Category: Motivation

Productivity Where Ever You Work

Over the weekend, I found myself out of the house and half an hour early for an event.  Luckily, there was a nearby coffee house with wi-fi, nice music and a quiet place for writing, so I got some work done.  Which proves:

a. you should always check the time on your invitations; but more importantly for today,

b. we can work from anywhere these days.  Let’s call any hours worked outside of a traditional office setting “working virtually”.

Having the capacity to work from anywhere presents challenges.  How to focus on work amid the distractions of home, family, the people at Starbuck’s or in someone else’s home?   What should the workday look like in an un-traditional setting?  Working from everywhere, all the time?  Productivity is the same, no matter where we work.  We want to be able to get down to business, accomplish today’s necessary tasks, do them well and confidently, then move on to something else.

Regardless of where we work, we can reap benefits from structure and routines, just like a traditional work environment.  Keep these ideas in mind:

  • Regardless of where you work, clearly begin your day.  Shower and get dressed, check in with your co-workers or community, grab a cup a coffee, turn on the music that helps you work, check your email.  Set a timer for 15 minutes of transition time, then get to work.
  • Take a lunch and take breaks (but not too many!).  I read a suggestion recently of “Work For 50 minutes, break for 10”.  This works well for me, and helps me take advantage of working from home to take care of home tasks like laundry.
  • Give yourself many opportunities during the day for a Re-Set.  I read an article from the blog the Daily Om that suggested an “Inner Sunrise”.  The idea was that any time during your day is a good time to re-focus energy to what we are supposed to be doing.  This keeps us from working hard all day, but having nothing to show for it at the end!  I try to do this every few hours.
  • No one  needs to know that you are working virtually, or that your conference call requires a hard stop by 3 so you can pick up your kids.  In all likelihood, the others on the call are working virtually, too.

We are on the move, right?  So create a work environment that travels, too.

  • Bring along the laptop or IPad, and Communications and Information (IPhone, in      my case).
  • This could also be a phone and Your reliable planner with your schedule and      contacts, as a decision making tool
  • Also, use the same naming conventions for your paper management system and your computer hard drive.  For example, “Client – last name, first initial and date of appointment” is the same title I would use to name a file on my laptop, in my paper files and in Evernote.
  • Make your work, planner and information portable and consistent.  I do this by synchronizing all my devices all the time, at least a couple of times a day.

Increase focus by cutting mental clutter. This also heads off the tendency to procrastinate!

  • Choose your three top tasks for the day, and keep them in mind throughout your work sessions.
  • When  you start your work, you can either prime the motivation pump with a few easy and quick tasks, or tackle that big icky one first.
  • Know your self and your prime work hours.  I respond to email at 5:30 am, and get a lot of my writing done before 7 am.  I was a night owl until I had kids, now I love to work in the quiet early morning.
  • Avoid interruptions.  Turn off the phone, or be selective about what you answer. Not everyone understands the idea of “working from home”.  Set boundaries.  I don’t respond to work emails on weekends, unless pre-arranged.

Where do you do your work?  And how can we make it work better?  To quote a productivity article I recently read, “More than ever, work isn’t where you go, it’s what you do.” (Rob Keenan, head of UK portfolio management and deployment readiness management at Siemens Enterprise Communications)  So, Go Do It!

Productivity Series: Give Yourself the Gift of Routines

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I pondered this article while I started laundry this morning.  After grabbing coffee and jotting down notes, I jumped in the shower and puzzled over the closing paragraph for an article I am writing for my church’s newsletter.  I quizzed a son on spelling words while I started dinner in the crock pot and cleaned up the breakfast dishes.  After I dropped off the kids and ran my Monday errands, I sat down, booked clients and confirmed presentations via email before heading out to a client appointment.

This article is not about how organized I am.  It’s about establishing Routines and getting things done.

Let’s define a Routine, so you can start to identify and improve on yours.  A Routine is a set list of 5 or 10 habits, tasks, etc. that you complete every day to maintain your life.  Tasks for personal hygiene, household maintenance and nutrition may be included.  Your morning and bedtime routines may contain tasks like “take a shower, brush your teeth or wash your face”.  Perhaps you (or your kids) make the bed in the morning, and put laundry clothes in the hamper.  Basic maintenance – Done.  In addition, perhaps you like to meditate in the morning, or call your sister or exercise before dinner.  Every person’s routine will look different.

