How to avoid the "poof, gone

How to Avoid the "poof, Gone!" Syndrome — Use Systems That Work for You

I learned for myself years ago that I have «Poof, Gone!» Syndrome.

Many of my clients do too. If you’re like most busy professionals, the thought of sitting in meetings with consultants, or in day-long workshops to learn How To Be More Productive is not the highest item on your priority list.

You’d rather explore new ideas, create products and services, develop a new relationship, or work with your clients… and the wrong tools and systems divert our attention and we loose track of what we’re trying to accomplish.

In conversation with one of my clients this week, Sarah’s trying to find the perfect tool, the best system, the most productive way to stay focused on her goals and achieve them… and her biggest concern is that she’s ‘supposed to’ keep herself organized with a specific system so she stays on track. I understand her concern.

I relieved her of that tension. The fact is: It Depends.

To be successful in business, you must have systems in place. And the world is filled with systems ‘guaranteed’ to keep you focused, on track, and roaring ahead to success.

Since the mid-1980s there have been a flood of systems — everything from cute little cards that go in your shirt pocket, sophisticated computer systems that ‘ding’ to remind you of your next item on your calendar, and enormous expensive ‘organizers’ that every single thought, meeting and commitment are captured in.

You can even use your organizer to bench press during meetings to keep your upper body tone!

There are just 2 problems they don’t mention in fine print on the cover of the latest books, or the advertisements for workshops and other productivity tools. The reality is those systems are NOT meant for everyone! And, once people pay for them, they feel trapped into using them even if they don’t work well for them!

They’re meant for the people who that particular tools or approach works for. Take me for example: I want to see my entire week at a glance, so that I can change and update it anywhere, anytime. That means using paper-based calendars that show my entire week, not just the day, and that I can write note on. So PDAs don’t make me happy. If I have a busy day and everything doesn’t fit on one screen… «Poof, Gone!»

The organizer system worked when I was in corporate environments, going from meeting to meeting, assigning and keeping track of multiple complex projects… but that’s not the work I do now, so it’s waaaay overkill!

And color-coded file folders perfectly labeled and stacked in a rack are the same as «poof, gone» for me!

I use ‘kangaroo’ pouch folders (product 515 from www.walshenvelopes.com) and now several of my clients do as well. They’re designed so that I can see the top 1/3 of the items in each pouch. I can cram things that relate to the topic or project in the same folder without them slipping out, stack them in a single pile, or line them up like a row of cards where I can see the top 2 inches of each down the side of my desk.

I can grab one to take with to a meeting as well. When I’m done with them I empty and reuse them or use the holes at the top of the pouch to fasten them in classification folders and put them in storage.

There are two keys to using a system that improves your productivity.

1 — Systems Need to Be Useful

And «useful» changes. Sarah isn’t planning on taking the plan to her bank. The good news is she doesn’t have to write a formal business plan to keep her business on track.

She works out of an office that no client will ever enter, so she doesn’t need a system that looks good for the public, she needs one that makes her personally more effect. Period.

2 — Systems Need to Be Used

And so back to ‘business plans.’ I used computer-based documents and systems for years… when I needed to share that information with other people it worked great!

Yet, when I laid out the new plan for my personal business last year, the moment I closed the document on the screen, or printed it out and put it between other documents… you guessed it, «Poof, Gone!»

I tried the project style To Do list in a spreadsheet. It was fabulously detailed, organized and complete. And «Poof, Gone!»

Then I used flip chart pages taped to my walls and created a «sticky note business plan» with six colors and 3 sizes of Post-It® Notes. I was able to keep track of my business goals and plans and activities with a quick glance. Every single one got done.

Sarah’s giving it a try this week. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Don’t get vested in a system just because you invested in it! Just as I’ve changed and adapted the tools and systems that I’ve used, I encourage you to take a fresh look at whether the formal tool or the «sticky note life» is the one that fits you best today.

Find the systems that work best for YOU, rather than the purveyors of specific systems. It’s a permanent cure for the «Poof, Gone Syndrome!»

