The Productivity blog by Michele the Organizer

Wrapping up

2011-10-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a full year with my new business focus, and I just wanted to check back in one final time with all the new information. It seemed like the right time to close down and redirect the old website and now that it's done I feel a huge relief.

Here's my new site:

http://www.michelechristensen.com

and my new blog:

http://www.michelechristensen.com/blog

Thanks for the opportunity to serve you, and I hope to see you on the new site!

A big announcement

2010-10-21T11:46:00.000-07:00

I'm making big changes in my business. I'm in the process of changing the focus of my services to supporting solopreneurs (one -person entrepreneurial businesses) in building a business that lets them serve the world with their unique gifts.

How did this come about? Both my undergraduate and graduate degrees are in business, and for the first part of my career I worked for corporate America and needless to say I didn't like it. When I left that for self-employment and later non-profit work, I stopped even identifying myself as a business person because of my dislike of the hierarchical, slow moving places where I worked. When I started my organizing business in January of 2009, I thought it would be a great service and almost considered the business end of things as an afterthought.

Through investing in some business and marketing training, I learned that my gift and my passion was helping overwhelmed entrepreneurs to get more done by being efficient, having systems, using technology and practicing good time management. I was really happy in this niche and loved the ever-growing part of my business that was really business consulting, not organizing. As I got more clear, I attracted more of the type of clients I love to work with. So what was the problem?

As long as I called myself an organizer, I wasn't able to get the message out because my specialty isn't one people often associate with organizers.

After trying numerous ways to explain my services, it finally became clear that it was time to move on and claim my new business. It's still a work in process, but I will be sure to let you know when I've made the change. It should be in the next few weeks.

It's been a pleasure blogging here and interacting with you. This will be the last regular post here, until I am ready to announce my new site and blog. Stay tuned for that and I hope to continue serving you in my new space.

Talk to you soon! Michele

I'm featured on the Reside Daily Bite!

2010-10-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

Check out this 3 1/2 minute video from Realtor David Doucette, who works here on the Westside of LA. We filmed this at a monthly tweetup for local businesses that he and I cohost.

David's site: Reside Real Estate

Reside Daily Bite, The Importance of Networking:

Sleep!

2010-09-30T10:19:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote this post on sleep and how important it is. After I wrote that, I was surprised to get advice from my doctor on getting more sleep to help me recover from a minor medical issue. It seems obvious, but once she said it I knew she was right. Since then, I've been more conscientious than usual with my sleep.

I've long known I can't skimp on sleep and feel good so my sleep habits weren't terrible, but I was still shocked to see how different I felt with abundant sleep. I feel much clearer and my problem solving skills are sharper. I'm more tuned in to people. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that I've been getting a lot done and feeling less overwhelm even though my to-do list hasn't gotten smaller!

Don't wait for a doctor to tell you to get more sleep. Pretend he or she did and do it now. Even though you may have less waking time, I predict you'll get more done and enjoy you waking time more.

Weekend event - Rejuvenate Your Practice

2010-09-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I attended at two-day event here in LA called Rejuvenate Your Practice, which was about teaching people like coaches, body workers and other service providers how to to grow their business. Since I work with a lot of people in this line of work, I thought I'd tell you about the event. RYP is taught by husband-and-wife team Jesse Koren and Sharla Jacobs. They are delightful and make a great team. What attracted me to their training is their approach of Heartselling (the opposite of hard selling), and how even the sales part of your business can be approached in a no-pressure, service-oriented way that feels good for everyone.

The ticket price for the event is $997, but I and many others got one of the generous free scholarships Jesse and Sharla offer. The event is packed with great information, and yes, there are other programs by Jesse and Sharla for sale. At no point did I feel pressured or ostracized for not buying and I felt that they did a good job of modeling the kind of sales they teach.

The event and the attendees had that California feel-good vibe - hug your neighbor, tell them they are awesome, etc. and for the most part it was fine. There were definitely some moments that were not something I was comfortable with such as when we paired up for a partner exercise and step one was "tickle your partner," or when we were supposed to give a massage to the person next to us in a chain to start the day. I was in the minority though, and most people seemed to love these activities so I would say the activities were fine and I just wasn't a great match for them. If you like these kinds of things, you'd probably love this event hands down.

If you are a coach, therapist, body worker, chiropractor, acupuncturist, nutritionist, or other service professional, I recommend this event. I learned a lot and it was well worth the two days of time. I do recommend a full day off afterward - the event is intense and I was wiped out!

http://www.rejuvenateyourpractice.com/

Why some small things linger

2010-09-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

This is my vanity light fixture today.

As you can see, it's got a bulb burned out, and it burned a few days ago. Why does it still look like this you might ask? I have to buy the bulb at a specialty store and was too booked on those days to address it until today. There's enough light to function so it didn't seem worth running myself into a frenzy to get it changed quickly. For me, part of being organized is being able to tell when something is truly an emergency or not. This isn't.

I've been in people's houses many times where light bulbs go unchanged for years. This is one home repair that most people know how to do, don't need tools for and aren't intimidated by. So why so many burned out bulbs? I think there's two reasons.

First is that this job needs to be taskified, or turned into a series of tasks. In my case, it means:

-get out stepladder
-google how to remove unusual light bulb
-remove bulb, put in car
-put stepladder back
-schedule an errand to go to the light bulb specialty store and purchase replacement bulbs
-get stepladder out
-remove decorative cover(s) on light fixtures
-wash covers, dust fixture
-install bulb
-replace covers
-put stepladder away
-research bulb to see if it needs to go to toxic waste disposal
-throw bulb away or put with items to go to toxic disposal site

So as you can see, changing the light bulb in this case consists of multiple steps all of which have to be executed in order. You need a robust enough task management system that you can keep this project moving.

The second difficulty I see is with the contexts in which these tasks occur. The first few happen at home, when I'm in clothes I can work in (i.e. not dress clothes and not pajamas) and when I'm mentally clear enough to handle being up on a ladder (for me, that means not late at night). The middle step, buying the bulb, has to happen when I'm in the car. Since I live in Southern California, there is no such thing as a quick trip anywhere and not planning errands can be costly indeed. So I had to find a day to go to the light bulb store when it was geographically convenient. The last few tasks happen in the same context as the first few.

So, a simple job like changing a light bulb can be more than just a 2-minute interruption. If you find a job that seems simple but it lingers in your life, try listing the tasks it takes to complete it and the contexts in which those tasks need to happen. Tell me in the comments about small jobs like this that have been undone in your life for too long and what you could do to get them moving.

examine your intervals for recurring tasks

2010-09-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

One of the things I'm always adjusting is the interval I use for recurring tasks. If I clean something that got really dirty since the last cleaning, I know I waited too long to do it. If it's still spotless, I'll give it a little longer next time. I shred old paperwork about every 6 months and it keeps my file drawer from getting packed.

In general, I try to minimize the total time spent on the job by considering the frequency of the job and time it takes to do it. If I wait a longer interval, the job itself might take longer. I also consider lifestyle issues - you might be able to get away with doing some tasks very infrequently, but do you want to? I have two dogs, and do a big floor clean once a week and a spot sweep once a week. I could do less, but then things would get kind of gross around here.

I use an electronic calendar and to-do list so adjusting the intervals is easy. It might be a little harder if you use paper.

My tip for "Dream It, Then Do It"

2010-09-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick video I did when I was asked to do the tip of the week by Debra Eckerling of Dream It, Then Do It and Write On Online. Kudos to Debra for making me look good!

Perfectionism, or not

2010-08-20T08:35:00.000-07:00

In my experience, the word perfectionism is waaaay overused. In the same way that many people think that anyone who drives faster than they do is a speed demon, people are quick to label someone whose standards are higher than their own in a certain area a perfectionist. I think it's dismissive and simplistic to have this kind of knee-jerk reaction and it diminishes the real problem of perfectionism.

The best definition of perfectionism I've heard is this: The inability to discern the appropriate quality of the end result for you, or the belief that only perfect results are acceptable. Generally, higher quality requires more time so it's good to assess how important the result of something is before investing the time to do it.

Way too often, people are quick to be an armchair psychologist and say that someone else is a perfectionist without a) knowing what perfectionism is and b) having enough information to say if the person is in fact a perfectionist. The reality is that people have different standards. I once questioned a $435 dental bill I received when I believed my balance to be zero. The billing department was unable to explain it to me and thus wrote it off. A lot of people told me I was a perfectionist because of this and that they would have just paid it. I don't agree with this assessment and instead think that my standards for handling money are simply different than theirs.

If a quality end result in something is important to you, by all means invest the time and do it well. For all else, feel free to just do to whatever level will get it off your plate but remember that someone else isn't necessarily a perfectionist just because they do that same task to a higher standard.

Stress - you're not powerless

2010-08-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, I posted a link to a podcast of an article called "Stress Less, Accomplish More" on my Facebook Page. I first read this article in the May 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping Magazine.

One of the ideas behind the article is that how you think about stress may make it easier to handle. Remembering that some of the stress in your life is due to good things that you like to do, such as traveling and going to birthday parties, can make it much easier to manage. So often, it can feel like the second half of "I'm so stressed out" is "and there's nothing I can do about it."

Some of your stress is due to positive choices you make. I'm not suggesting you drop all your activities, but do remember that each new thing may add some stress to your life and that you do have control over how much of this type of stress you take on.

Allow bumper time for activities

2010-08-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

A while back, I wrote this post on allowing cushion time for all activities. Cushion time is a soft pad that allows for things to go wrong. Instead of running into the hard wall of a time deadline, when things go wrong you have some soft time between activities to handle the impact.

Another time trap to allow for is bumper time. The bumper of a car is a space-holder on the front and back that gives you something to bump before you damage the car. Since the bumper takes up space, you have to allow for it but it's incidental to the car.

In your schedule, bumper time is all the incidental time for an activity that it's easy to overlook. If you want to work out for 90 minutes at the gym in the middle of the day, you need to allow time to get there, park, stow your things in a locker, do your 90 minute workout, shower, leave and get back to work. You might need closer to 2 1/2 hours for your 90 minute workout.

It's a small thing and most of us schedule this naturally to some degree. By paying attention and being on top of bumper time you'll have a much better idea of how long things really take.

Pre-allocating your time

2010-08-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

When you've got a lot of project, priorities or even contexts (settings) in which you work, it may be helpful to pre-allocate your time based on your values. For example, my biggest priorities in my life in terms of tasks to complete are my business, my ongoing life-maintenance tasks and our ongoing home remodel. In each of them, there are hundreds of tasks and at least dozens of projects. If I had to confront all of those possibilities numerous times throughout the day I think my brain would explode.

An alternative to looking a the entire universe of things you could be doing is to allocate your time based on what's important to you. As an ongoing guideline, I've set a goal for the number of hours I work in my business per week and how many hours I spend on home remodeling tasks. Once I've designated some time for home remodeling, it's a much smaller choice of what to actually do with that time.

Setting some guidelines for how much time you spend on each area of your life will help ensure that no important area gets short-changed in favor of what's in front of you. For ongoing, longer-term projects you'll have the benefit of knowing that you are done for now once you've put in the number of hours you decided was right. If you allocate your hours on a weekly or monthly basis, you can line your time up with your priorities and know that if you stay with those guidelines you'll be living according to what's important to you.

Sleep: Get some. Tonight.

2010-08-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

It's not often that I'm emphatic about something, but this article really drove home for me just how important sleep is. It's not just about feeling great, being super creative or event looking good - it can be about life and death. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1,500 deaths per year are caused by drowsy driving. Experts also say that too little sleep raises risk for premature death due to causes such as stroke. In case you were thinking, like me, that you can catch up on the weekend I'm going to have to burst this bubble as well. According to a sleep expert at Johns Hopkins University, the ratio for make up sleep is more like 5 good nights for one bad. Ugh.

So that leaves just the unpleasant, hard reality that skimping on sleep is not a way to get more done. Whatever the cost is in other activities you forego, adequate sleep is a must. I've always been sensitive to lack of sleep. I've been envious of people that can sleep less than me or who don't seem bothered by less-than-usual sleep, but now I'm not so sure it would be a good thing to be able to miss sleep with no immediate consequences. I feel so lousy and function so poorly that I don't have as much leeway in missing sleep as other people do. Maybe that's a good thing.

I have gotten sloppy with my sleep habits lately. My husband is on a late work schedule, so I often stay up to spend some time with him. After reading this article a few weeks ago, I've improved a lot. I aim for 8 1/2 hours of sleep a night, and try not to miss that more than 1 night in a row. It hasn't been easy. I feel like a toddler who doesn't want to go to bed because the world is so exciting and there's so much possibility. It feels like I'm spending a huge chunk of my day sleeping. But it has been worth it. I feel so much better in the morning and I wake up charged by the potential of the day. Even though it may not seem like it because I'm quitting so much earlier, I feel pretty sure I'm getting more done now that I'm sleeping more.

Here's the article: Dying for Sleep

How much sleep do you get compared to how much you need? Try some of the tips in the article and see if they make a difference for you.

