I adore the first few weeks of January. That magical time when my blog traffic spikes with Googling visitors newly resolved to “get organized” in the new year. That makes me so happy. You know how I love talking to-do lists, productivity and Moleskine.  So, without further ado, here are my top tips to help you get and stay organized in 2012:

Keep one to-do list: you only have one brain, which frets over everything from that memo you need to write, to the dentist appointment you keep forgetting to make and the day care check you that OMG-YOU-MUST-MAIL-TODAY. Your brain doesn’t keep separate “work” and “personal” to-do lists, so why do you? Consolidate all of those calendars, post-its, napkins and lists into ONE. Then, prioritize the lot. This works; trust me. My to-do list of choice is Good To Do. That said, you may be like my husband and find a paper to-do list more productive. Whatever floats your boat. Just use ONE.

Clear your inbox(es): this one always gets me the crazy-eye. But I’m serious. Your inbox is not a filing cabinet; it is not a to-do list. Watch this video or read this book. Then, take a deep breath and start taking action, delegating, filing or deleting! This one is super-empowering, though it does take a while if your inbox has 5,500 emails in it. One great way to keep the clutter from returning is to unsubscribe from all that junk email you get each day; feels so good!

Write it down: you know how you wake up in the middle of the night, freaking out over something you forgot to do that day? Some email you forgot to send? The dog’s medication you forgot to give him? Keep a notebook beside your bed. When you wake up fretting, write it down. Then, go back to sleep. You can’t do anything about it at 3:35 a.m. anyway–without looking like a crazy person. I keep a notebook in my purse, too. And for a while, when I was really stressed with work and personal stuff, I kept a notebook by the shower! Hey, we do what we need to do. When you wake up/get back to your desk/dry off, you’ll then transfer those random thoughts and to-dos to your ONE LIST. See how this works!

Create a file system: you don’t have to go 100% David Allen with your files, but you do need a system for work and home. I use colored file folders and keep two cabinets: one in my office; one in my home closet. Every project and meaningful task gets a folder. This keeps my desk clear of clutter, while enabling me to hoard relevant notes, business cards plans, receipts, agendas, etc. When the project/task is done, the folder gets filed away.

Use an RSS reader: point all those blogs, news sites, job postings, friend’s baby pictures, critics’ Tweets, Google Alerts and time wasters to ONE PLACE. I use Google Reader. But there are many others out there. This way, my inbox is free of “alert” clutter and I don’t have to spend time surfing the Internet to get caught up on news, tech, gossip and flickr feeds. This technique may or may not work for you. Some folks find an RSS reader more trouble than it’s worth, but it works for me!

What organizational tools do you swear by? Share your suggestions in the comments!

Pinterest

Sometimes, I’m a little late to the party. Exhibit A: I just discovered Pinterest. Even my relatively non-techish friends are obsessed with the site, yet I could not have told you what it was until this week. Anyway, I’ve set up my “boards,” have installed a “Pin It” button in my browser toolbar and am giving it a go. But lest my self-esteem suffer from the endless pictorial perfection, I will heed the good warning to peruse Pinterest in moderation. You can “follow me” here.

Tumblr

The good geek news is that I’m really enjoying getting to know Tumblr. Though WordPress will always be my first love (I’m really digging the “drag and drop” images capability in the newest WP update), Tumblr is an excellent home for my Preggers blog. Most of my posts are pictures uploaded from Instagram. It was frustrating for a while because I could not get the comments to work. But a quick change of the template theme and Disqus was working like a charm. If you are into cute baby stuff, odd things people say to pregnant women or over-sharing, check it out.

 Spotify

Okay, so when it comes to the beloved music platform Spotify, I just don’t get it at all. Maybe it’s because I am a Pandora girl and using Spotify feels like cheating. I don’t know. But I’ve tried it several times and finally just uninstalled it because I couldn’t find a use for it. Am I crazy? Folks seem to be obsessed with it; maybe I’m missing something?

What geekery and gadgets have you guinea pigged with lately? 

{Today’s guest post comes from Susan Hart, a Tennessee-based PR pro who pens one of my favorite current events blogs: EveryDayPR. I don’t write about current events here on FlackRabbit, nor comment on them in a public forum; but I love reading about them. Especially when folks’ views are relevant, quick reads that make me think. Susan’s blog fits that bill. In this post, she talks about what set her on the path to blogging and how she’s stayed true to herself along the way.}

My New Year’s resolutions for 2009 were to read the Bible and learn about social media, two completely unrelated goals or so I thought.  The two goals actually couldn’t have been more related.

