Mystic Toad Press Blog

Nearly every office, be it commercial or home-based, may have areas of inefficiency that can be improved upon. We are not talking sales figures or profit margins or budgets, but inefficient waste and resource management. For instance, let us look at some common aspects and consider how consumption can be reduced and how to make better use of resources.

Not all paper work and receipts need to be shredded, but sometimes, for the sake of security, it is necessary. This shredded paper is recyclable or it can be contributed in layers to a compost or worm bin. It can also be donated to animal shelters or pet stores where it is used in the bottom of cages to help keep them clean. This will ease workloads on staff, keep operational costs down, and the animals are more comfortable in their cages. The animal waste along with the bedding is easily composted.

Technology now makes it possible to save paper on a daily basis by sending emails. Worth mentioning, is the time saved as compared to communicating via the postal system. When sending a fax, if possible, refrain from using a cover sheet. For efficient paper use at the photocopy machine, set it to automatically print pages on both sides. When making draft copies with the photocopier or printer, use the reverse side of any suitable scrap paper. We keep a box of this paper handy for visiting children to color and draw upon. The blank side of any scrap paper can be used for shopping lists, reminder notes, game scoring, or the perpetual to do list(s) that we all have.

We often use sheets of adhesive labels in our office printer. The edges, top and bottom of each used sheet have 1/4″ of remaining unused material. These can be trimmed to convenient lengths and stored in a small jar (or other storage container of choice). These labels come in handy when labeling items destined for the freezer, jam jars, bulk foods or shop and craft supplies.

Keep computer equipment such as external drives, printers and scanners powered off when they are not in use - turn them on only for the duration that they are needed. Stand-by power (lights or clock displays) can be eliminated by either using a power bar or by manually unplugging the equipment. Sleep the computer during the day when not in use (lunch, coffee, or meetings) and turn all equipment off before leaving at the end of the day.
These are some simple suggestions, yet they will save time, money, and resources, which is in the best interest of any office.

– Written by Dave and Lillian Brummet based on the concept of their book, Trash Talk. The book offers useful solutions for the individual to reduce waste and better manage resources. A guide for anyone concerned about their impact on the environment. (www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)

There are times in business when you need to walk away from a deal. This is a tough thing to do. I hate doing it. It takes money out of people’s pockets and it makes me sick to my stomach - but sometimes you have to do it to be successful. Here are three times when it may be best to walk away from a piece of business:

When it compromises your integrity. If you have to do something that will make you feel dishonest, unethical or immoral to get the business or to fulfill you agreement, you should walk away. In the end a person’s character is demonstrated by what he does when nobody is looking. If you don’t feel good about it, you should not do it.

When you sacrifice the long-term potential for a short-term gain. If you need to mortgage your future for the instant gratification of an immediate deal, you should walk away. Business strategy is about playing the “long game” that is developing relationships that last. A short-term solution that damages a long-term relationship is bad business.

When you question the intentions of the other party involved in the deal. If you think the other party is “up to no good” or setting you up for failure you should walk away. If you know that the other party is out to harm you and you move forward, you are asking for trouble.

Walking away from business is horrible. It is a rare thing. The best thing you can do is set your guiding principles (things that you won’t compromise, such as the items above) and stick to them.

David Lorenzo has more than 20 years of business experience as a successful corporate executive, entrepreneur, strategist, author, and speaker. He has worked with and mentored some of the world’s most successful businesspeople while helping lead many large organizations to unprecedented success. His latest book is titled: Career Intensity: Business Strategy for Workplace Warriors and Entrepreneurs.

Mr. Lorenzo’s experience in starting new business enterprises and repositioning under-performing business units, along with his ability to implement innovative performance improvement solutions, makes him one of today’s most sought-after trusted advisors.

Mr. Lorenzo is a participant in the Wharton Fellows Program at the University of Pennsylvania, a management think tank that meets regularly to analyze and address timely business issues. He received his MBA from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University, and he received a Masters of Science in Strategic Communications from Columbia University in New York City.

Dave’s blog is http://www.careerintensity.com/blog.

Language is no problem when color-coded floor markings make the job as simple as matching colors. Mistakes are all too easy to make and even easier when language problems compound them. Now that we know how to get colored epoxy floor coatings down to stay, why not take advantage of them? Color coding pallet positions to correspond to color-coded conveyer belts is one way. Items coming off the yellow conveyer go to pallets on the yellow markings. Blue conveyer items go to blue conveyer pallet locations. Or, red spaces can be assigned for fire equipment and hose outlets, blue markings for water lines, and white markings for electrical panels and outlets. For traffic lanes, why not a yellow path rather than small taped lines? Following the yellow brick road worked for Dorothy and it can work for the rest of us.

