Electronic Filing – why are you resisting?

 

 

electronic filing reasons

Yes, I admit it – I am on my strata council. In fact I am the Vice President of my strata council. I am the one who isn’t afraid to insist we work towards greening our building.  For example, we invited the Lighthouse Sustainability Centre to give us their How to Green Strata Seminar earlier this autumn.  (But alas, you can’t please everyone…)

Not so coincidentally, I rallied to change the way we deliver strata minutes to the 88 owners that live in the building.  Every year we spend approximately $1,000 on printing (on traditional copy paper) + postage just to mail monthly minutes. I thought it would be an easy task to get the owners to switch to emailed minutes that they could electronically save. I even attempted to “bribe” them with free gym passes and gift cards. It didn’t take…

The reason for owners not wanting to make the shift was surprising.  They didn’t want to have to file electronic copies. What? I thought this was the norm – and then I looked around – paper paper everywhere! Even I’m guilty of it.

So – three easy e-filing lessons (that I am using – can you imagine the chaos if I wasn’t using these??)1.       Think about your filing cabinet – now organize your e-files the same way.

a.       Are you a date or word type of person? Choose one system and stick with it. I like words followed by dates for my actual files (words for my folders).

b.      Think about a file you were looking for a year ago. How did you find it? What did you think about to jog your memory as to where it was stored either electronically or in hard copy form. Write your file names so you can remember them.  (Just a hint – numbers DON’T work- you wouldn’t think, “hmm, that was number 5 of 25 from last May … or would you?)

2.       Some client filing examples (email me if you want some more hints – truthfully though, I’ll likely just send you to a professional organizer…Oh Tracy….)

a.       Example: I have dozens of clients – so each has a special file with the same sub categories:

• email communication (with emails dated mm/dd/yy),
• advertising (sub files include different advertisers we are currently using or are considering working with)
• email newsletters (the majority of my clients are on newsletters) – sub domains here: image bank, and then by mm/yy
• Financials – invoices and receipts
•  Web – sub domains: web files, seo, blog
• Events – sub domains: mm/yy, event ideas
• Design – branding, image gallery
• Marketing – [enter title here] project (aka brochure or booklet or business card)    

b.      Another example: general work information categories

• Marketing – sub domains: idea bank, sources (websites I like etc), marketing quotes, my marketing material (templates for quotes, logos,
• Printing – sub domains: quotes, contacts, samples
• SEO – my ebooks, quotes, general information
•  Writing –idea bank, articles, blog (my various blogs published and not), the book I’m secretly writing

3.       Establish a system

a.       Every Monday is office day at Polished Promotions – myself and my designer, Michelle get together and listen to boy bands in our pajamas – I mean…. we work on creative print, web and designs together, setting the tone for the rest of the week where I free Michelle to work in her pjs from home.

b.      I make Friday’s my organizing days so I can have Monday’s to be freshly creative. Friday’s I clean out my inbox (there has to be less than 50 emails in there – which is usually the amount of “working on” projects happening on any given week), delete or save sent messages, remove everything from my desktop (both my computer and my desktop)

c.       Finish the week with a soothing sigh of “ahhhhh….” rather than a stressed out exclamation of “AHHHHHHH!!!!!”

…oh yeah – and save trees while doing it!

30 Days to GO Green – 7 tips for Green Transportation

Thank you Bill Alexander and SXC for this image

Last week I gave the challenge of greening up your home. This week, it’s all about how you motor around. (Warning –these are tried and true and I’m trying to do them more myself this week)

Green Transportation

1.    Take the bus to a place you’d normally drive to and have to park at – chances are it will be cheaper than the parking and cost of gas.

2.       Ride your bike to get groceries

3.       Walk to the bank

4.       Jog to the gym and get your cardio workout at the same time

5.       Car-share, car-pool, co-op, go hybrid, electric, or fuel efficient

6.    Plan your route – efficient on time and fuel – plan your day from the furthest point to the nearest

7.    Meet in the middle – if you have to meet with a group this week, choose a middle point that is accessible from all sides with transit

 

 

30 Days to GO Green – 7 tips to Go Green in Your Home

 

30 Days to GO Green – 7 tips to Green Up your Home

Thanks to Brian Clark for the inspiration to write this post based on “Cosmo Headlines.”

My version of a Green Cleanse – introducing tips that will be the start of the next month of posts – right in time to make  your New Year’s Resolutions!

The challenge – go Green for the next 30 days with these tips . We’ll post them a week at a time so you can get prepared and some fun (why not apply the same concepts for your work, your clients and your house?)

1-7 – Green Up Your Home

1.    Organize the recycling – get three separate bins or an all-in-one combination (live in Canada? Canadian Tire, Zellers and Home sense all have versions)

 

2.    Ditch the Ziploc bags for snacks and sandwiches that you pack to work – try out Abeego Designs. Buy at www.abeego.etsy.com. (Just saw them at the One of A Kind Show. They have a funky, functional and reusable hemp and cotton blended sandwich and snack holder)

 

3.    And while you’re at it this week, get yourself a reusable mug for your coffee addiction! A good one will not only prevent all that unnecessary trash from ending up in our landfills, it will also keep your hot drink HOT for longer. (I have a Starbucks one from 3 years ago that I use every day – it keeps my tea hot for hours- no joke!)

 

4.    Read the book “Green Clean” The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home, published by Melcher Media and swap all of the chemicals under your sink for baking soda, vinegar, castile soap, some essential oils and a lemon.  I was surprised how many cleaning solutions I could make for our kitchen and bathroom.

 

5.    Switch your plastic garbage bags to biodegradable ones.  There are Buffalo Bags or Frogfile carries Ecodegradable garbage bags.

 

6.    Keep canvas shopping bags handy in your car (if you have one) and on your keychain.  At our apartment we have a fashionable canvas bag of canvas bags hanging on our front entrance door – helps us remember to bring them with us.

 

7.    Unplug yourself …from the wall –(you’ve probably heard this before but I’ll say it again) TURN OFF your computer and unplug it from the wall and repeat with your lights, small appliances and your cell phone charger.  Save on the hydro bill (if you’re in BC). I’ll likely brag about this again – but our bill (2 people, 530 square feet) is approximately $15 a month.

Stay tuned next week (or sooner) I’ll post 7 more tips to green up your world.