• What's New at Mise En Place? – A new Assessment for Managers, Top 10 Productivity Tips for Mac users, Lunch-n-Learn Series. Wow, we have been busy!
• Feature Article – Odds and Ends
• Ann Michael Recommends - Checking out all of the opportunities noted below...pretty sure that there is something that will help you today! Also, for all you GO System Graduates, be sure to note the new GO Graduates section for additional tips and support.

Have you ever needed to grab your significant other for a few minutes just to get caught up? You need to touch base with them about a handful of things. Therefore, in "Drill Sargent" type fashion you go through all of the items that are bouncing around in your head like popcorn. You tick them off one after the other in almost alarming speed - mostly out of fear that you will forget one!

While my fear isn't that I will forget what I want to share with you, I do have several odds and ends I welcome you to check out. In the Teleseminar & Events section below we note 2 upcoming courses being offered through our relationship with the Rochester Business Alliance (RBA), Rochester's major metropolitan area Chamber of Commerce. You don't need to be a member to participate in either of these courses. Then, instead of a featured article, I'm going to share a number of odds and ends that you might be interested in taking advantage of or would like to share with a colleague or co-worker. I think you will find them helpful.

Mise En Place is pleased to announce that it has partnered with the Rochester Business Alliance (RBA) to offer 2 of our signature courses noted below. Membership to the RBA is not required to participate.

The GO System®
Thursday, December 9th, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The GO System, a proven course that helps you become more focused, organized, and productive, addresses seven major issues that help significantly improve workplace results:

• Establishing strong foundational habits
• Processing incoming items
  Prioritizing
• Using time rationally
• Effectively managing projects
• Understanding personality issues
• Understanding psychological issues

The bottom line - you get more done! To register, click here.

Escape the E-mail Vortex: Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Tame Your In-box
Are you are tired of drowning in e-mails? Tired of e-mailing all day and not getting anything done? Wishing your e-mail tool was doing what it claims to -- to be a productivity tool -- versus hindering your productivity? If so, than this is the webinar for you!

Join us on Friday, December 10th, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. This course is taught in webinar format -- no matter where you are located, you can participate with your computer and from the comfort of your office.

To register, click here.

Odds and Ends?

There are so many things that I want to share with you. Calling all of this value packed information "odds and ends" probably isn't appropriate. And, I could probably feature each one of these in a separate edition of Pondering Productivity...but why not just get to it?

• Top 10 Productivity Tips - Have you grabbed your copy yet? This document is packed full of our favorite and most useful tips. Available for both PC and Mac systems, you'll want to get your complementary copy now. Simply click here.
  
• Why can't I get organized? - Let's work together and figure that out! Start by taking the Mise En Place Assessment that best applies to you:
  
  • Manager: Our newest Assessment designed for managers of all levels. Whether you are a manager of a department, the head of a division or the owner of a small business now is the time to determine how well your work environment is supporting the efforts of your team.
  • Individual Worker: Designed for individuals in any work environment who are tired of being overloaded, overwhelmed and finally want to make a change.
  • Micro-Business Owner: Whether you are a photographer, a consultant, a spa owner, or a freelance writer, owning your own business typically means wearing multiple hats (sometimes at the same time!). If you find yourself thinking, "I didn't get into business to do ...(bookkeeping, payroll, marketing, sales, etc.) and you're overwhelmed with the administrative tasks associated with your venture, we understand.

    Simply click on the name of the Assessment noted above to begin taking it. Mise En Place enjoys working with professionals who are interested in and committed to making a change in their work environment. Each qualified Assessment includes a complementary one-on-one phone Strategy Session with Mise En Place's Chief Productivity Officer, Ann Michael Henry. Upon review of your Assessment - generally within 48 hours of receipt - we will contact you to schedule your one-on-one Strategy Session with Ann Michael.

