Office Productivity Solutions
Reviews
Having Melody as part of my team has been invaluable to me.
When I started working with her, I was flying by the seat of my pants; files and folders everywhere- both in hard and e-copy. But, with her thoughtful, intentional and experienced guidance, I have generated significant momentum towards the top of my game.
Her custom designed workflows using my calendar, templates, tasking systems, and most importantly, archiving and saving systems on OneDrive have saved me hours of work and are launching me to a new level in my career. (more…)
I hired Melody Oshiro of Organize to Optimize to help my two high-school daughters. She worked with them virtually through Google Hangout.
She taught both of them how to use the Google Docs cloud for document storage, and how it should be organized. She also, step by step, showed them how they should organize their binders so that they would not have cluttered binders. The system she taught them should be patented! She also showed them how to save weblinks for their assignments on a cloud so that they would not clutter up our family computer. And, how to use a school planner properly.
I cannot tell you how her assistance saved our family of melt downs this year. My kids are more independent. They know the drill. She organized their home “workstation,” also, and they have a system of where their books go when they get home.
Melody goes over and above in that she helped my daughter at 10pm at night when she needed help with formatting a Google Doc. Who does that? Well, Melody did!
I am grateful because I know nothing about Google Docs and I would have been stressed trying to help my daughter.
Lucie N.
Richmond, BC
A Business Owner’s Best Investment!
I didn’t realize how much I needed a professional organizer until I worked with Melody! Her skills made a huge impact on my home office and it is one of the best investments I’ve made in my business. My business paperwork had gotten out of control and was making my home office feel stressful.
Melody quickly got to work–she’s very decisive and is also very good at listening and personalizing the experience. Within a few sessions, my shoebox of receipts and mountain of paperwork became an organized filing system, and Melody created processes to help streamline regular on going tasks.
It is now easy for me to locate information, and more importantly, feeling organized has created space for me to think and plan for future projects. I will be working with Melody again in the future.
Shelley D’Amico, Owner
Namiskar Yoga
A Realtor’s Productivity Life Saver
If I could invent a new Lifesaver flavour, I would call it …Melody!
I am a busy mom and new Realtor® in the Nanaimo-Parksville area. My business is very busy, and I began to feel overwhelmed that I was not prepared for my clients or able to manage my business with the utmost efficiency. I needed processes, checklists, computer training, templates, filing systems… I needed it all. Luckily, I met Melody last fall and, at the recommendation of another Realtor® and hired her almost immediately.
She then showed me strategies for organizing information using Microsoft 365, OneNote, and Outlook Mobile. I now have a system for managing multiple streams of information and can access key business information quickly and seamlessly. When putting these skills to practise I feel more in control over my demanding schedule!
Shannon Cutler, Realtor®
Macdonald Realty
Reviews
David Shepherd, MLA at Government of Alberta –
“Melody is one of the most organized, focused, and supportive people I had the pleasure of working with in obtaining my BA. Her commitment to excellence, attention to detail, and ability to analyze, collate, and distill multiple streams of complex data made her an invaluable asset to our team projects.” (more…)
Reviews
I thought the first 3 hours spent with Melody changed my life. Then I spent 3 more hours with her! In six hours, she has revolutionized how I work each and every day. I never wonder anymore if I’m missing something or have forgotten something. I end each day with a clean inbox, a clear idea of what is happening tomorrow and (more…)
Reviews
Melody has pretty much changed my life! I hired her to wrangle my home office that was in dire need of systems and love. I felt like I was “too busy” to make the lightweight, organized system that I craved — so I just put it off. When I had had enough of my increasingly unruly situation, I called a couple of professional organizers to discuss my needs. Melody completely stood out from the rest. When she came over to do an assessment, I knew she had the chops to understand what a busy mother and professional needs (and doesn’t need!). (more…)
Reviews
Melody, thank you for coming into my life/home and showing me how to organize. You truly have been an answer to a prayer. I work with people that dream of winning the lotto and talk of the life they will live – trips, homes, and cars… I always said, “All I want is someone to help me organize my place … (and go to a fancy retreat/spa, lol)”. You are my Lotto Max win! May you and your business prosper – knowing you are in alignment with your true purpose. With lots of love and gratitude,
Michelle M.
Reviews
I value organization and I do believe decluttering and organizing my home and work environment helps me relax, increases my clarity, and increases my productivity, but it is not always easy for me to achieve. I am a teacher, and I want my Grade 1 class to have the best possible environment to think and learn in, so I asked Melody Oshiro, professional organizer from Organize to Optimize to help declutter and organize my classroom. (more…)
Reviews
I highly recommend Organize to Optimize. I was feeling stressed and overwhelmed before my long time friend, Melody, came along and transformed my kitchen, pantry, and kids’ work area, and created a home command workstation for me.
