Leadership Advice: Follow The Plan Not The Mood

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I had the amazing honor to be a part of the recent Chicago Women’s Conference at South Suburban College. I was asked to be a panelist for the “Turning Passion To Profits Panel”, which I mentioned in last week’s article and episode. This was a great opportunity to meet my fellow panelists and also impart wisdom to our attendees. In addition, though, I say I was honored to “be a part of” the Conference because I also got to attend and learn from amazing people!

In the first session, we heard from 4 Women In Leadership. One of the pearls of wisdom shared by the high powered panelists was the reminder to “Follow The Plan Not The Mood.” (I wish I had been sitting closer to the panelists so I knew specifically who said it, and I would give proper credit! And a quick google search shows it repeated often by wise people!)

Wow.

Yes, this.

That really resonates with me.

Before I go further, I will remind you – I am a coach and a certified professional organizer. I am not a therapist or a doctor, and when we talk about mood today, I am not talking about the extremes like depression, bipoloar disorder or mania. I am talking about our typical moods from day to day.

Back to the topic.

Follow The Plan Not The Mood.

Let’s talk professional or work specific plans here. I am going to assume we have good plans. We plan, we make plans, we make decisions on what we need to do – we make those decisions based on many factors: research, logic, the needs of our customers or clients, input from others, etc. Right? We know what tasks we need to complete today or this week to do our work or make progress or move us towards our goal. Those tasks, without judging them as hard or easy or long or short, we know what they are. And, we know we need to do them for the reasons I listed above – they are our work, they serve our community, we make progress or we move towards our goals – they are linked to things that we define as successful – money, clients, esteem, business building, etc.

We Make The Plan. But then, sometimes, something mercurial and unpredictable like a mood can de-rail us. Sometimes before we even get started.

Long ago, I had a client who was waiting for The Day. The Day that she would wake up and that would be the day that she would want to, be motivated to, have the energy to, get organized. The fire would be burning from within, there would be that glow, that energy. The planets will have aligned. The angels will sing. She was sure that some day, this beautiful but still mythical day would occur.

And I love that idea, that image, that dream, for her. And for all my clients. and even for myself! But so far, when she and I were working together, for this client, it was still just a dream. She understood the importance of being organized, which is why we were working together. She desired to BE organized, but she was not motivated to GET organized. She was waiting for the Mood to align with the Plan.

She was grown, likely in her 50s like I am now. And never once in her 50+ years on the earth had that magical mood ever happened on its own. She was still hoping it would, despite all data and experience pointing to the unlikelihood of that event. And the bigger problem was that she was WAITING for that mythical and unlikely day to happen, before she would work the “get organized” plan we had created together. She was WAITING for the day when she would just wake up and magically, transformatively, somehow, want to get organized. But we can’t rely on magic or waiting for The Mood to strike to make things happen.

The opposite can be true, as well! Perhaps we tend to be in a good mood and therefore productivity comes easy but we also get distracted with activities that come from a good mood like play!, or we rely heavily on the positive mood until the mood dips and then we need to return to Following The Plan, regardless of the mood.

And, let’s look at some vocab: per Psychology Today, PsychologyToday.com

  • “Emotions are real-time data sparked by sensations in the body.” (e.g., love, fear, joy, disgust, surprise, anger, sadness)
  • Next, “Feelings can be more biased, altered by mental misconceptions.” (anxious, calm, relaxed, resentful, frustrated, hopeful, typically a blend of emotions)
  • A mood can be a composite of emotions and feelings, and is thought to be less intense than an emotion.

Let me say, Emotions matter. Feelings matter. Mood matters. These are important and need to be respected. And, they are subject to change. In all directions!

There are days that I may say – ugh, I am just not feeling it today. And, “it” is likely work, adulting, or other tasks that feel difficult. Perhaps the emotions are hitting hard that day, like sadness or anger, or love and joy. Highs and lows, right? I liked that definition of Emotions as “real-time data”.

However… data changes and then emotions change. Feelings can be altered (also per the definition!). And mood can be impacted by changes in both, again – in all directions.

Follow The Plan Not The Mood. There are going to be days that what we are feeling does not fully support the plan. Emotions are not good or bad, they just are. Feelings are more subjective, for better or for worse, right? Extremely positive moods and feelings can also keep us from working the Plan for the Day just as much as negative moods and feelings!

But we still need to Work the Plan. The needs still must be met, the work likely still needs to get done.

Let’s remember, then, that feelings and moods are fickle. They can be changed by external forces. And the good news is, they can also be changed by internal forces. We can take action to adjust our feelings and moods and get back to Following The Plan.

We remember the plan, we acknowledge the emotions and the feelings, we check in on our mood. We can do things to Work the Plan even when it’s hard, with any strong feelings! The first step is awareness, of course. When the Plan isn’t matching the mood, check in. What are our current emotions? Current mood? Current feelings?

The Plan still needs to be followod, but we can also ajdust the mood, to make it easier to Follow The Plan. An informal poll of friends and family yielded the following ideas to adjust the mood to Follow the Plan.

  1. Feel your emotions and feelings strongly for a little while – like set a timer! Grab a journal, wallow for half an hour, celebrate for half an hour! Acknowledge them and feel them! And then adjust.
  2. Take care of self regulation tasks like eat food, drink water, take a shower, etc., and then get back to the work.
  3. Do something physical for a short time, like take a walk or work out, and then come back. This can both use and also generate energy, and boost the mood.
  4. Go outside, in sunlight if possible. Breathe the air, move around.
  5. Bribe yourself. Yes, I said that. Bribe yourself with a reward – a break? a treat? to do the work, until the mood more matches the plan.
  6. Create a playlist for yourself to boost your mood or motivate yourself. Yes, I have songs on Spotify I listen to when I need to boost the mood (anything by Will Evans or Chad Hollister, TBH).
  7. Visualize the Victories that will come from Following The Plan.
  8. Break the steps of The Plan into really small steps, to generate some momentum.

Follow The Plan Not The Mood.

Know the plan and get to the work of your day. And if the mood isn’t matching the Plan, that means we need to adjust the mood and not the Plan. The Plan remains the same, but we can respect and then also adjust our mood.

And this wisdom was from a panel of Leaders. Executives, Motivational Speakers, University Presidents. If I am going to take advice from others, I want to take it from them. The advice was not to ignore or squash the emotions or feelings. But was we take action, we follow the plan. And to make that less of a struggle, we can adjust the most subjective part of the equation, the mood, to increase our chances for success with Following The Plan. I love hopeful and magical thinking as much as the next person, but I am not going to leave my success up to chance! And neither should you. Follow The Plan Not The Mood.

It’s Story Time. The Story Of My Company.

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I was asked to present at the Chicago Women’s Conference this month. When this article comes out, I will have already been on the “Turning Passion to Profits” Panel, and in preparing my notes and message for the conference attendees, I realized that I have never shared publicly, or at least not in my podcast and newsletter, my company’s origin story.

So, let me catch you up to where I’ve been, how I got here, and where I think “Here” is today!

Passions to Profits, let’s think about that! And I love that idea. And I absolutely turned something that I love to do into a business for myself.

So here is the story:

I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan and went to the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, for undergrad, where I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, with minors in psychology and musical performance. Long term / big picture, I hoped to work in HR some day, helping people to do their best work and live their best lives.

I was fortunate, more fortunate than many of my fellow grads, and had a job offer in my field before graduation. It was the early 90s, and not everyone could find a job.

I moved home to Kalamazoo on a Sunday, bought my first car on Monday and started my retail management job on Wednesday. The pool and spa company where I worked the summers in college had asked me to manage one of their locations, and I did. I worked in retail for a year. I liked the company, and my co-workers and our customers, but I’m not fond of retail. I had continued to take classes at home to expand my administrative skills when the store was closed for the winter, and I became a health unit coordinator, or unit secretary, depending on where you worked. By the Spring, I had two job offers, one at a hospital in my home town and one at a hospital in the Chicago area where my then-boyfriend-now-husband lived, so – that is how I came to Chicago and also to Health Care Management.

I worked as a Health Unit Coordinator for 2 years, and then started at the University of Illinois at Chicago as the Residency Coordinator in the Department of Medicine, handling 130+ internal medicine residents during their residencies. I loved the job and my co-workers and residents, and I was getting closer to what I truly wanted to be doing, helping others to do their best work and live their best lives. In addition, as an employee at the University of Illinois at Chicago, I was able to pursue a Master’s Degree for free. I completed half of the course work for a Masters In Health Professions Education.

Health Professions Education was where I was spending my professional time, supporting the learning of medical school students and internal medicine residents. I was getting closer and closer to what I imagined that I wanted to be doing, and definitely closer to where I am now, espcially now that I am an adjunct professor or visiting instructor at three community colleges, teaching adults in career training programs.

I took a pause on my Masters when I went on a medical leave to have our first child. He’s 27 now. I returned to UIC half time, and within a few years, had baby #2. He’s 24 now.