Progress with a leash-pulling dog

2010-08-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

(Sometimes I write about things that are not related to organizing or productivity in the spirit of public service. This is one of those posts. If you're not a dog person, feel free to skip this and I'll see you on the next post. )

We adopted Calvin in March of 2008 at the shelter-estimated age of 6 months. From the beginning, he was high-energy and pulled terribly on his leash. Finally, two-plus years later I can state firmly that we have made big progress on his leash pulling. Here's the story.

Calvin doesn't so much as pull on his leash as take off full speed running on the leash. He reaches the end of the leash with predictable results: he chokes himself (or worse) and then does it again. And again. And again. So extreme is the problem that he caused both my husband and I to have painful injuries in our shoulders, arms and backs. Calvin would frequently (yes, frequently) reach the end of the leash and be going so fast his entire body would leave the ground and he would swing in a circle by his neck. He's done this wearing a prong collar. And did it again right away. He's also run off the edge of the porch, swung by his neck and did it again right away. He's not an easily deterred dog.

He's a good dog who is sweet and amenable to commands in other settings. I really believe that he is so impulsive that his desire to take off running overrides any painful consequences. We tried a lot of different things including 7 different collars/harnasses, several of which are the ones that claim to make it impossible to pull or guarantee immediate relief from pulling. Some of them made a small difference, maybe 1%-5% for a few days and then he adjusted and figured out how to pull just the same. With the nose harness (it attaches around his muzzle and makes it so he "can't" pull because he just turns his head by pulling), he figured out how to stiffen his neck muscles and was back to pulling just as fiercely in a few days. With others, designed to make pulling merely uncomfortable, there was no change.

I spent hours online and tried several different training techniques. I tried the randomly changing direction in a low-stimulation parking lot for the entire walk for 3 months straight and it did nothing. Treats? Nothing. Encouragement? Nothing. Leash corrections? Nothing. Squirting with water bottle? Nothing. Guiding him by putting a tennis raquet out in front? Nothing.

What did work, after a long time and a lot of work is a behavioral psychology technique that I modified for use here. I got the idea from an article in Best Friends magazine called The Science of Kindness. The jist of the article is a training philosophy by Susan Friedman, a behavioral psychologist. There are 3 main points:

1) your dog has the ability to make decisions
2) your dog does make decisions, all day long, every day
3) as the guardian, it is your job to set up the decisions so that he chooses the way you both want

So how did I use this with the leash pulling?

In our pack, whenever we walk the dogs we always walk in what is commonly called "heel" - he's at my side and the leash is loose. When he's in position, we begin walking. Calvin likes to walk fast or jog, so I do that most of the time. As soon as I feel any tension on the leash, I stop. He now has the choice - keep pulling on the leash and stay still, or come back to my side and get moving again.

At first, there was no change in his pulling. But what changed a lot was my frustration level. I was simply framing a choice for him. As a dog guardian, I have no obligation to tolerate any pulling at all, and certainly not anything that injures me. He doesn't need to stop pulling because I say so, but because pulling and walking simultaneously is not an option in our world - he can only do one or the other at a time. I felt like I was respecting myself and him at the same time. It was a long time, at least a few months before we saw any improvement at all. We walk at least an hour every morning, so imagine every walk for months on end where we walk a step, stop and correct, walk 2 steps, stop and correct, walk 2 steps, stop and correct........There were many walks where I didn't go more than 5 feet without stopping to correct.

At first, while he was learning the parameters of his choice, I had to coax him. Calvin responds much better to sweetness than to authority so I gently coaxed him using his favorite high-pitched sweet voice. I try to be really on top of the timing and consistency too - the second I feel even a tiny pull, I stop him and then as soon as he's in position at my side I get moving. It makes the choice as clear as possible: if you pull at all we don't move ever. If you are at my side we move fast just the way you like.

It was a slow change, but he definitely knows the choice now. I can often correct him before he pulls with just a suggestion in my voice or by jiggling the leash with my fingertips. I get a good amount of loose-leash time in every walk. Over time, it takes him fewer minutes to get into the groove. He can handle himself in more situations now.

It was a looooong road and there's still a way to go but already we've had a big improvment. It's improved both of our lives a lot and allowed him to have some say in how the walk goes. Instead of ineffective techniques, I am using his natural desire to walk far and fast to encourage him to make choices that are good for both of us. Hope it works for you too!

Can you be more productive?

2010-08-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

Maybe not. That might sound strange from someone who helps people to do just that. The reality is using the phrase "more productive" is a shortcut for saying "get more of what's important done" or "spend more time doing high priority things."

Everyone operates at full capacity all the time. You get exactly 168 hours worth of stuff done every week. You can't really be more productive, you can only get a different mix of things done. By my definition, being more productive means getting more of the right things done with right being defined by you.

In order to take on a new commitment, something else has to go. It might be an activity of such low value that it seems like you are giving up nothing, but you are giving up something. Before taking on anything new, it may be worthwhile to think about what you are giving up to make room for the new thing. If you do take something new on, make sure you make a conscious decision about what you are giving up and not just allow something to fall off by accident. You'll end up with a better choice.

Other people may not like your boundaries

2010-07-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

If you set boundaries that are uplifting and self-supporting, sometimes other people may not like them. That probably doesn't sound very profound, but knowing and accepting this is of utmost importance in taking care of yourself and getting to the things that are important to you. There are obvious examples, like someone wanting you to volunteer or help with something and you don't, but there are loads of other examples that might make you less popular as well.

Sometimes a networking contact wants to meet me for a one-on-one lunch or coffee, and I don't see how we can benefit from that. Sometimes a friend may want more contact than you do. Somebody may want to be your Facebook friend that you are not interested in.

In situations like these, you may have to choose between honoring yourself and not offending the other person or hurting their feelings. It can be a tough choice. I know very few people who go through life willingly hurting others and even fewer who do it without hesitation.

I encourage you to consider offending sometimes. That doesn't mean you always have to choose what feels best for you, but be open to choosing it so you can make in informed decision. If you simply close off the option of not meeting that person because you might offend them then you may not fully think through the decision. At least try it on for size and imagine what it would feel like to to say no. Could you live with the fallout?

One final point to remember: Don't overestimate your importance. Certainly you are very important to some people, but to others you probably are not. I recently turned down a friend request on Facebook from someone to whom my only connection was that I attended a webinar with him. We've gone on to connect in several other places so it didn't seem to hurt my professional standing with him in any way. He's someone who connects with everyone, and so in his world I wasn't that important.

Next time someone asks you to do something that you don't want to do, decide if you want to do it any for purely altruistic purposes. If not, decide if you are willing to offend them in order to support yourself.

Use just one calendar

2010-07-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple idea that can simplify your life:

Use only one calendar for everything in your life.

If you use two, then you need guidelines on what goes on which calendar to avoid double booking. With multiple calendars, you not only have to maintain the calendars, but the guidelines as well. The guidelines need to be comprehensive enough to cover all the contingencies and looseness that life throws at you. No only is it hard to write such exclusive guidelines, but once they are written each thing you want to add to your calendars needs to be run through the guidelines to make sure it ends up in the right place.

I know of one possible exception for the one-calendar rule and that would be to have a work calendar for your workday as well as a personal calendar. If you have multiple appointments during your work day, like a doctor or salesperson, you may not want to have that quantity of entries on the calendar you use to manage your life. It may be easier to see "office 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m." and let the office scheduling system handle what happens during office hours. In an appointment-intense work environment, you might have multiple people looking at your schedule during the work day and you may not want the entire office to be privy to your weekend plans.

If you have more than one calendar, consider if you really need more than one and how your life might be simpler with only one. If you use a work calendar as well, try to keep it to just two calendars - work and personal.

Not relevant: how long something "should" take?

2010-07-21T17:56:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I see people, myself included, get caught up in how long something "should" take. Certainly, I promote using efficient work habits so things take as little time as possible but beyond that things take a certain length of time. So often, people get frustrated or fail to plan properly because they are thinking about some hypothetical amount of time a task "should" take. I think sometimes we base this on how much we value the task and thus how much time we are willing to put into it. Other times, I think it's due to a guess based on our experiences with similar tasks. Either way, it's not relevant.

Try not to get caught up in this - instead, base your decision on the real amount of time the task takes. Based on the real amount of time, make a decision about the worthwhileness of the task, and then set aside the proper amount of time to do it.

I hear people fighting themselves a lot on this, saying things like "it shouldn't take that long" or "I should be able to do this more quickly." If you hear yourself saying this, try to catch yourself and stop. Not only is the hypothetical amount of time something "should" take irrelevant, thinking this way is punitive and counter-productive. Strive to be gentle and realistic with your time management.

ask for time to think before you decide

2010-07-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

I sometimes find myself in a situation where someone is pressuring me to make a decision. This isn't always bad - sometimes it's because they sincerely think they have something good for you and want you to say yes right away. Sometimes it's their own enthusiasm for the idea or their desire to have you on board. Since I'm not a surgeon or ob-gyn, rarely is anything truly urgent in my life.

In order to keep your schedule at an optimum level of fullness for you and to make sure you're doing only what's most important, you may need time to think and process some information before making a commitment. You may need to discuss a new commitment with your spouse, boss or family. You may need to look at the days or weeks before and after and what else is on your workload before you can make a good choice.

Don't be afraid to ask for time to think about something before deciding. Unless there's sickness or injury involved, it's probably not that urgent. I've recently begun to do this more regularly and the results have been great. I'm quite enthusiastic for new things, so I'm easily pulled on board when someone has a new project they are excited about. I've learned to say that the answer is no if you need an answer right now. Sometimes that means I miss things that would have been great, but way more often it leads me to turn down things that I'm right to turn down. In the cases where I do say yes, I'm able to say so without reservation and perhaps more importantly say yes to exactly what I am willing to do. For example, instead of saying "I'll volunteer at the event," I can say "I'll come one hour early for set up and work the first two hours."

Sometimes people don't like being told no, or that they have to wait for a decision. Consider being okay with that and treating your time like the valuable, non-renewable resource it is. It's your right to take your time to make good decisions.

consider a personal work retreat or change of place

2010-07-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

I was recently talking to a client who told me he gets loads of work done on business trips. He said there was just a feeling of being away from home and in that location for the purpose of work that helped him to really turn on the work energy.

This was a great piece of information and it has applications both on a larger time frame and a smaller time frame. If you have a few days, consider slipping out of town for a combination work-change of pace. It's not quite a vacation, but it breaks up the grind. Living in LA, I sometimes make a quick trip out to Palm Springs and find I can get a lot done out there along with some rejuvenation. For day-to-day activities, consider a mini- work retreat such as going to a coffee shop, co-work space or library. Even though you're doing the same things you'd do in your usual work space, the change of place can add some new energy and make it feel less tedious.

One trick I learned while working in corporate America was to relocate when a problem got hard to solve. I'd grab my boss or a staff person and head to an empty conference room and work on a big white board rather than on a small screen or pad of paper. It never failed to at least help the problem greatly if not outright solve it. Something about jumbling up the thought process really seemed to work.

How can you change your place either for a few days or just a few minutes?

Choose great mentors - my experience at Speak to Sell boot camp

2010-07-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

This is the last of 3 posts on the 3 days I spent at Lisa Sasevich's Speak to Sell bootcamp in June 2010. For the 2nd post, click here.

I learned a lot at this weekend, and the final big thing I learned was that I was wise to pick her as a mentor and how important that choice is. I got to know Lisa by reading her material, listening to her on teleseminars and checking out her website. The reason I decided to go to the boot camp was because her message just clicked for me. She believes in a service-oriented, high integrity, no pressure approach to sales.

The experience gave me a new rule to live by: Choose your teachers carefully because they are going to influence you.

I had the pleasure of meeting two of my other teachers at this event as well, and I would be pleased to be compared to any of them.

This is Lisa Cherney, of Conscious Business Marketing. I participated in the Juicy Online Marketing Essentials Bootcamp she led with with Michele PW.

This is Michele PW (who must be cool because she uses one "L") and me. Michele is the Ka-Ching Marketing Strategist and co-led the Juicy Online Marketing Essentials Bootcamp.

And this is me with Lisa Sasevich, who first introduced me to selling with heart.

Speak to Sell bootcamp, my biggest lession

2010-06-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

This is my second post on Lisa Sasevich's Speak to Sell Bootcamp that I attended in June 2010. Click here for the first post in the series

Lisa did an amazing job of presenting the idea of "good enough." It's a concept I had heard many times and use it throughout my work and life, but it sunk it much deeper and wider when I heard her weave it so artfully throughout the workshop.

Throughout the weekend, she kept asking the question "What would be good enough to move ahead?" So often, it's easy to get sidetracked into thinking whatever project you're working on needs to be at a certain level before you can launch it, and sometimes you think this way because "experts" tell you it's so. Sometimes it's a well-intended effort to always give your best. Instead of asking "What is the best I can do before launching this?" I learned to ask "What would be good enough to get this out into the world?"

She gave to really good examples of good enough. First, was that she built her speaking and training practice to a huge level before she even had a logo! Second, she showed some forms she used as recently as 2006 that didn't even have a website on them! She used an AOL email address and her cell phone number.