So I became my own client. I immediately set up accounts on Facebook, Twitter, et al.  I also started my EveryDayPR blog to have a venue to express an experienced public relations take on industry topics or current events. I was confident that people were begging to know what I thought about things.

This brings me to the single most important lesson of blogging: Be yourself. If you can’t be you, then who are you going to be?

I never started EveryDayPR to grow Hart Public Relations. The reality was that I was opinionated, a decent writer and a thinker. In my experience, effective public relations leaders from the C-Suite to department heads want thinkers on their team. Thinkers equate to problem solvers. Problem solvers mean happy clients and employers. I am rewarded on a number of levels when happiness happens. Read More…

You’ve heard of the URL shortener and tracker, bit.ly, but have you seen the bit.ly Sidebar? To “install” drag the link bit.ly provides you to your browser’s toolbar, sign in with your bit.ly-linked Twitter account and presto! You are now shortening links and Tweeting them out to the masses without ever having to leave the page. Like this:

I’ve outfitted all of my browsers with the Sidebar and use it at least a half a dozen times each day. Bit.ly Sidebar is free and syncs with your bit.ly or bit.ly pro account, making all of you shortened and shared link history easy to access and manage. What’s not to love?  Read More…

Did you know your LinkedIn profile can be converted into “resume” format and downloaded as a PDF with one click of the mouse? I didn’t until today. It’s right at the bottom of your profile introduction, see:

The PDF option generates a classic resume layout based solely on the information you’ve provided on your LinkedIn profile. This includes your contact info, summary, experience, skills, honors and awards, interests and education. It even organizes your LinkedIn recommendations. Here’s a sample: Read More…

If you want to advance in a PR firm, non-profit or bureaucracy, you must know how to craft a stellar strategy memo.

Showing your peers, clients and bosses that you can transfer your out-of-the-box, creative thinking into a practical, actionable strategic plan will set you apart from the rest. It also gives you a chance to think through your tactics while proactively addressing known obstacles and potential critics.

I love a good memo. So, it hurts my heart when I hear folks say “oh, I don’t do memos.” Well, friend, let me tell ya: I’m chalking up your memo-aversion to your lack of critical thinking and writing skills. I’m not impressed, and I’m not alone.

Thankfully, many of you are averse simply because you don’t know what makes for an effective memo. Well, I’m more than happy to help! Give these three memo-writing tips a twirl:

1. Think like a consultant: Strategic plans from young professionals often read like permission slips. There is just enough information to pique someone’s interest, but not too much excitement, for fear that it might scare folks away from signing off. On the other hand, a smart consultant’s memo conveys complete ownership and authority while inspiring the reader. This is because consultants want your money you to know they are the experts; that you can trust they know what they are talking about, even if it pushes you out of your comfort zone. If you can’t escape the feeling that taking charge–even on paper–is “not your place,” it might help to approach it like the consultants do! If someone reads your memo, would they want to “buy” what you are “selling?” This perspective always helps me create a more impressive document.
2. Address doubts head-on: Will the higher-ups question the return on investment, staffing capacity and/or relevance of your idea? Well, of course they will! That’s why you’re writing this memo. In addition to your goals, tactics and measurements of success, your document will need to tastefully acknowledge the reader’s skepticism. Folks have the right–and frankly, the responsibility–to question your proposal. Addressing their questions head on is a mature way to calm the nay-sayers, while showing you’re proactive and thoughtful. Read More…

Nothing makes me cringe more than people choosing to use the very public Internet as their very personal diary. It’s altogether worse when folks don’t realize that is what they are doing.

Exhibit A: young professionals who Tweet drunk photos of themselves, not realizing they’ve perviously set their Twitter feed to autopost to their LinkedIn profile. I’ll not “out” this gal here on FlackRabbit, but I did email her and suggest she take down the unflattering photo perched atop her very impressive skills summary and employer information. Then, I Tweeted about it:

I received a flurry of replies, from folks who wanted to know who the gal was (I’ll never tell!) to the social media savvy who strongly believe streaming your Twitter feed shows future employers and peers that you possess a working knowledge of the Internet.

While I agree that having a visible link to your Twitter account makes good sense, I can’t see the logic in auto-posting my sometimes “unprofessional” thoughts/opinions/beer selections to my “professional” resume. I’d much rather a head-hunter see my skills and work history than my excitement over finally getting to try DC Brau’s Penn Quarter Porter. Which, by the way, is very tasty.

Fortunately–thanks to Twitter hashtag magic–we can Tweet about our beer and appear professional on LinkedIn, too, by displaying only the Tweets that include #in. Here’s how my settings look: Read More…