0816_TOEFL-Test-and-Score-Manual-1997

230 ● 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business
• Find a calendar that works for you. I keep a big monthly calendar on my
desk and carry a smaller, spiral-bound calendar when I travel. I note
scheduled calls and meetings in both the calendar and in my phone.
Figure out what works best for you.
• Here’s a great idea: Even if you rely completely on an electronic calendar,
every morning list important appointments and phone numbers
on a small index card. Index cards are cheap and easy organizing tools.
They are easy to carry and don’t crash like a computer. Save the cards if
you want to keep a record of what you did on a particular day.
• Now that you’ve cleaned up your office, try to keep it neat. Ask your
assistant or an intern to sort the mail into categories: bills, personal
letters, marketing materials, and so on. Stand over a trash can and
toss out the junk mail so it never makes it into the house or office. Try
online banking to expedite bill paying. Store paper invoices in a file
and note when to pay them.
• Set aside an hour or two every day to make and return calls. Scheduled
phone calls save time and reduce stress. If you are busy working, let calls
go to voice mail. If you are on a deadline to finish a project, turn off the
ringer and put your mobile phone in another room. Then, get to work.
• Promise to stay organized for at least a month. Then take it one day at
a time.
Mobile Phone Apps to Keep
Track of Your Time
If you need to keep track of billable hours, here are some cool apps
for your smartphone:
Timewerks (sorth.com/timeworks) is a $9.99 app for iPhone, iPod
Touch, and iPad that lets you track time and generate invoices.
It can also integrate with an app to process credit cards.
Minute 7 (minute7.com) works on all major platforms and costs
about $4 per user, per month. It is a cloud-based software-asservice
app for QuickBooks users.
TimeDroid (appoxy.com) is a free Android app that works with
FreshBooks.