When we had baby #2, we realized we were outgrowing our 2 bedroom home, and soon bought a new home. We bought the home from an estate, and the family we bought it from left many furniture items behind, telling us we could do whatever we wanted with them – use them, sell them, whatever. I would like to think they were being kind. However, I am smarter now, and would never agree to that again, but I digress.

The Spring after we moved into our second home, we decided to have a garage sale to part with the unneeded items from our old home and the current home. I had never had a garage sale, and I turned to technology. Yes, I went online to research how to have a garage sale. One of the websites I visited said – “If you have a lot to sell, consider hiring a Professional Organizer to help you.”

Say what now?

I said “Professional Organizer?! That is a thing?! I don’t want to hire one, I think I want to be one!!”

I checked out the link to the National Association of Professional Organizers, or NAPO.net, researched more about the idea, and let the thoughts percolate for a few years.

I was working half time in an office in downtown Chicago. Driving or taking the train, my husband and I were both an hour away from home. And as my kids grew, I realized I needed to be home more, and have more flexibility. I struggled with finding someone to take my son back and forth to pre-school, or managing things like the dreaded call from daycare when someone gets sick.

So I decided to start my own Organizing Business, to be home more and have greater flexibility. Now, I realize, as I look back, not everyone would do I would do. But it was logical to me at the time. I would be my own boss, I could set my own hours. I have a degree in Business Management and experience in administration and management and I knew I could manage my own business.

I looked at start-up tasks: deciding what I wanted to specialize in, joining the professional organization, purchasing insurance, purchasing the tools to do the work. There was not much guidance out there at the time in getting started, but our industry is much better now about supporting new organizers in getting started. I had an amazing mentor, a professional organizer in my community, who let me pick her brain for HOURS! I appreciate Pamela to this day and try to pay her kindness forward by answering questions for new and prospective organizers just like she did for me!

In Summer, 2003, I had decided what areas of professional organizing I wanted, and didn’t want!, to specialize in. I ordered my business cards, wrote a letter (yes a lettter!) describing the company I was starting and asking friends and family to help me spread the word. I took a deep breath and mailed the letter and business cards to 70 people (yes 70!). Then we went on a vacation with family for a week. I had calls from my first two clients when I got home, thank you, Rita and Brian. And there is a lot of life and learning in between now and then, but here I am.

I was then and am now aware of my skill set and strengths. I have excellent organizational skills, communication skills and the desire to help others, all three required for the type of career I was proposing. I was also aware of my weaknesses, and managing those is important for sustainable success. And relatedly, I was slow to identify areas that weren’t necessarily strengths or weakneses, but more importantly, were the areas where I need assistance. I have gotten better, but I am still not good about asking for help.

However, circling back to the beginning of this article, I knew, in life, that I wanted to work with people to help them be the best they wanted to be. I wanted to do that with people, for people. And here I am.

Hello,

  • I’m  Colleen Klimczak, CPO.
  • I am an organizational and productivity coach and a certified professional organizer.  I own Peace of Mind Professional Organizing, LLC.
  • Since 2003, I have been helping my clients live better lives through organizing, and organizational and productivity coaching.
  • I support my clients and my community with
    • coaching,
    • in-person and virtual organizing,
    • my weekly Podcast called Your Organized Life with Colleen Klimczak,
    • a free weekly virtual productivity session called Finish Line Friday,
    • a free weekly email newsletter and
    • regular content on Facebook and Instagram. 
  • I also offer presentations and professional development to groups and companies.

If you are thinking of starting a business, here is some wisdom you didn’t ask for but that I want to share with you all the same:

  • Know your skills. And also know what skills you lack. Be ready to figure out ways to compensate for skills you lack, or to learn the skills.
  • Know what you do NOT want to do. Prepare to hold firm to that. I tell potential professional organizers that their first step is to go to the NAPO.net website and figure out what they DO NOT want to do.
  • Look at your industry – how to enter, what barriers to entry you may need to overcome, and what other people are doing.
  • Be ready to find out you don’t know nearly as much as you think you do. But here is the good news, you can figure out almost anything, if given the time and creativity and imagination and resources.
  • Success or failure are not a reflection on your value as a person.
  • Trying to “do it all results” in opportunity costs. You are the talent. You likely cannnot and should not “do it all”. Which leads me to:
  • Who is on the team? Who are your experts? Start thinking like a CEO, and look at what your company needs, even if it is a company of 1. You may fill many of these roles yourself, but every company, big or small, needs:
    • accounting (tax planning, big picture planning)
    • bookkeeping / accounts payables and receivables
    • operations like administration / scheduling / correspondence
    • legal / insurance
    • social media marketing / advertising
    • website creation and maintenance
    • strategic planning
    • HR / hiring
    • Industry specific support like: productions, editing, publishing, or purchasing, manufacturing, packaging, shipping
  • Ask for help, and I mean, employees or services. You needed to ask for help long before you realized you need help.
  • Overnight success takes YEARS!

Thanks for sticking with me, to the end of this article or episode, sure, but more importantly thanks for sticking with me along the path. Whether you and I met in 2003 or before, or any time since, I am grateful to you for being part of my story!

Planning for Big and Small Spring Projects

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I don’t know about you, but I am feeling the stirrings of Spring!

I was recently a guest on the EP Podcast where we talked about Spring Cleaning, thanks Chris, for having me on!

When this podcast episode and article are published, it will be mid March. We will have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, and celebrated my husband for his birthday. Happy birthday, honey.

While I live in the Chicago area and there is no telling if we’re feeling Spring-like weather the day you are hearing or reading this, the official first day of Spring is Thursday, March 20.

So, perhaps you are feeling stirrings of Spring as well!

Last week, we sat at the table and made a list of things we wanted to do or buy for Spring. Big things and little things. Big projects and little projects.

This week, I want to walk us through planning and projects. After asking a client some questions in a recent email, she said it became obvious that she needed to get organized about getting organized (I am paraphrasing). And I love that idea because it’s true. We have to do the planning and then do the work. Both are required for success! So, here are the questions I ask my clients when they tell me they want to get organized, and the questions work for Spring Projects as well!

  • What are your projects, and what is their priority order?
  • What are you willing to add in (habits) or part with (clutter, or in this case, time or money in exchange for products or services), to make these projects succeed?
  • Why are these projects important to you?
  • What is your deadline for the projects?

First, let’s look at “What are your projects, and what is their priority order?”

Which means it is time for the Clipboard Activity.

If you ever have attended one of my classes like Downsizing or Clear The Clutter, I always suggest we grab a cliboard. I talk about how everybody looks cooler holding a clipboard, how I feel more empowered when holding a clipboard. But to be honest, an actual clipboard isn’t required. The clipboard represents the planning process. Write your notes in a notebook or on your computer. Often with my clients, I will take notes on my phone or iPad, and then send them the notes in an outline form.

When we grab the clipboard, literally or figuratively, we are organizing to get organized.

I won’t suggest something I haven’t tried, so here is what the Clipboard Activity looks like in my home, identifying Big and Small Projects for Spring.

  • I am working on this artice in my living room, so first on my list, I need to wash my windows inside and out. Yikes. Rain and snow have not been kind this winter, so I will plan an hour or two next weekend and wash my windows. That’s a Spring and Fall task.
  • A bigger project, though, is replacing the couch and likely the chairs as well. I love my gorgeous green leather oversized couch. But we have had it for about 20 years now and it is looking a bit sad. It has been the best couch, but I think it’s time. And a new couch requires research, decision making about size and styles and colors and budget, and a trip to the furniture store, and then likely some waiting. And sadly the chairs are as old as the couch, and not nearly as comfortable as they once were. So those small and big projects go on the Clipboard list, and then we move on.
  • In the dining room is our thermostat, and we want to have the HVAC company out to install a new thermostat, so that is a phone call and appointment to make.
  • My dining room is always good, organizationally speaking, because there is not much to it. I need to oil the top of my dining room table to treat it, and the windows need washed, too. Two small regular maintenance projects go on the list, and then we move on.
  • In our house, geographically, next is one son’s room, but there isn’t anything we need to do in there.
  • On to the bathroom and linen closet. I need to have the plumber out because my drain is draining very slowly, so that is a phone call to make. Hopefully that doesn’t end up as a big project. The small projects on the list are replacing a set of towels that I purged last week because they were worn out, and tidying the linen closet. (I took care of that last weekend in about 10 minutes. I purged the old bath towels and took care of the bin of cold and flu medication. That bin got messed up when my son and I both had the cold and flu in February. So, I tidied that up, determined items to restock, and DONE! And I am happy again when I open that closet door.)
  • On to our bedroom. Our bedroom is pretty good. A small and regular project is switching my clothes over for Spring. Another small project / purchase is replacing my portable laptop desk which is no longer portable and is listing to one side like a drunken sailor. So that is on my list of purchases. It’s a different kind of purchase than going to the furniture store, so that goes on a different list and my company will purchase it.
  • Next is my other’s son’s bedroom, and decisions in that room are not my decisions to make, so moving on!
  • On to the Family Room and My office (same room). It’s pretty good back there. We may need to replace that couch, too. Again, it has been here for a while and has gotten a lot of wear and tear as my sons have grown up. So, more decision making and perhaps some shopping.
  • A small project in my office will be in May when I am officially done with Board of Education Work, and I will need to clear out and shred the papers I have kept over the last 8 years, and dedicate that reclaimed storage and file cabinet drawer for other things. Not a high priority item today, but it goes on the list.
  • And then finally, the kitchen. The kitchen is good, there are no large projects in there. As soon as I think that, I realize there are things I want from the grocery this week, but that is a completely different task. And today, I need to put away some serving dishes we used for a big family dinner yesterday. But, again, that’s just maintenance.
  • Another small project, already complete? I bought forks. Yes, forks. When all the dishes are clean and put away, we have a nine piece setting of flatware. 9 each of knives, 2 sizes of spoons, and 2 sizes of forks. 9 of each. Except for the big forks. We were down to 4. I have no idea what happened to them. We’ve had those for a long time, too. We tend to keep our stuff for a long time, and take good care of it, which is great. But the fork thing was bugging me EVERY DAY when I had to eat everything with a small fork. And it turns out I can buy just 4 or 6 forks in the same pattern, which is apparently very common from Oneida. Such a small and simple remedy, for $20 and about 10 minutes of my time.
  • If we head outside, we want the HVAC folks to clean the AC unit while they are here. And another large project I have in mind is new plantings in front of my house. I had the idea last Spring but never got around of doing it so my shrubs still look the same as they did for the last 15 years, only a little worse.
  • And I love to think about what to put in my container garden, but that is more of an April question.