She was able to show how "good enough" got her a huge training practice and allowed her to teach hundreds of people at a time. You can always change things later, what she calls "build the plane as you fly it." In fact, you're probably going to get to the "improved" version more quickly by getting out there and doing before revising.

This idea has really opened up a new way of doing things in my life. Sometimes good enough is still excellent, and other times it's much less perfect. It's a great new outlook that has helped me move several projects ahead.

Here I am on the right in black with Lisa:

Speaking engagement, Westside of LA

2010-06-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

If you're a health entrepreneur here in LA, come on out to the first meetup of the Westside LA Health and Wealth Meetup group! I'm the featured speaker for inaugural event on Thursday June 24, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. Details here:

http://www.meetup.com/Westside-LA-Health-Wealth-Meetup-Group/calendar/13736916/

My weekend in San Diego at the Speak to Sell bootcamp

2010-06-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, I was at the beautiful Hilton Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California (just north of San Diego) for Lisa Sasevich's Speak to Sell Bootcamp. It was a really great event and not only did I finish my signature talk, as she promised I was ready to go on stage when I left the event. Need a speaker in the LA area? Check out my speaker page for details.

I learned quite a lot, some of which I'll cover in later posts. The event was very intense though (8:30-7:30 Thursday, 8:30-9:00 on Friday and 8:30-4:00 on Saturday) and I learned some things about managing my energy for such a demanding event. I would love to be one of those people with limitless energy, but I'm not, at least not in all areas. I have a lot of physical and mental energy, but not as much tolerance for being at big events compared to some people. I signed up for a VIP lunch package so I could eat conveniently and network while there, but I found that it didn't serve me well. Next time I'll make plans to unplug at lunchtime and be somewhere quiet. My brain just can't handle taking in all the information for so many hours straight.

The second thing I learned was that I wasn't able to be 100% engaged 100% of the time at all the sessions. Yes, I paid and carved out time to be there so I wanted to give it my all but there were some sessions that I really wanted to be 100% engaged (listening intently, taking notes, really grasping everything) and others it was fine to be only partially engaged. I actually maximized what I took away because I choose the priority sessions and got every bit of learning I could from those.

Finally, in terms of fitting this event in my calendar, I did one thing well and one not so well. What I did well was plan some re-entry time. I've been extra-busy for over a month now and I knew this event would be tiring. I scheduled Sunday off and very light days for Monday and Tuesday. What a relief to get back and know I had a soft landing. What I didn't do so well was manage my time leading up to this event. I've been super busy in all areas of my business - working with clients, building the business and in my ongoing business education. I kind of flew down there in a mad dash, coming off of weeks of mad dashing and as a result I didn't settle in as quickly as I could have and probably didn't enjoy it or get as much out of it than if I had made some space in the days leading up to the event so I could enter it fresh and ready.

That's life isn't it? Live and learn. Next time I go to an event, I'll plan better and be ready to rock!

Are you a checker?

2010-06-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have a small confession to make - I'm a bit of a checker. I've shut the car off and ran back to the house to make sure the door was locked even though I've never forgotten to lock the door. I've been known to walk through the house twice to make sure the windows are all closed. Why am I telling you this? I was at an event over the weekend, and overheard two people in front of me talking about this very thing and both admitted to being checkers. For people with OCD, this can be serious and diminish the quality of their life. For the rest of us, who just have to be sure, it's just a little annoyance.

What I've found works for me is to do something physical like turning the key in the lock and saying in my head "It's Tuesday, I'm leaving for my 3:00 appointment and I've locked the door." When I do this, I've never once had to go back and check the door.

Give this a try if you've ever been a checker. It's way better than going back to check, and you won't spend the next few hours thinking about it. Apply this idea to whatever you think you might be thinking you forgot in a few hours. Leave a comment and let me know if you've ever gone back to check something. It's way more common than you think!

Consider cushion time for all activities

2010-06-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

A big time suck people get trapped in is not allowing a cushion in their schedule. If you have even just a few things schedule for your day, what's the chance that each of them will take just the minimum amount of time possible? What's the chance that everything will go perfectly to get you everywhere on time?

Don't forget to allow for time cushions in your day. Allow time for you to get stuck in traffic, not find a parking space, other people to run late, etc. Don't assume you can leave at 2:01 if your appointment ends at 2:00.

Things go wrong - it's a fact of life. The more activities you have in your day, the more chances you have to get caught in something going wrong. Give yourself the gift of adding some time cushions in your day. One of my favorite, nurturing treats is to sit in my car and listen to something on the radio, read a news article or a few pages of my latest page-turning paperback mystery knowing I'm just seconds away from where I need to be.

why the clutter rules don't always work

2010-06-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Rules can be great - I use rules in lots of settings. One great example is having a physical limit for things that tend to accumulate. If your magazines tend to accumulate, store them in a place where you can only keep a limited number.

Rules aren't always the answer though, and that's why I try to focus more on teaching people how to make decisions on their own rather than follow a I rule I pushed on them. When a rule is appropriate, I make sure to collaborate so the person following the rule is comfortable with it.

One rule I don't follow is the rule often used for clothing: If you haven't worn it in a year get rid of it. This can be a great rule for some people when they purge a closet, but it doesn't work for me. I almost always dress casually and even when I dress up it's more like business casual. On a rare occasion, usually not more than once every year or two I have occasion to dress up and break out one of my 4 pairs of heels. My heels get worn way less than once a year, but it wouldn't make any sense to get rid of them. Fortunately, I don't have trendy taste so they last.

Another example is a client I spoke to who was given the 1-year rule for clothing. The problem with her was that she sometimes took clothes out of her closet after 10 years and started using them again. She had a funky, bohemian, gypsy style so it worked for her. Under this rule, she had gotten rid of clothes she wished she still had and it made her hesitant to get rid of anything else.

So what's the rule? Use a rule when it works, but don't be afraid to make your own rule and or solve the problem without a rule.

pants with pockets

2010-06-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

I'm so jealous of the pant pockets that are so readily available for men!

I get that we women are pickier about our pants in general and pockets don't always work. I also get that on most occasions most women have a purse. But sometimes a gal just wants to look good and have pockets!

My husband and I like to walk and explore places and it's great to have no purse. I have to be strategic and carry very little and choose my pants carefully. I recently started shopping at REI, and have been pleased to find they carry pants, skirts, shorts and skorts (a skirt with integrated shorts underneath) with pockets. Their clothing tends to be made for active use, so the fabric is wrinkle and stain resistant and dries fast. I've also found similar products at other outdoor and active wear stores. Seems like the manufacturers are listening!

The really good news is that they have a lot of nice looking stuff! Some of their pants are tailored for a flattering fit and they have a wide variety of colors and styles. I invested in few cute but practical pieces from them and have gotten a ton of use.

Ladies, go get yourself some pants with real pockets! Next time you're getting ready to spend a day on foot or at a festival, you'll be glad you did.

Change your system to up your energy

2010-06-11T07:53:00.000-07:00

Your time management system consists of various pieces - your calendar, various lists, goals, reference, priorities, contacts, etc. There are numerous options, both electronic and paper and both free and at a price, for each piece of your time management system. I assist people in putting together a system that works for their unique life, mind and preferences.

One of the great moments of "whew!" for the client occurs when that system is in place and supporting them in doing more of what is most important to them. It's one of those beautiful times when you can survey your surroundings from the top of the mountain and feel on top of the world and on top of your schedule and to-do list.

That feeling may last a long time, and what a joy that is! However, for people whose lives change often and/or in big ways, the system may need to be adjusted to continue to support them as well. For example, if someone gets married, loses their spouse, has children, moves or begins to care for an elderly family member the scope and type of information they need to stay on top of will change. While this may seem like just another part of modern life to keep on top of ("what do you mean, now I have to make time to maintain my time management system?") there's some good news.

First, it's much easier to adjust your system after you've set up it up once. You already know what works for you, it's just a matter of finding a new tool for your new circumstance. Second, and much bigger, is that you may find yourself completely jazzed about your life and tackling what's on your to-do list when you change up your time management system. The same way rearranging the furniture in a room and sitting someplace new gives you a whole new perspective of that room, re-arranging your time management system can give you a whole new perspective on your life.

I recently had to make big changes to my system when I switched to a Droid smartphone. I had used the same system for a while (mostly Blackberry and a little bit of paper) for 6+ years and while it functioned pretty well, it had grown old on me. When I was forced to take a look at all the things I need to stay on top of and fit them into the tools available for the Droid, I found ways that my system was bogging me down and not supporting me. One example was spending more time than necessary to pick something to work on because of the way the tasks were presented. It's not that the Blackberry is bad, it's just that having used it for so long and undergoing several major life changes meant I had to re-assess how I managed my time. Switching phones was a perfect opportunity.

The new system has really energized me and helped me to get more accomplished. I think it's good to change up now and again just to see what shakes out and to help you rethink things. It's also good to fight boredom - if you have to work your system at least keep your system interesting.

Take a few minutes and think about how long you've been using your system. What's changed? How well does that system work for you now? Is it time for an overahaul?

Choosing a smart phone

2010-06-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

Certainly smart phones are related to productivity, and I'm hoping this post is useful not only for for my regular readers but for anyone else looking for a phone. It's a post I wish I had when I was looking for a phone and it's written in the spirit of being of service on the web.

Recently, my husband and I decided to upgrade to smart phones for several reasons. First, both of us noticed that there were more and more times when it would come in handy and that we were missing opportunities by not having them. Second, my schedule is different every day and I often find myself in situations where I wish I had a smart phone. Third, it would be a big upgrade in convenience and technology. Fourth, like many people our lives are pretty complex and we are usually in the middle of several projects. The phones would be a huge help. Finally, Chris is a programmer and when we found out you could get a Linux prompt on the Google phones that was the final straw. He's been working toward automating our fixer-upper house and some day we hope to have a smart house.

Next came the phone choice. The short version is that we both got the Motorola Droid which runs the Google Android operating system. We ruled out the iPhone because we don't get AT&T reception on the block we live on. It's a geography thing - we're in a bowl - go just a block in any direction and the signal is fine. Also, given that the ultimate goal is an automated home it seemed like introducing one Apple product into the mix of computers, server and home entertainment components would complicate things. I handled the iPhone several times, and liked the real keyboard on the Droid better. We settled on Verizon for service because they have the best ratings by far for signal strength in our area. We also settled on Google phones because Google is taking over the world! They are growing into new areas all the time and do all of what they do well. We also both use Google extensively. This website and blog as well as some others I have are all hosted on Google. I use gmail for both home and work (even though I have custom domains for both). We use Picasa for pictures - it's an excellent, free photo management software that syncs seamlessly with Blogger. Given how much we use Google already and their excellent service record it just made sense to go Google.

That left just two phones to pick from - the Droid and the Eris. The Eris is more like an iPhone. It is slim and operates on a touchscreen only. I was able to type quickly and accurately on the Droid from the first time I picked it up whereas the Eris took a little more work. The Droid has a slightly larger screen. There were also some minor operating issues that steered us to the Droid.

We've now had our Droids for several months and love them! Look for another post where I talk about how the phones have worked out.

Bed, Bath and Beyond coupons

2010-06-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

In case you don't know about this....

Bed, Bath and Beyond offers big-value coupons. This store sells housewares, linens, toiletries, furniture and organizing products. The most common coupons are for $5, $10 and 20% so they are worth a lot of cash. The staff at my local store has told me stories of coupons being swiped right out of shopping carts!

How you get them:

get on their snail mail or email list and get them in your mailbox.
clip them from your newspaper or magazine
find them online
find them on eBay

However you get them, even if you're not a coupon person, these are worth it. I usually bring a whole stack and surprise people by giving them away. Many people tell me they have a stack at home and just forgot to bring them. One option is to keep them in your car.

I never shop at Bed, Bath and Beyond without coupons! I'm not encouraging you to buy things you don't need just because you have a coupon, but we do need household goods sometimes.

Status of the breadmaker

2010-06-05T06:15:00.000-07:00

Back in January, I wrote about how I ended up buying a breadmaker, and my concerns that it would turn into clutter. 4 months later, here's the status:

I used it about once a week for a while to make bread, but homemade bread is super-tempting, so I'd rather not have it in the house very often. It's really nice to be able to control the ingredients though - I was making either whole-wheat or whole-wheat raisin. I have not tried pizza dough yet because it's more of a project to learn. I've spent some time looking for recipes though, and apparently it's really hard to make good whole-wheat pizza dough.

The biggest problem with the breadmaker is that one of my dogs (Danny, pictured above) hates it. It rumbles, moves around and worst of all beeps. Anything beeping is cause for much upset. As a result, in our house the breadmaker isn't a set-it-and-forget-it thing, it's 3 1/2 hours of keeing the dog from freaking out. In the long run, the breadmaker may not be a good fit for our household. I'll keep you posted.

Anti-procrastination tip #2 - have a good system

2010-06-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

For anti-procrastination tip #1, click here

Sometimes just deciding what to do can be so overwhelming that it leads to procrastination. This leads to tip #2, which is:

Have a good system for figuring out what to be working on.

