I discovered this system from David Allen’s, Getting Things Done and have been using it for a couple of years now. 

My file bin sits on my desk and holds two sets of files.  One set is 12 folders labeled with the months January through December.  The other set is 31 folders labeled with the days of the month, 1 through 31.

The daily files are in front beginning with today’s date with all the rest of the daily files behind it.  Behind the last day of the month is the next month’s file folder, with any days completed behind it.  The rest of the months are filed last.

It would look like this:  Today is January 5^th, so my file folders would be this order: 5^th - 31^st, February, 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, March, April, May….and so on.

Each morning I pull the folder with today’s day on it, which will have any pending work that needs to be completed.  When that folder is completed, it moves to the back of the rotation.  If something comes in that needs to be filed February 20^th, I would just file it in the main February folder, until the end of the month, then file it in the appropriate day.

Ways I use my tickler file:

I pay bills on Thursdays, so all bills that come in that week get filed on the next Thursday’s date.  Airline Tickets/reservations for rental car, etc. goes in the day I am to leave.

If I need to follow-up or review something, I can stick a note in the file on the day I want to review it. 

Tasks that I complete weekly or monthly, such as payroll taxes, I can create a check list that I use and then re-file over and over again as a reminder.

When I want to procrastinate on something or not make a decision on something, I can file it a week from now, to look at it then.

What I love about this system is I do not have to track multiple files, such as Bills to be Paid, Pending, Project A, B C.

I have things all in one place with a date assigned to it. 

To Your Productivity Success!
Debbie Franklin, Co-Founder, Razorr International, LLC

So, are you ready for 2009? Do you have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish? Have you put a plan of action in place?

Create your “blueprint” for 2009, so that you have it to follow all year long. Write it down, visit it frequently, update and change as needed!

Wishing 2009 to be your best year yet!
Debbie Franklin, Co-Founder, Razorr International, LLC

Merry Christmas to you All!
Ann, Debbie and Debbie

While at times the progress of designing and rebuilding Razorr has seemed slow, it is definitely is going to be worth the wait!

We will be doing some more testing before “officially” launching, so stay tuned —

The New and Improved Razorr is almost here!

–Debbie Franklin, co-Founder, Razorr International, LLC

Are you a planner?  Or do you just “wing it?” Do you set goals for the New Year?  Do you go through your calendar and schedule your vacation days, your days off?  Do you have business development days built into your schedule or do you just plan day to day? 

I am a planner!  New Year’s Day is my day to reflect on the previous year — what did I accomplish that I set my intentions to do?  What didn’t I accomplish and why? 

While I think it is very important to set goals, I think it is more important to evaluate them at the end of my deadline as well.  Why?  Because sometimes I do not feel like I have accomplished very much and when I look back at my goals — I am pleasantly surprised at all I did accomplish that year!  Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the doing; I forget to celebrate the accomplishing!

If I didn’t accomplish something I wanted to, then I take the time to find out the why.  Was it not defined properly?  Did I take the actions I needed to?  Was it not really important to me after all?  This helps me in setting better goals and defining them better.  It also helps me to think about what it is I “really” want!

New Year’s Day I plan the coming year.  I set my intention for the things I want to accomplish for the whole year.  Then I break them down into quarterly actions, then monthly.  This is the guide I use to set my weekly, then daily actions for getting projects & goals completed for the year.

This is my 3rd year in doing this and I love it!  I have a few colleagues that have told me about how they take a weekend and some even a whole week and go off by themselves and do this type of planning.  I love that idea - quiet space to really spend with yourself!

So, this year - I am planning on doing that - I probably will start out with just a weekend and work my way up to a whole week - that sounds like a little piece of heaven to me!

Much Success to You!
- Debbie Franklin, co-Founder, Razorr International, LLC

This year has had some difficult moments for us.  We had some challenges with our software and were thrilled to finally find the right people who could bring our vision to fruition.  We had lessons to learn along the way!

But as always, God is good, and brought to us a great team that has meant the world to us - Ernest McDermon owner Front Wave Websites and Richard Rabins, co-owner of Alpha Software and their team of programmers, as well as Jackie Gammie owner of Marmalade Media Thank you for seeing our vision and building it into a product that we can offer to the direct sales industry.  We are thankful for your ability to take our ideas and thoughts, and make them a reality.

We would also like to thank all of you for hanging in there with us, while we rebuild Razorr.  We truly appreciate your support, encouragement, and ability to see our vision for bringing something into the world to help you have a tool to communicate, support, and build your teams, so that you can create the lifestyle of your dreams!

Thank you all for being part of our community and being in our “space” - we are all glad you’re here!

Many Blessings to you all!
Ann, Debbie, and Debbie

We have heard from several of you and know you are anxiously waiting for the release of the New and Improved Razorr — We are almost there!

We have not only improved the graphics (sneak peak coming soon), but the functionality has been built to work like a desktop application — fast and powerful!

The New Razorr is guaranteed to take your team to new heights!

Stay tuned!

- Debbie Franklin, co-Founder, Razorr International LLC

These are all issues those of us that work at home struggle with, but in order to separate work time from family time, as well as provide “me” time, requires some planning and then determination to stick to the boundaries and systems you have created.

Work Hours:  Create a set schedule for your working hours, which includes the days of the week you are going to work.  This can be as flexible as you need it to be, especially if you have children.  

Many people feel that schedules are rigid and they hate following them, but the truth is schedules create freedom!  Freedom to make choices and decisions based on looking at your schedule.  It allows you to rearrange things and say YES, to those things that are important, like going on a field trip with your child, and still stay on top of those things you have to do for your business.

