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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 | No Responses »
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 | No Responses »
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 | No Responses »
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

“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 | No Responses »
Tags: motivation, productivity, time

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.

Click to continue »

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

Time Management Tip: Brains Leak, Write it Down

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Do you remember the line from the movie The Navigator? Aliens abducted a pre-teen boy and tried to imprint maps of the universe in his brain. The plan backfired. The talking spaceship told him he was being returned because, “Your brain leaked.” I resemble that remark. You, too?

I have to write things down. It started as a memory device for the visual learner I am. If I wrote it, I could throw away the piece of paper; it was in there. Now if I lose the paper, I’m a goner. I also like to write things down because that act makes abstract goals and ideas more real.

Thankfully, I am not alone. Leading efficiency and time management writers agree that writing tasks and goals is key. Here are some tricks to make this work for you.

What? Write to-do’s, facts, appointments down as you think of them. Keep a pad next to your computer and in your purse/briefcase/backpack. Then you won’t have to keep repeating it to remind yourself. Less brain chatter and leakage.

When? Now, especially when you are in the middle of a priority task. After you write it down, you can dismiss that thought and focus completely on the task at hand.

Where? Write directly in your day planner/computer calendar, if at all possible. If not, transfer the info to your main data collection tool as soon as you have a chance. Then you will be able find it and act on it. Otherwise, the napkin or post-it note might disappear along with that thought.

Why? So you can live out and share your unique brilliance. We want to hear from you, meet with you for lunch, learn from your experience.

Make it easy on yourself. Don’t trust your leaky brain. Write it down. Then share it with us.

Posted in Home Life, SOHO Small Office/Home Office, Time Management, Tips and Tricks | 2 Responses »
Tags: calendar, get organized, learning styles, organizing, time