Call your daily maintenance tasks a “Routine”, “Daily Habits”, whatever you want.  Class participants and clients have resisted the word “Routine” because it sounds too rigid or too boring, and they may be right. But Routines are a great way to lead busy, productive and less stressed lives.

Establishing Routines moves mundane tasks out of our active thinking brain, leaving more room for more interesting things.  This morning, maintenance tasks were completed through my daily routine, and I was able to work on other things.

Because a Routine is a list, we can manipulate it, choose the order or time for the tasks, and tweak the list to make it work well.  Please note, a Routine is not your to-do list.  Routines are for the things that have to happen every day, and should quickly become automatic habits.  Unless “go to the post office” or “update your website” are things you do every day, they should not be considered part of your Routine.

Decision-making is the single biggest time waster when it comes to getting organized.  I have a client who agonizes over when to shower.  Every day.  “Getting up” and “getting moving” are not synonymous in her book.   We’re working on this, though, because puzzling over this simple and obvious task very morning is a terrible waste of her time.

This week, Create or Improve your Routines.

  • Think carefully about what you do, what you want to do and how to make things better.  Make your decisions about what to do and when, and then stick with what you decide.
  • List what has to happen every day.  Perhaps it is just looking back at your morning, or evening, or the hour after you get home from work, and listing the tasks you complete in that time.   In no particular order, you might have
    • Shower
    • Floss
    • Open mail
    • Make bed
    • Put away laundry
    • Take out trash
    • make dinner
    • Take vitamins
    • Feed the dog
  • Now look at the list, and make some improvements if you would like:
    • Group common tasks, save yourself some steps and cut out duplication
      • Using my random list above, you can group the dinner / trash / vitamins / feed dog tasks all together in the evening, if you’d like, to save yourself steps and help you focus
      • Perhaps make bed and put away laundry go together, too, as you tidy up in the morning
    • Determine if these tasks are happening too often, or not enough.  Maybe put away laundry is a few times a week, as is take out trash, instead of every day.
    • Add things that are not yet happening.
      • I never miss my morning cup of coffee, so I try to take my vitamins as I brew my first cup in the morning.  I’m not always thinking straight at that time of the morning, though, which is why I am still inconsistent about that.
      • I have taken to committing to take them before I leave the house in the morning, though, and have gotten better about that.
      • So far, I am still remiss on taking my vitamins every day and exercising on a daily basis.  And until both of those items happen automatically, I still have them on my daily to-do list.

To sum up, Make good decisions once, and save time forever. Look at the maintenance tasks you complete every day, put them in a good and logical order, make them habits (give habits 3 weeks to take root), and move on to something more exciting!

Productivity Series: “To-Do” List to Done!

I’ve worked with a number of clients this last month on productivity and to-do lists.  We all want to get tasks done, do them well and efficiently, and do them quickly and confidently so we can get on to something else.  Sound familiar?

I’ve gained a lot of insight into productivity lately, but let’s start with just 4 tips to increase your productivity by improving your to-do list:

Write down everything, but be specific.

If I don’t write something down, like an idea or appointment or task or phone number, I absolutely WILL NOT remember it later.  I have lots of thoughts in my head, and things get lost up there if I don’t write them down.

When I am working on a project I don’t like to break my focus to act on ideas or tasks that come to my mind, so I make sure to jot those down to be reviewed later.  This helps me stay focused while keeping those good ideas!

In addition, an article I’m reading suggests that if we get stuck on our To-Do list, we may need to break our tasks down even further and be very specific.  This works in project, production and operations management, so we can make it work for time management, too.  Here is the deal:

If there are items on your list that continue to not get done, it’s possible you have not broken it down into small enough pieces.  If you have

“1. buy paper towels,

2. call Mom,

3. get a job and

4. run a marathon”

on your list, and you wonder why #3 and 4 aren’t happening, it is because the task descriptions are too vague.  Try “update my resume and send it to my friend in HR for review”, or “buy new sneakers and sign up for weekend training club” as task items instead, and your tasks are more likely to get completed.

 A To-Do list requires us To Do Something.

