Posts Tagged ‘Organizing Process’

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Routines Can Help You Simplify Your Life

January 15th, 2013

I always brush my teeth before I go to bed, exercise first thing in the morning, and wash the household towels on Fridays. These  routines help minimize my trips to the dentist, allow me to do some guilt- free snacking, and make sure my family’s towels are actually helping us stay clean rather than being a breeding ground for bacteria. Rather than wanting you to pity my boring life, I want to help you see that habits and routines, no matter how unexciting, can be the key to a stress-free life.

Charles Duhigg shares my passion for the mundane because he wrote a whole book on the subject of habits: The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. According to Duhigg, habits, by their very definition, allow us to do things without thinking about them. That frees up our brains to work on the more complex problems in life. Unfortunately, habits can be good as well as bad (those that aren’t aligned with our current goals). For many of my clients, bad habits (or lack of any habit or routine) are the cause (at least in part) of their disorganization. I suggest you read Mr. Duhigg’s book to learn more about how you might be able to break your bad habits, but here are some habits or routines you might want to develop in order to create a more organized and stress-free life.

Don’t put things down, put them away. Yes, it’s often easier to just drop something near where it belongs rather than completely put it away. Often times it’s because we have a false impression of how much longer it will take to go the distance. Rather than lift the lid to put the dirty socks in the hamper, it’s easier to just plop them on top; instead of hanging up the jacket, it’s quicker to just drop it on the couch. But really, does it take more than five or 10 extra seconds to finish the job? Put mind over matter and put things where they belong. Make it as easy for yourself as possible – for example, maybe you can just remove the lid on the hamper. If the problem is that things don’t have a place where they belong, block out time to create an organizing plan for your problem areas. Of course you’re welcome to contact me if you’d like some help.

Always do something purposeful with every piece of information you encounter.  Whether it’s a piece of paper or an e-mail, make a decision about what next action you need to take and either take that action, or put the information in designated place until you’re able to act purposefully on it. Make a point of doing something to move it along on its journey.

De-clutter regularly. In your workplace, spending time at the end of each day cleaning off your desk and tidying up loose ends can be highly beneficial. Not only is there a psychic benefit of starting the next workday with a clean desk, but you’re also more likely to begin working on what you want to be working on rather than gravitating to whatever piece of paper happened to catch your eye. At home, spending five or 10 minutes in each room each evening putting things away will prevent things from getting out of control. Of course if your family helped create the clutter, it sure would be nice if they helped with the de-cluttering, too.

Before purchasing something, make sure you know where it will go. Otherwise it will become clutter. You’ll typically want to store things near where you use them and store similar things together. Store things that you use most frequently in easily-accessible places.

What habits or routines will you work on developing for your simpler, more stress-free life?

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

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Posted in Home Organizing, Organizing Process, Paper Organizing, Simplicity, Workplace Organizing

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Small Steps Can Lead to Big Accomplishments

October 15th, 2012

We all have a few pesky projects lurking on our to-do list (or at least taking up valuable space in our brain) that we just never seem to get around to finishing (or even starting). Maybe yours is finishing the needlepoint Christmas stocking you started 13 years ago, or updating the photo album with last year’s photos, or giving copies of your estate documents to your executor – oh wait, those are my unfinished projects! Well, no matter what’s on your list, how can you keep yourself moving forward on these bothersome undertakings?

The most helpful thing I do when I’m facing an overwhelming endeavor is to break it down. I’m not talking about taking it from a “finish the Christmas stocking” kind of task to “finish needlepointing the snowman” sub-task. I’m talking about teeny, tiny steps such as: “locate the bag with the stocking,” “put the canvas on the needlepoint ring,” “thread the needle.” Yes, it may sound utterly ridiculous and unnecessary to describe what’s to be done in such infinitesimal detail, but there’s great power in making tasks so short and quickly achievable that even the biggest procrastinators among us won’t be able to resist the simplicity and ease of quickly knocking off a few steps here and there. You can read more about this tiny steps concept in my previous blog on kaizen.