If your system is too complex, it might be too intimidating to dig in and figure out what to do next. If your system is too loose - picture sticky notes, papers and half completed lists all over - then it's hard to get a handle on the inventory of things you could be working on. When procrastination pops up due to this kind of overwhelm, it can hide in the clever disguise of organizing your system. What is so sneaky about this disguise is that it looks and feels like work and can even product tangible results. The problem is, unless "organize my time management system" was on to-do list for the day then you missed the mark.

Make sure to create a time-management system that works for you easily and instinctively. That way, you'll be in it all the time and it will be up to date when you need to decide what to do next.

Right size your daily to-do list

2010-06-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

One of the really common productivity traps I see is people making a way-to-big to-do list for the day. Somehow, it seems if we start with big goals we'll get more done. Of course, nobody wants to be caught with more time than to-do's, so it's better to be prepared.

On the surface, it may seem like a good idea to have big goals for the day. That's how you motivate yourself right? Better to aim high and fall short than aim low and make it, right?

The reality is that making a too-big to-do list is counter-productive and demoralizing. There are few things worse in managing your to-do list than rewriting (or electronically moving) the bulk of the tasks onto tomorrow's list. Or worse yet, simply crossing off "Monday" and writing "Tuesday." It can make a person feel like a failure, and it diminishes the value of everything they did get done. "The List" holds massive power in our evaluation of our day. Somehow, if a person starts with 30 things and gets 10 done the 20 undone things seem much larger.

Do yourself a favor and right-size your daily to-do list. If you use paper, pick a small piece that forces you to limit how much you can put on there for today. If you use an electronic system, pick a single digit number of tasks you put on there for the day. The actual number of things you can get done will vary depending on how much task time you have and how time-consuming the tasks are, but a number in the single digits is a good place to start.

Things to keep extras of

2010-05-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a tiny, simple tip that can save a lot of hassle later. There are two kinds of hassles - those you could have averted by your actions and those that you have no control over. The things in the latter category (a flat tire, a road closure, a long line that makes you late, etc) are going to happen no matter what, but you can reduce the things in the former category.

One hassle you can avoid is running out of critical items in your house by keeping spares. How bad would it be to run out of deodorant, toothpaste or shampoo while getting ready for an important meeting? How about dog food or a food you eat every day? How about contact lens cleaner, batteries for your remote or medication?

Take a look around as you use things in your house over the next few days and make a note of which would be a big hassle if you ran out. Those are the items to keep extra of. If you don't have room for two of everything, make it a point to get a replacement on you shopping list as soon as you open a new one.

Running out of shampoo isn't on par with many of the tragedies we see in the news every day, but just a simple habit can make sure you never have the hassle of running out again.

I have no idea what I'm doing later

2010-05-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

Probably sounds strange for someone who works in productivity and organizing huh?

A few weeks ago I was leaving an appointment and the person I was with asked me what I was doing the rest of the day. I replied that I was going home to get a few things done. When she asked what things, I thought about it and honestly couldn't name one thing. All I knew is that home was my destination after that appointment and that I had a list of things to work on.

I was really pleased by this because it showed me how far I've come. I used to constantly think about what I had to do next, what I was doing later, what I might have forgotten, etc. and now it's so far removed from my mind that I can't even think of one thing on my list for that day even when asked.

Having a lot to do isn't innately stressful. What is stressful is trying to use your limited brain bandwidth to try to keep track of it all, missing deadlines, forgetting things, wondering if you've forgotten something and dealing with urgency that could have been avoided. Get a system set up that you feel confident in, use it consistently and see how good you can feel even when you have way more to do than you could possibly get to.

Taking my own advice

2010-05-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was at a networking event and one of the participants was a massage therapist who was offering a free 30 minute massage to new clients in their home. Now this may sound illogical to you, but having body work done isn't that high a priority for me. I like it and see the value, but rarely does it drift up high enough in my priorities to make it happen. It doesn't often pass my 10% test. When the massage therapist first said it, my eyes popped open and I thought "wow," but quickly I came back down and realized that even free, body work just often doesn't make it to the top of my priorities. I was briefly tempted to just duck the situation by giving her my contact information and then later finding excuses not to schedule. I mean, she was right there in front of me, offering her services for free - how could I say no, and wouldn't it hurt her feelings?

I decided to take the high road and tell her the truth, and she couldn't have been nicer. She appreciated that I was willing to have an uncomfortable conversation now to save us both aggravation later. I was happy to see that my saying "no" was not a big deal for her, and we had a nice chat about setting boundaries with our time. She ended up giving me her contact information and told me to feel free to make the offer to someone I know. What a win-win!

I learned some lessons here. A few minutes of awkwardness can save a lot of hassle later. I'm not that important to a business - I'm just one customer and it's not personal. It's much easier to make good decisions when you are on top of your priorities and schedule. Finally, don't distracted by "bright, shiny objects" in your proximity. If I was a bigger fan of body work, this would have been a great deal, but for me it would have been just another "thing" I have to fit into my schedule.

Here are two related posts:

Be ruthless with your time but gentle with other people's feelings

A victim-y habit I'm breaking

The restorative power of unscheduled time

2010-05-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

As I've traveled through adulthood, I've gotten better at taking care of myself. One need that I've recognized and begun to honor is my need for unscheduled time. I can only handle so much scheduled activity even if it's all fun stuff and then my brain starts to rebel. On weekends, I keep scheduled activities to a minimum because my work weeks are so schedule-intense. I'm constantly working on managing my schedule, making sure I'm in the right place at the right time with what I need in hand and making sure I leave time between to get from place to place, etc. Once the weekend arrives, I try to have very few activities that require a time table.

Another technique I use and encourage my clients to use is to schedule "unscheduled time." This means putting a block of time on your calendar for the specific purpose of having nothing scheduled. When I first tell people about this, I get a lot of puzzled looks. I know it sounds funny - shouldn't free time just happen organically? In a perfect world, maybe it would but in the current world it doesn't happen for most people. The only requirement for unscheduled time is that there are no demands on that time. You're free to do whatever you want, including activities that some might call wasting time.

The power of scheduling "unscheduled time"is that it lets you push a little harder knowing you have a full-fledged break coming. It lets you pre-allocate your time before you squander it in ways that don't support the way you want to live. Unscheduled time is an antidote to a schedule-intense life. It fills the tank that life depletes. With unlimited demands on your time, sometimes the only way to get a break is to create one for yourself before life takes over.

Try this: Look at your calendar for the next week and pick at least an hour for unscheduled time. Block the time out and honor it the same way you would any other appointment. See how you feel before (knowing your break is coming), during (how you like having obligation-free time) and after (how is your mood and productivity?).

accountability and productivity

2010-05-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

Being accountable to someone other than yourself can be really helpful in being productive and reaching goals. That's why some weight loss programs assign a counselor to you or have you weigh in with them once a week. It's one of the reasons why a personal trainer or coach is helpful - once you commit to something verbally, or especially in writing, to another person the heat is on to make it happen. There's something powerful about knowing that you have to explain your results to someone else that isn't there when we go it alone.

Everyone that knows about my fixer-upper house knows about the current bane of my existence, the woodwork. It's been the bottleneck in the project for a really long time. We got some bad advice from a bad contractor early on when I decided I wanted a natural wood finish and he suggested shellac. It is a beautiful finish, but it is really labor intensive. You can spend hours and have made almost no progress. What's been challenging about this is that it's really tedious, physically demanding, precise and messy. I have to do it nice days when the windows can be open and I can be home. All the steps have to be done in a precise order which I track on a big whiteboard. I've gotten really burned out on this and have not been making much progress at all, and this is one of those times when it would be very unwise to skip ahead.

I was talking to my husband about it, and he offered to commit an entire Saturday to the woodwork. We picked today, and then I knew I had to get some steps done so that I could be ready for his help today. It really lit a fire under both of us - I knew one of my big priorities last week had to be making sure I was ready for him today. I was not going to fail the most important person in my life! His current project is researching laminate flooring, and this work session has moved up the timetable on that so now his project has some urgency as well.

Both of us really felt the difference in the commitment level and time frame. Accountability is powerful! My clients often tell me that knowing I was going to ask them about their progress in our next call really helped them to get things done.

How can you use the power of accountability to get closer to your goals?

(I'm off to pick up a brush and get to the woodwork!)

voice note recorder for instant collection

2010-05-14T06:58:00.000-07:00

One of the concepts I work with is that stress does not come from having too much to do, but from other sources such as not feeling on top of what you have to do or constantly cleaning up from missed deadlines. Along this line, it's important to have a way to collect all the potential to-do items and ideas that enter our lives so they don't float around in your head and cause the "I hope I don't forget this" stress.

My new favorite tool for this is a voice recorder on my phone. I record anywhere from 5-20 notes a day on all sorts of things like blog posts, people I want to call, things I see on signs or in print that I want to follow up on, cool ideas, activities to try, etc. I shudder to think at all the creativity I let slip away because I didn't trap it when I had it. I love how free it makes my mind feel. The instant something pops into my head I record it and then I'm free to forget all about it and get back to whatever I was doing. Every morning, I process the notes and remove them from the phone. Each note goes where it belongs, e.g. into a blog post file, onto a to-do list or into my calendar.

Voice note recorders are great, but they're not the only choice - you can use a small notepad, text yourself, or record a voicemail for yourself. Set up a way to capture random thoughts, and see how much of your awesome brain you can free up for much better purposes.

A big relief

2010-05-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite gifts to bring to my clients is the realization that you can't do it all. Really. Honestly. Truly. No matter how hard you work. No matter what you give up, no matter how determined you are, no matter how important it is, you can't do it all. We live in an era of unprecedented opportunities and exposure to ideas, which means there's an infinite supply of things you want to do. Of course I'm talking about people for whom this feels true - if someone is a monk or a hermit with few desires that person might be able to do it all.

If you're like me, it was a HUGE shift of mindset to accept this and maintaining this point of view takes daily discipline. Even now, as I'm writing the little thoughts are slipping in well, maybe I can if I just sleep an hour less, maybe I can if I cancel one of my social engagements, maybe if I just work harder and skip my vacations.....

What's amazing and freeing about this fact (and yes, it's a fact) is that once you accept it you can start to make choices that will get you closer to the life you want. You can decide how busy you want to be and start picking activities that fit. It's a big weight lifted off a person's shoulders to know that it's okay to leave a lot undone.

One of the things that makes it hard to accept this fact is the disappointment that comes before the freedom. The realization that you'll never get it all done and that you have to make choices that are sometimes hard is a tough pill to swallow. I encourage people to take some time to adjust to this new way of living and to let some disappointment and grief work it's way out. Once you get past the let down and give up the get-it-all-done fantasy, you can get to the business of living the best life you can.

A victim-y habit I'm breaking

2010-05-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

One of the ideas I work with is that by being on top of what's on your schedule, you can make good decisions about taking on new things. You know if you have an activity you can bump out to watch a new TV show or accept a spontaneous invitation. Making time decisions without having a sense of what your commitments and wants are is like trying to manage your budget without having any idea of how much money you have, how much is coming in or how much things cost.

Because I have a strong connection to my schedule and to-do list, I can often say no right away when someone suggests something that I can't see myself fitting into my schedule. What can be hard to communicate is that I understand that thing has value, but that doesn't mean it's a good fit for me at this time. A while back, I stopped even making a pretense of doing the suggested thing, e.g. saying "yeah, that sounds great, maybe I'll check it out" because a) it was untrue and b) it created an ongoing conversation where every time I'd see the person they'd ask if I'd done it. So in an effort to have strong boundaries, respect my own time and the other person I'd simply say "sorry, I don't have time for that."

I've recently realized that saying "I don't have time" is a bit victim-y. It implies "oh, poor me, I'd love to do that, but I'm powerless to make it happen." Everyone, myself included, has 168 hours per week to do what's important to them. We live in a world full of amazing opportunities, so most people, myself included, don't have time to do everything they want to. What I've started to say is more along the lines of "I don't think that's a good fit for me right now." This phrase allows for the fact that I might be wrong in my assessment - it might be a great fit but I can't see it from here. It's also a softly worded phrase that allows me to change my mind later and avoids hurting the other person's feelings. I also might try something like "That sounds like a great show, but I only watch 5 hours of programming a week and there's nothing I'm willing to give up right now." I like this because it's a firm statement but it also acknowledges that I could watch that show if I choose to.

Try it yourself - find another way to express that something doesn't fit your schedule and priorities other than "I don't have time" and see if you feel more in control.

A related post:

Be ruthless with your time but gentle with people's feelings

Time and task management - do it your way

2010-05-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

One of the ideas I work with a lot is that whatever system you use for time management has to feel right to you. If a person doesn't like being on their computer, they probably won't like a computer-based time management system. If they love nice pens and quality paper, they can have that simple pleasure many times a day. There's a lot of literature both in print and on the web and a lot of it claims to have the "best" way or the "right" way to manage your life, but the bottom line is do what works for you. Cherry pick things that generate a bit of excitement for you. Try other things before you try the one that makes you cringe a bit. Don't force yourself into a system because someone who seems to know something tells you to. Don't be afraid to try something new if your current system isn't helping you get more of what you want in life.

Because isn't that why we even bother to manage our time - to get more of what we want out of life?