During application of a second or third layer of floor coating, use blue tape to mark out the floor pattern. Next choose from dozens of colors to help keep things on track and improve moral. A personally customized floor is easily created by combining a choice of colors, colored chips, and even glitter options.

Other looks available include granite, tile, and slate. Logos, stripes, and “yellow brick roads” are sometimes added to the floors of printing facilities, manufacturing plants, restaurants, “collector cars” garages, basements, and even food processing plants. The finish can be gloss, flat, or satin. Additionally, the floors may be skid-resistant, like emery paper, yet still easy to sweep or squeegee.

Epoxy flooring goes on at the job site and requires no seams. With no breaks in the surface, the floor coating becomes a continuous membrane that seals what is above from what is below. Mold, mildew, and other contaminants cannot penetrate the epoxy membrane and wash off easily.

One leading floor coating manufacturer, Durall Industrial Flooring of Minneapolis, Minnesota, also makes over 20 specialty epoxy colors. Their special preparations of cleaners produce an application system that assures optimum flooring adhesion and wear results. Durall experts help customize their flooring kits at no cost to the customer, always including complete procedures for installing and maintaining a quality epoxy or urethane floor coating. To address those unexpected questions and problems, Durall also provides a complimentary 24/7 help line during the project.

For photos of a recent installation creating a color-coded floor, see:
http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/photos/colorcoded/

For more information, contact Harvey Chichester at harvey@concrete-floor-coatings.com

Phone: 1-800-466-8910 or 952-888-1488 (24/7)

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Harvey Chichester is a principal of Durall Industrial Flooring, a company with more than 40 years experience in developing special flow-coatings for industrial and residential floors. Automotive and shopping centers, breweries, food processing plants, manufacturing plants, airplane hangars, car washes, kennels, warehouses, printing plants, residential basements, pool decks, and condominiums are among some of the facilities that he has installed floors in.

Have you ever sat in a meeting where everyone is busy giving
their point of view and trying to prove why they are right?
Where no one is actually listening or trying to understand other
individuals’ points of view. The alternative meeting format is
where everyone listens to and agrees with the meeting leader. No
one contributes or adds ideas, they are just compliant.

In my experience most meeting are either one or the other. But
when you think about it, what is the point of most meetings?
Meetings are usually held to make decisions. The outcome that
most people would want from the meeting is that the BEST
decision is made, not that any decision is made, or another
sub-committee is formed but that a decision that delivers
results is made. Then we move on.

So as we hustle from meeting to meeting being very busy,
achieving nothing in the way of measurable results, we land up
with yet another sub-committee. All because we have lost the art
of dialogue. So, the question is; what is the difference between
dialogue and discussion?

DISCUSSION - Discussion is the way that most people communicate.
During discussion we present our ideas and everyone analyzes and
dissects them from their different points of view. The purpose
of discussion, though, it to make sure you win, or that your
point of view is the one that is accepted. During the discussion
you will support your idea and give your points more strongly
until, eventually, others agree with you. You want to prove that
you are right, and the most knowledgeable, as does everyone else
in the discussion. Great! With everyone trying to win the
argument, no decision is ever made and we eventually need to
form a sub-committee to decide. Or the CEO, or team leader, uses
his or her divine autocratic right and decides for the team.

DIALOGUE - Dialogue on the other hand is an exploration of
ideas. It is not a new form of communication but is the way the
ancient Greeks and many so called ‘primitive’ societies are seen
to explore ideas. During dialogue everyone works together
contributing towards the idea. Remember the team is greater than
the sum of the parts; therefore more is achieved from the
dialogue as each person’s ideas add to the last. In a dialogue
no one is trying to win. They are trying to learn and create.
They suspend their individual assumptions and explore ideas and
issues. It is a free flow of ideas where participants continue
to think and watch themselves think. The great physicists
Heisenberg, Pauli, Einstein and Bohr described the conversations
they had with each other. As we know from history their
conversations (dialogue) changed traditional physics because
what they could achieve as a group exceeded what each could do
as individuals. Interesting? So who is ‘primitive’ now?

