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Great Ideas on How to Focus… Now!

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Don’t critique the job you’re doing until you’ve completed it.
Christine Adamec, author of “Moms with ADD”

Adult ADD

This is just one of the “8 Ways to Focus at Work & Home” from the article in ADDitude Magazine online.

If you are distracted by bright and shiny objects, are a raving perfectionist, or simply have to move NOW or you will die, you will find hope in these simple tips from ADHD experts.

While you are there, sign up to have the newsletter delivered to your in box. We all can use the additional nudge to simplify desktops, write lists, and ask for help from a friend. Common sense? Yes! Do we do it? No!

Posted in Commentary / Other Authors, Featured, Home Life, Personal Development, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management, Tips and Tricks | No Responses »
Tags: accountable, ADD/ADHD, focus, learning styles, productivity, simplify, strategy

Jill’s Story, Behind the Scenes Coaching on De-Cluttering

Friday, March 12th, 2010

You want to soar, stuff gets in the way (neoliminal/Flickr)

Over the last month or so, Jill and I have been emailing back and forth. She shared that she is finally motivated to let go of all the paper she has been storing with her business. I hope you will be encouraged by her story. I asked Jill if I could share our email correspondence. She was surprised that I thought she could be of help to someone else, but agreed graciously. I will post her “Before” pictures soon. Jill has promised to show us her “After” pictures when she gets more work done. I think she has come a very long way already!

Hello Martha:
I have enjoyed reading your 60 tips. Nice to know that I am on the right track and not as bad as I thought!!!
I have my own business as a graphic designer/marketer/printier and I am a paper hoarder. I save samples of my work, sayings, books, reference materials, magazines, business journals, catalogs, postcards, etc. I have the thought of “just in case”
In my office, I have 5 file cabinets with 15 drawers, book shelves, cabinets, etc. with these items stored. I even have the paper piles on the floor in my office which I can’t seem to get through and is driving me crazy….I know it is a bit of OCD. …but I am trying to plow through.
Here is my Serious question: How do you deal with samples, catalogs, etc.? I have had them on file for their information and use as photos of an item, like a magnet, shirt, signage, etc. Do I input all of the info about the catalog/company in a database and pitch the catalogs? Keep them? ETC? I was just trying to make room in my files for other info and to reduce the weight on my floor!
Help! I could really use your advice. Thank you so much.
Jill

Hi Jill!

I am so glad you found the report helpful. Yay! You have systems in place already!

It sounds like you have a filing system for your work-related papers. Before I answer your question of “How do you deal with samples, catalogs, etc?” I want to get a little clarification:

How often do you use what is in the files in your present projects?
Are you able to find what you need when you go to look for it?
Do you replace the old catalogs with the latest version when it comes?

In principle, you probably use only 20% of what you have. The only trick will be to figure out what that percentage represents in your mix.

I may be able to get some hints from your answers to the questions.

You are brave to ask the questions, Jill. Kudos!

Martha Clouse
Professional Organizer and Speaker

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Posted in Downsize / Move, Featured, Home Life, Paper Management, SOHO Small Office/Home Office | No Responses »
Tags: accountable, clutter, coaching, disorganization, downsize, encourage, focus, get started, Paper Management, personality, reference files, small spaces, storage

10 Things I Do For My Clients (and it’s not what you think!)

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Perhaps you are under the impression that all organizers do is help people pitch junk, shuffle papers, and make the place look neat. Yes, we do help our clients downsize possessions, develop filing systems, and create adequate and eye-pleasing storage.

However, the results we provide have a much deeper impact on lives both physically and emotionally.

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Posted in Downsize / Move, Featured, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management | No Responses »
Tags: appointments, benefits, clutter, efficiency, focus, learning styles, motivation

Lessons from a Kindergarten Classroom

Friday, September 4th, 2009

Have you been in a kindergarten class lately? It is amazing how much energy and joy these little tykes have! If a room of 12-15 busy five year olds can have a simple and sustainable order, we can learn a few lessons there.