• Organizing & Productivity Lunch-n-Learn - If you offer programs that take place over lunch for your department or team then you may want to take advantage of Mise En Place's new 7-part Lunch-n-Learn Series. Done in person or virtually, at lunch, first thing in the morning, mid-morning, or mid-afternoon (we can get creative with the name!), these information and tip-filled sessions are sure to boost productivity. Topics include:
  • Word tips
  • Excel tips
  • Internet tips
  • Ditch your filing system and create a finding system
  • Project management made easy
  • Conquering cyber indigestion
  • Effective meetings

  We recommend 7 consecutive weeks for this series to get the greatest impact. Schedule your 1st quarter 2011 series now as availability is limited and sessions tend to book quickly. Contact Mise En Place to schedule your Organizing & Productivity Lunch-n-Learn Series.

• Looking for a Guest Speaker? - Does your professional, fraternal, or social organization need a guest speaker? Mise En Place founder, Ann Michael Henry has co-authored three books on productivity in the workplace and is a member of the National Speakers Association. She has spoken to numerous groups including Rotary, ASTD, SHRM, Chambers of Commerce, church groups and more. Improving productivity - specifically, getting more done with fewer people - is a hot topic these days. Contact Ann Michael to schedule a presentation.

Thanks for "listening" to all of the odds and ends.

The tickler files just aren't working for me. I've heard this comment a few times and a common issue seems to be the culprit. The primary purpose of the tickler is to cue you -- to let you know what you have to do so that you can set your priorities. The tickler file is for reminders only.

What some people have been doing is putting the actual project or file folder in the tickler. When you put this type of information, more of an active or reference file, in the tickler you are combining two different processes that will actually serve you better if you keep them separate. Let's illustrate an example - coordinating a retirement party for a colleague.

Begin by creating a folder for this event to capture your notes, thoughts, memo's, various e-mails and correspondence. You also have a variety of tasks with a variety of completion dates. If you put the original folder containing all of the project information into your tickler, you will forever be looking for it whenever new information needs to be added to it - you won't know what date file you put it into. However, if you keep the project folder in the same drawer as all of your other projects or active tasks, you can access it with ease.

Then, create a reminder for each of the tasks that need to be completed. If the retirement party is in April, you may need to book the venue by February 1st, select the menu by March 5th, and send invitations by March 15th. With individual reminders set in the tickler, you can refer to the project folder as needed.

GO Graduates, send us your questions, and we will feature them in a future article. If you aren't a GO System graduate but are curious about this workshop, we would be happy to talk with you about it. Send us an e-mail with your contact information, and we will give you a call.

Save Time with Roboform

Do you have 10, 20, even 50 different User Names and Passwords you have to remember every time you log into a different web application? It takes time out of your day to look these up every time you need one. Well, there's a cool tool that will not only remember your passwords but will log in for you!


RoboForm is a top-rated password manager that automates password entering (and form filling). If you are like the average computer user, you can have more then 50 different places that require login information. This is software that you can use for free or buy. Among many features, it allows you to:

• Manage your passwords and log in automatically,
• Fill in long registration and checkout forms with one click,
• Encrypt your passwords to achieve complete security,
• Generate random passwords to maximize password strength.

You can download RoboForm for free and store up to 10 passwords – so you can try it out easily. You can also purchase the Pro Version software for $29.95 which allows you to store an unlimited number of passwords. Take a look.

Ann Michael Henry is the Founder and The Productivity Chef for Mise En Place -- an organization and productivity consulting firm devoted to working with clients to discover the right ingredients for managing e-mail, digital data, paper, and workload so that they can "get cooking" at work and still have time to satisfy their appetite for life.

Her personal philosophy...let's get the work done so that we can go out and play is what motivates Ann Michael. If you liked today's issue, you'll love Ann Michael’s productivity tools, products, and training designed to help you improve your focus, organization, and productivity at work so that you have time to experience all that life has to offer.

Having the right ingredients – tips, tools, and proven techniques – to accommodate an individual's work style is what makes the difference. This is where Ann Michael thrives! Her ultimate goal is to find the recipe that works for you!