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Knowing What You Really Want is Key to Success

Friday, February 4th, 2011

Book Review: Write It Down, Make It Happen

In December, my sister and I met to exchange Christmas presents and to just BE together. That doesn’t happen nearly often enough.

I told her, ”I’m not sure what I really want!” She said, “I’ll send you a copy of the book I’m reading,” and gave me a notebook to write my thoughts in. The funny part: the book’s tag line is Knowing What You Want – and Getting It!

Author, Henriette Ann Klauser, has a PhD in English Literature and teaches writing techniques in U.S. and Canadian universities. As she taught her students how to practice “rapidwriting, writing fast, lickety-split, past the Critic”, her students began to share with her the positive, life-changing results they experienced. Those stories became the catalyst for her book, Write It Down, Make It Happen.

Write It Down, Make It Happen

Klauser uses illustrations from real people who found once they wrote dreams down, the resources and contacts came to them, rather than their having to seek out either. Well known examples are Lou Holtz, Notre Dame coach and Jim Carrey, comedian.

As a Christian believer, I don’t ascribe to “name it, claim it” type thinking. I see something else at work here. Once you and I identify what we really want, we will see opportunities that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Marian’s story of building a state-of-the-art retirement home in a small Nevada town inspires me. Not only did writing clarify her thoughts, but she states,

That’s another benefit of writing – it helps me to recognize what is happening and to appreciate it. When I don’t write it down, sometimes I overlook… small victories and forget to be grateful.

What is it you really want? Start to keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings in 2011. From organizing, to losing weight, to getting finances in order… it is key to know what you want as an end result. You may be surprised at the strange “coincidences” that help you along the way.

Better yet, find someone with whom to share your goals and desires, and who will cheer you on/hold you up during tough times. That is exactly the role my wonderful sister fills for me. I am grateful.

Posted in Commentary / Other Authors, Featured, Personal Development | Comments Off
Tags: accountable, encourage, focus, goals, inspiration, motivation, priorities, productivity

Mama Mia GO Month Project

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

As a way to encourage folks in their organizing projects, the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has designated January as Get Organized Month (GO Month.) Each January, local NAPO chapters choose a non-profit organization or a deserving individual to receive complimentary organizing services.

This Wednesday, January 26^th, The NAPO-Ohio chapter will be organizing for the McGhee family.

Photo by Peters Photography

Mia and Rozonno McGhee of Columbus, became the proud parents of sextuplets on June 10, 2010. There was an outpouring of help and needed donations throughout the Columbus area.

Now that their household has settled down somewhat, Mia reached out to the professional organizing community to help her make order of the diapers, formula, and other supplies she currently has piled in her attic. A team of six pro organizers – Ellen Limes, Terry Cowans, Mary Donovan, Debbie LaRae, Susan Sugar, and Julie Riber – are donating their time and expertise. Stay tuned for “before” and “after” pictures.

Are You Getting The Right Things Done?

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Yes, this is the first Monday of the New Year 2011. Did you jump right back into your life and work with gusto? Do you know where you are headed and how to get there?

One of the hardest things about a TO DO list is choosing which task to do first. That choice is difficult to make unless you have a known destination in mind. Then, do you tend to see one task completed, or do you like to dabble with 3-4 in progress at a time?

To find out your productivity quotient, try taking David Allen’s GTD-Q test. This is a “less than 2 minute” activity, so you can do it now. Find out what your strengths and weaknesses are in the “getting things done” arena.

Are you proactive or reactive? Do you have more creative ideas than you ever follow up with? How are you at taking care of details?

Suggested reading after you see your detailed results:

Getting Things Done by David Allen
Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Posted in Commentary / Other Authors, Featured, Personal Development, Time Management | Comments Off
Tags: efficiency, focus, goals, personality, productivity, strategy, time

I would get started if I knew where to start!

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

One of my “Aha!” moments as a professional organizer came while reading Take Back Your Life!: Using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 to Get Organized and Stay Organized by Sally McGhee. Sally was talking about strategic tasks, or strategic next actions.

Now, I know by definition strategy has to do with a decisive plan of action. How often in everyday life do we actually sit down and deliberately make plans? So I was thinking – without that detailed plan, how can I know what my strategic next action is?