Take off your coat. A cubby at the entrance to class is the place to store coat, hat, boots, umbrellas… anything that might encumber a kindergartner’s learning and play.
Lesson: Set aside the hard things that you can do nothing about right now. Clear your mind for a more productive day with the people/tasks that are in front of you.
Do one thing at a time. The kindergarten room is set up with activity zones: reading nook, painting corner, building block central, cars and trucks, the kitchen, etc. Children are encouraged to choose ONE activity at a time.
Lesson: Focus on the one thing you are doing. Be in the moment. Think of what you can be grateful for in the activity that is at hand and do your best in your NOW.
Put toys away. Each activity zone is planned with storage that makes it fun and easy to put things back where they belong. Puzzle racks, low shelves for blocks, bins for cars make it easy to keep like toys together.
Lesson: Gather and store supplies where they will be used for a specific purpose (writing letters, doing laundry, paying bills.) Always put supplies away before moving to another area for another task.
Share with others. Don’t fight over the best toys and take turns serving snack.
Lesson: Share joys and windfalls. Share chores and heavy hearts. Don’t go it alone. The person who thinks he or she is indispensible is either deluded or arrogant.
Be kind. Don’t hit Johnnie over the head. No name calling.
Lesson: Always speak the truth, but say it with love in a way that your words can be received. Don’t say everything you think; you just might be wrong sometime. Be kind to yourself first. You are of no use to others if you allow yourself to get run down. Take time to be refreshed. For some that means alone time. Others want to party with friends to regain energy.

Strange, isn’t it, how much of life is elemental? We can still learn a lot from children both at home and in the office!

Posted in Home Life, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management, Tips and Tricks | No Responses »
Tags: efficiency. organizing, focus, multitasking, storage, supplies, zones

What are You Juggling?

Monday, August 10th, 2009

My husband and I went to the Ohio State Fair on Friday with his brother and wife. We ate our way through melt-in-your-mouth-warm-mini donuts, Italian sausages, roasted ears of corn, and milkshakes. The best part of the day was watching the juggling act of Roberto the Magnificent. Roberto was the consumate entertainer – juggling knives on a unicycle, golf clubs, even taught a youngster how to juggle, a little. Obviously he had to be able to juggle a lot of different stuff while keeping up a conversational patter, or else we would all mosey on to the next food group.

What is our excuse? Why do we choose to juggle so many activities? Granted, jobs enable us to eat. What are some of the other reasons we try to jam so much into 16 waking hours? These are a few excuses I have identified in my life.

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Posted in Downsize / Move, Time Management | No Responses »
Tags: focus, organizing, procrastinate, time

Colorful Appointments in Outlook

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Living with and learning from my CIO husband, Jeff, I am well aware that I will never use all the power that is available in my computer programs. When I discover fun things that I can actually use, I want to tell someone. If I tell Jeff, he will say, “Didn’t you know that?” So, this is for you, fellow blogger. If you already knew that, just don’t tell me, OK?

This week I started color coding my appointments in Outlook. I type the event name in my calendar and hit enter. The little four-colored button on the toolbar is then available for me to choose a color for that event. The first time I choose that color, I am prompted to title that category. So far, I have colors for: family and friends, Martha’s time, speaking engagement, organizing appt, network/assessment appt, CEU class, and writing. I love it! I can see my day at a glance.

Now that I wrote that list of events, I realize that I have not scheduled two activities that I say are priorities – time with the Lord and exercising. Another benefit of color coding… you can see where you are over-committed and under-committed.

Posted in Home Life, Product Review, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management | No Responses »
Tags: appointments, focus, get organized, priorities, time

The Myth of Multitasking – 3 Tips to Increase Productivity

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

“Excellent at multitasking,” is one of the buzz phrases sure to jetison your resume to the top of the pile. Or is it? As early as 2001, a University of Michigan study showed that workers’ productivity decreases by 20-40% every time they multitask or engage in “task switching.”

A study in the NeuroImage Journal concluded that managing two mental tasks at once reduces the brainpower available for either task. Could this be why we hate to follow the driver who is talking on a cell phone?

Furthermore, “the process of switching back immediately to a task you’ve [recently] performed takes longer than switching back after a bit more time has passed. The brain has to overcome ‘inhibitions’ it imposed on itself to stop doing the [original] task in the first place.” This according to findings published by researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health in the fall of 2002.

Granted, there are a few careers that by definition are “interruption rich” environments, such as retail managers, mothers of toddlers, help desk technicians, etc. Even in these extreme cases where multitasking cannot be avoided, consciously choosing to take these three steps can increase focus and productivity.
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Posted in Home Life, Time Management, Tips and Tricks | No Responses »
Tags: focus, multitasking, productivity, time