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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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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!
  3. 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.
  4. 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 »
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Time Management : The Power Hour

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

A time management tool I have heard bandied about lately is the “power hour.” The idea is to decide on one essential task you must get done and set a timer for one hour.

Take phones off hooks or turn down the ringer sound, don’t check email or texts, get a drink and go to the bathroom before your hour starts. Then use that hour to take a huge bite out of that task.
This works for me. I do my best thinking when I am immersed in a project. I feel like I am diving deep under the surface and don’t even come up for air.

These are two of the timing tools I like best:

Click the image for a larger view - focusbooster.com App

Focus Booster– a free app that you download, then use as a timer on your computer. Note: when setting the time, moving the cursor to the right adds time, moving to the left gives less time.

Click the image for a larger view - Digital Hourglass Timer by Polder

Digital Hourglass Timer by Polder – This is a funky clock and timer with digital “sand” timing up to 99 minutes. Useful when you are working around the house, or as a limiting factor in meetings or workshops! Also available at selected Target stores.

Try the “power hour” with one of these or any timer you have on hand. See if it works for you. You may need some background noise if you are more of an auditory, sensing type.

If an hour is too long, start with 10 minutes of concentrated effort and lengthen the interval as you get more comfortable.

Now is also a good time to use your “power hour” to start on that thing you have been putting off for forever!

Posted in Personal Development, Product Review, Time Management, Tips and Tricks | 2 Responses »
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Product Review: My Favorite Weapon

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Those of you who have been in my small group Clutter Management Program, or have been a Simple Changes reader for a while know that I LOVE the Freedom Filer paper management system.

I have helped quite a few clients set up this system in their home to corral paper so they can find what they are looking for in 10 seconds or less. It’s kind of a “no brainer”. You purchase, set it up like in the picture, and it is so easy to use you don’t have to think. Love saving those little grey cells…

The best part is the “maintenance free” or as I like to call it “self-purging” aspect of this system. The color-coded categories not only tell you when to purge, but practically force you to do it!

What I usually do with clients is have them purchase the system online. I put the basic system together, then show up ready to customize and train on how to best use all the additional features. The client hands me the copy he/she ordered and pays only for materials and the training time.

The benefit of ordering directly from Freedom Filer is that the company will then email you reminders on when to update and purge. Love it!

Make the decision today to break free!

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Getting That Project from To Do to DONE!

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

My husband, Jeff,  is a Project Management Professional (PMP).  He oversees Information Technology (IT) projects for the State of Ohio.

You and I are project managers, too. Without thinking about it, we go through certain steps to make sure something gets done on time. Sometimes we miss a step, the project falters, and we are scrambling to catch up. Perhaps we can learn some tips from the experts.

First, let’s make sure we agree on what a project is. This is the short definition in Project Management for Dummies by Stanley E. Portny, PMP:

A project is a temporary undertaking performed to produce a unique product, service, or result.

In plain English, that means:  

  • A project has a beginning, middle and an end with specific start and end dates.
  • The result or product is well-defined and measurable.
  • Resources are necessary to complete the project (ex. people’s time and effort, money).

There are 5 steps that constitute a complete project cycle. Let’s walk through the steps and apply them to a summer project. Say, for example, you want to take a trip to see the Grand Canyon.

  1. Initiating – Starting the project by clarifying needs/desires, expectations, budget, who will be involved.~~ Decide you are actually going to take that trip to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon. Invite
    people to go with you, ask what else they want to see. Estimate how much the trip will cost
    and whether you can afford it.
  2. Planning – Working out details on what is involved (scope), resources available, timing, and what can go wrong. Decide who will do what and when in order to be done on time.~~Check out airfares to see where and when you will fly out west. Plan how long you will stay based on  available resources. Map out what you will see and where you need to book overnight stays. Look at the extended forecast for an idea of what to pack. Think about what could go wrong and plan for contingencies.
  3. Executing – Taking action; work as a team.~~Book flights, rental car, hotel rooms. Have mail and papers held. Pack suitcases, get spending money and meet at the airport at the appropriate date and time. Delegate some tasks to make other traveler(s) feel invested in the process.
  4. Monitoring/Controlling – Tracking performance to stay on time and budget.~~While vacationing according to plan, be flexible to account for unexpected delays or expenses. Adjust your itinerary accordingly to stay within your budget and get to the airport on time to come home.
  5. Closing – Get approval on final results. Do a post-project evaluation to acknowledge what did well, lessons learned on ways to improve.~~Pat yourself on the back for checking that wish off your bucket list! Jot down a few notes on what you will do differently next time.

My Request to You

Take a piece of paper. Identify one project you are thinking of starting or are in the middle of.

Write the 5 steps on your paper. Next to each one, brainstorm what tasks/actions will be needed.
Assign a start and an end date to your project. Then work backward asking yourself, “When will I have to get this particular task done in order to finish my project on time?”

You will be amazed at the solid plan you end up with! Call this your “skeleton” and flesh it out as you walk through each stage. Don’t you love having a plan on paper so you don’t have to waste brain cells rethinking all the time? Now, just do it!

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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

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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!”

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Downsizing in Place, Part 2: Tap Into Your Treasure

Monday, August 9th, 2010

My daughter, Jenny, recently returned from living in Italy and was faced with the task of sorting through boxes from her college years. She had to decide what still held meaning for her and what she was ready to let go.

Making decisions about possessions that represent your life is difficult.  You wonder where to start. What is the reasoning process to use?

Then you can get bogged down with the question, “If I don’t keep it, what should I do with it?” The object represents history, or still has a useful life.

One strategy to use when the task seems overwhelming is to turn the process around. Rather than looking at what to get rid of and how, start by looking for treasures.

Ask yourself:

  1. What can I not bear to live without?
  2. Does anything give an emotional tug that holds good memories?
  3. What feeds my soul because it is of such great beauty?

Set aside these treasured items; these are “the keepers!”

All that remains is to determine what you use on a regular basis or you must keep to stay out of jail. The rest can go. Isn’t that a freeing thought?

Remember, you don’t have to keep inherited items or gifts if they do not hold meaning for you! Let someone else cherish those.

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