Whew! Thanks for walking through my house with me! And the more important part is not what MY big and small projects are, it is teaching you the process for you to apply it to your own home. Grab the note-taking device and then walk from room to room and make your notes for big and small projects, and what priority level you want to assign to them.

And… next questions: What are you willing to add in ( habits) or part with (clutter, time or money in exchange for products or services), to make these projects succeed? And, Why are they important, and what is the timeline?

Again, let me walk through that with you.

We are pretty solid with our habits, so I don’t need to answer that part of the question. We can look at the “What am I willing to part with to make these projects succeed?” question though. What work am I willing to do to complete these projects? And this is typically the Resources question. Planning means assessing our resources like time and money and know-how, and supports like other people.

I am willing to do the actual physical work for most of these projects, of course. OR the mental work, if research and decision making are required.

And, all of these larger projects have been considered for at least a few months, so we have considered who our experts are (plumber, HVAC company, landscaper) and also what the budget is, at least vaguely, for the projects and purchases (couch? couches?) will likely be.

And time frame? Let’s look at the calendar.

Let’s consider how long furniture takes to arrive these days. The last time we bought furniture it was a six week time frame for delivery. But that was a very long time ago, what is typical now?

I should probably call or text my plumber today. He is awesome, and knowing him, he will offer to come and checking things out right away, but I just want to get on his schedule for the next few weeks. The HVAC company is my husband’s call to make because he knows what he wants. But again, sooner rather than later.

And I need to ask my family member about their friend who may be able to help with the landscaping. That is another text for today or this week.

And now… the doing. Planning and Doing, right? Or were you hoping I would forget about that part?

I will not. And neither can you. Planning is great, seriously, I love planning. But we also must commit to the doing. Or my windows will stay dirty, I will never have enough forks, my shower will still drain too slowly, and my shrubbery will still look sad and tired.

The doing.

I will make the calls this week and get the appointments on the calendar. We will start the conversation about couches and chairs. I will order the adjustable rolling laptop desk, and the new white bath towels. If the weather stays pleasant, I will carve out an hour or two for washing my windoews. And I will appreciate eating with a full sized fork and acknowledge the benefits that come from having an idea and then acting on it.

Happy Spring!

“Good Enough” Is Better Than Not At All

Good enough destinations, inspired by and with thanks to my client P.

We want to be right, right? But we can also be right enough, close enough, good enough. That is my premise for today.

These days, I don’t always write or record conversations about clutter. But a client conversation and a recent Downsizing Presentation reminded me of some points that I want to share this week!

Clutter exists in our physical space, and also our mental space, our emotional space. Perhaps we are making progress towards clearing that clutter, but sometimes that progress slows down, or gets hung up or halted for some reason. Often, that slowdown or hangup is because of decision making and perfectionsim. So let’s look at that.

Clutter in our lives is often a reflection of other things in our lives. A symptom of other challenges, perhaps. And we can delve deeper to examine those other challenges another time, but we can also still make progress without examining the deeper work because let’s face it – we likely all agree, clutter negatively impacts our thoughts, emotions, frame of mind and more.

I have shared before how our physical environments influence our wellness and health. How having clutter can negatively impact our mental and physical health. Having clutter increases symptoms of depression, anxiety, bipolal disorder, ADHD, heart disease, diabetes, and the list goes on. And, that in addition to impacting our mental and physical health, clutter can lead to unsafe or unsanitary situtations. Clutter harbors mold, mildew, dust and other allergens, and it can physically be unsafe if it causes us to stumble or it falls on us, or increases fire risks in extreme sitations.

And, turning all of that around, Clearing Clutter decreases depression, anxiety, symptoms of bipolar disorder and ADHD, improves symptoms of heart disease and diabetes, improves air quality in our homes, sleep quality and overall safety.

Without needing to delve into trauma or personality or neurodiversity, those deeper challenges, we can still clear SOME clutter almost any day. Because we know that having less clutter improves our quality of life in these ways and more.

And yet.

Here’s the thing. I know amazing people and you are one of them! And very often I have conversations with my clients, neighbors, friends or family members, and they all want to part with their clutter to reap the beneifts and live better. But we get stuck on wanting to part with clutter but only in the Right Way or a perfect way, whatever that means. And we delay the positive benefits by waiting around for or puzzling over that one perfect solution, and waiting around for perfect keeps us from taking ANY steps to declutter, which keeps us mired in our clutter and its negative effects.

We focus on finding the perfect solution for parting with our clutter; making lots of money; finding someone who will value this item greatly, like we did when we first bought it 20 years ago; finding the MOST WORTHY cause to donate our items. And we still live in clutter and chaos because these unicorns, these perfect solutions, might not actually exist. Choosing to live with clutter is not logical, when we know the benefits, so let’s look at decision making logically.

I was coaching with a client in December, discussing her work and progress in clearing clutter in the different areas of her home. She wants to live in a cleaner and safer space, and also wants to enjoy her home more. And improve air quality to help with her asthma. And clear some spaces for some home imprements like electrical or plumbing work, or painting.

And as we were talking through her spaces, she metioned some very specific items that she wanted to part with. As soon as she mentioned them, I had three very specific ideas of non-profit organizations that we could donate the items to, but each would require a phone call or an appointment or renting a truck to drop things off, etc. But – let’s recall – we were seeking solutions and I did not want to add to my client’s burdens. So as we discussed possible solutions, I also suggested that we seek some combination of the perfect solutions for some things and also “Good enough” solutions. To help her make the progress she desires while also seeking perfect solutions, if we happen to find them.

Yes, for truly meaninful items, we may continue to seek a perfect destination for our stuff. But most of our stuff isn’t truly meaningful. So what this client and I discussed was creating a rubric, path or process for deciding “Good Enough” solutions to clearing her clutter as she works through the different storage spaces in her home. A decision-making matrix.

Here are some of the questions we came up with, for her and the rest of us, when we determine we no longer want an item, or an item in our home needs to leave.

I like money, money’s nice. Question 1 then, Is the item returnable? And if it is, is the hassle worth it? Meaning, the amount of money we would receive for returning the items is more that the time and effort it takes to return in. (For example, if an item is returnable but requires special shipping or transportation, and the cost of those eats up the money we woud have received in return).

Question 2, Is the item sellable? And is the hassle worth it? Like returning an item, will the amount of money for selling an item be more than the time and effort it takes to sell it? For example, Beanie Babies or bobble heads or beer steins. I’ve had many difficult conversations with clients and loved ones regarding collectibles and their believed worth. Unfortunately, items that we believe are sellable and worth lots of money sometimes… are not.

And, there are other organizers and experts out there that can help you determine if an item has worth and is sellable. I am not that organizer or expert.

Check out my permanent Blog Post regarding resources and destinations for parting with your items.

Organizing Resources to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

Next, Question #3, If we can’t get money for the item, is it sharable? Can we give it away? Is there someone that we know personally that can use this item? A friend, a loved one, a neighbor, co-worker, someone on our community? Could I take it somewhere in my community, like to church or the library or the local food pantry, depending on what it is? I also consider sharing items on my community’s Free Box Facebook Page. My Sister-In-Law downsized her mother’s apartment and share many things in her local Buy Nothing group.