How to create a swot analysis chart:

How to create a SWOT analysis chart:

Creating a SWOT analysis chart is not an easy task. It requires enough time, energy, and research. It is necessary to do SWOT analysis yearly, or order to get full command of your business and competitors. Analysis is considered as a common marketing tool in every business now days.
There are many different formats of SWOT analysis display. There are many entrepreneurs who don’t know the skills of making this important strategic planning tool and for this they start seeking for a successful way to create and present SWOT analysis. There are number of software that can be used in creating an overview of SWOT analysis. By using the software, you will be able to make your SWOT analysis chart easily and effectively.
SWOT analysis chart can be created in three easy steps:
Brainstorm SWOT analysis:
For performing SWOT analysis, mind mapping is considered as one of the most powerful brainstorming technique. SWOT analysis is based on mind mapping, which allows you to think about Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, just by creating a web of ideas on a Mind Map. You can use the templates provided by the software or can also create a chart by your own.
Take notes and attached information, relevant information to your SWOT analysis chart:
By adding notes and citing sources, you can give detailed on each topic in your SWOT analysis chart. You can also attach some relevant files in your SWOT analysis that facilitates your management team and ensures insightful decision making.
Create SWOT analysis reports and presentations:
You can easily create a SWOT analysis reports and presentations, with the help of MS. Excel or other software available in the market.
Carefully analyze your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in order to hold tight grip on your company. No matter, how small or big your company is, don’t ever say that you are perfect. Showing SWOT analysis chart in your business plan helps you to attack your competitors and gain competitors edge over your competitors.
BizPlanCorner.com helps businesses take effective decisions by producing custom SWOT analysis report that includes SWOT chart.

How price action trading changed my life — full time forex trading

How Price Action Trading Changed My life — Full Time Forex Trading

My success in forex trading started when I finally started to recognise the repetitive behaviors of the daily forex price charts. This article will talk briefly about my trading journey and where I am today as a result.

The Beginning

In the first 3 years of forex trading, I feel I had been an extremely motivated market student, undergoing intense forex training and study as I could fit into my life. My focus was to learn trading as many trading strategies, with the common goal to make money and quit my job. Like most traders, my early forex trading account statements where poor, in fact, I blew up many small accounts whilst learning the does and don’ts. The tables only turned when I discovered an extremely simple methodology to identify trading setups from daily price charts.

When My Forex Trading Changed

There was a transition period in my forex trading career when I started to move from the 1 hour charts to the 4 hour charts and then finally to the daily charts. I couldn’t believe I had been overlooking the higher timeframes for so long, and yet they offered some very clear, very simple trading setups which repeated often enough to recognise easily.

After watching just the daily charts for several months, I began documenting the price patterns, and my observations. What started as an exercise became my trading method and plan. Everything was now revolving around the higher timeframes which made the chart clear and clean. Things in that initial trading plan included, basic trend definition, plotting key levels, finding single and multiple bar price signals. Over time, I found that the largest players in the market where also using horizontal lines to trade from very often, in fact, It was when I also started to trade based off simple horizontal levels that my account started to soar.

Keeping it simple

Whilst there is no way a trader can trade just horizontal levels or just trade one price action signal and make money, the core foundation of my success lies in learning how markets react and trade around key chart levels and specific price action signals. I can certainly deduce that all traders who make serious money think in a very simple manner, me included. The daily chart allowed me to live a healthy life, with less stress, thus increasing my trading performance as well. So the message is very clear, continue to keep it simple, and keep using the same method, don’t deviate to another method, just keep mastering it and believing in it. That’s how I did it.

Why Price Action?

Price Action removed all the noise and mess of the charts. I now look at raw price charts with only 1 or 2 longer term moving averages to asset with trend definition. The entire method is based around simple, concise trading rules. I learned that markets rotate very often, and rarely move in one direction for very long, thus why I have learned to work within the market true structure. I let trades come to me as I wait in ambush for the perfect setup. Price Action is not only your ability to read a chart; it’s your ability to maintain a simplistic outlook on price and its expected direction. Patience is required, because daily charts move slowly!

Where I am today

The journey for a trader is long, it can’t ever be easy, however, there is a serious argument to what can and can’t work in terms of a trading style. You need to learn to “read price action”, not just learn a system or method. The trick is to keep it simple, but also keep learning to read price charts. Now that I am doing well in my trading endeavors, it is my duty to educate aspiring traders, to guide and assist them. I feel that if you just start to clean up your chart, remove the indicators, and look at the raw daily price charts, you’re going to discover a world that you never knew existed.

How to choose the best accounting firm

How to Choose the Best Accounting Firm

Accounting is one of the most important functions for a profitable business. This is one of the most tedious and time consuming job and demands high accuracy and precision. All organizations and business houses have a specialized accounting department to maintain their accounts books. But sometimes due to unavailability of trained accountants or in times of a doomed economy people prefer accounting outsourcing or hiring an accounting firm to manage their accounts.

