and be a hunter. Still, each partner is entitled to whatever share of the equity has been agreed upon.
14. The participants in your virtual business do not necessarily have to be friends, but they all have to be motivated by their common commitment to the corporation. They all must exhibit a personal compatibility in their dealings with the other members. Even remotely, one can become intimate with the help of hi-tech conference calls and video conferencing.

The statistics are a bit scary, although they are constantly changing as people learn what works for the virtual business and what doesn't. According to statistics, more than 90% of the people trying to earn a living online are failing. This is a hard fact and must be addressed realistically. The main reason for the failure seems to be the frame of mind that most entrepreneurs are in when they embark on this type of business venture.

Many have an unrealistic image of a glamorous freedom from cares and responsibilities all while money rakes in along side the enormous pool in the backyard of the mansion. Too many are dreamers without direction. But that doesn't have to be you. 

As noted previously, it's one thing to talk about ice breakers in theory and quite another to think of them in practice. For most meetings in a business setting in which participants are professionals, ice breakers that require actions not normally associated with day-to-day behaviors in the office generally make people uncomfortable. Successful ice breakers for these groups generally consist of clustering people around a round table, if you have access to any, and having them share memorable information with each other, finding innovative ways to get them to introduce themselves to each other, or having them collectively work on a problem where everyone has to contribute.

Below are some of the most successful ice breakers we known.

1. Fact or Fiction: Have everyone at the table write down three surprising things about themselves, two of which are true and one of which is made up. Each person, in turn, reads their list and then the rest of the group votes on which "fact" they feel is the "false" one. If the table does not correctly pick a person's made up "fact", then that person wins. A table can have more than one winner. If you have more than one table full of people, have a competition between the tables and have each table decide which of their "winners" they want to use to compete in the "finals". The selected finalists get up and present their "facts" to the whole group and each table, but the one the winner is from, has one vote to decide which of the "facts" is false. At the end, the whole group votes on which of the "winners" of the final round, had the most deceiving "fact". This helps people get to know and remember their colleagues.
2. Same/Different: Divide the group into teams of 3 or 4 and give them a large sheet of paper and give each person a different colored marker. Have each person draw a large oval such that each oval overlaps with the other ovals in the center of the piece of paper. Give the group, or groups if there is more than one cluster, a theme that pertains to the meeting objectives. Tell people they have to write down at least five or more entries in the non-overlapping and mutually overlapping areas of their ovals. Give them five minutes, no more than that, to talk about their similarities and differences and write them in their ovals. If there is more than one group, compare results and identify common themes in both parts of the diagram and what light these similarities and differences shed on the purpose of the meeting. This helps team members develop an understanding of shared objectives and understand in a non-confrontational way how their views differ from others on the team.
3. Brainstorm!: Break the group into teams of four or five. Give them a topic. Pick one that is fun and simple like, "What would you take on a trip to the jungle?" or "List things that are blue"). Give your teams 2 minutes, no more, and tell them "This is a contest and the team with the most items on their list wins." Tell the teams to write down as many things as they can and not to discuss anything, just list things. At the end of time, the team with the most items on their list wins! This helps people to share ideas without fearing what other people will think.
4. Free Association: The object of this ice breaker is to have small groups or the team generate as many words or phrases as they can that are related to a particular topic that relates to the objective of your meeting. Give the group(s) a key word you want them to associate and then give them 2 minutes to list, as quickly as possible, as many words or thoughts that pop into their heads. For example, if your company is trying to decide on whether to reduce travel and increase the use of teleconferencing, you might use the word "teleconferencing" and have people list as many words/phrases as they can that they associate with the word. For example they might say: "saves money", "saves time", "impersonal", "need to see other people", "get distracted", "sound quality"…. This reveals what people are thinking, similarities in viewpoints, and possible problem areas/topics that need addressing or discussion.
5. Nametags: Prepare nametags for each person and put them in a box. As people walk into the room, each person picks a nametag (not their own). When everyone is present, participants are told to find the person whose nametag they drew and introduce themselves and say a few interesting things about them. When everyone has their own nametag, they introduce the person whose nametag they were initially given. This helps people get to know and remember each other.
6. Desert Island: Group people in teams of 5 or 6 and tell them they will be marooned on a desert island and give them 30 seconds to list all the things they think they want to take and each person has to contribute at least 3 things. At the end of the time, tell the teams they can only take three things. Have the person who suggested each item tell why they suggested it and defend why it should be chosen. This helps the team learn about how each of them thinks, get to know each other's values, and how they solve problems.