A To-Do list is not called a “wouldn’t it be nice” list, or a “gee I hope someone does these things” list.  No, it’s a To-Do list.  The tasks on the To-Do list require action and effort.

Writing tasks down only helps IF you actually act on them, too.  Collect those random scraps of paper, notebooks and post-it notes from all over, and consolidate the ideas and tasks into one main to-do list, or perhaps one for each area of your life (like a Home Improvement list, a Professional Development list, a Some Day / Bucket list), etc.

Write them all down, Yes, and then grab your calendar and make appointments to get things done.  Create a deadline around “update my resume and send it to my HR friend” by contacting the friend and promising to email it by Thursday.  Make an appointment on your calendar to buy your sneakers and sign up for the running club on the way home from work tomorrow.  You have to process your great ideas and tasks, add them to those lists and commit to getting them done.

Make your To-Do list mobile, and take it with you.

Keep your list mobile, either in a small notebook, on your phone or even In the Cloud with apps on your smart phone.  Make it mobile and take it with you so that

  1. You are always ready to act on your To-Do list tasks as planned or if your schedule changes;
  2. You can add to it as ideas and tasks occur to you; and
  3. You can use it is a decision making tool for how to manage your time and get things done.

 Know Your Three.

Every day, review your To-Do List and choose the three things that absolutely need to get done today.   There may be more, but choose your Three.  Choose what has to get done, or what is easy to do, or what is most likely to get done.  Just choose and commit to three.  And if they are quick and easy and done in 10 minutes, Yes – you have to pick three more.  Come on, Do those To-Dos!

Give one of these a try this week, and get some of your To-Dos Done!

A Tuesday Morning Bedtime Story

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Today’s blog was named by Leslie and inspired by Bridget.  Thanks ladies!

I was pondering today’s “productivity” blog while I organized our bedding… then Ping!  Light Bulb!  How about I share the bedding ideas with you instead?

Last week, I realized the bedding drawer in the guest space was a lot fuller than our bedding chest on the main floor.  Today’s project was to review what we have, purge unnecessary sheets and pillow cases, and re-allocate the ones we’re keeping.

Also, while working with a client recently, she asked “Don’t you have dozens of mystery sheets that are never used and match nothing?” Um, No, I don’t, but I was motivated to complete this project!

Here’s how it went:

  1. I finished all the laundry and then collected all our sheets together in one place.  We have 5 people living here, with 3 twin beds and one queen bed.  In our basement we have guest lodgings of two more twin beds and a queen size Aerobed.
  2. I sorted the sheets into piles for twin and queen size, then matched up the flats and fitted with the cases.
  3. I folded the sets together, with the folded flat sheets wrapped around the folded fitted sheets and cases.  I put one set of queen sheets and 2 sets of twin back in the basement guest space and stored the rest in the bedding chest in my room.
  4. The “donate”  pile held three random sheets that match nothing, an old set of queen sheets and some Buzz Lightyear twin sheets that have been through 3 boys and are ready for retirement.   I answered a Facebook request from a mom looking for twin size bed sheets for her little boy’s bed, and offered her our Buzz Lightyear sheets.  I am glad they will be loved anew by another little boy! I bundled the rest of the “donate” pile together and will drop it off at the animal shelter this week with some old t-shirts.

A few tips I have picked up along the way:

  1. For years, I purchased only white sheets so that I could bleach them all and keep them cleaner.  Since it is difficult to determine sheet size at a glance, I noted a T or a Q on a discreet corner.  If you use all the same color, you could also separate the sizes of sheets by storing them on a different shelf or in each room.
  2. I grew tired of white bedding, though it did have its advantages.  I am slowly making the switch to color and patterns in our bedding:  any new twin size sheets I purchase are striped, and any queen size sheets  will be a solid color.
  3. I have also heard the suggestion of storing the two sheets and the extra pillow      case if there is one folded together in the matching pillow case.  That works for some, but not for me.
  4. We store our guest bedding in a dresser drawer in our guest space, and everyone else’s bedding in the chest at the foot of our bed, so extremely tidy edges are not necessary.
  5. We don’t keep a lot of extras.  Two sheet sets for each of our beds (and one is on the bed), and one set each for the guest beds.  Fewer items mean less clutter.
  6. Once and for all, Here is how one person can fold a fitted sheet to lay flat while keeping it off the ground (I learned from a pro – Literally!  I used to help out at my dad’s Laundromat in high school, and the tiny and efficient Shirley showed me the trick):
    1. Grab two adjacent corners and bring them together, and do the same for the other end.
    2. Fold the flat size in half, so all the fitted corners fit together.
    3. Grasp one end of the flat side in each hand and pull flat across your chest,       then fold into thirds down your front, rounded elastic side in first, and the flat side in last.
    4. Starting at the bottom (the lumpiest part), fold up in thirds so that you are left with straight sides and edges.