My interview - one last post

2010-04-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

On April 9, I was interviewed by local architect and real estate broker David Doucette for his "The Approachable Architect" podcast. I've put the links in a number of places already, so my apologies if this is a duplicate for you but I wanted to get it up on the blog.

Here is the video, which was live on ustream:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/6068771

Here is the podcast, which you can listen to or download:

http://residearchitecture.com/2010/04/028-approachable-architect-podcast-professional-organizer-michele-christensen/

Anti-procrastination tip #1 - schedule breaks

2010-04-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

Try scheduling breaks throughout your day so you aren't tempted to procrastinate. Sometimes, procrastination is just your brain rebelling because you've worked too hard for too long. Take a break with a fixed end point and commit to really checking out during that time. Do whatever works for you to relax. I like to read fiction or play computer games. 5-20 minutes seems to be a good amount of time - long enough to relax, but short enough that it's not too hard to go back to work.

At first, you may need to work on reacting to your urge to procrastinate by taking a timed break. As you get to know your procrastination patterns, you'll be able to spot when you'll need a break as you are setting up your day.

Make sure to always have a fixed end time though - it's easy to say "I'll read the news until I feel ready to go back to work," and poof there goes an hour and you still don't feel ready. The power of a fixed end time is that you can release all connection to work while on break and thus have a much more rejuvenating break. If you just start fooling around, there's can be an undercurrent of guilt because it feels illegitimate to be taking a break, and each minute of break is a minute you aren't working.

Give it a shot and see how good you can get at relaxing quickly and getting back to work when it's time. Try using a timer so you don't even have to watch the clock.

podcast of me being interviewed

2010-04-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

Last Friday (April 9, 2010), I was interviewed by local architect and real estate broker David Doucette for his "The Approachable Architect" show. I had a blast! Listen to or download the podcast here.

Measuring progress for big projects

2010-04-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Big projects can seem really overwhelming, especially when you put a lot of time in and have "nothing" to show for it. I've seen a lot of this first hand with our fixer upper house. I'm hand finishing all the interior woodwork (doors, windows, trim) in shellac and it's a lot of work. At last tally, I was approaching 400 hours over the course of a few years. Every one of those hours has been tedious and labor-intense and often I have "nothing" to show for it. At first glance, the wood looks the same at every point in the job (close up though, va-va-voom it looks good!).

To combat frustration, I measure my progress in hours not physical tasks completed. This way, I can make progress just by putting time in, regardless of whether I reach a milestone or not. If I worked an hour, that's my accomplishment for the day even if I only got part of a door sanded. If I had to spend 3-6 hours sanding the whole door in one shot it would never get done. I rarely get a day where I can spend that much time on the project. Spending that much consecutive time on a tedious project would feel terrible to me. I would dread it and not want to do it. An hour feels very different. I can tolerate anything for an hour.

Lots of projects and goals are like this. If you are writing a book, doing a craft project or organizing your garage, you may find it more supportive of your goals to use units of time as your milestone. A little bit of time consistently worked day after day will get you to your goal, sometimes even faster than inconsistent but bigger blocks of time.

Do you have a project overwhelming you? How could you break it into pieces that can be done in smaller chunks of time? Tell me about it in the comments.

Two sites with A LOT of personal information

2010-04-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

Check out this article on two sites that may have way more information about you than you are comfortable with:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/04/06/1564847/get-proactive-about-sites-that.html

I knew, in a general sense, how much information is available about a person on the web. The two sites mentioned in this article really hammered it home. One lists hobbies, spending habits, personal income estimates, political views, shopping habits and complete household make up. The other has a lot of information on my family and can provide multiple email addresses and up to a 40 year address history.

As the article says, it's good to get proactive and take care of some of this if you don't want to be so public.

Being of service on the web

2010-03-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

One of my core values is being of service. This concept guides my choice of work and many decisions in my everyday life. When I'm on my deathbed, I want to look back and know I helped and served my fellow beings (both human and animal) on this planet. Helping others is a way for me to feel more able to change the world and it just plain feels good!

Because of this value, I will occasionally be writing posts that may pertain little or not at all to organizing and productivity. These posts will be clearly discernible and will cover only one topic, so if the topic isn't valuable to you can feel free to skip it.

I've decided to do this because I've been helped online more times than I can even guess at by strangers who took some time to share their experience for the benefit of others. Now I'm paying it forward. It is my hope that I'll be able to shortcut the process of decision making for a few people so they can get done more of what matters.

What have you learned that you could share online? What messed up project could you debrief online for the benefit of someone else? What pains, mistakes, messes and problems could you help someone avoid? Whose learning curve could you shorten?

Don't know where to post? Leave a comment with a brief description of what you want to write about and I'll let you know what I think.

gmai/email tip - priority tag

2010-03-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

My website is hosted by Google, so even though I have my own domain name in my email address, (michele@micheletheorganizer.com) it's powered by Google. I recently set up a filter so that any Twitter alerts get tagged with the gmail "priority" tag. I've found that Twitter moves really fast, and if I wait a day or more to respond to a message or follow I often miss an opportunity. Having that priority tag lets me see and respond to Twitter alerts right away each time I check my email. I know other email programs have similar features as well.

What emails are priority to you, and how can you flag them so you find them right away?

Hard work vs. luck

2010-03-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

One of the things that drives me crazy is when someone says "you're so lucky" when they hear about something I worked really hard for. Luck often has nothing to do with it. I was at a corporate job once and got promoted in record time because I was willing to work late and I fixed problems that had plagued my predecessors for years. That's not luck. I'm not saying it's good that I was the one at work till all hours (it's not, but that's another post), but I got those promotions because I worked harder and got more done than the people who held my job before me.

When my husband and I were house hunting, I was putting at least an hour a day in on the search and we went out every Sunday for 5 months no matter what. We looked at 85 houses and I filled a 3" binder with information. I had multiple websites I checked every day for new listings and when the house we live in now came up on some obscure site, I called my agent and insisted we see it and put an offer in within hours. Because of our preparation, we had all of our finances and documents lined up in a thoughtful package and in the seller's hands before the house even hit the mainstream websites. That's not luck or chance, that's hard work, dedication and focus.

It's not always a good idea to break your back trying to get something, but if you really want it maybe it is. The thing that I can't buy into is the idea that some people get what they want because they are lucky. I can't stand how powerless that concept makes me feel and how it invalidates my hard work. Sometime, a person can want something and decide they aren't willing to do what it takes to get there. That's fine if it's a conscious decision, but it should never be chalked up to luck.

What do you want that would take hard work to get? Are you willing to work that hard for it? Is it a good idea?

The bravado of busy

2010-03-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

We have a real appreciation for busy in this culture. Keep yourself so busy that you get sick and it's almost a badge of honor. Go back to work on a Monday and just try to monopolize the water cooler with stories of your restful, quiet weekend when others are busy relaying that they did more on Saturday morning than most people do all week. I admit, I'm jealous of people that can do that. I can't. Quiet, schedule-free time is as important to my well-being as exercise, healthy food and good sleep.

What surprises me is the mocking bravado that I encounter when I, gasp, admit in public that I take time off/time out to recharge. Regularly, what I hear is "Oh I wish I could do that'" or a snide "must be nice." Occasionally people will say "how nice you are taking care of yourself" but that is much less common. Even as I write this, I'm fighting the urge to spell out how little time I take and how I only take the least amount I can get away with. But that's the whole point of this post. Taking a restorative breather is not something to be defended or explained any more than breathing is.

Don't buy into the bravado of busy. Ulcers, wrinkles and back pain that you caused for yourself are not worthy of admiration. I consider it my highest calling to help people through my work, and I can't do it if I'm burned out, exhausted or irritable from lack of rest.

When is your next time out? Pen it on your calendar and tell me about it in the comments.

Be ruthless with your time but gentle with others' feelings

2010-03-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

Time is scarce so be ruthless with how you use it. Don't apologize for being a good steward of this precious resource, but that doesn't mean to hurt others' feelings.

I get to most of what I need to do pretty regularly, but since I'm a busy person (like most people) with a lot of interests I only get to a small fraction of what I want to do. Thus, I'm ruthless with my time and unapologetic for being so. My unscientific estimate is that I'll be able to do less than 10% of the things I would like to do in my life. This includes places I'd like to travel to, outings I'd like to take, hobbies I'd like to try, activities to participate in and creative endeavors of many varieties.

Anytime I think of taking on something new, it has to pass the 10% test. I ask myself if this is in the top 10% of all activities I want to do. Where it gets tricky is when someone suggests something that in their opinion I must do/see/try. If I know it's not even close to the top 10%, I've stopped even making a pretense of saying I'll think about it and hoping they forget. Nope, sorry, not going to waste your time or mine by pretending I'm going to follow the suggestion so we can keep talking about it.

Where it gets tricky is in doing this without hurting people's feelings. I often say something like "Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think I'll be able to get to that." Sometimes they understand right away and other times I try to explain a little further. I do on occasion tell people about my 10% test.

How do you guard your time? How do you handle suggestions that you don't want to take?

Organized doesn't mean caught up

2010-03-13T17:35:00.000-08:00

Many people I work with or talk to, and myself as well, have huge to-do lists. Modern life is busy and there is always a lot to do. It's a never-ending cycle of trying to cross something off the list before too many things get added. I often end the day with a net gain of things to do, in spite of being really productive.

David Allen, author of "Getting Things Done" had this to say:

"You have more to do than you can possibly do. You just need to feel good about your choices."

This statement is something that I live by. For years, I was constantly stressed and on a treadmill of trying to get caught up so my life would look and feel different. In part because of reading GTD, I realized that I will die with a huge to-do list and that's not a bad thing. It's a reflection of the fact that I'm interested in lots of things, active, engaged in my world and have big goals. It's not the huge to-do list that is stressful, it's the feeling of not being on top of things, of not knowing if I'm working on the right thing, of not knowing my deadlines, of trying to keep things in my head, of cleaning up the mess of doing things last minute or even late and never feeling fully relaxed because my ever-expanding list wasn't done.

Now, my huge list doesn't stress me out. I have a solid system for keeping track of things and on most days I feel confident that everything that I'm working on the best thing for me. My system is pretty leak-proof and I rarely loose things or miss the boat on important things. I set limits for how long I work each day and make sure I get to the few things that are important that day. In terms of my to-do list, I'm organized.

But that doesn't mean I'm caught up. It often takes me years to get to things and that's only because I'm busy getting to things that have already been on the list for years. Having so much to do means I make daily choices about what to do and table the rest. As long as something is in my system, I try to not expend valuable mental energy in thinking about it if I'm not going to work on it today.

So that's the difference between being organized and caught up. Being organized means you have a handle on what's on your plate and can make good choices about what to work on. Being caught up is........ well, if I ever experience it I'll tell you about it!

Do you have a handle on what's on your to-do list? How do do it?

"Spring Cleaning Should Include De-Cluttering"

2010-03-05T19:06:00.001-08:00

Just in time for spring, here's a short article on the benefits of including decluttering in your spring cleaning. The article points out that clutter, aside from the minor annoyances it causes, can be dangerous:

“Many may not realize that clutter can actually lead to a number of problematic situations, including falls and other bodily injuries, as well as blocking areas that can prevent one from exiting or entering a building in an emergency,” said Sandra White of PuroClean Disaster Masters."

check out the entire article here:

http://njtoday.net/2010/03/05/spring-cleaning-should-include-de-cluttering/

I think it's a good article with perhaps one exception: decluttering should be an ongoing process more akin to laundry and dusting than an occasional event.

What do you think?

What does it mean to be "ready" to leave?

2010-03-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

One of the most surprising things I've learned is that people have very different meanings of being ready to leave. In my thinking, ready to leave means:

keys and purse in hand
coat on or nearby
any other items packed and ready to be carried out
car is packed
cell phone and camera charged, packed and ready to be used
standing near the door or somewhere equally accessible
doing nothing or something easily stopped
dogs have been out for bathroom break and are back inside
I'm showered, hair done, makeup on, etc
I've eaten
snacks and water packed
directions are printed or address is ready for the GPS

Most people have some general agreement with some of these ideas, but there is a wide variety of what people think it means to be ready. Perhaps the most divergent idea from my own was an old friend of mine who thought as long as she was out of the shower when I came to pick her up that she was on time. This meant we rarely left within an hour of our scheduled time. But to her, that was "ready." I don't make plans with her anymore.

Lots of people have written lots of excellent pieces on how to deal with people who are chronically late. My point here is to suggest something that might be going on and causing the person to be late. They may not think they are late at all while you're sitting there wondering how much longer they'll be.

How I deal with this is define what I mean when I make plans with someone. If I'm picking them up, I'll start with "What time do we need to leave your house?" and pin that time down. Working backwards, I tell them I'll be there 5-15 minutes ahead of time and that I expect to be in the car pulling out of the driveway at the time they first suggested. If there's something they might not think of bringing, I might mention that as well. I do the reverse when someone is picking me up. My husband and I have a quick huddle in the morning when we have to be somewhere to decide who's going to do what when before we go.

How can you be more clear about your expectations of yourself and others when it's time to leave?