If identifying and writing down those tiny steps seems cumbersome, just break your project down to  whatever level of detail you need to move you past your procrastination and sense of overwhelm. However, keep in mind that it’s very empowering and energizing to be able to check something off your to-do list, so the smaller the steps, the more psychic rewards you’ll have the potential to achieve. Just be sure to start each task with a verb – this  seemingly insignificant technique can help make sure you’ve clearly identified exactly what you need to do, and can inspire you to take action.

Once you’ve identified the steps, be sure to capture them in your planner, on a piece of paper, or with some other tool that you trust yourself to refer to. Here’s my prior blog on this concept. Try to assign a target date to each task so you can motivate yourself to chip away at what needs to be done. Target dates can also serve as great mileposts along your journey towards completing your project.

So what unfinished projects have been bugging you? Let me know if breaking them down into small steps helps move you from frustrated and overwhelmed to confident and productive. Meanwhile, wish me luck on finishing that Christmas stocking!

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

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Posted in Goals, Organizing Challenges, Time Management

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Lists Can Help You Gain Control

October 1st, 2012

Get the oil on the car changed; plan Saturday’s dinner party; write thank you note to Jenna – these are the items on my to-do list for today. And I mean an actual written list, not just some ideas floating around in my head. Why, you may ask, would I need to write these down? After all, it’s only three things. Writing things down prevents me from forgetting things, helps me know what to focus on, and frees me from the stress of having to remember. Writing it isn’t the same as having it in my head – a written list is like a best friend who gently reminds me what and when I should be working on hings to keep me out of trouble. A written list puts me in control of my day, and it can do the same for you.

I have several lists that help me take advantage of the power of writing things down, and I’m sharing them with you here. If you’d like a complete collection of all the forms and lists that help me and my clients stay organized, check out my APPLES Resource Guide. Fear not, Jenna – your thank-you note is in the mail!

Before I start describing my lists, I want to comment on what form your lists can take. I prefer written lists – they work well with my paper planner and I like the hand-to-brain connection of writing things down. You may prefer electronic lists – something you can save on your computer or carry around on your smart phone. Here are two resources that can get you started on making electronic lists: IQtell and Lifehacker. I’d love to hear what electronic lists you like to use.

Okay, on to my list of lists:

Master To-Do List This is where I write down things I have to do that I’m not quite sure when I’ll do. For example, I want to follow my own advice and update my emergency plans (e.g., what to do if a tornado wipes out my home). I could just choose a date to do it and jot it down on the corresponding page in my planner. However, my next couple of months are very full so I’m not quite sure when I’ll do it. Rather than trusting that I’ll remember to do it at some point, I’ve added it to my master to-do list. I keep this list in my planner, review it once a week (the reminder to do so is on my Weekly To-Do List) and schedule anything I’m ready to commit to doing. You can read more about a master do-do list in my previous blog posting.

Weekly To-Do List My weekly to-do list is typed onto a notecard that moves from Sunday to Sunday (attached via paper clip) in my paper planner. It reminds me to do things like water the houseplants, plan next week’s meals (check out my previous blog posting on meal planning), and prepare for next week’s clients. My houseplants, hungry family and clients appreciate my being on top of these things.

Daily To-Do List I have two kinds of daily to-do lists; one is similar to what most people use – I pick three to five things I want to get done on any given day and write those in my planner. But I also have a daily list that’s typed on a notecard and moves from day to day in my planner. It lists recurring tasks I want to attend to each day, like water my outdoor flowers, thaw the next day’s dinner (thanks to planning meals each week, this is easy), and check some of my social media sites. Even though I remember to do most of these things without looking at the list, having them written down keeps things from falling through the cracks.

