I am speaking on the topic of being organized for successful networking this week.  I equate networking to going on a blind date.  Just like a blind date, there are lots of unknowns at each networking event – who will be there, will I be able to find clients or strategic partners, how will the event flow?  It can be pretty scary.

But like a blind date, you do have a few things you can control.

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Today I was frustrated with the time it is taking to get a refund from PacSun for something I ordered online for Christmas.  I have been following up on this issue for over 30 days! So I’m turning the energy of the frustration into a constructive blog post…..

How is your follow through?  Whether you have to follow up on projects, employees, homework, or refunds – do you have a system in place to remind you?  My all time favorite tool for this purpose is the tickler file!  I know you were expecting me to talk about some iPhone app but the tickler is a tried and true method, so I use it.  Even the GTD expert, David Allen, uses a tickler file.  Here’s a photo of his product:

In my example of following up with PacSun for a refund, here’s how I used the tickler:

• Jan 15th – called phone number on packing slip and was told it takes 2 weeks for refund.
• Put packing slip in the tickler under “27″
• Jan 27 – called customer service again and was promised an email in 48 hours
• Put packing slip in the tickler under “2″
• Feb 2nd – no email, called PacSun to find out refund was being processed
• Put packing slip back in the tickler under “5″
• Feb 5th – Called PacSun and demanded to speak to the President of the company (oh, yes I did!)
• Feb 5th – Received a personal phone call telling me the refund was processed and gave me a confirmation number.
• Puting packing slip in tickler under “9′  and on that day I will check my bank account for the credit to my account.

This was very easy to follow up because the packing slip was moved each time to the “next action” date and I just made a call every time I saw the packing slip.  Of course, you have to look in your tickler file once a day.  It’s called an organized habit!

The “U” in FOCUS stands for:

Use a planning tool

Dwight Eisenhower said, ” Plans are nothing, planning is everything.”

In other words, it’s not about what you are going to do, it’s about what you have planned to do.  So set up some type of planning tool.  There are many varieties to choose from: white boards, wall calendars, paper planners, pdas and smart phones just to name a few.   Use what works for you.

Set aside time each week to plan your schedule, not just your time sensitive appointments but time allotted for your projects, your family and, most of all, time for yourself.  Make sure to leave margins in your schedule too. These are gaps of time that allow for things like travel time, meetings that run late, and last minute errands. Remember we have already discovered that you can opt out of a few things…. To be productive also think in terms of time blocking.  This means using chunks of time for similar tasks.  For example:

1. Run all your errands on the same day instead of going one or two different places each day.
2. Set up a specific amount of time to spend checking email and being on the internet.
3. Make all your phone calls in one chunk of time, instead of spreading them throughout the day.

If you need help finding a planner or learning how to do weekly planning, I’m here to help!

Are you tired of not keeping up? Do you feel like you walk into your office and it resembles a construction zone instead of a work station? Do you feel like you never get enough done each day? Are you worried you’ll forget a meeting or appointment? Are you inundated by an avalanche of emails? If you have made these comments or you feel you just can’t seem to get ahead these days, then this is the teleseminar for you!

The focus of this call is to give you tips to help you be more effective in your work environment. Did you know that when managers were surveyed, 49% felt they are often unable to handle the volumes of information received, 38% wasted substantial time trying to locate information and 47% said that the collection of information distracted from their main job responsibilities?

• How to set up your work area to be more efficient.
• How to control your email, rather than your email controlling you!
• Discover a simple tool to help you be more effective during your work week.

The format of this teleseminar will be interview style. Barbara Davis, life and business coach, of www.uncoverbrilliance.com will have a one-on-one discussion with yours truly- Natalie Conrad. To register for the teleseminar please go to http://www.uncoverbrilliance.com/teleclasses.htm.

As a solo-prenuer there is so much to be done, so little time… yada yada yada. If you are a business owner, you certainly know what I mean. While customer follow up is paramount, so is delegation. I finally relented and hired a Virtual Assistant (VA) a few months back. Talk about relief (and I’m not talking about anti-acid here)! I have slowly been able to release certain tasks to my VA, only to find out that she does it better than I would. She loves sitting at the computer, pounding away on the keyboard while I’m networking, marketing, and meeting with my clients. She gets the work done efficiently, expediently, and excellently. So much so that I was inspired to host a teleseminar about the wonders of the Virtual Assistant. This teleseminar will be held on September 17th at 4pm PST. For more detials, visit my website at www.organizedhabits.com.