Plan a re-entry day after vacation

2010-02-27T06:58:00.000-08:00

Santa Monica beach as seen from the pier, taken by my husband Chris September 2009

One of my favorite ways to make a vacation even better is to plan a re-entry day upon my return. Even during the times in my life when I only got two weeks a year, I tried to return on Saturday so I'd have Sunday to spare. I know I enjoyed my trip more knowing I had a soft landing waiting for me rather than getting in at 1 a.m. Sunday and facing a busy day first thing Monday morning.

A re-entry day allows you to do the following:

get unpacked, do the laundry, and prep for the next day
get back on a normal sleep schedule
have a day in between the fantasy of vacation and the reality of busy life
do any small errands and chores to start your week right

I think it's useful to be able to do small errands on your re-entry day, but don't plan anything taxing - it goes against the whole idea of a re-entry. I also like to use this day to make sure I've got fresh food in the house. I eat loads of fruits, veggies and other perishables which don't keep while I'm away so I make sure to include a trip to the grocery store so I'm not scrambling to pack a healthy lunch the next day.

Do you think it would be worth it to include a re-entry day on your next trip or would you rather squeeze every last minute you can?

Your Path to Success - free telesummit

2010-02-26T18:32:00.001-08:00

Image from http://www.lifeisjoyful.org/telesummit.html

I just signed up for this free 10-session telesummit offered by Life Coach Sheri Kaye Hoff:

http://www.lifeisjoyful.org/telesummit.html

I did a teleclass with her which was great, so naturally I wanted to be a part of this too! There are a whopping 10 guest presenters and if you can't make the class in real time, you have 24 hours to listen to it.

Check out her home page here:

http://www.lifeisjoyful.org/index.html

Hope to "see" you there!

Don't ever apologize for taking care of yourself

2010-02-25T07:22:00.000-08:00

Gradually, I'm learning the value of taking care of myself. I'm learning to get enough sleep, prioritize going to the gym, take vitamins, get away when I need to, go to the doctor when I need to and other ways of keeping myself in top form. Yes, it takes time and effort but the increase in productivity, enjoyment and quality of life is worth it. What I'm also learning is that this behavior, far from being encouraged, is often scorned and scoffed at. There's a huge bravado and social approval for running yourself into the ground and not much support for stepping back and saying "enough." The naysayers love to point out how little self-care they do and how run down they are like it's something to be proud of.

Take this as extreme permission to take the best care of yourself you can. If you care for others, taking good care of yourself is the equivalent of what the airline safety video tells you: put your own air mask on before assisting others. Resist the urge to be impressed by how little self care some people survive on. Don't be defensive when someone implies something negative about you taking care of yourself - you've got nothing to defend. Don't compare your needs with those of other people even if they need much more or much less care than you.

The world needs you at your best, so do what you can to keep yourself at your best.

What one thing can you do to take better care of yourself?

Keep a donation bag going

2010-02-24T06:15:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite easy tips to help keep clutter at bay is to always have a donation bag or box at the ready to store your unwanted items until you can get them dropped off at a charity shop, Goodwill, The Salvation Army, etc.

It allows you to make quick decisions in the moment the motivation strikes. When rifling your kitchen drawer to find the right tool, you can grab a few you don't use and toss them in the bag. Your mindset might be much different if you wait and do it during a formal decluttering session later. You might not even remember that drawer later! An bag-in-process allows you to accumulate things and take it for donation when it's full, which cuts down on unnecessary trips. A donation bag also helps keep you in the mindset of getting rid of things. Just having a place for things to get rid of helps spur thinking about getting rid of them. A donation bag lowers the barrier for getting things out of the house by making it easier and instantaneous.

What you might be thinking is how could a bag work for anything but clothes? Almost any other donation item is going to have corners, edges, odd shapes or weigh a lot. A box might not be practical in your space. I've found that contractor trash bags work great. They are stronger than regular trash bags, and are reinforced with mesh so they stretch and accommodate pointy things without breaking. You can purchase them at your home improvement store. It's worth it!

Here's someone else who shares my enthusiasm for these trash bags:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/211994/product_review_how_husky_contractor.html?cat=46

Free teleclasses Tue 2/23, twitter for bus and jump start the joy

2010-02-22T14:39:00.001-08:00

I just signed up for two free teleclasses tomorrow, Tuesday 2/23. Here's the details if you are interested in either of them:

Twitter Strategies for Your Business, 1 p.m. eastern time

and

Jump Start the Joy, 2 p.m. eastern time

If you listen in, I'd love it if you dropped me a note with your comments afterward.

LA: @residearch 1st time home buyer seminar

2010-02-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

If you're in the LA westside and are thinking of buying your first home, check out this free First time Home Buyer Seminar by David Doucette, licensed real estate broker and architect. There will be guest speakers to cover all aspects of buying including a mortgage broker, an escrow officer and a home inspector. Refreshments will be served. The event is scheduled for Thursday February 25 from 6:30 to 8:00, and reservations are required. Click the link below for more information:

http://residearchitecture.com/seminars/the-reside-realtor/

Invest some time in unsubscribing to junk email

2010-02-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

Over time, I've gradually begun to get more and more email I consider to be junk. It's mostly from places where I've placed an order and therefore gotten on their mailing list. I was struck by just how much time I spend deleting and how few of the emails in my box I actually read. So this morning, instead of spending a few minutes deleting I spent about 30 minutes unsubscribing from 17 senders. It feels great! Since I regularly spent 1-2 minutes a day deleting, I calculate that within a few weeks I'll be ahead of the game timewise.

What I learned:

1) I put this off for way too long because I assumed it would take longer, be harder and cause more frustration than it did. Every single email had an easy-to-spot "unsubscribe" link and unsubscribing was instantaneous. I won't put off unsubscribing again now that I know how easy and quick it is.

2) This problem built up gradually and I didn't notice how much more time I spent deleting every day than I used to. From now on, I'm not allowing myself to use the delete button for unwanted, recurring emails. I'm going to be a relentless unsubscriber. Now that I've done my initial purge, this should very little time each day.

3) Once again, I see how easy it is to get sucked into pedaling faster just to keep up. Sometimes, it's important to stop and invest some time into getting ahead permanently.

Think about doing this for your email, and be on the lookout for how you've been pedaling faster just to keep up and what you could do about it.

Unhappy millionaire declutters his fortune

2010-02-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

A great article on how accumulating material wealth did not make this formerly poor man happy, so he's giving it all away.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/austria/7190750/Millionaire-gives-away-fortune-which-made-him-miserable.html

One of the mansions that's going:

Photo from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/austria/7190750/Millionaire-gives-away-fortune-which-made-him-miserable.html

I don't think I'd take the same route in his position. I could see how having that much high-maintenance stuff would make me unhappy, but I don't think I'd eliminate quite so much. I think there's a happy medium between a bedsit (a one-room apartment with a shared bathroom) and having multiple mansions. Also, having a fortune tucked away helps protect a person from major illness or future unemployment so I'd keep some and just enjoy the peace of mind. But the article is inspiring and I give the man a lot of credit for going against the grain and doing what he feels is best.

Essential vs. non-essential pain

2010-02-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

One of the things that organizing can do it to take away some of the non-essential pain of certain tasks. Paying bills isn't fun for most people, but it needs to be done. That's the essential pain. The non-essential pain is searching for a pen, not having stamps, not knowing your bank account password, tearing your place apart to find a bill, fighting traffic at 4:45 p.m. to get to a payment office before it closes at 5:00, etc.

Being organized can help you get a task pared down to it's least painful form. There are a lot of tasks in life that are much more painful than they need to be when we don't invest some time in setting up good ways to do them. Being a responsible adult entails some amount of unfun chores. It doesn't have to entail a lot of extra pain in getting those chores done.

What chores or tasks in your life are more painful than they need to be?

What are you saving the good stuff for?

2010-02-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

Who deserves to use the good stuff more than your family? (from flylady.net email digest, 2/9/10):

Dear FlyLady,

When I married my dear husband, in 1967, my lovely Portuguese mother-in-law gave me some advice that I've followed all my married life. And my husband loved it!!

She said for me to always use my prettiest things for family, because in the long run, who was I keeping all of it for!! For his next wife? The kids, who won't know what it is and won't have lovely memories of us using them?

Flying in CA

What great advice! Why not enjoy that beautiful china, tablecloths, serving dishes, etc. Sure, they'll stay in pristine condition tucked away in your cabinets but they were meant to be used and enjoyed. I'd rather break something and know I got a lot of enjoyment out of it than leave it for my heirs to clean out of the back of a cabinet.

digital scrapbooking - software choice

2010-02-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

(This is the second in a series I'm writing on digital scrapbooking. For an intro including why I'm writing this, check out the first part here.)

My first task was to choose a software program to use. From my readings, it seemed like Photoshop was one of the most popular choices. We have Photoshop at home and I have used it in the past for minor corrections but not for anything like I want to do now. There were two reasons I opted not to use Photoshop. First, Photoshop is a powerful program that does a lot more than I really needed. I didn't think the trade-off of learning a more complicated program was worth getting features I didn't really need. Second, my husband has been making changes to our home network and when I was ready (antsy in fact) to start we were unable to get Photoshop working. That's probably the more compelling of the two reasons.

I downloaded a free program called Gimp that functions similarly to Photoshop. I tried it for an hour and nixed it. I found it really difficult and unintuitive to use and the help function wasn't helpful to me. My impression is that it is good for more technical projects and for photo editing, but not for basic slap-a-few-photos-on-a-page scrapbooking.

I started to do some online research into programs made for this purpose and luckily stumbled into this:

2010 Digital Scrapbooking Software Review Product Comparisons

It's a comparison of the top ten digital scrapbooking products. I started with this and did some additional online research, including viewing some videos of how to use the various products.

I decided on Memory Mixer, which is ranked #1 in this comparison. It looked really simple and useful and I loved all the different things you can do with your photos such as making a dvd of you album with music attached that is viewable in any dvd player, embedding a film in your digital album or adding music. They have $35 download, which saves $15 off the full price but offers fewer features. This was fine with me as I'm not into fancy papers, embellishments or mats. I also liked that it is downloadable which saves shipping costs, eliminates shipping time and gives me no box of disks and manuals to store. If I want (like if hundreds of background colors just aren't enough), I can always download the rest of the package and/or others off the web and some are even free.

My next step was to download and install the software. I'll update this page with a link once that entry is up.

Tips for Picking out lumber

2010-01-31T06:53:00.000-08:00

If you do organizing or home improvement projects, you'll probably find yourself buying lumber at some point. Here's a few tips:

Find a flat spot on the floor, put a board down and check that it is straight. If it's bowed, it will arc up off the floor so you can flex the middle by pushing down, or the ends will be higher than the middle and it will rock. If possible, check all 4 sides. Most of the projects I've done have some tolerance for bowed lumber, but don't get too bad a piece in any case.

Don't be afraid to go through the entire pile to find boards good enough for your project. The pros do it and so do serious diy'ers. Be sure to restack the lumber while you are looking or after you are done.

If the lumber will show in the final project, try to find nice looking pieces even if it is not finish grade lumber. The pieces that are meant to be covered can be really gnarled, splintery, holey, sappy, or marked with factory markings. Sometimes these nicer pieces are at the bottom of the pile.

Make sure there's not an excess of sap leaching out. Zero sap is ideal, but they only have so much of each type of lumber in a store, so you may have to accept less than ideal in one area or another. I'd rather have a spot of sap I can hide than a warped board I have to accommodate in construction.

Shop when the store is least crowded. You'll have an easier time getting help and better access to the merchandise. Where I live in LA, that is after 8:00 p.m. during the week or after 6:00 p.m. on weekends. Holidays, holiday eves and Super Bowl Sunday are good as well.

Consider how you will get it home! Measure your car to see how long a product you can take, and what the height and width limits are as well.

The store cut some lumber for you. This is often free and they have big, very accurate saws that can make nice straight cuts on big pieces like plywood. I've had a 4'x8' piece of plywood cut into 2'x8' strips so that it would fit in my car. They'll also cut boards for you, so if you can plan your project so they do the cutting it will save time, probably be more accurate and save you sawdust cleanup.

Some lumber is sold by the foot and you cut it yourself with a hand saw in the lumber department. Example include trim and more expensive wood for furniture grade projects.

Go boldly and gather the best lumber so your projects can be their best!

Check your facebook groups occasionally

2010-01-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

It may be a good idea to check which groups you are a member of occasionally. I did that today while looking for something and found myself a member of a strange-sounding group I had no connection to. When I opened it up, I found lots of other people also had not joined and yet were members. It was simple enough to unjoin, and had I thought of it at the time it might have been a good idea to report it to facebook. My concern is that the group could have been something really offensive and I could have been promoting it or looking as if I approved of it. Who knew?

Don't force fun into the darkness of procrastination

2010-01-28T06:51:00.000-08:00

If you think something if fun, even if others think it wastes time, make sure you set aside time to do it. For me, computer puzzle games are a great way to unwind, transition, think, de-stress, etc. When I want to play, I sit and play and do nothing else except maybe listen to music or news. It's an full-on recreational activity and an event in the course of my day. Since it's easy to overdo it, I set a time limit so I can indulge guilt free until my time is up.

