I could honestly do my NUT in sometimes at how completely disorganized some people are! – It is something that I can simply not relate to on any level, because over and above being completely OCD, I and EXCEPTIONALLY organised.

As a business owner and the resident graphic designer within said business too, I deal with this on a daily basis and I do whatever I can to assist certain clients in “clearing out the crap and getting to the point” but for the most part, it lasts only for as long as they are in my company and once in their own space, they revert…

So, I thought I would attempt to impart a few tips when it comes to doing things in a “streamline manner” for those that struggle with this…

Now don’t get me wrong here… I am not sitting on any pedestal… I have my strong points, but I have my weak ones too – one of which is illustrative instructions…. Lol… as SIMPLE as those things are, they literally short circuit my brain! Haha (not actually kidding! Lol) – I just DON’T get them!!! (and that is only one of my weaknesses…. But probably the most amusing to others. Lol)

Right, now that we are all on level ground! Hehe ;)

…Back to the “getting organised”…

The inspiration for this post, was a current (and long standing) client… that ironically enough is an EVENTS ORGANISER (well, I nearly daaaied!)

We all know someone like this… She self-arranges meetings with you (without any confirmation) and then stands you up after self-confirming that she will in fact be there (despite ZERO confirmation)…lol! - She NEVER sends one cohesive email with a basic set of instruction and relative attachments… no… she sends about 15 to 20 emails with multiple attachments, and ZERO instruction in each. Hmmmmmm…..

After receiving her COUNTLESS emails which essentially had loads of information yet told me absolutely NOTHING… I responded to her and said that she would need to come in to discuss a brief with us as her emails were simply too disjointed to make head or tail of. (Yes, I am that blunt – and most of my customers appreciate this in me, because they KNOW the standard of work they get from me when we get down to the crunch of it!)

Came in she did, and within ten minutes we had discovered that she had sent me every single email that I did NOT need and not a SINGLE ONE that I DID!

Oh my heavens!!! May I just say…. (And please DO excuse my language!) but What the Actual Fnck!!!

So… about that “simplification”

This really is a topic that I could go on forever about, but… I won’t (yes, you can breathe a sigh of relief now. lol) I thought I would just hit on one aspect that to my mind is, well… PIVOTAL in today’s world!

INBOX ISSUES

When I look at most peoples inboxes, I simply want to DIE! Lol! (No really… the struggle is REAL!)

Inboxes are those “things” that are so VERY daunting to many… yet REALLY need not be – as long as you don’t let things get out of hand. My rule of thumb when dealing with my inbox is this: “If I can see it in my inbox, then I have not dealt with it” – this is why, I can proudly state that NONE of my clients EVER get overlooked or forgotten about in some pile of mess…

Start at the bottom!

– Yes, start at the bottom and work your way up! Those are the people that have been waiting for your response the longest. If it is a complex enquiry or email and you cannot give an adequate response immediately - then send them a reply of acknowledgement in the interim.

Essentially, people just want to know that they are being attended to. They do not know, five days after the fact that you actually HAVE been thinking about them... they will simply feel neglected, if they have not already turned to somebody else for an answer. Make them feel special. Let them know where you are at with their question/enquiry at necessary points. It is so simple! Once you have acknowledge them, you have some time to breathe… and work on them and everyone else.

File it and set REMINDERS!

Once you have dealt with an email enquiry – file it! No, this does NOT mean that it gets forgotten about! Set a reminder for that “query” (to the hour) which allows you to intermittently move on, knowing that you will be automatically reminded about it ahead of time… whilst simultaneously keeping your inbox CLEAN!

For those of you that use the likes of GMAIL – this is even EASIER! Because you can sync your phone to your browser email and calendar, so irrespective of whether in front of your laptop or out and about with your phone, you are on POINT!… This USED to be an option available to outlook, but is sadly no more ( I nearly died when Google took away this function lol)

Folders, folders folders…

I get enormous satisfaction out of looking for correspondence that is a few months old in meetings, because for the most part I watch everybody else fumble and stumble, not actually having a CLUE where to find what they are looking for, yet I know precisely which folder and sub folder to approach in order to find what I am looking for. Hehehehe …

Folders and sub folders are OUR FRIENDS!!!!! – USE THEM!!!

MAIN FOLDER > Creditors > A / B / C / etc.
MAIN FOLDER > MY STUFF > Legal Docs / Family stuff / Kids / School
MAIN FOLDER > General enquiries / Quotes / Artwork received / Artwork approved

You catch my drift right…?!

There are literally ENDLESS tools available to you when it comes to managing your inbox… these are just a few – if you found them useful and would like more, I will gladly write about them.

Sometimes, what seems so SIMPLE to one, is anything but that to another… (Much like illustrative instructions… or geography…. For me… hehehe)

Hope this was useful to at least one person ;)

Until next time!

Much love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx