Whether you are working at home, in the office, or in your car — your ability to produce results with the least amount of stress, is directly affected by your physical environment. A functional desk that is ugly can be as much of a deterrent to productivity as a beautiful desk that is not functional. I have spent over twenty years with people working in their homes, offices and cars. One thing has become vehemently clear. Your desk can be your greatest enemy or your best friend.

Take a good look at your desk. How does it make you feel? Are you comfortable there? Can you do what you need to do there easily? How does it look to other people? Does it reflect the message you want to give to the world about your work and your values?

Analyze the kinds of activities you need or want to do at your desk. If you use a computer, an L-shape desk is usually the best option. Use the short end of the “L” for your computer, and the long end for desk accessories, your telephone, and spreading out papers while you are working.

One of the major detractors to an effective and attractive desk are those pesky scraps of paper, which seem to proliferate in your absence and sometimes in your presence! In my experience, an important component of any desk is space for files. I prefer two file drawers in my desk - one for current projects and another for reference materials I use frequently. If you are an “out of sight, out of mind” person, you may prefer a file holder that sits on top of your desk. You can use Post- it? Flags with colored bars for easy-to-use color-coded labels.

Do you get lots of phone calls? If so, it is important to develop a systematic way to record all those messages. In our office, we leave an open 6″ x 9″ spiral-bound notebook by the telephone to jot them down. The top of each page is dated, and we put the initials of the person responsible for responding to the call in the left-hand column. When the action is completed, the initials are crossed out. Any pending issues are flagged with a Post-it? Flag - a different color for each person. The flag dispensers are attached to the side of the telephone.

Do you spend lots of time talking on the telephone? If so, what do you need? Is your source of phone numbers - electronic or paper — easily accessible? Do have a consistent way to take notes while you are talking? To make filing your telephone notes easier, keep Post-it? 4″ x 6″ pads nearby. Avoid putting notes from several conversations on the same piece of paper.

The greatest desk in the world will be sabotaged without a comfortable adjustable chair and good lighting. An inspirational piece of art in your natural line of vision can be a real stress reducer too!

Most people want to be able to move around in their work area, so a swivel chair on rollers is a big advantage. If there is carpeting, you will need a chair mat so the chair will roll easily.

Most desks I see are too cluttered - paper that could be filed away if you were confident you could find it when you needed it (we’ll talk more about that in future columns!), office supplies you never use, and memorabilia that has been there so long you don’t even see it!

Essential desktop supplies for most people include an “In Box” for mail you haven’t looked at yet (not a place to put postponed decisions!); an “Out Box” for the things that need to go outside your office, and a “To File Box” for the papers that need to be filed outside the reach of your desk. Caution: Eliminate any container not designated for a specific purpose or it will soon become a catchall for unidentified objects!

My definition of “organized” is very simple:

1) Does it work and
2) Do you like it? If you answer “No” to either of those questions when it comes to your desk, decide now what you can do about it!

© Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger’s Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

“Rumors about my death have been greatly exaggerated,” a famous man once quipped.

The same can be said for the business of cold calling.

By now, you’ve seen the ads, and very possibly one of them will be placed next to this very article, proclaiming: “Cold Calling Is Dead!”

That statement is like a monkey picking up a violin, mangling the strings, and concluding that this thing doesn’t play!

In the hands of a primate or a primitive, a telephone is nothing more than a blunt object, good only for knocking other dummies over the head.

In the hands of a true professional, it is a Stradivarius. It can embolden, uplift, and transport people to new understandings and lasting relationships.

Would you seek the help of a known procrastinator to teach you time management skills?

Of course, you wouldn’t.

Would you expect an ultra-shy person to assist you to become a dynamic public speaker?

Heck, no!

Then how, may I ask, can someone who so disrespects the phone, it’s power, its immediacy, its directness, cost effectiveness, ability to create give and take and real time feedback; how could we expect such a disadvantaged soul to teach us anything about SELLING?

Do yourself a favor. Check out one of my best-sellers at the library. I’d look at YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! Or, if you prefer, try REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE.

Both are good, established primers on telemarketing that should help anybody, even a Doubting Thomas who tries to build his business reinforcing people’s fears instead of leading the way to overcoming them.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of http://www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, “The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable,” published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations from Santa Monica to South Africa. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

For information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to http://www.customersatisfaction.com

Key Facts:

Size: Medium
Height: 43 - 48 cm (17 - 19 inches)
Weight: 18 - 23 kg (40 - 50 lb)
Life Span: 12 years
Grooming: Easy
Exercise: Medium
Feeding: Medium
Temperament: Fearless & dependable
Country of Origin: United States
AKC Group: Terrier

Temperament:
The American Staffordshire Terrier is bold, fearless, outgoing, confident, loyal and intelligent. The American Staffordshire Terrier loves to please its owner and thrives on praise from its family. They get along well with people of all ages, especially with children. American Staffordshire Terriers make good guard dogs and have tremendous courage. However, due to this trait some people have trained them as fight dogs, but American Staffordshire Terriers can make docile pets when properly trained.