Here’s a link to my newsletter where you can read more about the lists that keep me organized. I’d love to hear what lists you use to help you stay on top of things

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

 

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Posted in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Organizing Process, Time Management

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Family with ADHD Gets Organized Together

September 13th, 2012

My favorite part about my job is that I help people improve the quality of their lives – whether I’m working with them side by side or by phone, or even through my blog or newsletter. I received an email from someone I’ve never met, but who was inspired by my writings to set herself and her family on the path towards being organized. I’m sharing her note to inspire you to discover the simplicity, harmony and freedom of being organized in your own home:

“Dear Sue,
My 10 year old son is diagnosed ADHD and my husband and I, we suspect, also have some ADHD in us.  So it’s great to see someone addressing these types of issues when it comes to organization.

Your posts are always so helpful.  I just read your blog post on clutter and financial prosperity.  That is so true, both directly and indirectly!  I also read over your back to school post which is a great reminder for us.  And I just planned out my menu for the remainder of the week.  I try to plan menus and it doesn’t always happen but when it does things definitely run smoother.

Wanted to share my story with you…maybe you’ve mentioned something like this in the past in your blog but here goes. I’ve been struggling all summer to declutter my home. I went back to work full-time a little over 2 years ago.  It was a big transition then and things are now starting to really pile up, closets bulging, financial papers in disarray, etc., etc.  We have a bi-weekly cleaning service come in but I think that actually makes the clutter worse as things are put in piles and stashed away for cleaning. Even though everything looks great after a cleaning, by the end of 2 weeks, things are everywhere again and have to be pile or stashed away;  the cycle repeats itself.  So I’ve decided the whole house needs a good decluttering and downsizing of stuff….I’ve made a little progress this summer but then I get tired, overwhelmed, overly perfectionist-y, burned out and turn my attention elsewhere. It’s almost the end of the summer and my list is still pretty long.

This week, I decided to ask my family for help. My husband can’t stand clutter but he doesn’t know what to throw away, put away, etc. When I was a stay at home mom, we got into some bad habits of me handling everything in the home. So, he usually gets overwhelmed, moves things around a little bit and just retreats to the basement.  Then there are the kids…they are 10 and 6.  They certainly don’t want to waste their free time cleaning. But I can’t do it all.  I am also making a serious effort at getting fit so my time is limited.

So yesterday morning, I wrote them all a sweet note and informed them of my intentions to start the school year organized. I wrote that I would like them all to help and we would start in the evening with our craft pantry and plastics drawers.  Then I left for work before they got up.

When I picked up the kids at the end of the day and asked them about my plan, they were not thrilled. Neither was my husband. But after dinner and some downtime, my daughter and I got started.  And eventually, the guys got involved, too.  I gave them jobs they could handle…I had the kids help me take items out of the drawer. Then together we went through the different cups and decided which to throw away. My husband glued a found broken item. Then he was ready to wipe down the drawers and put everything away. He didn’t put things away exactly the way I would but it was done and organized, which is all that matters. (big aha moment for me!)  The kids and I started on the craft cabinet which really took an all-hands-on-deck approach. To my surprise, they did a really good job of letting things go and my daughter was downright relentless (lol)! We decided we should add a couple of shelves to the cabinet so my husband worked on that. At bedtime, everything still needed to be put away. I took care of that and sent everyone to bed. I ran out of time but will finish putting the last few items away tonight. It should only take a few minutes.

What I’ve been trying to accomplish all summer, the family finished in a couple of hours. In addition to some cleaner spaces and checking off some nagging projects, we also got the unexpected benefits of family bonding and a feeling of teamwork. At one point, one of the kids said it was actually kind of fun!  And I don’t know how many times I heard, “Oh! That’s where that is!”  Now, hopefully the kids will also take some pride in their work and help keep things cleaner. Now we have some momentum and I think we’re going to tackle our dining room tonight.

Well, thanks for listening to my long story. Since you “helped” do this in a sense, I thought you should know. I know it was only half of a pantry and a couple of drawers but I think this is the start of something big in our
home.
Take care,
Chris”

Thanks so much for sharing, Chris – please check in again and let us all know how you’re doing. I’d love to hear from other readers about how your organizing journey is going. And if you need a bit of help, either in person or by phone, please get in touch.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

 

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Posted in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Home Organizing, Organizing Process

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Clear the Clutter and Find Prosperity

August 14th, 2012

I recently read the book Great With Money by Melissa Burke and Ellen Rogin. With the goal of the book being to help readers create a prosperous mindset and a confident approach to money, you might expect it to focus on how to earn more and spend less. Well, it may surprise you to know that “clear your clutter” is the first step to prosperity described by the authors. Yup, clearing the clutter in your life is the first step towards prosperity.

