Computer backups fall under the list of things we least understand as part of our computer. We all like to take chances and so the assumption is hey, I have a new computer, what do I need a backup for?

Well, lots of reasons -

1. Hard drives have moving parts and if you saw one in action you would worry...a lot. Here is a short video of a disk with the cover off.

2. More often than not, the loss of data is caused by accidental deletion to make space for something else.

3. You send in your PC to be repaired or worked on and they trash your data. We see this one a lot

4. You call a company for support on a program and they trash your computer trying to fix it. HP seems to do this with HP printing software.

5. Your PC is stolen or lost. 

Read more for the 15 minute fix I promised you -

I love watching the Canadian home improvement show Holmes on Homes. Mike is my hero when it comes to pointing out incompetence in business and home remodeling. He always says: if you are going to do it - Do it right! We don't do remodeling but as a Professional Organizing Services company we are Washington state licensed contractors.

How many times have you received an e-mail from someone and in the body of the e-mail they tell you that the attachment is attached...but it's nowhere to be found?  Or, worse yet, you're the one that sends the e-mail and you forget to include the attachment?  There is one simple solution that will solve this dilemma for you.  Get into the habit of always attaching the attachment first and you will never have this problem again!  I thought this might be worth mentioning in case you don't already do this, since I received several e-mails this week without the attachment.

recently named me as one of their favorite organizers!

Other favorite organizers included:  John Trosko (Organizing LA), Maria Gracia (Get Organized Now!), Ramona Creel (OnlineOrganizing.com), Lorie Marrero (Clutter Diet) and Jeannene Chase Langford (JCL Creative Studio).  Click here to see the entire mention.

Organize.com sells thousands of organizing products for your home and office, including one of my books:  Eliminate Chaos:  The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home & Life.

Organize.com is one of the sources I use often for my product recommendations for my monthly column that is published in the Seattle Post Intelligencer.  My next article will be published on September 13th and will showcase several of their products to help you eliminate car clutter.  To view my past articles and tips published at the Seattle PI, click here and then enter "Leist" in the search box for a complete listing.

 

We live in a time where e-mail is the central hub of our communication. I remember when it was the phone, and having an answering machine to take messages was a cool thing. Now it seems the phone hardly rings in contrast to the old days.

Marketers all know that we get hit with a fire hose of advertising today to the point that we are desensitized by it all. They also know that the most cost effective way of marketing is to get advertising into your Inbox. Hence all the spam out there. So where does that leave you if you want to market your business via email?

Read more to find out...

How many times has someone asked your availability via an e-mail for a meeting or a phone meeting and after you respond with the days/times you're available, they ask you for a date/time you indicated you were NOT available?

When scheduling appointments on your calendar, whether paper or electronic, write the phone number next to the name of the person you are meeting with. If you need to call to change the appointment, get directions or report that you are running late, you won't waste time looking for the number!

Greetings Organizing with Laura bloggers. For those of you not familiar with our organization I am the Business IT Strategist for Eliminate Chaos. What does a business IT Strategist do you ask? Well, I look at your current computing environment and processes. I then make recommendations of how to improve your IT systems to save you time and money. 

Today I would like to talk about the SPAM issue that most face. I say most because the good news is that thanks to companies like Postini (now Google) We can enjoy a SPAM free life and just get legitimate messages in our inboxes. Sound too good to be true? Nope it is possible. Are you excited to learn more? Read on…

At long last, my latest book on Outlook 2007 is available! I released Business Solutions Using Microsoft Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager on August 4th when I was in NYC speaking at the NSA (National Speakers Association) National Convention.

Hello!

I am excited to announce that I have decided to shift the focus my blog to help you become more productive and efficient at work, so you can "Take control of your business, your space and your time." (TM)
I am also pleased to announce that our Business IT Strategist, Robert Strasser, will also now be participating on this blog on various topics - the first one being e-mail Spam.
We look forward sharing with you some ideas and quick tips you can implement in your office and we welcome your feedback and ideas as well.


Make it a Productive Day,

Laura Leist, CPO
Productivity Consultant, Speaker and Author
President-Elect NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers)

I realize that not everyone has Vista; in fact, if it weren't for the fact that I needed a new laptop, I would not have upgraded.
That is beside the point....
Last week, I wrote about a quick way that you could include a 'path" to a document stored in Windows Explorer.

