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Declare War on Time-Consuming Clutter with Action Zones

Friday, January 6th, 2012

Does your struggle to be productive at work and at home feel like waging war with yourself and others?

Perhaps it makes sense to perceive that struggle as a battle ground. You are the commander. You are waging war on several fronts – special projects, ongoing skirmishes, and supply logistics. You have a map of the terrain (the floor plan) and know what your resources are: equipment, personnel, and supply lines.

To win the battle, you must match trained personnel with specialized equipment and ensure that needed supplies are available for immediate use. In other words, you want to have all the components needed to engage the enemy to come together in the same place at the same time.

I’m sure you have decided (as I have) to work on a certain project only to spend 20 minutes or more gathering all the varying pieces of information, supplies, and equipment before you can begin. Whether that is finding your mixing bowl in the kitchen, asking yourself “Where did I put my 3-hole punch this time?”, or just trying to get the kids out the door in the morning, it is time-consuming as well as frustrating!

The answer is to designate action zones.

First make a decision that you are going to start now! The time you spend in planning for efficiency will be returned to you tenfold.
Brainstorm. Ask yourself what activities you actually DO in the room/area you are organizing. Perhaps the question should be – what activities do you ideally want to do there!
Assign specific areas in the room, or zones, to similar activities. Try to limit each room to 2-3 zones. In an office you might have action zones for:
- Communication Central – your desktop and shelf above
- Reference library – bookshelf and file drawer
- Action/Projects – credenza with In/Out boxes and incline sorter for specific activities/projects.
Place equipment and supplies within arm’s reach in the appropriate zone for each activity.
- Filing – extra hanging files, manila file folders, labels
- Enjoying media – TV, Radio/CD player, VCR/DVD player, CD’s, DVD’s, and remotes, of course.
- Paying bills – computer, bills, calculator, check book, stamps, address labels
- Baking – measuring cups and spoons; mixing bowls; baking pans; spices, extracts and leavening agents
- Getting in the car – keys, diaper bag, shoes, coats, hat, gloves & backpacks

Now that you have the stage set for control over each new project, all you need are the trained personnel. Is that you or do you have employees, friends, or children you can delegate the task to?

The beauty of action zones is that whoever is assigned to that battle will have all the tools necessary to succeed! That will save you time in both set- up and in wages paid.

You may find that once you know where everything is to get started quickly, you are raring to take on that project yourself, right now. You are the commander and it is an easy victory!

Posted in Featured, Home Life, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management | No Responses »
Tags: disorganization, efficiency, efficiency. organizing, get organized, get started, organizing, planning, productivity, reference files, strategy, stress, time

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

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

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 | Comments Off
Tags: accountable, ADD/ADHD, focus, learning styles, productivity, simplify, strategy

Saving Time a la Ray Kroc

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

What was it about the McDonald brother’s operation that sparked Ray Kroc’s imagination? Was it the simplicity of the menu or their production line system of preparing food? Both! Combined in standard operating sequences, McDonald’s became a place where we could count on consistent food taste and quality.

The principles that we see at work in Ray Kroc’s successful enterprise are:

1. Keep it simple. Choose what is essential to your home life, your job, your family. Let go of the extraneous stuff, activities – anything that will dilute your focus on the important things.

2. Find a system that works and stick with it. A system is uses the right tools in an efficient way to produce the desired result. Think of what you wash first in the shower. Why? You have developed a system that you consider efficient and that results in a clean body. There are many filing systems, closet systems, and storage systems designed to save time and make tasks easier. Find one that works for you.

3. List the sequence of actions that you use to accomplish a given task. That way you don’t have to reinvent that operating sequence again. For example, the next time you pack for a trip, make a list of what you put in your suitcase and toiletries bag. Refine the list again when you return. Then the next time you pack, you already have a list to work from.

You may not become a multimillionaire by following these guidelines, but will realize savings in time, money, and brainpower that you can use doing something that brings you joy.

Posted in Downsize / Move, Time Management | 2 Responses »
Tags: priorities, productivity, simplify, systems, time

“I Can’t Get Organized!”

Monday, August 17th, 2009

I had breakfast with a friend recently who said when she hears the words “I can’t” it makes her want to gnash her teeth! We both agreed that many times it is not a matter of inability to do something, as the word “can’t” implies. Rather, that person chooses not to, is not willing to, doesn’t want to take the time to, is afraid to, doesn’t know where to start to… do whatever.

How does this apply to prospective clients I talk to in my organizing business? Whether you need to get rid of piles of paper, de-clutter your living space, or use storage more wisely you CAN get it done! That is really not the question, is it? It’s the other “I ___________to’s” we spoke of that are the culprit. Let’s examine each one.