Grooming:
American Staffordshire Terriers need minimal grooming with their short coats. A quick brush is sufficient to keep the skin and coat healthy.

Exercise:
Regular exercise is necessary on a daily basis. American Staffordshire Terriers enjoy running alongside a cycle and playing ball games.

History:
The origins are similar to the Staffordshire Bull Terrier - blendings of the Bulldog, Black and Tan Terrier and an old white English Terrier. In 1870, they came to America and quickly became invaluable to families as guard dogs. Because the breeders preferred a slightly larger specimen than the early English Staffordshire Terriers, in 1972 the American Kennel Club permitted the word American to be added to their title to differentiate them from the English Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Physical Characteristics:

General Appearance: Broad-chested, muscular and agile.
Colour: Whole colour, parti-coloured or patched. White not to cover more than 80% of the body.
Coat: Smooth, short, dense and glossy
Tail: Moderately short and low set.
Ears: Rose-shaped and semi-erect.
Body: The heavy neck runs to a fairly short, slightly sloping back. The chest is broad and deep.

Additional Comments:

American Staffordshire Terriers are a very devoted and protective breed that can be great family pets, so long as the correct training is provided at an early age. Otherwise they can become overly boisterous as well as aggressive towards other dogs.

About the Author

This article provided courtesy of http://www.dooziedog.com/dog_breeds/american_staffordshire_terrier/

It was Schopenhauer who first said that all arts aspire to the
condition of music. What he was referring to was the abstract
qualities of music. The path between music and audience is a
direct one, without the intervention of a medium of
communication that is used for other ‘everyday’ purposes, which
is unlike many other art forms! The architect expresses himself
in buildings, which have some utilitarian purpose. The poet uses
words, which we use on a daily basis in conversation. The
painter usually expresses himself by representing what he sees
i.e. the visible world. Only the composer of music is perfectly
free to create a work of art out of his own consciousness, which
performs no function, other than to please.

A testimony to the mystical nature of music is the unknown
Polish classical composer who’s “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs”
sold more than pop icon, Madonna, in the year it was released
and more than any other classical composer in the entire history
of the world! However, this remarkable achievement only occurred
17-years after he composed it.

Polish Composer in Translation

The composer’s name is Henryk Gorecki and his success is nothing
short of a miracle. When he wrote the symphony (his 3rd) in
1976, he and his wife were declared ‘non-persons’ under the
communist regime and their passports were confiscated. His name
was unknown, and according to records in Poland, he did not even
exist. Gorecki had been born in Czernica, in the coal-mining
belt of Silesia on The Czechoslovakian border. It is 20-minutes
from the town Oswiecim, which the Germans would later name
Auschwitz. This piece of music was so inspired, as to be a
warning to future generations and to bear witness to what had
occurred there. Corecki commented: “The fact that 17 years
later, it seems young people all over the world have heard what
I said, and understood: that my warning will not go forgotten
into the world”.

Beauty and hope are firmly embedded in this piece of music that
is played by taxi drivers and royalty alike. 300 000 copies were
sold worldwide when it was released, unheard of for a classical
piece which would hopefully sell 10 to 20.000 copies in a
lifetime, and that’s about it.

A Symphony of International Value

The road to fame of the “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” is an
interesting one. 1976, the year it was composed saw the first
performance in a Paris concert hall. After the performance a
music critic whispered ‘Merde!’ into Goreck’s ear. The first
recorded version appeared in Britain in 1987, and was basically
ignored by the classical music magazines. In 1989, the piece
reappeared; this time in concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall,
after the London Sinfonietta decided to champion Gorecki’s work.
Bob Hurwitz, head of Warner’s Elektra Nonesuch label decided to
attain the symphony for his label. In 1990, Hurwitz recorded it
with the London Sinfonietta using young American conductor David
Zinmaan and the soprano Dawn Upshaw. In September 1992, classic
FM, Britain’s first commercial classical music station was
launched and picked Gorecki’s symphony as the station’s first
classic ’sure thing’. In October that year a sudden demand
caused chart sponsors W H Smith to stock the symphony. In
November BBC Radios 3 and 4 followed, then Radio 2, and finally,
DJ Simon Bates on Radio 1.

A Multicultural Moment

January 1993 was a watershed moment for “Symphony of Sorrows’ as
the album jumped from 71 to 27 in the Music Week pop charts. In
February that year Gorecki received a gold disc for sales of
100,000.

Fascinating to think that a symphony, 54-minutes long, scored
for a large string orchestra, would climb so high up the charts
and sell more than a contemporary musical legend. It is a true
testament to the universal language of music, the genius that
lies in certain compositions and the infinite power of music to
move people.