How do you get your team to dialogue? There are 3 conditions
needed: •everyone must suspend their assumptions. Dialogue comes
to a grinding halt when someone digs in their heels and says
“this is the way”. They need to suspend their assumptions to
really see where the truth lies. Suspending ones assumptions is
not easy, as often they are so deep seated that we don’t even
know that they are assumptions! Instead, we take them for being
the truth. •team members must be thought of as colleagues and
equals. If you manage to think of others as colleagues you will
interact as colleagues. Team members will feel less vulnerable
and less likely to either want to dominate the discussion or not
say anything at all. Thinking of everyone as colleagues can be
difficult in a hierarchical workplace environment. Can an
individual in authority come down from their lofty position and
talk to everyone else as an equal or do they like their elevated
position and pontificate wildly? •there should be a facilitator.
A facilitator can help ensure that ALL assumptions are
suspended. This means questioning statements and beliefs as they
are mentioned. They are also important in keeping the dialogue
moving. As a team gets better at dialogue the needs for a
facilitator is reduced.

You are closer to achieving dialogue when your team meetings are
filled with questions. Questions indicate an attempt at
understanding. Sit back in your next meeting and see how often a
question is asked. No questions = no dialogue.

Teams can enter dialogue if everyone knows what is expected of
them in advance and if they truly want the results created
through dialogue. Dialogue is playful conversation and everyone
must be willing to play with new ideas. Who says you can’t have
fun and grow at the same time?

I hope you can achieve dialogue in your teams. Since we became
aware of the difference and have been trying to practice
dialogue we have really had some amazing insights into our
business and what we do. We have achieved a whole level of new
understandings.

Who knows, maybe there is something amazing that your company
could achieve if you all just put your heads together. 1 + 1 = 3
makes a lot of sense!

Any single goal requires hard work and properly constructed time management schemes to work in harmony in an effort to achieve our dreams. When you are diverting a plan to meet your goal then you need to work a time management solution that runs smoothly and consistently. I am going to include an example of a faulty time management scheme and an over-your-head goal agreement:

According to Business Week Online, filing bankruptcy is going to be harder than ever. Lawyers say that getting your bankruptcies out of the way now can save you headaches later. Statistics show that many people are filing bankruptcy and rushing to the court doors are many more business owners and others. If you this is not your goal, don’t worry, but if you don’t have a time management scheme well-thought out, you might be one of the individuals that was listed in Business Week Online, struggling later to get a bankruptcy in action.

Is this your goal in the next ten years? If not then you had better get to work committing yourself to the requirements (which include hard work and effort on your part) in order to achieve your goals. Time slips from our hands, and if we are not monitoring our time carefully, then time and money is lost forever and there is no turning back. Today, it takes two people to meet a single goal. However, if we are single, it is possible to move ahead with less effort than we realize. For example, you can cut back your time by doing your work on time. You can also make a wise decision and get a job that pays you the money that you deserve in sink with your skills. There are many decisions when it comes to managing time, and no decision should be left out. In the course of ten years, anything can happen.

We can lay out a well-constructed plan that seems bullet proof, but suddenly everything changes when we did not calculate all aspects of life into that plan. Now, the percentage of bankruptcies is often a direct result of negligence in time management. Some of these people most likely failed to add and subtract disaster in their time management plan, while others may have took for granted their achievements and went on a spending binge. Whatever the reason, someone did not put work and time management in proper force.

When we plan to achieve goals, we should look at our selves foremost, and then move onto other requirements that support our goals reach. Knowing our selves first can help us to see if we are lacking in one area, and which area of our being is the strongest. Time management schemes help us to reach goals, by keeping us motivated. If we are lacking motivation (it takes work to stay motivated during the process of reaching your goal), then we need a solution. Starting with knowing our selves is the first step to setting goals, achieving goals, and setting up a time management scheme that works. Once we come over this obstacle, we next move to planning to reach our goals.

We start with WORK and Critical THINKING! One of the best tools in our lives is education since it directs us in the right path to success. If you are lacking education and skills and your goal is out in left field, you know that you need to improve. Starting a business is never easy. It takes time, effort and money. If you do not have these three ingredients, your goal is cooked. Therefore, you need to set up a budget, savings, and monitor your time carefully to meet your goals expectations. There are many ways to make money and save money. All we need is the knowledge, skills and the willingness to achieve. Now, if you are looking at the picture in this article, in the next ten years if you don’t plan to struggle with the law to file bankruptcy, then you better get the ball rolling now and work hard every single day; while you carefully lay out a plan that helps you reach your goals.

For more great free resources on how to manage your time visit Gabae Time Management.

Also for more informative articles on time management visit Gabae Time Management Articles.