New year, new you! Join us & millions of Americans as we clean & declutter our homes of the 2016 holiday season, plan for the coming 365 days & make a series of resolutions we will likely fail to keep. That is of course, unless we are organized. January is National Organization month & the perfect time to refocus yourself on the important tasks ahead. Let’s prepare, set goals & get $h*t done!
Containing Your Cube
Whether your goals are professional or personal, a good place to start is by keeping your space & mind clear. A well organized work space leads to greater efficiency by allowing you to prioritize your work, stay on top of deadlines & avoid lost information.
“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Here are a few tips for containing your cube:
Keep a Mobile Friendly To-Do List – How often do you think of things while on the go? Keeping your to-do list synced to your mobile phone so you can add ideas as & when you remember it helping ensure nothing is missed. Give a due date to every item to stay on track.
Delegate – Learn to trust people with critical tasks in all areas of your life. When you learn to effectively delegate you will actually find that it is easier to keep the stuff you cannot delegate better organized.
Control Your Life – Whatever electronics or paper you use, make them work for YOU not the other way around. Does Outlook really have to continue checking your email every 5 minutes? Maybe, but I bet you’ll get a whole lot more done if you check it a few times per day instead.
Set Time Aside – Use your calendar! Put everything in your calendar & give your coworkers access. Even put time in to stay organized by going through emails, filing, etc. Setting time aside for specific tasks will ensure you are on top of deadlines & stay productive.
Find the right tools – Utilize any of the hundreds of tools available to you to keep yourself organized. Find what works for you and establish the processes that best support your goals. Tools such as Trello, OneNote & good old fashion Post-Its can help remind you of important deadlines.
Use the Force: Salesforce
Staying organized is even easier when you are already working with Salesforce, the number one CMS management software available today. Get back some of your time by automating & streamlining the smaller tasks & use it to support your team, stay on top of strong opportunities & keep connected with valuable contacts. The return that will be seen from the bottom up, investing time into properly utilizing Salesforce will be invaluable.
“Using Salesforce Tasks ensures that I am in constant contact with clients and on top of my daily to-do’s making me more productive.”
– Laura Emmer
Here are a few tips for staying organized with Salesforce:
Work Together – Teams can set up a Salesforce dashboard allowing members to track everyone’s work. Keeping everyone connected & updated on projects will set every team up for success.
List It Out – Utilize Salesforce Cases to create to-do lists & manage requests, issues & changes. Nothing will be forgotten or missed when everything is formally requested & tracked through Salesforce.
Log Everything – Stay organized by logging all projects, contacts, leads & opportunities. By recording every conversation or touch point you will keep your team up-to-date & communication flowing.
Link It Up – All conversations or connections tie back to something so don’t forget to link everything back to an opportunity or contact. Keeping track of ties will allow you & your team to stay organized & remind you to keep in touch with your project’s point of contact.
Data Head – The Salesforce1 Mobile app allows you to have all the analytics and data you need instantly & on the go. Take advantage of this ability & come prepared with the right information to any call, meeting or unexpected conversation.
Invest the time this month to get yourself organized & you’ll set yourself up for great success throughout the year. We’d love to help you reach your goals and give you the strong foundation needed, but where to start?
Here’s how:
- Contact us to learn how you can simplify your Salesforce workflow
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn to stay connected