5 Tips for Effectively Organizing your Networking Contacts

Last week I attended a networking event. I must admit, I’m not a big fan of these networking things but EVERY time I go, I’m glad I did. Similar to the motherly advice of “you’ve got to kiss a few frogs..." so the saying goes about putting oneself out there for networking opportunities.

So, after a morning of meeting and greeting and exchanging business cards, what do you do?  Here’s a simple formula that can help you to organize and make the most of the new friends you have met.

Take the business cards that you have shoved in your pocket, purse, jacket and/or anywhere else on your person and place them in one pile.
Hopefully you have scrawled little notes directly on the cards so you can remember something about each person you met. If not, try to remember something about them and write it on the card.
Write a personal email, one by one, to each person whose card you have. Here’s a sample:

Hi Linda,

It was so nice meeting you at the Deborah Gallant talk on Tuesday. I'm happy to have a Professional Photographer as a resource for my clients who may be in need. Special thanks for telling Holli and I about the Apple group!

I would love to add you to my monthly "Tips and Tricks" if you are ok with that. Please let me know otherwise I won't do the cardinal sin of adding you without permission.

Take care and hope to see you at a future networking event.
Best wishes,
Cindy

As you hear back from each person, add their email to your contacts list.
Take the card and store it in a business card organizer. My favorite is a regular binder with the plastic pages that are fitted for business cards (or baseball cards). You can organize them by industries but I prefer to put them in chronological order of when I met the people. That’s what works for me. Others may prefer a more sophisticated system but truthfully, just having them in one place is a great first step.

I have had people friend me on LinkedIn after a networking meeting and that’s fine... I’m feeling like a personal email is a tad warmer and leaves a more lasting impression. Any attempt at follow up – whether it be Facebook, linkedin – is great!

Another tip – if anyone mentioned new groups or future meetings, take some time to research them on the web. There are so many free ways to get your name and company out there... might as well expand your horizons a little more.

And there you have it — quick, easy — all you need is a few minutes to do it. And you can.

Successful Strategies for Starting the School Year

It is already August and the new school year looms overhead. There is no way avoid it. Just take a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds and let it out slowly. Ready? 

It’s time to tackle jumping into the back to school madness. Many people put it off until the last minute. I don’t recommended it, because it will add stress to you and your whole family. The kids already have enough anxiety about starting the new school year. You do not want to add any more drama.

Setting up a plan of attack is critical. The school might send a list of suggested supplies, and that is a good starting point. You will undoubtedly have to add things to it and cross off items you already have. What can you salvage from last year? Pens, pencils, paper… And then there is the big money question – are there enough computers in your house? Will everyone be able to do their schoolwork with the number of computers available? 

You will need a notebook or folder for each child. Keeping the kids’ school assignments, class trip release forms and all other school-related papers should be in one location. You should also have a big calendar for everyone to use, coordinating all events. Kids can mark when they have tests, field trips and half days. You can add teacher conference appointments or anything else pertaining to the school year.

Some school supplies can be purchased online. It might save you time to do it that way. There are less distractions for the kids. However, if you are a “hands on” person, you probably want to go to the store, and you will save money on shipping.

One of the biggest chores is dealing with clothing. As kids are growing, last year’s clothes probably do not fit as well as they once did. And, your kids want to wear what all of the other kids are wearing. You should probably have the child try on some things, but go through the clothing and figure out what you have and what you need. Don’t forget shoes. Add everything to your list. Maybe a younger child can use some of the other child’s clothing. If no one can use the items and they are still in good shape, get together a donation for Goodwill, AmVets or another worthwhile charity.

The next chore is the backpack. Some backpacks look bigger than the kids toting them. Try to find an appropriately sized backpack that is big enough to accommodate everything your child will need. You can assign a certain section of the backpack for important papers and go through it each night to make sure you see all papers that are sent home. 

If you have little athletes, you will probably need a doctor’s visit. Medical forms need to be completed before they can play sports. You may need to update sports gear and clothing.

When there are less bathrooms than people – and that is usually the case – a shower schedule might need to be put into play. Some kids like to take a shower the night before, especially those who have a hard time getting up in the morning. 

One of the most difficult things to schedule is the morning exit strategy. If any of the children changed schools this year, it might throw off the last year’s morning routine. Who has to be at school at what time? Do they walk or take the bus? Does a parent drive them? Can you coordinate everyone’s schedule with your own work schedule? What about a carpool? 

After a week or so, this should get easier. You could even attempt a practice run before school starts. Try it during the normal school time so that you get an accurate view of the traffic.

Take the pressure off the whole family and try to complete the back to school chores as early as possible. You will feel like a giant weight has been lifted once you are finished. 

Easy Does It, Wins the Race

Did you ever notice that people seem to have so much to do these days? You ask someone how they are and they tell you “busy.” We all strive to get things done in life. It can be frustrating to spend more time spinning our wheels and less time actually doing things. You know you really want to get yourself and your life organized, but aren’t sure how to start.  

There are various tasks you want to do. It might be cleaning out the basement. Maybe it is organizing the kids’ closets. And the kitchen — it needs organizing too. Whatever it is, divide the task into smaller parts so the job doesn’t seem so intimidating. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Try setting small achievable goals that you can do in a short period of time. Spending 15 minutes and completing one task can result in a great feeling of accomplishment. Many times people set unrealistic goals and expectations which cause overwhelm and frustration before we even begin! 

The first objective is to figure out what your ultimate goal is. Once you know that, you are well on your way. Divide it into parts. You can simply make a list. A lot of people have great success just from putting ideas down on paper. Really break the task down into its smallest parts. The more parts you have, the easier each little job will be. If and when you get stuck, try to think about the next action you need to take to get closer to your goal. You will be clicking off your accomplishments almost effortlessly.

If you have no idea how to get started, you are certainly not alone. There is a lot of help out there for people trying to set goals and achieve them. Of course, Aim 4 Order can always show you the way. One of our goals is to help you achieve yours. There are also some websites, and even some smart phone apps, that can help.

Goals on Track is a phone app that can help you stay on course with your goals anywhere. The nice thing about this app is that it charts your progress as you go. Seeing results gives you encouragement to keep going to the next challenge. CAUTION -- if you are not able to quickly understand how to use the app, move on. The last thing you want to do is waste hours of time on the internet. OK?

Joe’s Goals is a program you can get for free. According to Joe, this system worked for him. You can list tasks and days of the week to do each task. This program includes “negative goals” or vices that detract from accomplishing objectives on your list. It’s kind of a fun way to get things done, and also see what stumbling blocks throw you off your game.

Google Docs is becoming a very popular way to store lots of documents. You can be anywhere with internet access, and get to your documents. By using spreadsheets in Google Docs, you can keep track of your goals and set them up however you want them. You can make a column of goals and set up a row for each day of the week. Next to each goal, place a check mark as they are completed in the column for that day. However, try not to let the software become something that keeps you from getting things accomplished. That defeats the purpose of it.

These programs might be a good way to make sense of things. On the other hand, your way might be more basic. You might make a list on a piece of paper and put a line through each one as you do it. The main idea is to get things done. Set your goals, divide them into smaller chunks and then go after them one by one.