I hope last week’s interview with Lynette Chandler of Blog Energizer answered some of the questions you may have had about blogging. Today I’m excited to tell you about a brand new resource that will improve your blogging and drive your readers to buy your product or services, or join your mailing list.
For many years, I wanted to take advantage of Microsoft Outlook® as a time management tool, but was frustrated because the courses I took covered only the basics, and none of the books I read went sufficiently in depth to satisfy me. My woes ended when I discovered Sally McGhee’s Take Back Your Life! Using Microsoft Outlook® to Get Organized and Stay Organized in 2005.
Most of the professional organizers I know have a genuine thirst for knowledge and are continuously reading and taking courses. Since small business owners tend to be plagued by “so many books, so little time” syndrome, this month’s Blog Carnival is a collection of book reviews submitted by our readers, to help you choose your future reading material.
Years before I heard of professional organizers, I noticed that time management and organizing were easier for me than they were for some of the other people I knew, and wondered if I could teach these skills to others. After completing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®,(MBTI®), I learned that I was born with personality type preferences (ISTJ) that naturally tend towards systems and order.
It’s amazing how many different forms you need in order to operate a professional organizing business! Some are just for your own use, such as client information sheets, assessment forms, and checklists. Others, such as invoices and letters of agreement, communicate important information to your clients.
As a business owner and manager, I’m sure that not a day goes by where you don’t have to write an email, a blog post, a proposal, or some other type of business document. Since everything you write is a reflection of you and your business, you need to make sure that your vocabulary and writing style are suited to your reader and that your spelling and grammar are flawless.
During Improve Management Skills Month, I’ve committed to sharing some ideas and resources about some of the essential skills required to successfully manage a business, and today I will address public speaking. As a small business owner, there are many occasions when you may be called upon to speak in public.
Do your organizing systems work well for some clients, but not others? Organizing strategies are more likely to be effective when they take your client’s personality type into account. You can therefore do your clients a great service by familiarizing yourself with the various personality types, the challenges they face in terms of organizing, and the solutions most likely to be helpful.
Before writing the exam to become certified or recertified by The Board of Certification for Professional Organizers, you must meet certain eligibility requirements in terms of education and experience. Whether you are planning to write the exam or not, it is recommended that you continually read materials that will help you build upon your existing knowledge base.
There are a lot of organizing books on the market, but as a professional organizer, you don’t need to read about the same strategies over and over again. I’ve always found that the most valuable books are those that acknowledge that organizing systems need to be tailored to the unique style and personality of your client. Organizing Outside the Box by Hellen Buttigieg is such a book.
