Depending on your profession, you may need to track the time you spend on each client or project by the minute. One lawyer I know recommends keeping a client hour tracking file open on your desktop always and having it minimized when you are not logging your time in it. If you have an electronic file open like this on a daily basis, it makes it much easier to fill out your time card, log client billing hours, or maintain any other system you might need to make your record keeping much easier. Check out On The Job, stuntsoftware.com/onthejob [http:// stuntsoftware.com/onthejob], it comes highly recommended, seems super easy, and is extremely accurate.

If you are just starting out, a free- yes free- online service to consider is: BillingBoss.com [http://billingboss.com/]. It has great features such as allowing you to accept credit card payments and manage your account with a smart-phone. This is an excellent option for people who often travel and are comfortable using their smartphone on the go.

Aside from Quickbooks, there are other accounting and invoicing programs out there to consider as well. freshbooks.com [http://freshbooks.com] is a much simpler way to do online invoicing and yet it has other features such as invoicing in foreign currencies and scheduling reccurring billing that might make this a great solution for your business.

For more 10 Minute Tidy tips, read Shannon’s books:

10 Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Office Quickly
10 Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly

www.10MinuteTidy.com

Depending on the type of work you do, you may have multiple patients, clients, customers or consultants you work with at the same time. For simplicity, if I say client, I am referring to the people you are working with at any given time.

If you have multiple clients that you work with on any given day or week, how do you keep their information so that you can easily refer to their specific situation? Most times there is some type of client intake form, either online or on paper. A logical way to store these files could be: Current Clients, Past Clients, and Archive Clients. This type of system works for both electronic and paper versions. Then you want to follow an alphabetical filing system, either by first or last name.

If you have a huge client database, you are going to want to use a client management software program that allows you to track and follow up on your clients’ requests. Check out PlaybookIQ.com [http://PlaybookIQ.com], SugarCRM.com [http://SugarCRM.com], and landslide.com [http:// landslide.com]. You may want to ask other successful colleagues in your field what they use to keep up their client relations. Again, whether you work with clients, patients, customers, or consultants, choose the software program that suits your specific needs best.

For more 10 Minute Tidy tips, read Shannon’s books:

10 Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Office Quickly
10 Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly

www.10MinuteTidy.com

How many log-in IDs and passwords do you have? How do you keep track of all of them? Did you know it’s important to vary your passwords for different Web sites? Well, this can lead to a lot of confusion and frustration. What I have done for myself and my clients is to create a paper and/or electronic file that contains all of your passwords.

Rather than have lots of sticky notes with them randomly written down, if you type up a list of Web sites and their passwords, you will have them all in one place. Once the information is in your computer, you can then easily keep the list of log-in IDs and passwords alphabetical and current. Label this file something other than “passwords.” Get creative. How about your favorite pet or nickname? Save this file under a label only you will recognize. Take 10 minutes now to create a simple solution that will save you so much time later.

For more 10 Minute Tidy tips, read Shannon’s books:

10 Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Office Quickly
10 Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly

www.10MinuteTidy.com

In addition to keeping your desktop organized, it is also important to have a system for organizing the Web sites you use. What do you do with all the Web sites that you want to refer back to? Creating a thorough bookmark index for both personal and professional interests will support you to find the Internet references you want to look at again.

I mention both personal and professional bookmarks because we often look up things for both categories on our computer. I have bookmark folders for business development and then folders within that such as: blogs, marketing, networking, and organizing solutions. Having many detailed folders and subfolders will help you to find the online resources that support you both at home and in your business.

Be sure to take 10 minutes right now to organize your bookmarks. There may be some that you can eliminate because a project is complete or there may be new folders to add as you develop new interests or projects.

For more 10 Minute Tidy tips, read Shannon’s books:

10 Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Office Quickly
10 Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly

www.10MinuteTidy.com

Setting up an automatic online backup service ensures the safety of your electronic records. Several Web sites that other professional organizers recommend are:

mozy.com [http://mozy.com]
dropbox.com [http://dropbox.com]
carbonite.com [http://carbonite.com]
crashplan.com [http://crashplan.com]

For simplicity, I will offer you the online backup service that I use and let you know why I choose to subscribe to mozy.com. I like Mozy because it is easy, affordable, and has excellent customer service when you have questions. Also, Mozy supports both Mac and PC users. Mozy also provides both home and business solutions. It is important to back up your computer to ensure the electronic integrity of your most precious files (photos, music, financial documents, etc) and Mozy makes it easy!