Then I was blown away by the definition – “A Strategic Next Action (SNA) is: The next physically doable action with no dependencies.” That made sense! Sometimes jobs have pre-requisites. Until we identify those pre-requisites as SNAs, we are stuck.

When you have trouble getting started on your To Do list, you may not have any strategic next actions listed. Take one task and break it down into its component parts. For example: you want to bake an apple pie. You must:

____ check to see what ingredients you need beside apples

____ go to the grocery store

____ find your recipe

____ find your rolling pin and pie plate

____ begin mixing, rolling and baking

Which of the five tasks is your SNA? Either of the “find…” statements qualify. The other tasks have dependencies.

Once a large project is broken down into smaller tasks, it is easier to see where to start. Finally, there is a task that can be done immediately! You breathe a sigh of relief and gladly get started. “Aha!”

Posted in Personal Development, Tips and Tricks | Comments Off
Tags: goals, howto, strategy

Mapping Out Your Perfect Holiday Activity

Friday, December 4th, 2009

A popular saying is, “You have to make time for the important things in life.” The truth is, each day we have all the time we are going to get – 24 hours – then that day is done, gone, kaput! We can’t really make time, we can only manage wisely what we have.

Just as with a dollar in a candy store, you can only spend the time you are given… once. What is one important thing you definitely want to accomplish this holiday season? Is it to…

Give of yourself to someone in need
Reconnect with a distant loved one
Connect in a real way with someone close to you
Celebrate spirit-filled traditions with your children
Express gratitude to those responsible for the good things in your life
Create a meaningful memory for your family

Choose one activity that is of utmost priority to you. Commit yourself to making that happen. Then take these steps to insure that you make it to your destination on time.
road map
1. Write down your goal. Commit yourself on paper to accomplish this one thing if nothing else. Set a deadline for yourself: when will you be done and what is the result you want (how will you know when you have reached your goal?) Remember that you can only control your actions, so set a goal about what you do, not how someone else will respond.

2. Plan the steps to take. On that same sheet of paper, write down what it will take to get the job done. Will you call someone, contact a volunteer effort? Will you plan a special trip or activity?

3. Recognize supporting actions. For each step you have written, answer this question – What must happen before you are able to take that step? Do you need to hunt information? Will you have to go to the store to purchase supplies? Write these supporting actions down next to that step.

4. Make your time map. Now you are ready to plug these action steps into your daily calendar, thinking “When do I have to have this done so I can…?” take the next step to meet your deadline and ultimate goal.

Now you have the full picture of the actions you must take, the time you must spend to accomplish your mission. At this point, I am always shocked by the actual time and effort that my chosen activity will take.

That is why choosing to do what is important and non-urgent (rather than to obey the tyranny of the urgent) is both extremely hard to do and vital to your character and success.

My request to you: Don’t let today end before you identify your #1 priority action. Write down your exact goal and deadline. Then complete steps 1-4. You now have the map to get to your desired destination on time! You can do it, just follow your map!

Posted in Featured, Holidays, Home Life, Time Management, Tips and Tricks | Comments Off
Tags: get organized, goals, Holidays, howto, priorities, strategy, time

Go Blue Jackets! Never give up.

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Columbus BlueJackets

Tonight my husband and I will walk across the street to Nationwide Arena to watch the hockey game – Blue Jackets vs San Jose Sharks. What a fun thing to do on a dreary and cold Wednesday evening! We will enjoy watching Mark Methot, our neighbor from across the hall, have another great game.

We met Mark last year at a condo mixer honoring our hockey player neighbors. He is a humble, respectful young man and very easy to talk to. When Jeff and I first saw the players coming back after the summer, my husband commented that Mark had bulked up from the lean, mean player of last year.

Mark started on third line. He broke out and scored goals in the first few games and moved up to second line. The Dispatch called him, “… A physical specimen who isn’t afraid to fight.” We saw Mark’s scrappy determination against Pittsburg in an altercation in front of our goal. The Blue Jackets lost that game in a face off. Jeff congratulated Mark on his perseverence and pluck a few days later, and was told, “You will see more of that.”

These are the characteristics I’ve seen in Mark that I want to emulate:

Click to continue »

Posted in Featured, Home Life, Just for Fun | Comments Off
Tags: courage, goals, L.I.F.E., persistence