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| Jul 29, 2008 8:31 pm |
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Organization Tuesday: Worry vs. Preparation--A few questions |
Julie Bestry
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Do you see worry and preparation as flip sides of the same coin?
As I've discussed with some of you in person, I'm quite excited about
this teleclass
I'm teaching later this week. Because I know how nutty I get
right before a big event, writing and rewriting and tweaking down to
the last detail, I know that if there were anything for me to actually
worry about, I wouldn't be productive at all. So, I've double-checked that
there's ink in the printer, backed up the presentation to a safe
location, planned to make sure my cell phone is charged in
case the power goes out and my one corded phone gets fried.
I'm one step away from avoiding "sharp" foods that could
scratch my vocal chords. :-)
Intellectually, we all know that the more we can do to prepare for any
contingency, the less catastrophic our catastrophes can be.
But if this is so, why
do we shirk our responsibilities and preparations? For
whatever reason, even those of us who are controloholics have
dents in our finely polished preparatory armor.
Why do we
toss our files on the floor and let them pile up instead of putting
them away?
Why do we
watch one more segment of The
Today Show when we know our gas tank is 99% fumes and we
haven't left room for travel delays or fill-ups?
Why do we
swear we'll back up our computers daily...and then rarely if ever do?
I have some theories, but when it all boils down, the "why" doesn't
necessarily matter, at least not as much as the "what now?" I
can't make your preparations for you, but in order to soothe my own
pre-presentation jitters, I've made a list of a few questions you need
to ask yourself now so you can make sure you've
covered. I'm purposely including only a few big ones in hopes
that some of you will join
in and share your thoughts on these or any other preparations you've taken, or need us to encourage you to take.
If your computer crashed
today (Susan, you know what that feels like!):
- Are your backups
in a safe place?
- Do you have the discs (or the passwords, if downloadable)
for the software
you'll need to reload?
- Do you know your computer's model number, serial
number and the toll-free number for customer support?
- Do you know the number and/or location of your nearest Mac
Genius Bar or trusted PC repair dude?
- Do you have a networking
partner (online or in person) whom you can call to help
talk you down from the ledge?
If your car broke down on
the way to a client meeting or speaking engagement today:
- Do you always carry your client file with you, with contact numbers,
so you can update your client on your status?
- Do you have an up-to-date auto club/AAA
membership? Do you carry the card with you?
- Is your cell
phone always charged, or do you have a charger (battery
operated) you can carry?
- Do you have a trusted
mechanic, someone who gives you the advice he'd give his own parents?
- Do you have an inflated
spare tire? Is your trunk free of junk
that would seriously impede access to the spare?
- Do you have two different anytime-you-need-me
friends you can call so one can take you to your gig while the other
deals with the tow truck?
If you received an audit
notice from the IRS, your state or the Wage & Hour
Labor Board:
- Are your tax, wage and hour paperwork files in order?
(Can you find them? All of them?)
- Have you ever had an internal audit
to make sure your staff or consultants were on the up-and-up?
- Are your records accompanied by easy-to-understand
explanatory notes if anything was out of the ordinary?
- Do you have a relationship with a certified public
accountant? What about a tax attorney?
- Have you build a good relationship with your staff to trust
they'd be honest and supportive?
If you (heaven-forbid)
got really sick or broken:
- Do you have health insurance?
- Do you have disability
insurance?
- Do you have a medical professional whom you trust
completely?
- Do you have someone designated with your Durable Power of
Attorney for Healthcare (i.e., a healthcare proxy)?
- Do you have an Advanced
Healthcare Directive?
- Do you have a support system to care for you, physically,
if you couldn't care for yourself or a place to stay if you couldn't
navigate the stairs or use the facilities in your home?
- Do you have a support
system to nurture you emotionally, and if applicable,
spiritually?
As always, I never mean to scare people when we talk about organizing
for emergency situations, but forewarned is forearmed. And
four arms is better than two. :-) Questions like
these help us determine our first, or next, steps on the road to
preparing for any eventuality.
Please chime in and share your thoughts.
--
Julie Bestry, Certified Professional Organizer®
Best Results Organizing
"Don't apologize. Organize!"
organize@juliebestry.com
Visit http://www.juliebestry.com to save time and money, reduce stress and increase your productivityPrivate Reply to Julie Bestry (new win) |
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