Even without the benefit of seeing disorganized homes and offices on the level that I do, these authors wisely recognize that being surrounded by clutter can block you from achieving more in your life – your piles of paper and other stuff represent unfinished tasks and postponed decisions that can weigh you down. The clutter not only physically blocks you from accomplishing things, but the mental clutter it creates can prevent you from moving forward in your life. You’re too busy focusing on what you haven’t accomplished to be able to think about creating new accomplishments.

Sure, great achievers like Albert Einstein were famously buried in clutter. However, I’m guessing that because you’re reading a blog about organization, you sense is that being better organized would help you accomplish more. As Swiss philosopher Henri Frédéric Amiel stated, “Order is light, peace, inner freedom, self-determination: it is power. To conceive order, to return to order, to realize order in oneself, around oneself, by means of oneself, is well-being.”

Not only does clearing clutter and creating order create a physical and mental path towards prosperity, it can actually directly generate prosperity. While helping clients de-clutter their homes and offices, I’ve discovered money (I once found $3,500 cash that the owner had no idea existed tucked away in a book!), uncashed checks, unused gift cards, and uncashed savings bonds. I’ve found things clients knew were “here somewhere” and saved them the trouble of having to buy replacements. I’ve consigned clothing and household items to resale shops that have generated income, and donated items to charity which have generated tax deductions. I’ve unearthed financial documents, insurance forms, medical paperwork, etc. that had direct financial implications for the client.

What financial potential lies buried in your clutter? What could you achieve if only the mountains of paperwork and stuff disappeared? What steps towards de-cluttering and organizing your life can you take to start realizing more prosperity? I encourage you to take at least one step today to move you in the right direction. Good luck on your journey.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

 

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Posted in Life Lessons, Simplicity

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When is Your Peak Mental Energy Time?

June 27th, 2012

Do you find yourself charged up and ready to go first thing in the morning, or do you stumble through the morning and hit your stride right after lunch? Taking advantage of your peak mental energy time can do wonders for your productivity as well as your self-esteem.

Many of my clients have never formally identified their peak mental energy time – they just know there’s a time of day when they seem to be highly motivated and productive, and other times that they spend spinning their wheels. If you haven’t identified your peak mental energy time, start paying attention to when you’re most able to take on difficult or unpleasant tasks – that’s most likely your peak time.

Once you’ve identified this key time, use it for tasks that require a lot of mental calories – those difficult and unpleasant things that are hard to wrap your brain around. You’ll need to muster all the mental horsepower you can for these tasks, so make it easy for yourself by scheduling them for the right time of day. Conversely, do fun and easy things during your slump time – don’t waste your peak mental energy time on things you’ll be able to do no matter how well your brain is functioning.

When I’m working in my office, I don’t even have to look at my watch to know when it’s around 3:00 in the afternoon. My yawning, distractibility, and restlessness tell me it’s time to get up from my desk and do something physical because my brain needs a break. Conversely, from 7 to 9 in the morning is a great time for me to concentrate and stay focused on desk or computer work. Fortunately for me (and my clients), if I’m doing something physical like organizing, I’m able to stay focused and energized no matter what time of day it is.

Sometimes you may not be able to work in accordance with your peak mental energy time – meetings, appointments, and other external demands may make it impossible to claim that time as your own. In those instances, taking a break will help energize you – I’ve previously written about the power of breaks. You may have to shorten each work session to allow for breaks, but in the long run, you’ll probably be more productive.

What if you can’t identify your peak mental energy time? I’ve never worked with anyone who doesn’t have some time of day that is best for them, but until you determine your peak time, you may be best off doing difficult and unpleasant things at the beginning of the day. That way, if your day gets derailed by other demands, at least you’ll have gotten something important accomplished.

