Services

What can I do for you?

I offer planning, workflow, and productivity assistance to small businesses, individual professionals, and anyone interested in improving their life/work balance. I'm different from the usual sort of consultant in that I am offering my skills in small chunks of focused work together, rather than coming in with "my system" and trying to waffle-iron it onto you. I believe that focus is available to anyone. It shouldn’t require thousands of dollars or expensive custom planners. All you need is to learn the techniques that work for you and, now and then, an outside perspective to help you get back on track.

My services are available in two forms: full sessions of 2.5 hours or 55 minute mini-sessions which focus in on specific areas. Sessions are available in person in San Francisco.

Full Session

My goal is to spend two and a half hours with you, help you focus on your priorities, knock away roadblocks, improve the flow of your business processes, and get more out of your tools and techniques for getting things done. After the session I want to leave you unstuck and moving forward with a clearer understanding of your goals and the actions you'll be doing (or stop doing) in order to achieve them. Ideally, you'll even be able to knock a few things off your list during our time together.

I've worked in a wide variety of positions from senior software product manager to office manager to bookstore owner. I've also been writing and presenting extensively in both my professional and personal life during the last decade and can bring these skills to bear along with my organizational, productivity, and planning knowledge.

We can cover a lot of ground during our session, but here are some of the kinds of things I can help with:

• listening to your project or business plan ideas and capturing them in a written form you can use as a base with which to move forward;
• exploring how you work with information inputs (e.g. email, feeds, physical mail/reading, phone calls). identifying where they help or hinder your ability to stay productive, and making adjustments to maximize the helping and eliminate the hindering;
• plowing through a current roadblock (e.g. thousands of emails in your inbox, a teetering stack of papers including receipts you need to give you your accountant, unpaid invoices from your clients or client billing not yet done) and knocking it out of your way so you can get back in the flow;
• reviewing past goals, priorities and tasks you set for yourself and evaluating your current strategic position, updating your plans, and defining the future points at which to measure progress;
• discussing things that didn't go well (e.g. missed deadlines, cost overruns, and other painful experiences) and adjusting processes and plans to avoid these problems in the future;
• improving your skills at tracking to-do's and choosing the right next action with the tools that work best for you, anywhere from "paper notes that I stack right here in the middle of my desk" to OmniFocus running on your Mac and iPhone.

Full sessions, which include a follow-up report, are $350 each, with discounts for prompt payment and/or successful referrals to new clients.

Mini-Sessions

These 55 minute mini-sessions are available in person within San Francisco. They are $100, with a 10% discount for payment in advance.

Priorities & Goals:

Where will you be when you get where you’re going? At the end of this mini-session you will have a clearer picture of where you want to be, have affirmed what really matters to you right now, and set up a review plan to keep yourself on track.

Projects & Next Actions:

What are the stepping stones to achieving your goals? At the end of this mini-session you will have identified outcomes, milestones, and next actions for your key project(s), and set up a review plan to keep on track.

Roadblocks, Tools & Processes:

What is interfering with your success? At the end of this mini-session you will have reviewed recent stuck points, identified specific changes to make to avoid repeated pitfalls, and taken stock of your key tools & processes to identify areas for proactive improvement.

Clearing the Decks (physical):

What is all this stuff in your way? Why is it there? Does it represent anything you still need to take action on? In this mini-session we'll turn a spotlight on your physical surroundings and burn through the clutter, identifying ways to keep it from coming back.

Clearing the Decks (digital):

Feeling overwhelmed? Or just running in place instead of pulling ahead toward your goals? This mini-session will establish a working system to keep your email under control, give you tools to fight procrastination, and get you well on your way if not all the way to inbox zero.

Building Life/Work Balance:

Want to enjoy life more at work and away from it? In this mini-session you’ll start balance-creating habits, evaluate current commitments in relation to your real priorities, and affirm putting your time and energy where they serve your goals.

OmniFocus Setup:

Looking for a way to manage your projects, tasks, and ideas on your Mac and iPhone? I can walk you through setup of this powerful, yet easy-to-use program. We will customize it to fit your world while taking advantage of best practices.

Quick Review:

This guided survey of your present situation will help you ensure you understand how to stay clear and current with commitments you’ve made and keep yourself ready to approach both strategic and tactical activities with the correct big picture. [Only available to those who’ve done a full session with me]

Goals Update:

Had major changes or met many of your goals since our last session, but not ready for another full session yet? This mini-session will help you align your activities with your current priorities and goals, plus review lessons, ideas or loose ends since your last report. [Only available to those who’ve done a full session with me]

OmniFocus Tuneup:

Got your feet wet with OmniFocus since our last session? Ready to improve your use of this powerful program? [Only available to those who’ve done a full session with me]

Checklist Creation:

Gained a good picture of your recurrent activities since we last met? Take advantage of the power of your observations by turning them into checklists you can use again & again to streamline and provide quality control for repeating situations such as travel, events, and new client/project setup. In this mini-session I’ll guide you through the process and prompt you with frequently needed lists and entries on those lists. [Only available to those who’ve done a full session with me]

Habit Tuneup:

Ready to take what you learned last time to the next level? This mini-session will help you build in time to keep a clear perspective, do strategic planning, and apply your creative focus to thinking and writing. You’ll be better equipped to use your habits to continually tilt your day in the direction of your top priorities. [Only available to those who’ve done a full session with me]

Contact me by emailing or by phoning 415.874.5533 with any questions or to schedule a session. Gift certificates available.