1. I choose not to get organized. If you are honest and instead of saying, “I can’t” you admit, “I choose not to”, that’s perfectly fine. Each person gets to choose how to live as long as another person’s life is not negatively impacted. My next statement may make some people angry. My opinion is that parents don’t have this luxury for that very reason. We want the best for our children. Chaos is not the best environment.

2. I am not willing to be organized. Many artists and innovative people feel that being regimented by an organizing system will stifle their creative juices. Talented writer, Virginia Woolf, said, “To enjoy freedom we have to control ourselves.” A wonderful book for innovative folk is Organizing From the Right Side of the Brain by Lee T. Silber. He believes that “to be truly creative you have to have some sense of order in your life. Some structure is needed because we have so many things going on we would never be able to keep it all straight.” Organizing actually frees your mind from having to remember trivial details that can be jotted in a calendar and enables you to pay your bills before you have late fees. Your creativity is set free to soar without the weight of missed deadlines and missing tools.

3. I don’t want to take the time to get organized. You may be thinking – it’s not that I don’t want to take the time, I just don’t have the time! ‘ Stop Shuffling and Start Organizing’ is Tip 17 from Talane Miedaner’s book, Coach Yourself to Success. She writes, “Take the time to invest in setting up systems to make your life even easier. Many of my corporate and professional clients feel they don’t have time to organize; they are too busy. As a result, they work in cluttered, crazy, paper-piled environments. Big mistake. What they don’t realize is that they will be twice as productive when they get organized.” Time is gained, not lost, in making order that then saves hours in the long run! I don’t know about you, but if I want to see a movie or go out to eat, I will always make the time to do it.

4. I am afraid to get organized. Some clients fear that if stuff is “put away” they will forget something important. For me, when I was younger I didn’t want to be seen as the meticulous math geek. The truth is, getting organized is not about hiding things or the stigma of being seen as a perfectionist. Organizing is finding a system for placing papers or possessions that enables you to retrieve them at will. If you are a visual person, that system may include see-through files or another highly visible solution. The important thing is to be able to find what you need when you need it!

5. I don’t know where to start to get organized. This usually means the task seems so overwhelming that you don’t even want to think about starting. Find someone who enjoys this process who can help. You will be so glad you did. That organized person may be your sister-in-law, the author of a book from the library (see my resource list below for a few of my favorite organizers), or my blog about Clearing the Clutter to just get started. If you want in-person help from a professional, the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has a list by city.

There is a sense of accomplishment and well-being that comes with getting a portion of your life/space organized. Sometimes that first step prompts another, like when you paint your living room walls and then have to get a new chair ’cause the old one looks ratty now. Seek out some of the great new organizing products or ask for help in the actual process. If you really do want to get your time under control and your space in order, you CAN do it!

Resource List Organizing authors I recommend are: Julie Morganstern, Barbara Hemphill, Elizabeth Hagen, and Judith Kolberg.

Posted in Home Life, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management | Comments Off
Tags: motivation, productivity, time

How to Find Your Time Leak

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Do you feel like you were busy all day long, but at the end of the day can’t point to one specific task that you completed?

One way to quantify how you spend your time is to keep track of your activities for one week. An easy way to do this is with a timer you can set for a fifteen minute interval. A kitchen timer will do. Draw three columns on a sheet of paper and title these “Activity”, “Time Blocks”, and “Notes”. Activities should be general categories like – eating, exercising, writing, on phone, marketing, networking, data entry, housework, playing, watching TV, etc.

Beginning with the time you wake up, continually set the timer, note the activity and put an X in the next column for each 15 minute block you spend doing that. In the Notes column, you can remind yourself of the particular project or reason for extended period of time spent. The timer is essential because reconstructing your day after the fact is not always a true picture. At the end of the day, add up the time spent on each activity. After your 7 days or work week ends, evaluate where you spent the major portion of your days.

Two things happen while you are doing this exercise. First, you are more conscious of the passage of time when you find yourself doing mindless activities. Checking your e-mail can stretch into a three hour marathon of web surfing otherwise. Second, you will discern how much time you are actually spending on those activities you claim as priorities personally or on the job. Will you readjust your priorities or purpose to honor those decisions with a time commitment?

Finding the leak is helpful only if you make an attempt to stop the leak and take preventative measures to avoid puncture scenarios in the future.

Posted in Time Management, Tips and Tricks | Comments Off
Tags: accountable, howto, productivity, time