So when is your peak mental energy time? What tasks will you target doing during that time?

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

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Posted in Time Management

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Improve Your Focus by Minimizing Distractions

June 4th, 2012

As we transition into summer, it’s sometimes hard for me to stay focused on work-related tasks. Sunshine, singing birds, gentle breezes, even rainstorms all serve as potential distractions to my well-planned summer work schedule. I know many of you, especially those with AD/HD, face a similar challenge –staying focused when there are dozens of things hollering for your attention. Here are some ideas to help you stay on course yet still have time for fun in the sun:

Plan around your peak mental energy time. What time of day are you the most alert? Use that time to work on difficult, unpleasant tasks that require a lot of mental calories – you’ll be more likely to stay on task when your brainpower matches the complexity of the task at hand.

Remove physical distractions. Whether you’re working on a project at your desk or trying to get dinner on the table, remove things from view that might take you away from the task at hand. Put away papers and files you’re not currently working on before you pull out a new project; clean up remnants of past meals before starting to prepare a new one. If you’re working in a space that’s particularly messy and distractions are hard to put away, cover the areas you won’t be working on with a sheet to hide them from view.

Write it down. On a sticky note, jot down what you intend to be working on and put it where you can see it – next to your computer monitor, on your phone, on your hand – you get the idea. This visual reminder can rein you in when you’re starting to stray.

Use a timer. Set a timer at periodic intervals to check in with yourself and see if you’re working on what you intended.  Depending on your susceptibility to distraction, the intervals can be as short as 10 minutes or as long as an hour.

Here’s a link to my newsletter where you can read more about how to stay focused and get things done. I’d love to hear how you manage to stay focused when the rest of the world is calling to you.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

 

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Posted in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Causes of Disorganization, Time Management

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Organize Your Digital Photos

April 5th, 2012

Are you drowning under piles of photographs and wondering how to dig yourself out? My January 2011 newsletter described how to organize photos – the physical prints that may occupy any number of bags and boxes in your home. But maybe it’s your computer rather than you that’s drowning – you may take digital photographs and have a hard drive bursting with them. This month I’ve called upon my husband, John, who is the technical guru of our home, to describe the best ways to organize digital photos (yes, there is a better way than just dumping them into random folders on your computer).

You can organize your digital photos similarly to your physical photos: by holiday/event, by date, etc. You can create appropriately named folders and move or copy the photos into those folders. But what if some photos could be in more than one category? I came upon this dilemma while organizing my own photos recently. By nature, I had my photos organized in date order, neatly placed in monthly folders.  However, I also wanted to have them organized by event (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, birthdays, etc.). How to solve this dilemma?

If you are dealing with physical photo albums, you’d have to make extra copies of each photo and have one photo placed in the date-ordered album and the other in the holiday/event album – quite an effort, and perhaps not a good use of space and time. On a computer you have options: you can have your photos sorted and grouped in more than one order, without making extra copies. This magic is accomplished by using computer software as a logical index to your photos. The index allows you to create multiple groupings of photos without actually moving or copying the photos.

With indexing software, you create an album (logical index) and then tell the index where in the date-ordered folders to find the relevant photos. The index builds up a list of file locations where the photos are stored, then uses that information to present the list as an album to you. For example, you can create an album (logical index) called “Thanksgiving 2000 to 2012” and the index will pull up related photos no matter how many different folders they are stored in. You can then use this album in multiple ways:

• Present slide shows on your computer
• Upload photos to an online photo printer
• Burn photos or slideshows to CD/DVD
• Upload to your favorite social media website for online slide shows
• Make postcards, holidays cards, greeting cards, and more…

Here’s a link to my newsletter where you can read about software that can help you organize your digital photos. I’d love to hear what works for you.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

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Posted in Keepsakes, Photos

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Get Organized for the Right Reasons

March 22nd, 2012

“To be able to open a cabinet, drawer or closet  and find what I’m looking for;” “To start my family’s day on time and on a positive note;” “To experience the joy of leisure time;” “To make living with AD/HD easier.” These are all reasons clients have told me they want to get organized. Although each reason supports a different goal, the one thing each of them has in common is that the end goal is about more than being organized – organization is a means to something bigger and more meaningful.

