Published: Monday, March 6, 2000	Section: YOUR BUSINESS

These days, most people feel strapped for time. Yet we do many things in the course of a business day that are nothing but time-stealers.

The following list contains suggestions on saving time.

Answer routine letters on the original letter. When someone sends a request that requires a response, hand write a brief response on the document you received, slip it into an envelope and mail it right back.

When typing a letter to mail, use window envelopes. This may involve formatting your letters or spending some time to create a template. But from then on, all your letters will be aligned so the recipient's name and address show through the window in the envelope when the letter is folded in thirds. This way, you avoid having to print out labels or write out an address.

If you are a piler, work from the bottom of the pile up -- and stop piling. Remember the saying we use in the professional organizing industry: "Files, not piles." Set up your desk and filing system so there is a place for everything.

Purge files annually. Mark a date to do so on your calendar. Just as you do your taxes at the same time every year, before or near the first of the year you should take time to go through each file and toss out papers you no longer need.

When purchasing new business clothes, remove or give away an equal number of older clothing items you haven't worn in years. This ensures that your clothes will always be relatively in style and you won't find yourself embarrassed in the middle of a meeting when you suddenly realize you are wearing the pants with the worn-looking knee. It also provides you space in your closet so your clothes are not crammed in so tight that they need ironing before you wear them each time.

You know that stack of reading you've been "saving" to get to? Each day when you are going out, take a few of those items with you for down times, such as being stuck in traffic or waiting for an appointment or in the drive-through lane at the bank.

Also, run off copies of the articles you want to read. You don't need to carry an entire magazine or manual. Pull out the pages you want to read so you can take them with you easily and discard the remainder of the publication when you are done with it.

Sort floppy disks by color. Code them to related colored files or colored file labels. You can further sort floppy disks with colored sticky notes and arrange them alphabetically and then by date.

Forget to do things? Write them down as soon as you think of them. Always keep your "To Do" list, planner or electronic organizer, such as a Palm Pilot, easily accessible.

Is your desk "littered" with clutter and stacks of papers? Break that habit of just putting stuff down anywhere there is space. Put it away where it belongs each day. This is really the "secret" people are searching for to keep their desks organized.

Throw out boxes when the warranties expire. This goes for computer software boxes as well as electronic items. Otherwise, these boxes become another source of clutter and take up valuable space in supply closets and on shelves.

Organize and unclutter your office, your desk and your time, and you will enjoy yourself more.

Diane Hatcher is a professional organizer and owner of Timesavers Services in Cooper City.

Published: Monday, November 22, 1999	Section: YOUR BUSINESS

Is it any coincidence that so many successful business people are organized?

When an executive is organized, his time is spent constructively, on activities pertinent to his business.

When disorganized, he wastes time searching for lost or misplaced articles from messy desks and files. In fact, The Wall Street Journal reports that the average American businessman loses about six weeks a year searching for misplaced items. That's about an hour a day of unproductive time.

Multiply that hour by an hourly wage, and you become aware of the huge losses in productivity rampant in today's workplace. Paperwork piles up. Clients aren't getting phone calls returned in a timely manner, if at all. Not enough new client contacts are made. There isn't always time for follow-up calls. Marketing suffers.

This unproductivity further shows itself in missed deadlines and appointments, resulting in lost customers or poor customer service. Bills may be paid late. Or extensions on tax filings must be requested, generating penalty fees.

The scenarios are endless. They cause stress, embarrassment, frustration and inefficiency. Sometimes this disorganization is fleeting; usually it is constant. At no time is it welcomed.

What's a person to do?

Part of the learning curve involves dropping some old habits and developing the new habit of "keeping organized."

For example, mail arrives almost daily on an employee's desk. Therefore, each day -- or at least several times a week -- mail should be opened, sorted and distributed. If not distributed to others, it should at least go to a "to do" work space. That work space must then be dealt with regularly.

Although all this may seem obvious, there are those out there who let unopened mail pile up. Then, as if in a self-fulfilling prophecy, they become overwhelmed by the sheer mass of the piles and avoid even more the opening and sorting of their mail.

Any bills can be placed in a tickler system (sorting them by date). Some people need a more visual reminder, such as that afforded by a vertical file that keeps the bill in sight. Other correspondence may go in a "to read" area, such as in a stacking tray or a file folder.

Mail that can be handled in 60 seconds or less should be handled right then. If it needs to be filed, and there are only a few items, file it while the mail is being opened. Don't let it pile up. Time must be devoted to acting on the mail that was set aside in the "to do" area. How often and when depends on your business needs. Just don't let it accumulate.

How do you reach the point where you can keep current with your mail, your filing or other office-related duties? You will need to set aside some time on a regular basis for a "clean-up period" to get caught up.

Time management experts tell us that 10 minutes spent planning or getting organized saves a half hour down the road. Just as it takes money to make money, it takes time to save time and get organized. Think of it like preventive maintenance on your car. You can put the effort into keeping the car running smoothly or risk a costly breakdown later.

Do you still need help? Ask a very organized friend or co-worker for assistance. Buy a book about getting organized. Speak to a professional organizer who can tailor a plan to address your needs. Attend a seminar.

There is help out there. Choose the method that works for you, and get started. Procrastinating only makes matters worse.

Diane Hatcher, the owner of Timesavers Services in Cooper City, Florida, specializes in organizing offices, desks, filing systems, individuals and seminars for groups of employees.