And having parameters on those types of groups is helpful, too. For example, “I will post an item on the FB group or groups, check back if there is no response after 1 or 3 or 7 days, and then delete the entry from the page and donate the item (depending on the terms of the group).”

Which leads us to the next question, Is it donatable? Is there a specific person or group or organization that would take this item as a donation? I will take an item down off the Facebook pages, bag it up and drop it off at Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, AmVets Purple Hearts, Epilepsy Foundation, Savers, Neat Repeats (a local second hand store), etc. And because I do this for some of my clients, I stop by donation destinations once a week.

For my clients, having this decision making process is helpful, and more importantly, deciding at the beginning of the process that clearing clutter is more important than finding perfect solutions and destinations encourages progress.

I believe most people are truly good people. We want to do the right thing. But perfectionism can trip us up. We can avoid getting stuck if we can get better at decision making. Decision making, getting better at deciding that something is clutter, and then how to part with it is so important for continued progress on the organizational process.

We don’t want to end up with boxes of things by our back door, in our garage, by the front door. We know we want to part with our clutter, and getting good at “Good Enough” keeps your brain from stumbling on the where, what or why. Determine how long you really want to spend on the redistribution of items, and what you will also be okay with if you just need to drop them off somewhere or donate them. I’m not saying all the items, but many!

I also commend you for wanting to do the right thing with those items. And so let’s figure out what the right thing is for ourselves. And then barring the right and perfect destination for your items, let’s decide what good enough looks like and then be ready to make that happen. Clutter cleared is more important than clutter put into the perfect situation. Because, you know, perfect is kind of hard to attain. But good enough – well, I’m all about “good enough” most days!

Wellness Check-In, Because That Is The Point.

Let me say – I am not a health care professional, and I don’t even play one on TV. I’m just sharing information, in the hope of encouraging others. In the interest of living our best organized life, of finding Peace of Mind, let’s manage our wellness.

And you should know – to be fully authentic – I had a major cold that turned into an upper respiratory infection when I first started working on this article about My Wellness Check-In, One Year Later. Ironic? Yes, I know.

But here we are. And actually I had a cold last February, too, so perhaps that’s fitting!

Last January, I shared this article because sometimes we need to talk about the things that we don’t always talk about.

Who’s On The Team? (Wellness Edition)

This week, I wanted to do a health and wellness check in a follow-up one year out from my experiences this Month last year. Let’s take another walk back in time:

In November of 2023, I went to a dermatologist and had them look at a spot that I had considered troublesome for a while but didn’t want to get checked. In transparency, it worried me for about 6 months, but my son and daughter-in-law got married in September of 2023, and I was vain, concerned that the doctor would want to do surgery on my nose so I didn’t get it checked out before the wedding. Yes, I delayed, out of vanity. Not great logic, I know, but I called the Monday after the wedding to make an appointment, and a month later, had a biopsy. The spot was determined to be basal cell carcinoma, which, it turns out, since I’ve learned a lot about it since then, is completely treatable and very common, especially with folks like me with my pale Irish skin.

Also, in transparency, I was frustrated! I was frustrated that this happened because Hey! I have worn daily sunscreen for over 20 years! I know it has been over 20 years because I started wearing in when I had a darkening of skin that comes with pregnancy called melasma with my second pregnancy. Since my middle son is 24, I’ve been wearing sunscreen daily for 24 years now! No fair, right?!

I learned that my skin damage was more likely from when I was, let’s say, 10, when we didn’t know about sunscreen and didn’t worry about skin cancer. And I can be as frustrated as I want to be, but that doesn’t change the current situation.

First lesson? Yes, probably.

So, it’s more likely that the damage was done when I was 10. The fact that I’ve been wearing sunscreen for the last 24 years in an investment in future me. I will continue to wear it daily so that 20 more years down the road, I won’t have more damage to undo.

Second lesson? Yes.

Yes, I had the surgery in February. It was far more invasive than I expected, really, than anybody expected. To not be dramatic, “more invasive” means a 12 hour day instead of 6 hour day. Still no crisis. Yes, for a few days after, I looked like I lost a fight. I did not expect two black eyes and all the swelling. But I healed well and appropriately, the way I was supposed to. This update is informational, no drama or cliffhanger here.

And, most of us will – heal well and appropriately, that is. We will go to the doctor without incident, follow-up with specialists without incident, heal as expected. I spoke with a friend today who had hip replacement surgery 6 weeks ago. I remember we talked about it the week before his surgery, and I reminded him then that too often we only hear the crazy stories of things that happen, and those crazy things are very unlikely for most of us. He’s doing well 6 weeks out.

Third Lesson. Most of us will have “unremarkable findings” as our progress notes, and NOT anything unexpected. Just statistically speaking.

But I digress.

At my final follow-up in June for the February procedure, I asked my dermatologist to take another biopsy from another questionable spot because I had a feeling it was the same. And I was right. So, that Mohs Procedure to remove a spot on my tragus near my ear happened in August, and that was straightforward and unremarkable, thankfully.

More importantly, and the point of today’s podcast and article, because of my story last year, people I know have gone to the dermatologist because I talked about it. I can’t take the credit for them being brave. Because, let’s face it, stuff is scary sometimes.

Lesson 4: But, let’s de-mystify the scary. Let’s dispel the unfounded misconceptions or beliefs. Let’s have clear, specific, concise conversations about health care and wellness. Because those conversations inform others and may encourage them to take the big steps and do the right thing.

Which brings me to this February, 2025.

I don’t remember if I talked about it, but I had diverticulitis back in October, which I would wish on no one, it was terrible for a few weeks! And I healed and am fine. And between that episode for me and a family member’s recent related diagnosis, I knew that I needed to take the adulting step and schedule a colonoscopy.

Yep, I said it. A colonoscopy. My primary care physician advised me to schedule a Colonoscopy after I was pain free for a few months. I did a mail-in screening for colon cancer in December 2023 with clear results, but I knew that I needed to schedule one for real, considering my age, my issues in October and my updated family history. That was the first week in Feburary. It was a non issue. I made the consultation appointment six weeks prior for the end of January, they had openings to schedule within a week or two. Prep was fine, procedure was the blink of an eye, and we were driving home and I was drinking a Dunkin midnight coffee and eating a bagel by 10 am.

I’m really glad I did it. For my own peace of mind, I needed to. Because I’m trying to model good behavior to my family, my kids. I want to be able to be honest with them and let them know that I am being responsible with my health for myself, for my husband, for them. I want to set that good example. And, I yes, I just needed to know I’m ok. And I am.

Lesson 5: Because worry and concern drain our energy and our joy and our focus. And some worry and concern is avoidable if we just follow-up on what we’re supposed to follow-up on.

Lesson 6: I have a list.

Of course I have a list. Have you met me? And, you should have a list, too. And at least one loved one should know where it is.

Last week, I had an eye appointment to pick up my new contacts, and set another appointment for 6 months out, and scheduled other routine screenings for later in the summer.

I reached out to my dermatologist office to see if I should go in for my annual screening at the office I went to first or with the dermatologist who did my Mohs procedures who is at a different office.

I updated my personal wellness task list with dates for appointments I need to schedule, like a repeat CT of my abdomen six months after my diverticulitis, repeat labs for levels we are tracking, regular screenings appropriate to my age, and a follow up colonoscopy for 3-5 years.

Also on the list are the current precriptions I take, and the re-order dates for those.

Hooray for adulting. I stopped being bothered by having to do it, and I just do it. And if we keep up on the maintenance of our health care and wellness, we have the peace of mind that comes from knowing where we are and how we’re doing with up-to-date and relevant information.

My health is not perfect. My body is not perfect. I can state both of those facts out loud. But I have assembled a team of people to help me. I have baseline levels or experiences for most of my routine screenings. I have notes in my master to-do list of when my appointments are and what I need to scheduled next. I have links and logins and apps for my various patient portals with various offices and health care systems.

Let’s review today’s lessons, however many I ended up with:

  1. Being frustrated or concerend happens, but that doesn’t change the current situation.
  2. Yes, you likely carry damage from your life leading up to today, and we can’t change that, but we can change our path going forward.
  3. Statistically speaking, most of us will have “unremarkable findings” as our progress notes, and NOT anything unexpected.
  4. De-mystify the scary stuff with clear, specific, concise conversations about health care and wellness.
  5. Because worry and concern drain our energy and our joy and our focus. And some worry and concern is avoidable if we just follow-up on what we’re supposed to follow-up on.
  6. Have a list. (Of course!)

We don’t have to like it, but we have to do it. Because I care for all of you, I encourage you to do these things, too.

Please do. Please know that it’s important. Please automate everything you can. It’s only February. Please put items on your to-do list to contact your healthcare providers that you need to check in with during the course of the year. That may be making the appointments, but also make an appointment to make the appointments to ensure that those regular screenings and follow ups happen.

Peace of Mind is invaluable.