Why does a bigger, more meaningful reason matter? Why can’t one just get organized for organizings’s sake? Well, “getting organized” could be your ultimate goal, but it’s not particularly motivating. And motivation is just what you’ll need to stick with the organizing process, as well as to maintain the organizing systems you create.

Before you start your organizing project, decide what greater goal organizing will help you achieve. Will you have better relationships because you get to places on time and no longer keep your friends or family waiting? Will you eat better because you can easily find things in your kitchen, so preparing healthy meals at home will be a breeze? Think about the compelling reasons you want to get organized, and write them down. You might even want to post them where you can see them to motivate you during your organizing sessions, and to remind you to maintain your systems once you’ve set them up.

Another reason to create compelling reasons to get organized is to help guide you as you go through the decision-making process that’s inherent to the organizing process. For example, if one of your goals is to be able to get out the door quickly by easily finding things in your clothes closet, you may have to pare down your wardrobe to fit into the space that you have. As you evaluate each item in your closet, you can ask yourself how keeping it will help you get out the door quickly.

So how do you create your bigger goal around getting organized? Ask yourself what bothers you the most about your home, your office, your life. What frustrations do you experience because you have trouble finding things, you don’t get your bills paid on time, or your schedule is too full? What weight will be lifted when you get organized and regain control?

I’d love to hear your compelling reason for getting organized.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

 

 

 

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Posted in Goal Setting, Goals, Organizing Process

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Manage Mealtime Mayhem

March 7th, 2012

Several years ago I saw a sign that said “I have a kitchen because it came with the house” in a client’s home. It’s a relief to know there’s at least one other person besides me who doesn’t like to cook. After all, with the huge number of cooking shows on TV, cooking magazines staring at me in the grocery store, and specialty spice shops and olive oil stores popping up all over, I can’t help but think that everyone except me loves to cook (and is good at it as well). I do love to eat, however, so I’ve done all I can to make meal planning as painless as possible. Whether you’re the cook in your home or are lucky enough to be the beneficiary of someone else’s cooking, enjoy these tips to make mealtimes less stressful.

Plan meals for the week. I used to spend stress-filled hours (ok, minutes, but it seemed like hours) staring at the refrigerator and freezer each evening trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I finally took my own advice and now plan dinners for the upcoming week every Sunday. I write them on an erasable whiteboard attached with magnetic clips to my refrigerator. It’s amazing how much less stressful my day is just knowing I can answer the question “What’s for dinner?”

Create a rotating menu routine. I have 21 index cards, each of which contains one dinner suggestion as well as any special ingredients that I’m not likely to have on hand. Rather than having to put a lot of thought into what to make for dinner, I just grab the seven index cards in the front of the stack and use them as my
starting point. I check my calendar to determine which nights might require a quick meal or an early or late dinner based on my husband’s and my schedules. I reorder the seven index cards to correspond to each evening, and write those meals in order on my whiteboard. I write the special ingredients from the index
cards onto my grocery list and check my freezer and cupboards to make sure all of the non-special ingredients are on hand. I put that group of index cards in the back of the stack and I’m ready for next week’s meal planning.

Create a themed menu routine. Another option to make meal planning easy is to have a theme for each day of the week. Themes help narrow down your options, which for me is the biggest challenge of meal planning. For example, Monday is breakfast for dinner; Tuesday is Mexican; Wednesday is pasta; Thursday is soup; Friday is fish; Saturday is pizza – you get the idea. You could also include a night where family members take turns planning (and maybe even cooking!) what’s for dinner.

Here’s a link to my newsletter where you can find some more ideas to help you make mealtime easier than ever. I’d love to hear what helps you manage mealtime mayhem in your home.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

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Posted in Home Organizing, Household Tasks, Organizing Process

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