• Where’s Ann Michael?– Exploring the wonderful world of Wiki's. Wait until I share with you what an incredible impact that a Wiki can have on your productivity. Stay tuned!
• Feature Article – The Impact Of One Little Change
• Ann Michael Recommends – Marking your calendar for Wednesday, January 13th at 1:30 p.m. (EST) for a complementary webinar on the What’s a Wiki? – See the hottest new productivity tool in action and learn how a Wiki can get you out of the office sooner!

For years every morning I make iced coffee; it's my little treat to start the day. I'm pretty good at streamlining processes but for whatever reason, creating this morning pleasure was never a smooth one. It was a lot of back and forth to the refrigerator for the milk and the freezer for the ice and the cupboard for the flavoring powder. I can honestly say that all of that motion made me a little crazy.

Just the other day, there was a traffic jam at the refrigerator, and I had to wait. As I waited, I put my hand on the little counter space next to the refrigerator and immediately had an "ah-ha" moment! I could move the blender to that space, put the flavoring powder in the cabinet above it (there is room), the ice dispenser was right there, and I would just need to stretch a little to grab the milk. No more back and forth!

I couldn't help but chuckle about this experience. How many times do we do things out of habit without ever stepping back to see if there is a better way to accomplish a task? Then, suddenly, for what ever reason, something clicks, and we realize if we just tweak one or two little things, the entire process becomes so much easier. And then we think – why didn't I think of this years ago?

Mark Your Calendar!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010
1:30 p.m. (EST)

What's a Wiki?

How many times have you said to yourself "I just wish I had everything in one place"? Wouldn't it be nice to have all of your information – Word documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, PowerPoints, audio files and more – all at your fingertips and findable? And why not add in e-mail too? Or, the ability to email it with members of your team – internally and externally? Well, now you can!

This is the most exciting technology and productivity tool that I have ever experienced. Wikis are simply incredible and are incredibly easy to use. So, for now mark your calendar. Next, watch for additional announcements and information to sign up for this exciting complementary webinar! I am so looking forward to sharing this with you! You’ll be blown away – I promise!

The Impact of One Little Change

How many times do you feel like you run back and forth at work -- and you don't even leave your desk? What do I mean? Well, you have pieces of paper, or sticky notes or lists from one end of your desk to the other. Then, when you go to look for something you start in the center, move to the right, then to the left, then back to the center often times repeating that cycle two or three times before you find what you are looking for. Sound familiar?

If you answered yes, than it sounds like your desk top "here's what I need to do" system isn't serving you very well. Consider establishing a "command post" (e.g. a tickler file system) for all of the information coming your way. Whether its e-mail, voice mail, paper, verbal requests or your own thoughts – capture them in one centralized location. The bottom line is, you’ll know where everything is and you won't waste time running back and forth rummaging around your desk looking for your next priority.

So grab yourself two boxes of hanging file folders and label 1 – 31 for each day of the month and January through December for each month of the year. Use the extras for any custom files you may want -- boss, assistant, waiting on response, etc. Put these files in a drawer closest to you. Next, go through every sticky note, piece of paper and list and ask the following two questions:

1. What do I need to do?
2. When do I need to do it?

Once you know "when", drop it in the file that designates the day you will take action on this item - take action, not necessarily complete it. That's it, no more running back and forth. The information you need is right where you need it when you need it. Pretty easy tweak don’t you think?

Dressing Up Hyperlinks

1. Go to the specific page on the Web that you want. Copy the URL address from your browser address box. (E.g. http://www.m-e-p.com/xxx/xxx/xx)
   TIP: One click will highlight the entire string – so right click and choose copy.
2. Put your cursor in the document where you want the link to be. You can do this in anything from an email or a Word attachment to a PowerPoint or a spreadsheet file.
3. Click on Insert; choose Hyperlink. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box opens.
4. The cursor will be blinking in the Address box at the bottom of the dialog box. Paste your URL into it. (You’ll need to use Ctrl+V because there's no menu bar available).
   NOTE: You will see that your long address will automatically show up in two places. It will be in both "Address" and "Text To Display" at the top of the dialog box.
5. Highlight the URL in the "Text To Display" area. Delete and type whatever words you want for your link message.
6. If you don’t like the color and other formatting that comes with the link, just highlight the text in your document and change it!
   

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!