Life Lessons From My High School Typing Teacher

Recently, my high school typing teacher passed away at the age of 93 in my hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

I hadn’t thought about Mr. Frank Caro in a while until my dad, who still lives in my hometown, called me with the news on a Sunday, surely after reading the local Sunday paper. My dad called while I was in the car driving with my husband as we headed downstate to visit my youngest son at college. And I spent a few minutes explaining to Greg the phenomenon that was Mr. Caro.

I explained, probably with a smile on my face, that he was my typing teacher sophomore year of high school. I still remember him so vividly! He was, now that I can look at him with wisdom that comes from growing up and life experiences, brilliant. I learned about far more than typing from Mr. Frank Caro.

He seemed eccentric, quirky even. It was the 80s, but he wore clothes from the 70s and maybe even 60s. He provided one of those glimpses in life, when you see a teacher outside of school and realize that the quirkiness, dated dressing and slightly snarky persona was an act they put on as a teacher. And that the persona was not the same as, or not all there was to, the actual person, the normal looking family man, husband and father, in slacks and a sweater that you saw at Mass on the weekends. And you have to take a moment and broaden your perspective and understanding that teachers are people. Not just people or just teachers, but both.

And he taught this by example, as well. My siblings and I had a lovely back and forth about Mr. Caro, and it also turns out that he was definitely paying attention in class and out of class, as a couple of my comments and my brothers’ comments showed the awareness he had of them as people outside of the classroom, too. So, one lesson I learned from Mr. Caro is understanding all the facets of a person.

It may be difficult to imagine now, but in the 80s, every student was required to take typing at some point in their high school career, and yes, I am totally dating myself right now. But we were required to take typing, and since mine was not a big high school, we all had him as a teacher. And we all have our memories of him and mine are quite fond. I won’t say that at 15, I was a very good typist. He would walk among our desks and comment if we were looking at our fingers on the keyboard or checking our accuracy, and he commented often to me. But even though he was stern and kind of quirky, I don’t remember disliking or feeling frustrated or having a problem with his occasional nasally admonishments. (My brother said in the text thread, “The magic of Frank Caro was the delivery. How to convey that thin, obnoxious French waiter voice with perfect drops of sarcasm and superiority?”) That’s just what you signed up for, when you had Mr. Caro as a teacher.

As is often the case, my dad called me to tell me of Mr. Caro, and it was my job then to share this nugget of news with my siblings. My siblings, my brothers, were 2 and 4 years ahead of me at the same school and they also had Frank Caro for typing. When I finally remembered two days later to text my siblings early on a Tuesday, my oldest brother Sean commented immediately with “Breathe with continuity. Type with continuity. Live with continuity.”

Those were the words to live by that he remembered from the mid-80s and his experience with Frank Caro. Isn’t that funny? That this man obviously impacted all three of us, and others of course, at different times 30 some years ago, and the messages still remain.

“Type with continuity. Breathe with continuity. Live with continuity.”

My brother Patrick had kind words as well, remembering that he “shouldn’t have gotten along as well with Mr. Caro as he did”. But Mr. Caro, one on one, was also vastly different than Mr. Caro in the classroom, and it turns out my brother and his friend used to stop by Mr. Caro’s room daily to grab a piece of candy from the candy jar and visit.

Patrick’s Frank Caro quote was “Never Lose Track Of Your Home Row.”

How amazing.

Breathe with continuity. Type with continuity. Live with continuity.

And

Never Lose Track Of Your Home Row.

I guess there was a lot of truth or merit or value, or all of the above, to whatever mysticism our typing teacher was weaving and working in his classroom, for all three of us to have vastly different experiences in life, but we, to a person, also had fond and powerful memories of typing class. And it’s not that it was typing class, it’s that it was Mr. Caro. We know that now. Breathe with continuity. Type with continuity. Live with continuity. And, Never Lose Your Home Row.

A lesson I carry with me from Frank Caro is that “Faster Is Not Better”. Meaning, work on accuracy, and with practice, the speed will come. I am a musician. I was a musician then, a budding one, and still am today. And the lesson still holds true. Work on doing things right, and then practice A LOT, and the speed will come. In flute music, we don’t learn 1/16th note runs in music by playing them fast immediately. In typing class, it was more important that we be accurate first and then gain speed next. True then in typing, true now in life. Lessons to live by.

I didn’t know this would be an ode to my high school typing teacher, but as it turns out, it is. I was inspired to share the Life Lessons that I learned at the age of 15 and that have obviously stuck with me this long, and I’m grateful for the experiences and the knowledge gained, and the shared experience with my siblings. I love knowing they had similar clear and fond memories of this man that I did.

To review:

  • We are all made up of many facets.
  • “Breathe with continuity. Type with continuity. Live with continuity.”
  • “Never Lose Your Home Row.” And
  • “Faster Isn’t Better.”

In addition, I have a couple other challenges for you this week inspired by Frank Caro.

I’ve taken you all with me on a walk through time recently, with Psychology 101 from freshman year of at the University of Dayton, to Production and Operations Management from college junior year, and now a dip back to high school at Hackett Catholic Central, as I recall topics and teachers who have influenced my life. That’s big.

First challenge: What do you want people to remember about you in 40 years? What do you want to be remembered for? And when you can answer that question, make sure that is the life you are living now. We don’t understand the impact that we can have, but we can have an impact. So determine what that impact is, that you want to have.

And, second challenge: Who was that teacher for you? If those special teachers or mentors are still around to be appreciated, appreciate them. Reach out to an impactful teacher or mentor that you’ve had in your life and say thank you. They would love to hear from you and to know how they touched your life, and you will be a better person for being able to say thank you and being grateful for them.

For example, a few years ago, I reached out in a letter to my best boss ever (and I am self employed!), Helen, to thank her for her support during my time at the University of Illinois, and for being generally gracious and amazing and someone I should aspire to be like. Humbly, of course, she said she didn’t see that, but that a co-worker of mine from the same time had said the same thing. I am better for having known her, and she needed to know that.

I didn’t have a chance to say thank you to Mr. Caro. However, since Mr. Caro was a faithful Catholic like me, I have faith he is able to hear my gratitude in heaven.

May we keep remembering that:

We are all made up of many facets.

To “Breathe with continuity. Type with continuity. Live with continuity.”

To “Never Lose Your Home Row.” And

That “Faster Isn’t Better.”

Thanks, Mr. Caro.

Finding, Keeping and Returning to Focus

Last week, I mentioned that I am creating an upcoming professional development presentation around making the best use of our time, and helping us stay on task and focuses. To review, in last week’s podcast episode and article, the first part of that process needs to be identifying what is important for us to do, and what the best use of our time will be. And then we need to get to work! And, sometimes we need to get back to work, after distractions try to take us off course!

So this week, now that we know WHAT to do, we are looking at how to help a team and ourselves remain on task and stay focused, or return to focus throughout our day.

Today is about tools in that Focus Tool Box. I will mention many strategies. Some will resonate with you and some will not. And that’s ok. Perhaps one works with today’s schedule and workload but you need to try something else tomorrow with its schedule and workload. So it is good to have options!

A highlight of the tools we will touch on today, in no particular order:

  • Getting Ready and Self Regulation
  • Deep Breathing and Nature Breaks
  • Start with A Short List of 3
  • Block Time and Batch Work
  • Specificity
  • Recipes, for repeated work / duplicative processes
  • Phone calls are meetings. Schedule them, work with an agenda and keep them brief.
  • Factor in Rest
  • Routines for household tasks so they aren’t distracting us if we work from home

Getting Ready and Self Regulation:

I am a success coach for a cohort of students working through a 13 week Teacher’s Aide readiness program. And we were just working through the lesson on Student and Classroom Behavior. The Lesson talked a lot about self-regulation, and helping a student to be ready for and open to learning. And we, as adults, need to be the same, ready for and open to work. Some days, we may start our work day energized and focused and ready to do the work! And sometimes we are not. But even on the days we aren’t ready, the work still needs to get done.

So, how do we become ready for and open to learning or working? Perhaps we do a short meditation, read motivation words, do some deep breathing, phone a friend for a brief pep talk, take a walk around our work space and get the blood pumping. Maybe you have a “first few things” ritual, like grabbing a cup of tea or coffee or water, turning on your work lamp, putting your phone on silent, opening up the blinds. I have worked remotely for the 21 year life span of my business, but I will close my eyes and imagine the turning a Closed Sign on my door to Open as a signal to myself that it is work time!

Deep Breathing and Nature Breaks

Transitions are tough some days, and are often where we can lose focus the fastest! So as we shift from one batch of of work to another, or one block of time to the next, or start of finish a meeting, or drop the kids off at school and come home – whatever those look like to you – it helps to acknowledge that there is a transition, and also take a few minutes for self care. A hiking guide many years ago called them nature breaks, when we respect our biology and do those survival tasks we must! A new beverage, bathroom break, a few minutes of deep breathing to oxygenate our brain and refocus on the important stuff.