I don't play computer games when it's time to work (at least most of the time, heh, heh, how do you think I learned this?). That would put them in a category of "things I use to procrastinate" not "things I look forward to." Instead of being fun and relaxing, it becomes stressful, self-sabotaging and guilt-inducing. It's a true waste of time because nothing good comes of it - I'm not enjoying my game nor am I working.

It's easy to think that if others don't value the activity that it doesn't have value for you. If something has value to you, make sure to honor that and make time for it. Just don't relegate it to the darkness of procrastination.

Quick cleaning tip

2010-01-24T07:18:00.000-08:00

Every time you have a cleaning rag, use it for multiple purposes. If you are cleaning the bathroom vanity, clean the edge of the floor afterward. If it's a non-streaking cleaner, do the mirror first, then the vanity then the floor. Wipe the door handles on the fridge every time you wipe the countertops in the kitchen. If your using scouring powder on a pan, scour the sink when you are done (if your sink requires this).

Once you have wet hands and a wet rag, get the most benefit out of it you can. Just remember to always clean from the cleanest to the dirtiest surface. Don't wipe the toilet and then your kitchen countertop!

Tax prep you can do now

2010-01-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

(ducks rotten fruit being thrown)

I know, nobody wants to think about the yuck of taxes so early on but here's something you can do now so you don't get caught short of time later.

Do you live in a state that requires you to pay taxes on untaxed internet purchases? California is one of those states. If so, start compiling those untaxed purchases you made in 2009 now. This is something I often don't start until I'm in the process of doing my taxes and it usually takes a good chunk of time. This is one tax task you can finish now before you start the actual forms. To make this easy on yourself, create a folder in your email program for each year's untaxed purchases and move the email receipts sent by the vendor into that year's folder as you get them. At tax time, all you have to do is add up the totals on the emails. Make sure not to double count duplicate emails for the same purchase such as a receipt and a shipping notice.

You'll thank me later when you don't need to stop and do this in the middle of your tax prep.

"Help Haiti with Money, Not Stuff"

2010-01-22T05:34:00.000-08:00

This article talks about how cluttering up response efforts with unsolicited donations can make things worse not better!

Check out this paragraph, which should squash any good intentions to send stuff that won't help:

"If you’re considering doing your part, that’s great. But, experts say, whatever you do, don’t donate anything but money. Under no circumstances should you mail care packages, toys, food or clothes. Don’t even think about sending drugs. The response to prior disasters shows that regardless of your intentions, you will only be making matters worse."

The deluge of stuff was so bad after the 2004 tsunami that "aid workers joked that the real tsunami was followed by another tsunami - of misguided goodwill."

Here's a vivid description:

"amid the trauma, hunger and devastation, care packages piled up containing everything from pajamas and teddy bears to birth control pills and Bibles - a hodgepodge impossible to sort through. There were boxes filled with half-used ointments and prescription drugs, as if do-gooders had cleaned out their medicine cabinets."

Not that the donors were totally to blame - according to article they were often following instructions from their local news.

Perhaps the most devastating piece of information in the entire article is this:

"Buried under care packages and out of date antibiotics labeled in Thai and Chinese were the world’s most advanced malaria medications. Meanwhile along the coast, people who had just lost homes and families writhed in malarial fever for lack of treatment. "

If you want to help in Haiti, please make sure you follow the exact instructions of a reputable aid agency. Otherwise, your seemingly kind gesture just might hurt people who are already suffering.

Read the whole article here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/01/14/world/main6096807.shtml

Avoid Mommy (or any) Meltdown!

2010-01-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

The link below will take you to a great post on The Organized Parent blog that's worth reading whether you have kids or not. My favorite phrase: "It takes time to make time." The focus of the post is mainly taking some time to organize and teach others in your household to help out, but I would also emphasize the efficiency of doing some planning as well. It's inevitable that things will come up all day that vie for our attention but if we've taken a few minutes first thing to figure out what's really important we can make good decisions about what to do.

Avoid Mommy Meltdown!

Night life, and my lack thereof

2010-01-21T05:55:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of friends who have more of a nightlife than I do. I get asked a lot "Why don't you ever go out at night?" They are are referring to my almost-nonexistent attendance at concerts, parties, bars, etc that happen late at night. While it's not true that I never go out at night, it is true that I don't do much of this type of thing.

Someone asked me recently and really wanted to know. I was hard pressed to answer except to say "I just don't." I wasn't sure why. I had a vague notion of the fact that I get up early 7 days a week (dogs don't give exceptions for their morning walk and breakfast). I'm physically active in my general life, exercise regimen and recreation so by the time night rolls around I'm ready to wind down and go to bed. I'm a morning person, so I'm much happier going to bed early and getting up earlier. I need a lot of sleep and don't do well without it.

All that is true, but I do like to go out and wondered why I don't do it more. What I finally realized is that a night on the town is pretty costly to me in terms of time, energy and productivity. I won't be as sharp or prolific the next day. Going out means adding sub-prime time late at night and losing prime time during the next day when I'm tired and foggy. My time is finite, and there are infinite things I'd like to do. If I want the most satisfying life, I have to cherry-pick the absolute best ways to use my time. Night life only occasionally makes the cut.

It makes me a little sad that I don't enjoy more night life, but that's life. I can't have it all, and for the most part I like what I've got.

How do you make choices about your precious time? What would you like to do that doesn't make the cut?

Breadmaker - clutter in the making?

2010-01-19T17:31:00.001-08:00

Did I make a clutter blunder today? In the interest of knowledge, I'm declaring that I purchased a breadmaker today. Breadmakers are one of those notorious pieces of clutter that seem like a great idea at the time but gradually, or rapidly, fall into disuse. There is a steady stream of them in like-new condition on my local freecycle list and at my local thrift stores.

I've been pondering this purchase for about a year. One of my culinary hobbies is homemade pizza, which I make about once a week. What makes it challenging is timing the purchasing of the toppings and dough (both perishable) so that I have everything I need on pizza night. DH and I talk about getting a breadmaker every so often but my concern is that I'll end up with a fairly large kitchen appliance that I don't use. If I was able to make the dough myself, it would make pizza night much less challenging logistically (we live in LA, and there is no such thing as a quick trip to the supermarket unless it's late at night). It would also be fun to decide at 5:00 or when friends are over that we want pizza and be able to have it.

I'm a little concerned about the idea of hot, fresh bread and a heavenly-smelling house being so easy to come by. It seems like it would be easy to get used to daily loaves and bigger pants.

In the past, I've thwarted myself by trying to be too minimalist. I've denied myself useful tools that later, when I finally made the purchase, I cursed myself for not doing it sooner. My thinking with the breadmaker is that I already make pizza once a week and this will make it easier. I can make sure we always use whole wheat instead of being at the mercy of what's at the store. I've thought about it for a year, and still wanted to make the purchase. I have the space for it. Best of all, I paid $10 for it. It was missing the mixing paddle, but $12 and an online order took care of that. It was missing a manual, but that was easy enough to download. The machine cost me a total of $22, and retails for $50-$70, so if it doesn't work out I'm not out much and I can always donate it back to the thrift store where I got it. I also feel better getting it used for environmental reasons like it being recycled and having no packaging.

So, watch for future posts on the fate of the breadmaker. We'll see if it turns into clutter.

Catching Happiness

2010-01-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

"The Constitution only guarantees the American people with right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."

Benjamin Franklin

Pre-emptive paper collection

2010-01-15T05:53:00.000-08:00

Throughout life there are projects that generate paper. Some examples: buying a new car, buying a house, renting an apartment, any major purchase like a bed or appliance, home renovations, planning a wedding, medical treatments, choosing a college, and planning a vacation.

The very first step of any of these projects is to create a place to collect the paper that will start flowing almost immediately. This should happen before you even plan the project or make any lists because, well, where will you keep the plan or list? I often see these things in the piles stashed around people's houses - the person is involved in paper-generating projects and hasn't created a place to store the paper so it ends up in various places all over the house. Aside from not creating clutter in your house, having a place to store the paper will help the project along because all of the related papers are in one place.

What should the collection tool look like? It depends on how much paper you expect to generate, what kind of paper it is (brochures, business cards, large charts, regular 8.5x11, etc), how long you expect to need it and if it needs to be portable. Some ideas: a manilla folder, a larger folder such as an accordion folder, a 3-ring binder, a large envelope, a shallow box or tray or any unused space such as a small desk drawer. Don't get caught up in the perfect collection tool - use whatever you have that will do the job.

Make sure that whatever you set up is for just one project or it defeats the purpose of setting it up. Label it. Use it. When the project is done, purge the accumulation and go confidently into your next project.

Almost got trapped by procrastination

2010-01-14T18:21:00.000-08:00

but today, I managed to overcome it. Yes, it's true - I sometimes have the same urges to procrastinate that I help others with.

I had just a few hours to do some task work. I had way more tasks than time, and I had a really hard time getting started because I knew at the end of the day I'd be further in the hole than when the day started. There was no way to get it all done, and there wasn't even a way to get done the amount that got added just today. I almost got pulled into overwhelm, frustration and procrastination.

I was able to project till the end of the day and see how much worse I'd feel if I got nothing vs. something done. I realized that a few hours is way better than nothing and was in fact the best I could do. So in I plunged! I hit a few major things first and started working down to less important things and even did a half an hour on a big, unpleasant project. The lesson? I can't let all or nothing thinking get in the way of getting at least some things done.

The other thing that helped is not having to think so much about what to do. I had so many different things to do that I was having trouble prioritizing. I use a daily and weekly checklist which helps tremendously in situations like this. If all I do is follow my check list, I'm in pretty good shape. My checklist may not offer the perfectly optimized mix of tasks that I could have come up with, but it's probably pretty close and certainly good enough. The lesson? Some days there is just too much going on to sort out, and having a fall back plan makes sure you at least are moving ahead.

In what small way have you overcome procrastination lately?

Clothes may help the mood

2010-01-13T18:41:00.000-08:00

Your clothing can have a big impact on your productivity. Do you want to do household chores wearing nice clothes? I use clothing a lot to help adjust my mood. When I had actual jobs to go to, I always had a work wardrobe that was just for work. As soon as I got home, I changed either into workout clothes or clothes to relax in. When I had my work clothes on, I was ready for action. The very act of changing my clothes helped to change my mood and signal my brain to slow down and helped me to leave my work at work.

Now that I have a fixer upper house, I spend a lot of time in "work" clothes - that is loose, durable, washable, clothing that I don't mind getting dirty. If I'm having trouble getting moving, I'll make putting on my work clothes the first thing I do and it never fails to help. Even if I'm doing something that doesn't entail much dirt, having those clothes on helps. I'm not afraid to plop down on the floor, climb a ladder or stuff things in my huge pockets.

If I have a lot of errands to do, I'll put on something nicer (although for me that's khaki's and a t-shirt). I just feel more presentable, social and energetic when I dress a little nicer to do errands. I invest in nice workout clothes - not expensive, but properly fitting and nicely cut. I feel more like exercising when I look sporty and cute, not to mention the de-motivating effect seeing myself look sloppy in all those mirrors would have.

I think using specific clothes for specific activities helps my brain get into the right groove for that activity. Do you use clothing to help your productivity? How? What pieces of clothing do you have for specific purposes?

What makes you feel bad in your house?

2010-01-12T05:17:00.000-08:00

Is there something in your house that makes you feel bad every time you see it or even think about it? What is it?

My example is a dirty spot on the wall by where one of our dog sleeps. Every time I saw it I felt bad about myself - for not getting this clean and then, in a cascade effect, for all the other similar tasks I haven't gotten done.

A few days ago, I finally got sick of it and put aside the other things on my agenda and cleaned it. It didn't take that long - maybe 15 minutes but it was fairly vigorous. I felt so much better after it was done.

I sometimes don't get to things like this because I have so many on my list that I just crank them out in the order they appear. When I finally realized how much displeasure I could save by doing that I prioritized it above all else at that moment and got it done.

Is there something small you could do for yourself at home that would lift you up or lesson some discomfort? Could you, just today, do it first before anything else? You deserve it.

Who begins too much accomplishes little

2010-01-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

"Who begins too much accomplishes little."

German proverb

I can relate to this! I love starting things and love to have lots of things going at once so I don't get bored. There is just an endless amount of things we can get into and be interested in. But there is a limit to the number of balls I can keep in the air, so I have to be disciplined about starting too many new things. I sometimes use the "1 out, 1 in" rule in for a specific type of project. A while back, I finished a big photo project and after some time I began to feel the lack. The project I finished was a long, detailed photo journal of a several-month trip I took across the country. A new project I had been wanting to try was digital scrapbooking so I got started on an album of my ongoing, major house renovation. One creative photo project done, a new one started.

How do you decided how many projects to start?

Low-clutter

2010-01-07T05:32:00.000-08:00

I much prefer the term low-clutter to clutter-free. Clutter-free is a fantasy for most people and would be hard to get to and almost impossible to maintain. Maybe Mother Teresa, who owned only a bucket and two saris, was truly clutter free. Low-clutter is achievable and maintainable for most people (barring those who have physical or mental challenges in this area).

