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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

Product Review: Packing and Grocery Checklists

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

I love these ready-to-use checklist pads! They were perfect giveaways for my Moms Summer Series listeners.

You get 60 sheets that save you little grey cells and loads of time NOT WRITING your list over and over.

These are available at The Container Store for $6.99 each. Buy 2 of each and wrap a set for that friend’s birthday!

All Out Of Checklist Pad

Make your grocery (or take with you on vacation!) list as you go with this pre-made checklist.

Frequent purchases are listed under major shopping categories so you don’t have to write those staples every time.

Magnetized so you can post on your refrigerator and everyone can add to the list.

Pack This! Classic Checklist

Read through the list and mark what you want to pack. Then check off each item as you assemble what you need.

Now you don’t have to rack your brain wondering what you are forgetting! Let the checklist remind you.

Go back to revise your list after each trip until you have it down to a science!

Posted in Featured, Product Review | Comments Off
Tags: efficiency, get organized, organizing products, planning, simplify, time

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

Ask NOT What Organizing Can Do For You…, Better Yet DO Ask!

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Perhaps intelligence can lessen the consequences of ADD tendencies? Maybe, maybe not. My father labeled me a “scatterbrain”, but I was able to excel in school and in my first jobs. The real challenge in my life began when I became a military wife and eventually a mom of four. To survive, I was forced to develop systems that would guide our home life as well as our packing and moving 11 times in 20 years.

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, my family began to experience the added turmoil of cancer diagnosis and treatment, anorexia, mental illness, and death of parents. I trust in a big God, but had to tell Him, “This is really too much, Lord!”

Although I was not thrilled with these situations , they have stretched me and given me an added measure of compassion. I know what it is like to feel buffeted by situations you can’t control, to feel helpless and hopeless. I also know that to do what I can no matter how little that is, is all that is required of me. Small actions taken consistently can produce extraordinary results!

My desire for you is that you…

Get clear about what you really want. What is that? Do you want to be able to find what you need when you need it, to have only furniture sitting on the floor, to enjoy a calm retreat at the end of a busy day, or to finally get rid of paper piles… what is it? In other words, why are you reading a post about organizing?
Know why you want it. Be specific. How will that result improve your life? What will it allow you to do? How would that feel?
Stop allowing the past to dictate your future.
Eliminate the physical and mental clutter that is holding you back.
Make room for something new in your life – a new vocation, volunteer effort, or creative pursuit.
Be realistic about where you are now.
Dare to dream about where you want to be. Expand your possibilities.
Do not be a victim, or a survivor, but be ready to thrive.
Let go of those things and attitudes that are blocking your success.

Once you have taken an honest look at where you are and have decided you don’t want to stay there, allow me to be a part of the solution. On my home page, you can request the F.R.E.E. 60 Tips to Organize Your Life. Use that as a quick guide to de-clutter, take control of your time, and save an hour a day.

You will find that taking those small positive steps will increase your self confidence. That begins a ripple effect that makes you want to take the next step and the next – rather like painting your living room and then seeing that your old ratty couch doesn’t fit anymore.

Let me know what tips you decided to take action on first. I want to be able to cheer you on. As the L’Oreal commercial says, “You are worth it!”

Posted in Downsize / Move, Featured, Home Life, Paper Management, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management | Comments Off
Tags: ADD, ADHD, efficiency. organizing, family home, get organized, get started, motivation, organizing, planning, simplify, time

Ricky Scaggs Sings About a Simple Life

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Life used to be simpler, didn’t it? Or are we only remembering from a child’s much simpler viewpoint?

Do you remember walking through fields and scaring up huge juicy grasshoppers that spit “tobacco” on your hands when you caught them?

Do you remember decorating your bike with streamers to ride it in the 4th of July parade?

Do you remember listening for the ice cream man and running like mad to get money before he passed your house?

Do you remember playing “hide n’ seek” in the twilight relishing those last few minutes before the street lights came on and you would be called home?

Do you remember the smell of burning leaves in the fall before that was banned for cleaner air?

Do you remember who was the perfect light stringer, ornament hanger, or tinsel spreader when you put up a Christmas tree?

Do you remember banging on pots and pans when the clock struck twelve, to ring in the New Year?

What are the sights, smells, and sounds that trigger that memory of simpler times for you?

Watch for the airstream on the beach and smile with me, remembering your simple life.

YouTube video by beanscott, October 1, 2007. “Song by Ricky Skaggs. I loved this song because it so reminded me of the kind of life my dad has lived, one of simple devotion to God, as well as his family.”

Posted in Featured, Holidays, Home Life, Just for Fun | Comments Off
Tags: encourage, L.I.F.E., simplify, time

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

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