Start with a short and vital list of 3:

Every day needs a few of those needle movers that we talked about last week. Three, or maybe 4, tops. A short list, but a vital one. Every work day morning, or ideally, the night before as you close up for the day, identify the important tasks that MUST get done, in the midst of the rest of your work day. Those Best Use Of Our Time items that we identified last week. What is important, what is something only I can do, what are other projects waiting on me to complete, what work are other people on the team waiting for? For me, today that is write this article for podcast recording, publish this week’s newsletter and a coaching special, and pack my bag for the next two days of presentations. Those are the things that must get done, to deliver work to others and keep me moving towards my goals, in addition to the many meetings I have today. And, I have blocks of time today dedicated to those tasks, which brings me to Time Blocking and Batch Work.

Time Blocking and Batch Work

These are two related strategies, so I am lumping them together.

Per the Todoist.com website, Time Blocking “is a time management method where you divide your day into blocks of time. Each block is dedicated to a specific task or group of tasks. For example, you might block out 9 am to 10 am for checking and responding to emails, 10 am to 12 pm for working on a specific project, and 1 pm to 2 pm to have lunch at that new Thai restaurant.”

And Batch Work is related because it collects tasks of similar categories or themes, so we can complete them together and realize economies and synergy. For example, during an assigned time block, taking care of client communications. Like collecting and completing a batch of client care texts and emails with a copy and paste message and my schedule open as well for setting next client appointments.

In terms of Finding, Keeping and Returning to Focus, Time Blocking and Batch Work ensure that the work that we have decided is important today, that is the Best Use of Our Time, gets done!

Another example, during an assigned time block, typically on a Thursday, I tackle my accounts receivables and payable tasks when I have my calendar, and my bookkeeping and invoicing software open. I pay my bills, make deposits, send out invoices, check in on and send reminders on unpaid invoices owed to me. Because I like money. Money is important. I think all the income and banking and bill paying thoughts at the same time, which gets those tasks done more swiftly and well. (In recent podcast terms, both efficiently AND effectively!)

For yourself, take out the word money and fill in the blank. Maybe it’s an operations type of task. Maybe it’s new client focused for this hour and current client focused for the next hour. Or creating a new website and writing content for a few hours. What are your important things, and where is there a block of uninterrupted time to do them?

Block and Batch for the Knowns, and Leave Space for the unknowns.

We can start with our 3 or 4 things that we have to do today, but we also know that most days, new stuff also comes in. We start the day with our own intention, with our own plan, but we also need to leave space and flexibility for emails, calls, issues that come up outside of the plan. One strategy could be to plan for 30 minutes or an hour of intentional planned work, and then a 30 minute block of today’s emails / texts / phone calls / new concerns. Balancing planned work and new work ensures both get accomplished today.

Get Very Specific

We need to recognize that often our projects and work for today and this week are actually a group of tasks. We see this in Time Blocking and Batch Work, when we assign a “Bookkeeping and Money Tasks” Block, and identify the Batch work for that block.

When we get really specific with the tasks, it is also easier to prioritize the tasks, choose an easy and quick one to gain momentum, choose a tougher one when time and energy allows, etc.

I can add a block for client care, but some days, I need to list each client that I need to contact that day and what I need to contact them about. So when I sit down for that Time Block to do the work, I can more easily focus on tasks and not on the planning or thinking or ruminating about the task. Which leads us to, in some ways:

Recipes, for repeated work / duplicative processes

So I talk about recipes a lot, and that is a great way to stay on track and focused with recurring or repeated work. For example, one day last week, a Time Block was dedicated to February Presentations and the batch work was to confirm the 6 presentations I have coming up. And I have spoken in recent articles and episodes that I created a recipe for that repeated work. It is important work, presenting is an income stream for my business, it definitely moves me towards my goals. And confirming the presentations has become both efficient and effective with these Recipes.

So what did that look like? Let’s look at one specifically: A stress management class in the middle of February for the career readiness training program that I teach at south Suburban College. My recipe says: Presentation: What? (Stress Management) When? (Start and stop time, February 18, all day) Update Handouts; Update Invoice, Email invoice and handouts (I have a list of the handouts I need for each of my presentations) Pack Bag, etc.

And I can use this over and over again, each presentation (6 in February), every month, etc. And the recipe helps me to stay focused, and also to refocus if I get distracted. And that’s important because sometimes we are taken away from the task in front of us. And it’s a way for us to kind of bookmark our work and so we can get back to it when time allows and we can pick back up again where we left off. Right? So we leave ourselves these notes, these hints, these recipes, these, you know, love notes for later, whatever you want to call them, so that we can get back to business.

Manage Phone Calls Like Meetings

Manage your conversations, at least during work hours. What’s the purpose, agenda, desired outcomes, and realistic time estimate for a call. And run it like a meeting, with specific start and end times.

Factor in Rest:

The fact is, we can’t maintain focus if we don’t rest sometimes. I know today I have been talking all about how to maintain focus, and how to get back on track if we lose focus, etc. And sometimes the best way to do that is to step a way for a few minutes. No, sometimes the best use of my time is to lay on the couch and read a book. Because sometimes we just need to relax, right? So that can be the best use of our time as well. And we need to remember that, like, rest sometimes can be just as important as everything else. And I’m saying that out loud because I need to remember that for myself. Totally true.

Routines for Personal and Household Tasks

A tool for maintaining focus during our work day is having those routines I have been talking about, too, around personal and household tasks so that you don’t get distracted by those items when you need to be focusing on work.

Ok, whew! Let’s review the Focus tools in our Focus tool box!

  • Getting Ready and Self Regulation
  • Deep Breathing and Nature Breaks
  • Start with A Short List of 3
  • Block Time and Batch Work
  • Specificity
  • Recipes, for repeated work / duplicative processes
  • Phone calls are meetings. Schedule them, work with an agenda and keep them brief.
  • Factor in Rest
  • Routines for household tasks so they aren’t distracting us if we work from home

I mentioned we would review a lot of tools today! Which ideas resonate with you the most? What is one tool or strategy that you can see would help you this week? Give it a try!

The Best Use Of Time: Not Just Efficient But Effective

I feel like there’s something about, Focus February. And I have to explain:

In Finish Line Friday, my free virtual productivity session every Friday, with my community that we’ve created in Finish Line Friday – I love my community that we’ve created – one of my participants, a fellow organizer here in the Chicago area, always uses alliteration when she states her intentions for how she plans to use Finish Line Friday. For example, It’s Finance Friday (bookkeeping and bill paying) and Fashion Friday (putting away laundry and packing for a trip).

So as I was thinking as I wrote today’s content, perhaps it is Focus February. Or not. It’s a little corny. But we’ll see where my writing and content calendar take me. The current plan is two upcoming episodes about focus, another about finances and one about medical follow up, so perhaps the Fs will work!

And now to today’s topic:

A company asked me to present a professional development session in February. When I asked about the topic they were looking for, the questions the coordinators asked were all about focus.

I know the participants and their industry, too, so I can write about focus and in the context of working remotely as they are all remote workers. Specifically, the topics are:

  • Make the best use of their time;
  • Helping the team remain on task, and
  • How to Stay Focused.

Excellent, yes, I can write a presentation for that, sounds great! And, then I thought those ideas also sound like great podcast episodes and articles, like for today and next week!

“How To Make The Best Use Of Their Time”.

Stepping to the side here, last week, I took you to college with me with a revisit from Intro to Psychology. This week, you’re going back in time with me to Productions and Operations Management, Junior year of college. It may not sound exciting, but it was one of my favorite Management classes and the content has certainly stuck with me.

This is a great question. An important question. A really big picture question, in business. But we need to lay a foundation before we can answer this question. First, we need to define “Best”, as in “of the most excellent, effective, or desirable type or quality” (thank you, Google!).

In Productions and Operations Management, we talked about the difference between an efficient use of resources and an effective use of resources.

Efficiency is the LEAST outlay of resources like time, money, manpower and materials. Here, cheapest and quickest win the day. But that may not yield good results.

Effectiveness, on the other hand, is the BEST outlay of resources like time, money, manpower or materials. By using more resources, we can achieve the “the most excellent, effective, or desirable type or quality”.

In class, we looked at “efficient” versus “effective” in the auto industry. Cars could be cheaply and quickly made but they might not have been very good or reliable cars. Spending more time and money and labor yielded higher quality, more reliable and more desirable cars. That is where we’re coming from today.

As we determine the “Best” use of the participant’s time, we are going to look at effectiveness. How to choose the best combination of our resources. And in the workplace, and specifically for this company’s professional development, we want to encourage the Best. The Best use of our time means maybe we use a few more resources, like time and manpower, but choosing the Best use will have the biggest impact, the most positive impact on what we’re trying to achieve.

And to further define “Best”, we need to know what is important to those participants and the company. Because, here’s the thing, “Best” is a subjective statement. Meaning, it is very personal and individual to each participant, and to each of us, by extension. The “Best” use of my time will look different from everyone else.