Phone Calls:  Phone calls can be a big distraction and really erode productivity.   Only answer phone calls during certain times of your work day - all personal calls after your work hours.  Schedule a time on your calendar for at least two hours per day for uninterrupted time to work on projects that need your complete focus.  Did you know that for every interruption it takes an average of 20 minutes to get back on task?  That is a lot of wasted time for each distraction during our day!

Well meaning family and friends do not always understand that because you are home, that doesn’t mean that you can stop and chat whenever you want.  You are working.  Let them know that during working hours that your calls will go to voice mail and you will return their call later.  Have a system set up for if there is an emergency, they can get a hold of you.  This takes some getting used to, but it does work.

Email:  Do you continually check your email?  Do you use it as a distraction when there is something you should be working on, but do not want to?  Schedule a certain amount of time a few times a day, to answer your email.  If there is task that needs to be done with one of the emails, schedule it on your calendar to complete if it will take you longer than 3 minutes to do.  Do not check email first thing in the morning!  This sets the tone for the day and wastes valuable time.  Do the priorities on your list first and get them completed  BEFORE you check your email.

Interruptions:  Besides having the phone and email as distractions, my husband also works at home, so we have to work together not to interrupt each other during work hours.  If my office door is closed, then it means I am working on a project or on a phone call.  We also schedule time to coordinate activities that require us working together.  Making this adjustment was helpful with the interruptions that were very distracting and really creating problems for our productivity.

Working at home has many rewards and benefits, but it also requires some discipline and systems in order to keep work from interfering with your family life.  Schedule your office and work hours to allow keep focus and interaction with your family time.  It is too easy to “pop” in your office for a little work, when you have a free moment, but we know how a couple of minutes can turn into a couple of hours very quickly.  So, shut down the computer, close your office door and have the down time that you need to clear your mind and the quality time your family needs with you.  Have a system to where your family knows you are not to be interrupted if say, the door is closed to your office, or during certain hours, etc.

I love working at home, but also know it takes some systems and disciple to make it all work smoothly and create that “balance” of work and home life.

Just one more step in creating a successful working environment!

To Your Success!
-Debbie Franklin, co-Founder, Razorr International, LLC

Desk:  When purchasing a desk, look at the space you will have and where it will sit in your office.  What type of drawers does it have?  Will it accommodate a keyboard for a computer? 

Chair:  This is a VERY important decision.  Sit in the chair at the store; make sure it gives you good back support.  Can you adjust the height?  Can you adjust the back to lean back or sit up straight?  Does it have arms?  If so, will they fit under the desk?  I spend a lot of time at my desk, so having a good supportive chair is a must.

Computer:  Do you need a desktop or a laptop?  Both?  Make sure you write down what your needs are in purchasing a computer.  Is your work high graphic intensive or do you need it for simple Internet connection and some word processing?  Do you travel or work away from home?

I currently have just a laptop, which I hook up to a docking station when I am home.  The docking station has my keyboard, speakers, printer, backup hard drive, etc. hooked up to it, so all I have to do is plug in my laptop and I am ready to go.  I can unplug and move into the kitchen, living room, or be ready to travel whenever I want.  This set up works for me because I am in the process of “Creating My Lifestyle.”  (Creating Your Lifestyle)     

Keyboard:  This is also a very important piece of office equipment.  I have an ergonomic split keyboard.  Again, I spend a lot of time on the computer and was starting to have problems with my wrists.  This has been one of the best purchases I have made.  It took me about a week to get used to the split keyboard and now no more aching wrists!

Printer:  There are so many types of printers and choosing can be hard.  Do you do a lot of printing and need speed?  Do you print out pictures, so quality and color are important?  Do you work in other areas of your house, and need wireless capability?

Look at what your printing needs and then find a computer that fits those needs.  I used to do payroll for a large company and switched to a laser black and white printer.  My printing time went from 2 hours to about 15 minutes!  The color laser was more than I needed at the time, so I purchased the laser black and white printer and also a wireless color printer that is great for color printing and pictures.  Both printers were cheaper than one color laser printer at the time. 

White Board:  This is a great piece of equipment for your office - write your goals, track them, post motivational quotes, planning, brainstorming…so many uses!

Other items for your office:
Adding Machine, Telephone, File Holders, Filing Cabinets.

Getting the right equipment for your productivity needs is just another step in creating your foundation for success!

To Your Success,
- Debbie Franklin, co-Founder, Razorr International, LLC

I have been working on my productivity and how I can improve it.  The one thing that I realized was I didn’t like my working environment.   The placement of my desk, the location of my printer, books, etc. just didn’t support me.  So, I changed things around.

I painted my office a beautiful deep eggplant purple.  I hung black frames with pictures of my family and friends.  I repositioned my desk, and took off the hutches so now my office is open and I can look out my window while working.  I redid my bookshelves, cleaned off my stack of papers by creating files to keep them neatly put away.

I now have pictures, candles, and beautiful plant (that was given to me for my birthday) in my office.  I now LOVE sitting in my own space that I have created to reflect me.  I enjoy having beautiful things surround me and it has helped me to be more productive because I love the look and feel of where I am working.

Changes do not need to cost very much.  The gallon of paint was about $20 and some time.  My husband helped me move the furniture around and it didn’t cost much for files and labels.

What changes do you need to make in order to create a supportive working environment for you?

Now, go make your space your own!

-Debbie Franklin, co-Founder, Razorr International, LLC