If you don't have Vista - don't worry....

This week, I was working with one of my clients to help them organize documents on their server at work. As we were talking about strategies for organizing documents and letting someone know "where" the document lives on the server, she asked me if I knew how to create a "path" to the exact location of the file - so that she could include the path in the email to another employee.

Looking for a way to eliminate those extra computers and clunky old monitors from your home or office? Staples has made it easy for you to recycle these items and more.

With Christmas just 48 days from today, here are a few time-saving tips that will eliminate those long lines at the Post Office.

I just returned home from my annual two-week trip to Hawaii.
A few days before I left town, I taught my first "Organizing with Laura: Real Life Strategies & Techniques" class in my home.
The class was a hit, but knowing that I would be teaching the class and then leaving town two days later - I needed to be prepared and packed.

Here are a few things I do to help us prepare for upcoming trips - maybe they'll help you next time you get ready to travel:

1. I keep a file labeled with the "place" and "dates" of the vacation. In it, I store airline, hotel and car rental information as well as any other information I may need about activities while I'm away. When I'm ready to leave, I grab the folder and I know I've got everything I need and can slip it in the outside pocket of my carry-on bag.

2. I establish a location in my office to place all non-clothing and toiletry associated itmes. Some of these include: my reading materials, computer accessories, my iPod and charger, my camera and its charger, stamps for postcards I plan to send and so on. This way, as I run across something I know I will take with me, it's sitting there waiting for me to pack.

3. When possible, I try to pack all clothing needed for my vacation a week in advance - it save a lot of last minute headaches of trying to figure out what to wear and ensuring that the clothes are clean.

4. At least two weeks before my vacation, I review the toiletries in my kit. I try to keep it packed at all times, so that the only think I need to include the date of travel is makeup. If I determine I need to replenish anything, I make a shopping list for the next time I'm out and replenish when I get home.


5. Depending on the location of my vacation, I make a list of additional accessories I may want to take; such as a collapsable cooler, water bottle, laundry detergent (in a leak proof bottle) seasonings so I can cook, etc...

There are always last minute things that come up at home or at work that need attention and take time away from packing - so getting a head start helps eliminate my chaos before I leave town.

Last week I did something that my clients and others have been asking me to do for years; I hosted my first "Organizing with Laura" class in our home to a sold out crowd of 10.

This class was a hit and many told me that they got so many ideas that they couldn't wait to go home and implement.

This week on the national evening news, NBC had a segment about email overload. One of the individuals that they interviewed had a solution. He had 10 different email addresses that he used for different types of information that he received. While this might help to keep unwanted email out of his primary email inbox, it does not solve the problem about how to handle all of the email that comes in on a daily basis.

I am excited to announce that Eliminate Chaos will now be offereing teleseminars. Some of them will be FREE and others will have a small fee. Register here

All of the teleseminars will be announced via our newsletter that is published once a month - typically near the beginning of the month - so if you're not signed up for it - you can click here to be added to the list. Please know that we will never sell your email address and you can automatically remove yourself at anytime from the list.

Our first teleseminar is going to be very special - as I've asked my good friend Barry Izsak (Immediate Past President of NAPO) and author of Organize Your Garage...In No Time to join me to help answer your questions about how you can organize your garage once and for all.

The design of many kitchens does not allow for easy access to pots and pans. One of the simplest things you can do to make accessing these items is to install pull out shelves.

 

 

Today would have been my mom's 69th birthday. Unfortunately, my mom's life was cut short at the young age of 46; I was just 16 years old.

One of the things my mom used to always tell us was "you can't take it with you when you go."

Did you know that May is National Moving Month?

Moving is one of the most stressful events in ones life, but you can eliminate some of the stress with a bit of advance preparation and planning.

Have you got a collection of cleaning products and detergents that you've been hanging on to because....someday you might need them?

Recently, I was asked to help re-organize a laundry room where I'm quite certain the products were older than myself. I'm not certain I would want to use them to clean anything at this point.

 

The same type of hanger in your closet can make all the difference is the visual appeal and organization of your closet.
Over the years, as I have made this recommendation to clients, I'm sure several eyes have rolled and perhaps the word "anal" came to mind.