The other on-line backup services I recommend all have their own unique features and are also worth looking into. dropbox.com [http://dropbox.com] allows you to easily share common files and photos. What’s great about carbonite.com [http://carbonite.com] is that it offers unlimited data backup for one flat annual fee. crashplan.com [http://crashplan.com] offers free on-line backup for less than 10 GB of storage. So decide for yourself which online backup service to choose. What’s most important is that you back up your computer because you just never know what might happen. And, if you choose mozy.com [http://mozy.com], let Mozy know that I referred you and we both benefit:)

For more 10 Minute Tidy tips, read Shannon’s books:

10 Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Office Quickly
10 Minute Tidy: 108 Ways to Organize Your Home Quickly

www.10MinuteTidy.com

Whether you choose an external or on-line service, it is important to have a plan for safeguarding your electronic files. An external hard drive or USB drive allows you to back up the files you select whenever you choose. An online backup service will automatically back up all types of files, depending on if they have been changed or added since the last designated back up. You can choose from daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly back up plans.

The next 10-Minute Tidy tip details how to set up an online automatic electronic backup system. If you are not ready for that yet, at least take 10 minutes right now to save your most recent files, photos, and documents to an external hard drive. Although computers are usually reliable, you just never know when something may go wrong. If you don’t have an external hard drive, shop online for one now and then compare it to what you would pay for an online service to do this for you automatically. It really is worth the investment!

Do you know how to easily find the document you worked on last month? Do you have file folders created by the content of the document or what it is used for? Taking the time right now to look at your electronic files and trying to create some order out of the chaos is infinitely valuable in saving you time and frustration in the future.

Look at your list of files and see how you can group similar items together. Do you have folders created? Depending on what you do in your office, you may have folders for things you have written such as newsletters, marketing materials, or reports. Then it is important to ask yourself: how many versions do you keep of a newsletter that you have written? Is keeping the most recent or completed version sufficient? If the answer is yes, then eliminate all previous versions. If you think you need to keep previous versions of a document, perhaps you should create subfolders within the newsletter folder for the drafts.

Take the time right now to create a more organized system of folders and subfolders for your electronic files so that you can easily find the documents you need.

Sometimes I get frustrated because every time I download something it gets saved to my computer desktop. If you don’t delete or save these in an intentional location, your desktop easily becomes cluttered. Did you know that your computer operates more efficiently if you save files in folders instead of on the desktop? That’s an excellent motivator for moving files from the desktop to the folders they belong.

If you are not going to access a file in the next month, remove it from your desktop because it is not a current priority. Having organized electronic files is just as important as having an organized paper filing system. It is very helpful if you use a similar naming system for both paper and electronic files.
I also auto-arrange my icons so that they are lined up along one side of the desktop which seems like less visual clutter. Be sure that your screen saver and desktop background are soothing to you and not a source of visual clutter as well.

One last tip for your computer desktop: emptying the Recycle Bin helps to keep your computer optimized and running more efficiently. It takes less than 10 seconds to empty the Recycle/ Trash Bin!

Your computer is probably your most useful office tool and it also often takes up the primary work space. Maximize the use of your desk by looking into ways to maximize the area your computer already occupies. There are stands for the monitor that have trays and drawers to store items. There are also keyboard trays that lift up to reveal extra storage. When using a laptop regularly, be sure to have it on a stand or platform so that you reduce wrist stress, eye strain and neck tension. This also allows air to circulate under and around your laptop so it doesn’t overheat.

Changing your screen saver can also help you renew a stale relationship with your computer. One woman I work with has a new affirmation as her screen saver each day. That way she is reminded of what inspires her.

When your computer has electronic issues that you can’t fix yourself, consider trying these three solutions:
try an online help service
consider calling a local computer repair center
contact the Geek Squad whose agents are on a mission to return harmony to you and your computer: geeksquad.com [http://geeksquad.com]
if you have a Mac, AppleCare is worth every penny

May your computer always run smoothly!

A cordless phone and headset make talking on the phone easier while simultaneously getting things done. If you are cordless while on the phone, you can grab the client’s file or write notes about the conversation more easily because you have both hands free. There are now phones that will also wirelessly transfer from your landline to your cell phone if you need to leave your office while you are on a call.

Xcelis Communications offers the Pantheon phone which attaches to any single-line landline telephone and, in addition to placing and receiving landline calls, uses Bluetooth connectivity to route outgoing and incoming voice-calls and data from the users’ mobile phone to a traditional landline phone. This type of technology might really help you stay professional on the phone while on-the-go.

If you are on the phone all day long for business, take the time today to see how upgrading the connection between your office phone, your cell phone, and a cordless headset or earpiece could benefit you. It will not only allow you to have your hands free, it will also save your arm, neck, and shoulders from the strain of holding the phone all day.