The problem is that life creates clutter. Even if you watch what stuff comes in, you are creating items that have the potential to be clutter just by living. Those clothes you're wearing? They are going out of style and are wearing out as the minutes pass. The computer you're reading this on will probably be replaced in a few years. The mug holding your tea? Will you still like the logo and what it represents in 10 years?

We are constantly changing and evolving. Our personal styles change, our tastes change, our opinions change, our bodies change, our likes change, our hobbies change and so do our interests. Things wear out, break, get used up and get replaced. When we hang on to things that no longer represent who we are right now and what we want right now, they become clutter.

Regular maintenance can keep your clutter level low. It would take a lot of additional work to even approach clutter-free. Be kind to yourself in your decluttering goals. Set a reasonable, achievable goal that will add comfort and life to your space. Don't get pulled into an ideal of austerity that most people won't or can't achieve.

Free 8-week course "Designing the Best 10 Years of Your Life"

2010-01-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

I just signed up for this course (thanks to Org Junkie Laura for the heads up) given by Darren Hardy of Success Magazine. It looks like a great experience and I love learning new things not only to help me in my life but also to give me more to offer my clients. I also love freebies!

Please leave me a comment here or on Facebook if you sign up - I'd love to know what you think as the course progresses.

http://darrenhardy.success.com/2009/12/db10-pm/

I begin digital scrapbooking

2010-01-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Digital scrapbooking is like paper scrapbooking except it is all done on your computer. The fancy papers, edges, photo mats, journaling and special effects are all available but are done onscreen with digital files that can be layered just like paper.

What does this have to do with organizing? It's a much more minimalist way to create pages of photos. There's nothing to store, except on your hard drive. It's faster, permanent (no glue to fail, no paper to fade or lose) and more versatile (share your creations anywhere you'd share digital photos). It also has to do with getting pictures off the computer and into real life if that's something you want to do.

I got started with the concept of paper scrapbooking while doing a photo journal of a long trip I took in 1997-1998 when I still had a film camera. It wasn't a full-fledged scrapbook - it was just pictures and words but it still took a long time and lots of trips to the craft store. I first heard of digital scrapbooking, I was very excited to try it for a new photo project - a chronicle of our house renovation. People often ask me for pictures and as of yet I have no way to easily show them. I have some other ideas for albums to keep in the house for visitors such as an album of all of my travels with my husband since we met.

When I was ready to start, I found the deluge of information overwhelming. There's gobs of writing on this topic, but I couldn't find a simple "how to get started" so I'm writing what I wish I could have read at that time. One of my newer goals in life is to be of service on the web. I know I appreciate it when someone takes the time to share something useful and I want to reciprocate.

I'm far from an expert in this area - I'm barely a beginner. But I will tell you what I've done and how it's worked. I'm still keeping my paper supplies. I have several bins of old photos and photo albums to organize, put into albums (if applicable) and store properly. But for my new project, it's all digital.

My first choice is what software to use, which I'll cover in my next post on this subject.

Americans buying less, doing more

2010-01-04T06:32:00.000-08:00

Here's a great article on how people are shifting their time and resources into experiences rather than things. There are some personal stories of how families have done this and some stats showing that attendance at museums, movies and parks is up. My favorite line: "Psychologists have been saying for years that shared experiences like vacations lead to more long-term happiness than the latest bauble."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/business/economy/03experience.html

I recently became aware of how much I love to walk my dog. It's one of the best reasons to have a dog in my mind. Each day, I'm "forced" to take long, wandering walks throughout the neighborhood. I love to look at all the yards, see what people are doing, greet other dog people, see what's being built or torn down, observe what's growing and find hidden gems in my own town. It's quiet time, fitness time, dog time, thinking time and exploring time all in one. I made the decision to prioritize this and devote more time to it daily. There are a lot of other things I do that don't have as great a positive impact so some of them can fall off my plate in favor of more dog walking.

Here's my walking buddy:

What are you looking forward to this week?

2010-01-03T16:14:00.000-08:00

I know this week is a big letdown for a lot of people. Tomorrow is the first day back to work or school and the holidays are really and truly over.

What parts of your regular life are you looking forward to this week? What everyday activities that bring you joy can you resume doing or go back to doing more of?

The fun of the holiday season is a great break from the every day routine for a few weeks, but if your regular life and normal daily activities don't hold anything at all for you to look forward to then maybe that needs some rethinking.

What do you want to include in your activities daily or most days? How can you do it?

What things that you already include in your life can you cherish more?

I'm looking forward to:

Getting back my workout routine, which has suffered badly in recent weeks
Proper eating
Handling some business matters now that most people are back to work
Digging through the backlog of accumulated work and house chores
Finishing some home improvement projects
Not having to work so hard to keep up with my schedule
Some restorative low-activity weeks
Resuming some of my regular social activities
Enjoying some hobby time

When I sat down to make this list, it made me incredibly grateful that I have so many things in my normal life that I enjoy and look forward to.

Set good resolutions

2010-01-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

If you are making resolutions, take a few minutes to make sure you aren't setting yourself up for failure. Here's a quick read on Wikipedia on SMART goal setting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria

I would add that goals should be set for things you can control. If your goal is weight loss, you really have no control over how quickly your body drops pounds. You can do everything right and still lose more slowly than your goal dictates. It might be better to set goals for the amount and type of exercise each week and healthy eating goals as well. If you are tackling a major organization project, you probably have no way of estimating or controlling how long it will take, so a better goal might be "spend 2 hours every weekend on the garage until it's done" rather than "clean garage in January."

No resolutions here

2010-01-01T07:39:00.000-08:00

Nope, not doing them.

Why? I don't have anything against them if they work for a person but for me they seem random. I'm always trying to move ahead, do better and improve my life. A specific calendar day doesn't change that or make me more able to change. For me, and I suspect a lot of people, change is best tackled in small steps rather than broad sweeps. Sometimes, resolutions have a punitive feel to them. I often hear people saying "I'm going to whip my lazy butt into shape this year" which seems negative, harsh and punitive to me. To me, a small commitment such as "I will walk 3 times a week" seems much more self-loving and has a much better chance of success.

What I am doing is getting back on the wagon in several areas: schedule, fitness and eating. On top of the holidays, I had the chance to take some time off in the last few months and the time has been filled with schedule-busting activities. I'm way out of whack on lots of things and am looking forward to a gradual realignment over the next few weeks as things return to normal.

Have a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010!

Regrets and decluttering

2009-12-31T04:32:00.000-08:00

In helping people get rid of things that no longer suit them, one issue that comes up a lot is "What if I need this later?"

It's a valid question. You just might need or even want that item later. The only way to avoid all decluttering regrets is to keep everything. However, that choice comes with regrets too. Imagine how full your space would become if you never got rid of anything. Imagine the time and effort to manage all that stuff, keep it accessible, clean it and maintain it. Imagine your space is no longer mainly for living but for storage. Imagine the person who has to deal with your space after you are gone.

It's not a pretty scenario.

If you regularly cull possessions, it's probable you will regret getting rid of something someday. This is the trade-off for a low-clutter space. But looking at the probabilities gives a new perspective. Get rid of things that don't suit you and you might have a few regrets later. Get rid of nothing and almost surely have regrets on a daily basis about the condition of your space and the time spent dealing with stuff.

It pays to think about what the regret might feel like and what the effect of the missing object is. One thing I regret getting rid of is a t-shirt from a 5k run I did about 13 years ago. I am not built for running at all, and have really difficult time with it. Small gains come at great effort. But I did it - I completed a 5k, likely the only one I'll ever do. The t-shirt had a really cool logo of the boardwalk at the Jersey shore, where the race took place. So why did I get rid of it? It was very large and bulky and I really only wear fitted shirts. It was also a thin material which I didn't like. Every once in a while, I wish I had that shirt. But really, it doesn't effect my daily life, my relationships, my accomplishments, the way I feel, etc. In other words, it doesn't effect anything important or critical to my quality of life.

In exchange, I have a wardrobe that is right-sized for me (big enough that I have enough to wear, small enough to be easily managed). I have empty space in my closet and drawers. When I moved across the country, it was relatively easy.

Think about what you might regret in your decluttering and decide what regrets you could live with for the payoff of a low-clutter space.

About this week....

2009-12-28T07:57:00.001-08:00

This week is a strange one in the US..... Christmas is over so "the holidays" have peaked but there is still another big one ahead of us. Business has slowed down and getting anything done is hard with many employees on vacation. Schools are closed so kids are home. It's kind of a welcome lull - since very little is happening anywhere, it's easier to enjoy some time off without missing any important work.

Take a few minutes this morning and think about your intentions this week. First, what are you doing? Working regular hours? Staycationing? Traveling? Some combination of all three?

Next, set some intentions for this week. Is it about fun? Or are you using this week to tackle a major project at home? Or some combination? Whatever you are doing, get clear about it and embrace it during the entire week. What to avoid is doing one thing and wishing you were doing something else. Don't spend a beautiful day cleaning the garage and being resentful because you wish you were hiking. Don't spend a day shopping and taking in a movie feeling guilty about not tackling that pile of papers. Worse yet, don't sit in front of the tv or computer procrastinating and feeling anxious about your chores. This is a complete waste of time - you are not accomplishing anything and you are not enjoying yourself.

Be realistic about what you can and will do regardless of what needs to be done. If you have enough chores to fill the entire week but really want to do a few fun activities then scale back your expectations of what you can get done. This really is a special week where, in many cases, there isn't anything more pressing to do than what you set out for yourself. Don't let the value of this week be lost on you. Find the right balance of accomplishment and fun and stick to it!

Do too much, and it all falls apart

2009-12-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

One of the tough truths of what I do is to help people accept that they can't do it all. There are unlimited demands on our time both for work and play. Time is limited. There is a real temptation and ease to filling all of our available time. Unfortunately, humans need rest. We need both sleep and waking rest. Waking rest comes in a variety of forms. It's whatever charges your batteries - listening to music, gardening, playing with pets, crafting, reading, or whatever works for you.

For most people, there is no "done" ever. There's always more to do, it's just a matter of where a person draws the line between being productive and resting. Where that line is varies from person to person, but there is a huge, constant, ongoing temptation to do more than is healthy for you.

So why not push it? What's wrong with being super-productive, giving up sleep, and never stopping to recover? My experience has been that the consequences range from bad to dire. Human brains can't handle a load bigger than they are made for. When the brain needs to slow down and the brain-owner doesn't cooperate things fall apart. That's when people begin having little (or big) accidents, losing things, running late, forgetting things, missing deadlines, and generally living in fire drill mode. Creativity suffers, problem solving ability declines and social events become one more task to be completed and crossed off. Resentment builds and empathy shrinks.

When your brain needs a break, it takes a break whether you agree or not. If you opt to ignore this need, the results are often not good and sometimes tragic. I've known several people who have had car accidents when they didn't take a break. I myself once took the dog's vitamins 3 days in a week when I needed a break (fortunately, they were human vitamins but they could have been a canine formula). There's a reason many religions and cultures promote a day of rest each week.

I know this is hard to accept because I struggle with it myself. I constantly push that line between productivity and rest, so it's easy for me to see the symptoms in others. I need more rest than I wish I did. Gradually, I'm getting better in this area.

How much rest do you need? What do you do to recharge? Do you do it enough? Why not? Have you seen negative effects from doing too much?

Sunday Hack

2009-12-14T16:57:00.000-08:00

For years, I listened to the conventional wisdom that Sundays are supposed to be a day of complete rest and relaxation. The problem was that I'd pay the price on Monday. I would try to start my week without clear focus of what was important, without knowing where I was supposed to be at what time, not knowing if I had to food shop or when I would do it. To make matters worse, since weekends "are for relaxing," I'd relax my basic daily routines which include straightening the house so that the house would be topsy-turvey and often the remnants of that weekend's home improvement projects would still be taunting me.

I remedied this by adding two things to my Sundays: a quick straightening of the house (15 minutes or less) and a planning session (15-30 minutes). This short bit of work on Sunday afternoon allows me to relax and enjoy the rest of my Sunday and wake up Monday morning feeling ahead of the game. I already know exactly what I need to do at what time and what things are priority. It staves off the dreaded feelings of overwhelm that occur when I don't know what I should be doing or where to start. This 45 minutes on Sunday saves me much more than that on Monday and improves the quality of my life.

In theory, I could do my planning session first thing Monday morning. But, humans are not 100% rational, and for reasons I can't fully explain it simply doesn't work very well for me to do my weekly planning on Monday. Maybe because I wake up with the productivity bug and want to get moving it feels like a drag to have to sit and figure out what to do instead of doing it. Maybe because by letting another day pass I've added to what I need to do in the straightening and planning. Maybe it's the clean slate effect of waking up Monday with the week set out for me. I do know that I am much more relaxed on Sunday, so I tend to do better at relaxed focus than I do on a "gotta get going" Monday so maybe this helps too.

How do you spend your Sundays? Does Monday weigh on you and keep you from enjoying your day? Could you adapt this for yourself?

Test post

2009-11-13T19:16:00.001-08:00

I promise, future posts will be more interesting!