Good ice breakers not only get people to feel comfortable talking with one another they also get people familiar with what the meeting is all about and what it hopes to achieve. Ice breakers, if done right, reduce tension, fear, and discomfort. They get people more engaged, helping them contribute more effectively. A good ice breaker almost always leads to a more successful meeting.

You have to be careful though, not every meeting needs an ice breaker. And, if an ice breaker is not appropriately planned and tailored to its specific audience and goal, you can end up with an "ice breaker gone bad". This is a disaster. Bad ice breakers waste precious time and can embarrass you and meeting participants, intensifying the very thing you’re trying to overcome.

To avoid "bad icebreaking", design your "breaker" to focus on the goals of your event and on getting people to focus on and talk about their similarities, not their differences. Keep it simple and make sure what you have planned is something all participants will be comfortable with. Make sure that what you do creates a level playing field for sharing ideas, especially when you bring together people of different pay grades and/or status.

After you have designed your ice breaker, reflect on it and review it carefully. Ask yourself how you think each person will react and if they will feel comfortable. If you feel anyone might be uncomfortable, try another idea.

At a loss to know what to do or just don't have that "party planner" mentality? Anyone can come up with a great and appropriate icebreaker.

How? There is no end to ideas on the Internet for ice breakers that will suit whatever group you need to get interacting. Just type in "meeting+icebreakers" on any Internet search engine and a host of sites with many great (and not so great – so keep in mind your audience and meeting objectives) will come up.

Having an active conversation where everyone weighs in is crucial to having a good meeting or brainstorming session, solving a problem, or just getting things done. This generally isn't too hard when participants have to talk with people they already know and are already comfortable talking to. It's something else again to get a good give-and-take going when you need to get people who are strangers together or who generally don't talk shop with one another because of their different job status.

Fortunately people who regularly face this problem have come up with some clever ways to help overcome these hurdles and get everyone talking as equals. These are called "ice breakers". A good ice breaker should be fun, but not take up a lot of time. And, most importantly, it should be specifically targeted at the "ice" you need to break.

"Ice" can come from any number of sources. It may be people at the same relative level and mindset that just haven't met each other yet. It may be because you have people of different cultures, backgrounds, or view points. It may be that you're mixing people from different pay grades and levels of responsibility or that have different perceptions about each other.

To have a successful ice breaker, look at the "ice" and then look at the goal of your meeting. Now assess what part of the ice you need to break in order to maximize the results of what has to get done. Focus the ice breaker on that. You can't, and shouldn't try to overcome every possible obstacle or type of "ice" that might exist between participants, just the one most likely to hamper you meeting from achieving its objectives.

We'll talk about effective ice breakers next.

Not so long ago, there was only US mail and the telephone for people who needed to stay in touch. But in the last 10 years, there has been an explosion in the numbers and types of communications tools that can be used to keep your team together and keep important stakeholders informed of project and/or company progress.

Many still revolve around the land-line telephone because it is such a universal installation. But as computers and wireless installations have become increasingly more prevalent, communications technology that uses these platforms have entered and revolutionized the field.

The ability of these more recent platforms to let people share graphics in real time and the ability, of some, to allow that all important "face-to-face" type of meeting is dramatically changing how some businesses communicate, boosting their productivity, and dramatically cutting costs.

Due to the newness of some technologies, there can be reliability and interface issues that still need improvement, but the rapid rate of technology advancement and provider innovation is quickly eliminating these issues.

Some of these technologies include: classical and suped-up conference calls and videoconferencing; podcasts; webinars; Instant Messaging, just to name a few.

Once you and your team have produced your list of people for your communication plan, gotten everyone's phone number and email, and listed their role, there is one more thing that needs to be done. Add each person's preferred mode of communication to the list. This is one of the most crucial, but commonly overlooked, elements of a good communication plan. Different people have different ways they like to communicate and the more you respect that, the better off you and your project are going to be.

Some people are at their computers all day and constantly check their email, others travel a lot and you can catch them only on their cell phone, others prefer office phone calls, and still others only respond if you talk with them face-to-face. Not using a person’s preferred mode of communication means you may not get the information or feedback you need when you need it. This can prevent you from being able to effectively make a required quick decision or stave off an impending crisis.
In today's workplace, adequate communication is difficult because many times not all the people in your communications loop work in the same building or city or state, and some don’t even work the same hours. Once you know how you need to communicate to the people identified on your communications plan, you then need to identify which of the many available communications tool are best suited for your team/company and how they work.

If you have never seen or put together a communications plan before, the uncertainty of not knowing what it should contain, how it should look, and what other people might be expecting to see can be paralyzing. As a result, a lot people stop after the exercise of identifying who should be on the list and what those people need to know, never actually completing an actual full blown plan. Because communication is so important to business and/or project success, don’t let this happen to you!