There are many accounting firms present that cover all the important accounting areas like budget, taxation, accounting charts, data entry, inventory, finance management, bookkeeping, data security and archiving, payroll records and management, journal records and more. Therefore the big obvious question is how to choose the best accounting firm for your business.

While choosing the accounting firm for your business choose the one that best suits your business requirements. As it is all businesses are different and so are the needs. It is not necessary that an accounting firm that was a big hit with a type of business will be successful for you too. Therefore it is very important to choose the accounting firm that deals with your type of business.

As it is said size thus matters, which also holds true in selecting the accounting firm. It is important that the accounting firm you choose is able to cope with your business and give you best possible service. To simplify this point, if you are a huge multi national organization a small regional accountancy firm will never give you the expected results and similarly if you have a small business with small turnover an international accountancy will probably not be able to give you the results.

Other important factor to consider is that the accounting firm you choose should be able to serve you as your business grows. It is always not possible to hire different accounting firms as your business grows and hence this is crucial. For this select a firm that has clients larger than you.

Also study the accounting firm well before hiring and check the record of accomplishment for the firm. Don’t take any hasty decision as it ruin your business prospects completely. Conduct good market research and compare the reviews posted by previous customers. This will give you an insight into the factual information about the outsourcing firm and its efficiency in performing accounting work.

If you are interested to know more about Accounting Services Japan, please search our site for more in-depth information and resources.

Iso 9000

ISO 9001:2000 is the standard that provides a set of standardized requirements for a quality management system. ISO 9000 is a family of standards for qua;ity management systems. ISO 9000 is maintained by ISO, the International Organization for Standardisation and is administered by accreditation and certification bodies. Some of the requirements in ISO 9001 include

a) a set of procedures that cover all key processes in the business;
b) monitoring processes to ensure they are effective;
c) keeping adequate records;
d) checking output for defects, with appropriate and corrective action where necessary;
e) regularly reviewing individual processes and the quality system itself for effectiveness;
f) facilitating continual improvement

16 Steps For ISO 9001:2000 Certification

1.Top Management must take a firm decision to implement Quality Management System based on ISO 9001:2000 standard.

2.Top Management must allocate proper resources to implement the above decision.

Human Resources (Management Representative {ISO coordinator} & Core Team to «prepare,implement, maintain & improve» the Quality System).
Time (minimum two to three hours per day (of core team) for initial three months till achieving ISO Certification & afterwards at-least one to two hours per week
Financial Resources. (Fees / charges for Trainings, documentation / consultancy (if outsourced) & ISO Certification / audit charges.

3. Form a core team comprising minimum two employees from each department and appoint one member of core team as a Management Representative to co-ordinate all ISO 9000 related activities.

4. Establish a Training Plan.

Awareness Training for all employees (as it is a team work and all employees are part of Quality
Documentation training for core team
Internal Auditors training, to at-least three to four members of core team

5. Implement training plan / Conduct in-house training seminars or send your employees to attend open house training seminars for above mentioned training seminars.

Awareness Training for all employees
Documentation training for core team.

6.Review the Existing Business Systems in your organization in comparison with ISO 9001 requirements. (Gap analysis exercise)

7. Formulate Quality Policy [Guiding document] and Quality Objectives [functional / departmental targets / goals]

8. Formulate Six Mandatory Quality Procedures required by ISO 9001:2000 standard.

9.Formulate other Quality Procedures (QP), process flow charts (QFC), departmental work instructions (WI) & other documents required to conduct the company operations and complete the «Quality Manual».

10. Implement the Newly established «Quality Management System» from a planned / fixed date.

11.Arrange for «Internal Quality Auditors Training» to at-least three to four members of Core Team. (Develop Self Assessment Capability)

12. Conduct first Internal Quality Audit. (After a gap of at-least 30 days from the date of implementation of system).

13. Make Application for certification to Certification Body

14. Conduct first Management Review Meeting and then call Certification Body for conducting on-site audit of your Quality System.

15. Initial Audit / Assessment by Certification Body and receiving «Recommendation Letter», (like a provisional certificate) at the time of closing meeting.

16.Receive original Certificate from Certification Body. (normal time frame — within 21 to 30 days from date of recommendation letter)