Recalling that this is for a business specific professional development, “Best” in this case probably means productive, but also being productive with the right things, the best things. A coaching client in a recent session called them the Needle Movers – imagine your speedometer in your car. A lot of car references today! If you had a progress meter on your project task list, the Needle movers would move you closer to DONE! The needle movers, the change makers.

For all of us, then, to make the Best use of our time in the work place, we need to know what is important to move us towards our goals and desired outcomes, and get those important and needle-moving tasks done.

Which brings me to Focus Areas. As we determine our “Best”, we need to know our Focus Areas. What are yours? In your whole like, but also in your work life?

I’ve talked about Focus Areas in past podcast episodes and articles. But I would like to re-visit them for today’s article and podcast. Because we have to know our Focus areas to know we’re making the “Best” use of our time.

And I will use me as an example, because then I don’t have to ask for permission. In Life, my focus areas are Business, Home / Personal, Wellness, and Service like Board of Education Work and Ministry.

In my business, my Focus Areas are: Speaking and Teaching; Coaching Clients; Organizing Clients; Content like my podcast, newsletter, articles, website and social media; Education, like attending webinars and conferences for my Continuing Education Units; and the business of my business like bookkeeping, scheduling, etc.

So, as I decide how to spend my days, I keep those focus areas in mind. When tasks come up, or requests for my time, I filter those requests through that list of focus areas and decide where the request belongs or if I just need to say, No, Thank You.

My To-Do List is quite lengthy. Daily routine tasks, weekly tasks. And those aren’t even the actual work that I go and do with clients or students or with Board of Education work or with Ministry. The To-Do List is longer than I can ever accomplish in a day, so I have to narrow my options, zoom in and focus on what needs to happen just today to move that needle.

Because another challenge of course, in determining the “Best Use of Our Time” is that time is a limited resource. We only have so many hours in a day dedicated to work. And that is as it should be. We are more than just drones. But with time as a limited resource, we must use it wisely. We have to be a little choosy.

How do we do that? How do we choose? How do we choose the best use of our time today?

  • (If needed) What are my goals? Intentions?
  • What Focus Areas are we focusing on today?
  • What hours are available to me today?
  • When are my peak productive hours? Early in the day, mid day, evening, late evening?
  • What tasks or projects on today’s list are time-sensitive?
  • What tasks are other people relying on you to complete, so they can complete their work?
  • What can only I do? And subsequently, what can I delegate to others?

All of these are effectiveness questions. Not once did I ask, how do I do this the quickest, the easiest, the cheapest, etc.

Most days, I choose 3 or 4 Must Do tasks for today, from the lengthy to-do list. Truly, I try to choose my 3 or 4 the night before, for the next day. Some may be routine or urgent, and time specific, but almost every day I spend a little time on a longer, bigger, more strategic project, too. That is the BEST use of my time, working on the needle movers, the change makers.

For example, I was working on a project today and… well… I really didn’t want to do it. It was rather tedious, my attention was pulled in many different directions. I could easily have abandoned that project for something, well – anything else, really. But, looking at that list of questions:

Today’s project is attached to the larger project of relaunching my website, which is a goal. We have a time sensitive deadline. I have already delegated most of the work to my assistant who is awesome, but this project required me to make decisions that only I could make about content that needs to move from the old website to the new one. And we can’t relaunch until I complete this project. And while it was tedious, it didn’t actually take that long to complete. So I did it. It was the Best use of my time. It required time and attention and energy as resources, but it was a Needle Moving activity and now it’s complete.

As I wrap this up, because writing a longer article is not the Best use of my time today, and reading or listening to a longer article isn’t the Best use of yours, either, I want to share three caveats to making The Best Use Of Our Time, and they are:

  1. There can be more than one Best Use of our time. So we don’t have to get stuck on finding the perfect use of our time, just the Best. A Best.
  2. Some days we just need to act. We will talk about Focus next week, but there are some things we have to do that, going back to last week’s article, are just about survival and maintenance. But once those are accomplished, we can look to making progress, at the BEST use.
  3. Not everything can be your favorite. We can talk about Effectiveness and Focus Areas, etc., but we cannot feasibly focus on all the things every day, because then, really, we aren’t focusing on anything.

So on days when there are far too many tasks on the to-do list and far too many demands on our time, take a few minutes to ask yourselves the questions. When we seek the Best Use of our time, let’s look at the workday and determine “what is the most important thing that I get done today to continue to move forward?” I think that’s the most powerful question. Um, what are the two or three things. What are the two or three things that I can feasibly expect to accomplish, um, that will continue to move me forward?

To ensure we make the best use of our time, let’s focus on what is important to us and the tasks that we need to complete to tend to and achieve those important things!

Survival Needs Come First, Then Maintenance

I promised on my last podcast episode to talk more about routines and what I call “Survival” and “Maintenance” level habits or tasks.

Let’s talk about those as our year progresses and we look to add in or even subtract habits to our schedule and routines, making sure that the ones we have support us. And, I would hope that if we can look at our survival and maintenance routines in a more objective way, we can design routines and habits that support the fundamentals efficiently and consistently, so we can get on with whatever else it is we want to accomplish today, this week and this year!

A class participant last year asked me to help them stay motivated to complete their daily survival and maintenance habits and routines, and this is for them, too. Survival and maintenance tasks aren’t optional, so the the question isn’t IF we complete them, but HOW.

I am going to dip into psychology with you here. I have a BS in Management, and a double minor in Psychology and music performance. I often think in terms of psychology, how our brains and minds work, and why people do what they do!

As we talk about survival and maintenance level tasks, though, let’s start with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This is a theory in developmental psychology. If you want to know more, you can google it. There is a lot of information out there! Go to a library, or take an Intro to Psych course! That is where I started!

The hierarchy of needs is represented as a pyramid, with 5 levels. Physiological needs are the very bottom, then safety needs, then love and belonging, then esteem and then self actualization.

The theory is, we all start motivated to first meet physical needs as in air, food, clothing, shelter and sleep. The reason the theory is represented in a pyramid form is that the physical or physiological needs are the foundation of all other needs.

We have to start at the bottom, and make sure that physical needs are met, as in the things we need to do to survive until tomorrow morning. And, we need to ensure those survival needs are met consistently, before we can move up the pyramid.

I say “met consistently” because, for example in terms of food – first we need to eat food to survive. And then we need to make sure we can eat again, to continue to survive. And that moves us up the pyramid into Safety needs.

In real life, that looks like eating breakfast and also packing a lunch for later, and having a plan for dinner. And having the means to buy and store more food when we use up what we have, to continue to meet those survival needs.

Since you have the technology and time to read this article and listen to the podcast, I am going to assume you have your physical needs for survival met. And if not, go take care of those! Because… and here is a really important part of understanding the Hierarchy of Needs – we can’t succeed at the next level until we’ve taken care of the level below.

In real life, as you know, I work on our local Board of Education. And in education, we understand that a student who is hungry or freezing is going to have a hard time learning. A student who doesn’t feel safe or who is homeless is going to have a hard time learning. So, almost every school district has free and reduced meals available to students if they don’t necessarily have the means at home to eat. No judgement, just planning ahead. Acknowledging that their physiological needs must be met for our students to succeed.

We, too, as adults, cannot expect to achieve Esteem and Self-Actualization if we are consistently hungry, cold, unsafe, etc. That is the theory, the hierarchy. And that is where we need to start with our routines as well.

Whew, that was a very long winded Lead Up.

But we need to start with survival when it comes to our routines as well.

Globally, we need to wake up (sleep and shelter are level 1), eat breakfast (level 1), get dressed (level 1), take a shower (level 2 for health). Then we need to look at safety needs, in terms of going to work to ensure personal security, continued physiological needs being met, continuing to have a safe and healthy place to live, etc.

We have higher aspirations most days as well! The need for belonging and love and community, the need to be respected and to excel, the need ultimately do and be what we desire to become. But it’s difficult if not impossible for us to get to that pinnacle, to that top level if we haven’t done the other things first.

Which is why I talk so often about Routines and Habits.

We know we must meet our physiological needs. Must. And at least daily, if not more than once a day. So the question isn’t if, but how? And how to do that really well? As easy, as quickly, as efficiently, as well as possible. We identify the needs, decide how to meet them, take time-wasting decision making out the mix, and meet them every day. To survive. And also to do so consistently, so we can move up the hierarchy to safety.

Our physiological needs are met most days. We have clothes (level 1). And we need to make sure they’re clean (level 2). So we can feel good and feel good about ourselves (levels 3 and 4).

Because we can’t move up the pyramid if those first things have not been met, if we are naked and starving. It’s really hard to write a novel or create a great work of art or whatever it is that you are meant to do to be actualized if your survival needs aren’t met.

Now maintenance is less often, but it is eternal. And maintenance is what comes next when it comes to habits and routines once we ensure our survival. Maintenance ensures we CONTINUE to survive consistently. The systems we need to continue to flourish.