For almost anything in business or government, and that goes for communication plans too, there are books, tools, examples, freeware, and professional software packages for just about anything you want to do. The Internet has all kinds of sample communication plans that come with extensive descriptions of what they need to contain and what they look like that you can copy and download for free.

To find one of these, just use any major Internet search engine and type in: "project management, communications plan" and a host of sites will appear. Many of these have forms you can copy or download and use right away. Even if you have never written or even seen a communications plan before, within minutes you can be filling out a professional looking and organized communications plan.

When you forget or omit an important communications link and have a breakdown in communication, problems occur; and sometimes they are so big they take an entire project down; and everyone loses.

So how can you stop this from happening? Well, nothing can ever be completely avoided, but you can minimize the possibility of a major communications breakdown by generating a communications plan spreadsheet that lists all of the tasks and associated deliverables and who is responsible for them.

Your spreadsheet should also include who is to receive whatever product that task produces, whether that be an invoice generated by your accounting department, a status report for your upper management or a regulatory agency, a software tool to automate a piece of equipment in your company’s chemical plant, or a highway overpass for your customer.

In addition, your document should indicate who needs to approve the deliverable and how frequently along the way that person needs to be kept informed on its progress. Such a matrix of tasks, people, and frequencies of communication helps keep you focused and keeps you from forgetting who has to know what when and prevents you from tiring out your key people by spamming them unnecessarily.

Strategic communication will be your key to success!

How many times have you or your team been involved in a project, no matter what the size, and had someone come out of the blue or get some unexpected bad news at the last minute which puts your project, all your hard work, and careful planning in jeopardy?

Chances are you forgot to put a key person in the information loop. This person could be as big as the CEO of the company or as seemingly insignificant as the kid in the mail room.

Unwittingly leaving a key person in the dark is a classic and chronic problem faced by all managers and project teams. One way to overcome this problem is to leave nothing to chance and develop a communications plan……and put it in writing! But don't just do this in a vacuum because one person is never able to think of all the people that might need to be put in the loop.

A good communications plan is a team effort. Different people know different parts of a project or problem. It never fails that each person on the team will come up with different contacts that they know who have critical information that you will need. Sometimes these people can help you or can come out of left field and kill your efforts for one reason or another. It is important to keep these contacts in the communications loop and use their collective knowledge for your project's success.

Putting together the master list and prioritizing the people on it is the next step. We'll talk about that in our next blog post.

I recall my fifth grade teacher would have us journal every morning and we had to keep writing without a stopping. She told us to streamline our thoughts and that it didn’t matter if we made spelling mistakes or if our sentences didn’t make sense - so long as we kept writing.

I recently had a chance to re-read one of these journals. I wrote stuff like “My brother annoys me and cows don’t jump over the moon.” It doesn’t get more random then that. Anyway, that’s what I’m doing right now. Already I’ve hit the backspace button ten times but I keep plowing forward the best I can.

Too many times we don’t push forward on a task and we’re afraid to throw it on paper. I’m amazed at how unproductive I can be and how much time I waste staring at the wall. I think about work-related stuff but I don’t write it down.

I’ll be honest, I cheated with this blog entry. I decided in advance what I wanted to write about which makes this though-streaming-process much easier. I’ll have to try this again and truly start from scratch. I suggest you do the same. On your next big project or task, try putting your thoughts on paper, regardless of what they are. Whether it’s an email, newsletter, blog or memo – don’t go back or make any edits until you’re done.

I’m convinced that this will make you more productive and will also help you stay focused. I already feel better having done this. It also takes a lot of concentration. I’ve had to keep typing even as my outlook emails pop up in the corner of my screen. But I press on!

I’m happy to report that this blog took about five minutes to write (which is a record for me).

Let’s see how long it takes to edit it!

[Updated: It took about twice as long to edit… I’ll have to work on shaving that down next time]

You're sitting at your desk and your computer is painfully slow. Perhaps you were browsing the internet and your computer froze. Or maybe you had just finished a long day's work - and you really want to go home - but the computer wouldn't turn off. Or perhaps, more embarrassingly, you were on the phone with a customer when your computer decided not to cooperate.

Never fear, Super-Fast-Computer-Tips are here!

1. Reboot – Before you try anything else, shutdown and restart your computer. Wait about 30 seconds and then turn it back on. This always seems to help.

2. Defrag Your Hard Drive – Think of it like tidying up a bookshelf. This process reorganizes your data on your hard drive to optimize the way it retrieves your information. Go Start > Programs > Accessories > System tools and then click on DEFRAG.

