Clean up the cases. As a rule, almost every frame we put into inventory comes with its own case. And as a rule, the cases take up more space than the frames. Protectively encased in their own plain white cover, they become indistinguishable from each other. Buy enough frames in one line and the cases will come in their own carton with no distinguishing markings. Either label the boxes or repackage them in clear plastic bins or wire baskets from the hardware store. The idea is to be able to find the right case with a minimum of aggravation. Orphan cases are the ones no one wanted or refused in favor of a cuter case from your accessories display. Corral them for the patients who lose or break their original case.

Inventory your accessory and resale items. As sure as day follows night, a frame rep will come in with a new line of readers or chains or something else that piques your interest. You'll be much better prepared to make a quick buying decision if you know what you have and what you need to update. Remember, if your patient doesn't get those ready readers from you, they'll get them from the local discount store or the drugstore. That same logic can apply to cases and fit-over style sun protection, cleaning supplies and those ever-practical pre-moistened wipes for travel.

Clean out the display closet. It almost never fails that the day you decide to change your displays is the day you discover that some un-seen and un-heard whirling dervish has laid waste to your supplies. The paper goods like posters and counter cards are warped and torn and probably out of date. The fabrics look like they've been used to stuff a mattress. The artificial foliage is dusty and faded. None of this stuff has much sentimental value, so if it doesn't reflect the image you're trying to create, get rid of it! Shop the end-of-season sales at your local craft store and find the best quality supplies you can afford. Store them in plastic bins with covers so that they stay clean and fresh. Always clean off display items before you store them. Store them dirty or dusty and they may not clean off the next time you need them. Store fabrics on old wrapping paper tubes in the storage bins designed to hold them.

By the way, shop the remnant tables at your local fabric store for your displays to save some money and find someone who can serge or hem the edges to prevent the fabric from fraying. Store those decorative stones or marbles or jewels in those plastic food storage containers from the grocery store. If your store has a suspended ceiling, and most of them do, invest in a package of ceiling hooks from the office supply store. They're much easier to use and much nicer to look at than a bent paper clip.

Check your bench. What condition are your hand tools in? If the blades keep falling out of the screwdriver, it's probably time for a new handle. Do you have a supply of replacement blades, both slot and Phillips head in at least two sizes? I used different colored handle covers to designate different blade styles so they were easy to locate on a busy day. If the springs are not working properly on the tools that need them, either repair or replace them. If the nylon jaws are worn or missing, replace them. In the long run, it's cheaper to do that than risk marring a frame finish or scratching a lens during an adjustment. Check your screw, nosepad and temple tip inventory. Better to order now, than run out of something at the worst possible time, like a Saturday morning when everything else is closed. While you're at it, shop your craft store for magnetic sheets to catch rolling screws, nuts and metal washers.

Calibrate your lensometer. First, focus the eyepiece by tuning it counterclockwise as far as possible and then slowly turn it back until the black reticle lines just come into focus. Then, with no lens in place, turn the power wheel back to the minus powers. Slowly turn the power wheel in the plus direction until the target just comes into focus. Do not rock the wheel back and forth to focus. If the power wheel is at zero, you're golden. If not, repeat the entire process again a few times. If you still can't get the lensometer to focus at zero, it should be professionally calibrated. Your lab should be able to refer you to someone who can do this for you.

If your lensometer isn't accurate, none of the work you check or the neutralizations you perform will be either. Again with no lens in place, check to see that the crosses exactly at the center of the reticle. If it doesn't, you may be able to correct it yourself with instructions from the owner's manual or you may need to seek outside assistance. Use canned air or a fine bristled brush like a make-up brush to clear out any visible dust or debris. Check the ink well and the roller and clean if necessary. Ink can build up in the well and become thick and sticky making it difficult to turn the roller or impossible to fill with fresh ink.

Refresh your tint and coating samples. Tint samples can and will fade with time and exposure to light. Your samples must match the ones your lab uses, so send them some lenses and ask them to create new ones for you. Coating samples can become scratched and worn. Ask your coating company to send fresh samples and throw those old ones away.

Complete a CE. CE's are available on this magazine's website: www.ecpmag.com/ce. Take an hour of your down time to increase your expertise in an area. You may not need the credit, but you never know what little pearl of wisdom you may find. Can't find a CE or you've taken them all? Grab your favorite optical text, read a chapter and then take the applicable proficiency test if it's there. My all time favorite for this is the Optical Formulas Tutorial by Stoner, Perkins and Ferguson. Organize a trivia contest with other staff members, using exam questions from the prep programs available through the National Academy of Opticianry (www.nao.org). A little cross training is a good thing too.

Keep a running list of patients to contact. While most of us think this is just inviting trouble, keep a list of patients who are trying something new, perhaps a new progressive wearer or someone who is wearing a new lens design. Call them and check on their progress and level of satisfaction. You may be able to head off a potentially heated encounter in the middle of a crowded waiting area.