Maintenance is next level, it is asking how do we do survival better? How do we do more than just survive? How do we actually maintain. Consistently meeting and maintaining survival habits takes us to the Maintenance level where the need of personal safety and taking care of our homes and taking care of our health.

And, once we have firmed up those two first levels, we can move up the pyramid. And unfortunately, we can’t always move up the pyramid WITHOUT doing the survival and maintenance tasks. At least not for long.

Let’s good at maintenance, then, too, and that is DEFINITELY where habits and routines come in! So maintenance around our survival habits are doing laundry, taking our supplements and medications, cooking and grocery shopping, keeping ourselves and our environment clean and healthy.

I propose that these steps are also not optional if we desire to move to the next levels of the pyramid. Let’s get good at those things, and then we can move on to progress in love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization! And it all starts with habits and routines, survival and maintenance.

How to Make Habits Stick

I had a conversation with one of my sons the other day about Routines and Habits.

And, for context, my sons are currently 20, 24 and 27. I was recently reviewing one of my first blog articles published in 2010 when they were 5, 10 and 12. A lot has changed since then, trust me! One is in college, and two are professionals out in the working world.

But I digress.

We were talking about routines and habits, and he mentioned that his habits and routines around his professional life are vastly different from his personal life. And hey, that is most of us. No judgement there. Truly, many people find this to be the case. I recall a client early on in my career who created and managed his company’s document retention policies and he hired me to help him with his out of control personal papers.

Sometimes, we are organized in some parts of our lives but not all parts of our lives!

Similarly, I have been reflecting on my routines around home maintenance and business practices, and how I am SO SPOT ON in those areas but… I never get around to working out. What is that about, right? I am highly capable, I know how to do this, and yet… well, you know.

When I journaled about where I stumble, I realized that some of the reasons my habits fail are:

  • Neglecting my habits and routines isn’t outwardly visible. No one but me will know if I worked out or ate healthy or meditated today.
  • And taking care of home and work and liturgy and clients impacts others and is visible, so that keeps me on track.
  • No one is paying me to maintain my personal routines and habits, unlike the business, meaning it is not unprofessional if I neglect them.
  • Neglecting my personal habits doesn’t negatively impact others, at least not directly.
  • And, getting back on track with these neglected habits and routines also doesn’t have quick results, and it turns out, seeing results for my efforts keeps me motivated. (Of course.)

And, I can use this knowledge to devise strategies for making my habits stick, like exercise and healthier eating. And I use myself as an example because I don’t have to ask permission. But enough about me.

In last week’s article and podcast, I said it would be easy to say that “Change is Hard!”. And that unfortunately, change in the, let’s say, negative direction, is deceptively easy! That no, change isn’t hard, but sometimes making positive change is!

And, last week, I challenged you and myself to return to normal, to look at what has worked before and get back to it, instead of trying to re-invent the wheel or make huge sweeping changes.

But how? This week is about the how! How to establish or re-establish good habits and routines, and how to help them stick!

Recognize where and how we ARE organized, and determine if we can use the skills from one area in other areas.

For example, I wrote in October about Recipes and how I have always used them for managing my bookkeeping and backing processes, but only more recently applied the same strategy to planning and writing my content or setting up my choir’s liturgy planning.

I mentioned the long ago client with his paper management challenges. The first thing we talked about was how to use what he knows about document retention policies professionally for his own personal papers, like categories, naming conventions, expiration dates, scheduled maintenance, etc.

If you are a teacher and you’re amazing at creating and sticking with lesson plans, does that translate to planning and implementation in your personal life? And can it?

Note your “Why”.

I find this is especially helpful for habits or routines that won’t yield immediate results. If your habit or routine isn’t fun or instantaneous or easy, well, you might struggle to stay motivated. Keeping a reminder of your “Why” helps us to stay motivated. And since a habit takes at least 3 weeks to establish, we need to keep up the motivation until a habit becomes routine.

And we will talk about learning styles in a minute, so note your “Why” in a way that works for you. Perhaps it’s a few words or an image on your phone’s lock screen. Perhaps it’s a song you listen to every morning in the shower. Perhaps its a short and simple mantra you repeat to yourself while doing some square breathing through out your day. I just sent an affirming text to a friend, for doing the hard things and was reminded to put on my bracelet that says the same (www.Mantraband.com).

Take decision-making out of the action plan.

Decision making is not the same as action.

Decision making is one of our biggest time wasters. And, if decisions are still to be made when it comes to acting on our habits and routines, the decision can always be “No, not today”. So, what can we do to remove decision making from the action plan?

For example, I have 4 wake up times set as alarms in my phone. (Don’t judge, there’s a plan here!) I only use one a day, but I have them preset. 5, 5:31, 6, and 6:33 am. My wise husband suggested I just set one and adjust it every day. However, I find that the already-made decisions, with those times as suggestions for every day, breaks down the decision to which one? instead of what time? I don’t have to re-do the math, depending on how early I need to leave the house or what time my first zoom meeting is? Instead, I look at the 4 options and pick a pre-set.

I’ll use a work-out as example again, set up the clothes and any special equipment you’ll need the night before, know which activity you will partake in the next day (outdoor walk, bike, elliptical, etc.). Decide ahead of time, and be ready to just act.

Stack Your Habits

Author James Clear uses a term called “Habit Stacking”. “Habit stacking is a method to create new habits by linking them to existing ones.” (From https://jamesclear.com/habit-stacking) I heard it from James Clear first, perhaps the credit goes to someone else, I will apologize now if I have given credit incorrectly.

We all have many habits that are very well established. A different son of mine calls it his Default. I wake up at close to the same time every morning, often before an alarm. I make coffee EVERY DAY. I shower EVERY DAY. I check my phone and email EVERY DAY, multiple times mostly. I often get hungry at the same times each day so I am in the kitchen at consistent times.

What do you do EVERY DAY, and sometimes many times a day? Without thinking about it or planning it? Identify those EVERY DAY or EVERY WEEK items in your routines, and attach new habits or routines to those already ingrained habits and routines. In my presentations, I offer the example of my morning supplements. When we remodeled our kitchen in 2017, I made sure that the cabinet where I keep my supplements is also where we keep the coffee. Because while I was not always consistent with my supplements, I’m very consistent with my morning coffee. And as I stand and wait for my first cup to brew, I can take my supplements. Stacking that new habit to the well-established habit made the new habit stick.

Or, what if, every time I walk through the kitchen or stop to make a meal or snack, I drink a glass of water? That would go a long way towards keeping me hydrated (another habit I want to re-establish).

Another example, I have a deeply ingrained habit of sitting down at my laptop to check my email in the morning. I have been working in square breathing and tapping sessions into my day, plus I have these great mindfulness cards that I received last year as a gift and want to start using. At first, I wanted dedicated meditation space to do these things and then… they never happened. So instead, I am working with the deeply ingrained morning habit and attaching a few zen moments to the existing habit and location. I’ll let you know how it works!

Gamify Anything You Can

Per Google, “Gamify means ‘to apply typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to (an activity), typically as a … technique to encourage engagement…'”.

A strategy to help our habits stick is to make the habit fun, competitive, novel, reward centered, and / or social or community based. There is nothing wrong with fun and games! Let’s use them to help our habit stick! Track your metrics, create rewards for yourself, create competition with friends, set your habit to music, phone a friend – the options are endless!

I often share the example of a long-time client and friend, a retired educator, who used a star chart just like a student might, to track her new habits and keep herself motivated to keep up the good work. A star for each day a certain task is completed, and a full week of stars on the chart earns a prize for the weekend (Special outing with a friend, fresh flowers for her home, perhaps a special snack or prize?). This tried and true motivator works for kids AND adults!

A part of gamifying your new habits and routines could also be to set micro-goals, short-term and easy to achieve goals, to keep the bursts of success flowing which keeps us motivated.

Use reminders that play to your strengths.

If you are visual learner, leave yourself lists, post-its, highlighters or REALLY BIG CLOCKS, or have your technology send you text messages. A reminder pops up on my Apple Watch if I haven’t stood up and walked around in the last 50 minutes. Yes, that reminder helps me.

Are you an auditory learner? I am. I learn well by hearing things. Use alarms on your phone, set timers, create a favorite playlist to help you rock your new habits and routines.

Do you learn by doing / touching / moving things around (kinesthetic)? For you (or your family member), the physical act of writing and then checking off habits and steps to your routines may be useful, or using chore cards or magnets or other things that you can move around may help.

Some of us learn by saying things out loud, too. If this describes you or a family member, try describing your habits to others, or creating a mantra or single sentence to repeat to yourself to help you focus on your good habits.

Good Habits may take time and energy to create, but having them and sticking with them will serve you well for years to come.

You know more than you think. You are highly capable in so many ways. If you are looking to create new habits and routines to support a better day, whatever that looks like for you, consider these strategies for helping your new habits stick!