3. Disk Clean-up: This tool is right below the defrag button and it does a similar (but slightly different) action.

4. Delete Internet Cache & Cookies – If you use internet explore than select Tools > Internet Options and review your browsing history. Different versions require different steps, so do a quick Google search to find out more.

5. Check for Spyware & Viruses – There are free resources online. My favorite for Spyware is called SpyBot Search and Destroy. For virus checking, I use AVG Antivirus.

6. Disable Virus Checker – Depending on what you use your computer for, this may or may not be for you. **Follow this tip at your own risk** but it will certainly speed up your computer. I personally disable the auto-check feature but I still use a virus checker to do a “sweep” of my system every other week. I also check suspicious files before I open them. If you work from home and your kids share the same computer, I would NOT suggestion disabling your virus checker.

7. MSCONFIG – Microsoft System Configuration Utility can ensure your computer boots faster and crashes less. In particular, it will show you if unnecessary programs are running in the background.  The “how to” steps are different for depending on the version of Windows you are operating. Again I’d suggest doing a quick Google search to find out more.

8. Delete Old Files / Uninstall Old Programs – If you don’t use it or don’t need it anymore than delete it. To remove programs you’ll have to go to the Control Panel and click on "Add or Remove Programs."

Let’s face it; sometimes the office stifles creativity. I’m talking about the feeling where you’ve sat in your leather chair for too long and it starts to feel hot and your eyes start hurting from looking at the screen and the office drone is giving you a headache.

The best thing to do is leave the office. At our office, we practice this technique by getting coffee in the afternoon. It’s a valuable time that we use to discuss creative or strategic projects. It gives us a breath of fresh air which in-turn gets our thoughts flowing. Sometimes we only have 15 minutes and other times it lasts an hour. But regardless, we make a point of leaving the office.

You should do this too. And if you don’t have the time for coffee, then leave the office during lunch. Don’t think about eating at your desk or skipping lunch… make a point of getting out and smelling the roses. If you’ve go 15 minutes, take your MP3 player and go for a walk around your building.

If you do this, you’ll work less, get more done, and feel physically (and mentally) healthier.

We're all on a quest to achieve maximum productivity, right? Whether it's mastering the to-do list, organizing email and calendar items, or improving project management – this list has something for everyone.  

For those of you who don't know, GTD is shorthand for "Getting Things Done." It's a popular work-life management system developed by David Allen.
Kim at Optimized Life has created a list of different tools, using the GTD methodology, which will help you get organized.

For those who rely on a daily to-do list, here are some suggestions:
TaDa Lists - Ta-da makes it easy to create lists for every occasion.
ToDoist - Here's a simple todo list and task manager that
is super easy to use. ToDoist is a bit more powerful and
allows integration with Gmail.
MyTodos is a free online todo list that will allow you to organize your
life in just a few minutes a day.
Toodledo is another web-based to-do list that is easy to use. You can use this simple tool to help you get organized,
stay motivated, and increase your productivity.
>>Read the complete list here.

Here are some suggestions for when you’re creating deadlines:

1. Create both long and short term deadlines – Long-term deadlines are good, but you also need stepping stones to measure your progress.  If you don’t break-up your tasks, you’ll be knocked over by the giant wave of things to do. Don’t leap across the river, use stepping stones.

2. Get outside help – Have others help you create your deadlines. Research shows that people who are given a series of interim goals perform better then when they establish the interim goals themselves. It also helps to have people track along with your progress.

3. Be honest - Sometimes deadlines are unreasonable. Look to the past as a guide of what you’re capable of doing.  And if you’ve got more work then usual, be honest with yourself. And if you end up missing a deadline then adjust accordingly for next time.

[Bonus tip]: Under promise, over deliver. Deadlines are not only for you, but others. Meeting a deadline will make you feel good, but it can also get you promoted.

By Andrew Clogg

I read an article about childlike productivity that I wanted to share. It'’s from a website that provides tips on "living life with less stress and more fun."

Childlike Secrets to Productivity (Summary):

1. Plan – Most kids know exactly what they are going to do the next day "I'’m going to build a huge fort with my lego'’s tomorrow!"
2. Don't over-plan – You never hear a child say "I will wake up at 6:00am and play with my legos until 8:00. Then I’ll color in my coloring book until 9:30, when I'll have a snack before taking a quick ride around the block on my tricycle…"
3. Mind your passions – Once in a while you've got to step back and ask yourself the question "why am I doing this?" Kids make sure that they spend their time doing things their passionate about.