She was amazing. She came with passion and determination and brought order out of chaos. I was impressed at how fast she worked, and appreciated her strong leadership skills and vision. (more…)
Q&A
As a productivity specialist, she dives even deeper. She helps individuals get control of their -- calendars, tasks, email, and data; and define effective workflows to achieve greater outputs.
It is the decluttering and skillful organizing that gives greater clarity and perspective to see opportunities. Productivity helps you navigate the waves of opportunity, so you skillfully prioritize your time on what is most important to you.
2. They lack time for themselves. No time for excercise. No time to cook healthy. No time to read a good book. No time with their 'besties'. Etc.
3. They have made mistakes at work because of oversights.
4. They want to go further in their business, career, or students who want to get better marks in school, but the gap is they lack computer and information management skills. These skills will allow them to focus on achieving their professional goals.
5. They feel anxious in their work space because it is too cluttered.
6. They are keeping too much in their head. They are using their email inbox like a to do list. Their brains are spinning.
7. They are typically organized, and see themselves as a high performer, but for what ever reason, they have have gotten behind and need help getting back on track. Strategically, they know Melody is the solution.
8. They are a high achievers and they see Melody's organizing and productivity skills as a return on investment that will take them to the next level of success.
9. High achievers know they must always surround themselves with people who have expertise that is different from them, who will challenge them, and push them in a respectful manner.
10. They have difficulty planning a project; knowing how long tasks will take, prioritizing, and you even tend to procrastinate. But avoiding is creating problems and discomfort.
You will learn to use Outlook as your productivity secret weapon. It will be your information command centre that is tailored to your work needs. You will learn power-user techniques that will give you more control over your inbox, tasks, calendar, and contacts. (PC, Mac, and Outlook Online)
MS OneNote – 6 to 12 hours
OneNote will be taught as extension of Outlook to capture the many details of your work and home life, so NOTHING slips between the cracks. But OneNote is exceptional on its own too. You will learn skills to use OneNote as a digital notebook to capture and clarify all your work and life buckets in a way that is organized and quickly accessible. If used consistently, you can plan trips, manage your recipes, and plan a big conference. It can also be used as a light CRM for tracking client data and progress. (PC, Mac, Windows 10 and Online)
And so much more – 6 to 12 hours
But it doesn't stop there. If appropriate, I may also introduce you to Cloud systems like: OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox; Password vaults like LastPass; SharePoint on Office 365, and mobile apps that will work seamlessly with your workflow.
She is knowledgeable about Office 365 and GSuite and can assist you in making the best cloud decisions.
In her corporate roles, she learned to use OneNote at an expert level through continuous education and hands-on use. Anyone who is feeling like they do not have enough hours in a day, must learn her OneNote methodology! If you start using it and don't see, how it can help you, then you must invest in a 3 hour overview - you will then be hooked!
She has used Outlook in a corporate environment since 2000 and has used many useful features for tracking that are rarely used. She expertly honed her Outlook skills for managing the communication of two non-profit Boards she simultaneously coordinated while overseeing the calendar of the university’s Chief Advancement Officer. Her skills were further put to the test when she oversaw the calendars of both the Surrey School's Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent. She knows many practical and genius ways to use Outlook you will not find in any other training.
She considers herself a power user in these two Microsoft programs, but highly knowledge about other Microsoft, Google applications and dives into 3rd party software to give them a spin. She stopped using OneNote for a year, so she could immerse herself in Evernote, so will know if this app, alternatively is a good fit for you. She continues to learn these programs at a deeper level so she can troubleshoot and have creative solutions for her clients.
Whether you are a teacher, CEO, business owner, student, or mom juggling many balls, she can give you expert assistance to manage your calendar, tasks, projects, and communication, and make your workspace productive.
Learn more about her services.
The amount of time required will depend on the time it takes you to make decisions, how much paper there is, interruptions, scope changes*, and the amount of time between your sessions.
It varies because it depends on how much you want to learn and how far you want to go with organizing and streamlining your workflow with tools like OneNote, Outlook, and other apps. The initial assessment will give her a fairly good idea of your goals and how much time will be required.
*Scope changes are often what makes the training customized to your work needs. We may be learning Outlook on the desktop, but may need me to help you with the Outlook app on your phone. Working with your phone app will require additional time added to your training.
The photos and case studies you she has used on her website for example have been used with permission. There are businesses and individuals whom she has worked with that will not be disclosed as per their wishes.