So, collect the bedding that you have; sort it into sizes and sets; determine what needs to go away either because it is old or ill fitting or scratchy; and choose a storage place close at hand for the items you intend to keep.  Another quick project that will make your life easier!

Three Little Projects That Will Make You Smile!

Organizing projects don’t have to be big or expensive to make a big impact on your life!  Here are three examples of 30-minute projects that will make you smile every time you look in the medicine cabinet, watch a DVD or open your closet door.

Project #1 The Medicine Cabinet.

Invest 30 minutes in cleaning out your medicine cabinet, and you will help every member of your household every day.

  1. Grab a pen and paper to jot down items needing replacement; a garbage bag and a small bag to collect your recycling.
  2. Clear the counter so you have room to lay stuff out, or lay a towel on the floor.  Take everything out of the cabinet and spread it out.
  3. A quick review of expiration dates make organizing the medicine cabinet easier.  Look at each item in your medicine cabinet and determine if the item has expired….
    1. Based on the manufacturer’s suggestion, like medications, first-aid items, or used make-up; or
    2. Based on your personal or lifestyle preferences:  You can let go of items like styling products that didn’t work as advertised, or items for certain distant times of our lives, like the baby nail clippers or the green nail polish that looked great on my teenage niece but not on me!
  4. Duplicates weigh us down. Don’t store multiples of the same product in the small space.  Keep one on hand, and store the rest elsewhere to free up space.  A basket in our linen closet holds un-opened items.  We keep one of everything in the cabinet, and go to the new un-opened items when we run out of the first.
  5. Group the stuff you use every day onto its own shelf or basket, categorize the rest and corral it in containers.

Project #2 The DVD Collection

Spend 30 minutes organizing your DVD collection, and it presents a great visual image!

  1. Collect all your DVDs and cases from all over your house.
  2. Alphabetize the cases by movie title, then put loose DVDs in their cases.
  3. Review them all and purge the ones that no one watches anymore.  My little niece and our public library receive most of the DVDs my boys have outgrown.
  4. Assign a home for your DVDs.  Leave them in alphabetical order, or group them by category (like action or TV series on DVD) or by viewer (like storing the DVDs my youngest son watches on the lowest, easiest-to-reach shelf).
  5. As we receive new DVDs, we review what we have and purge what can go.

Project # 3 The Gift Wrap / Storage Closet

This one really makes me smile.  I worked on this project last week, and it took closer to an hour, since I had to break down and remove the cardboard, plus $40 and a quick trip to Home Depot.  But it’s worth it!

  1. I have a closet in the basement which holds holiday decorations, gifts, gift bags and wrap, and lots of empty boxes for storage and mailing.  It required attention after the holidays, and when I saw this great idea on Command.com, I made the project a priority for January!
  2. I cleared boxes, keeping 10 small ones for shipping, and collapsed and recycled the rest (a lot!!).
  3. I stored our extra gifts for giving in two boxes on the shelf above, one each for Christmas and every day gifts.
  4. I pulled out the Christmas wrap, ribbons and bags, and stored it all in a separate extra-large Ziploc bag.
  5. I installed Command hooks and hung small dowels across them to hold my ribbon and favorite gift wrap.  Also hanging on the command hooks are clear freezer bags holding my tape, scissors and pens.
  6. I also bought new supports for an old un-used shelf, and installed the supports and shelf in the space as a permanent work space for wrapping small items and staging gifts before giving.  Below are the before and after pictures!  The white laundry basket in both pictures holds our extra gift bags, divided into categories like “baby”, “wedding”, and “birthday”.

before      after       lego wall

The bonus project:  Lego display space (above right).

I have three sons and ridiculous amounts of Lego.  Most are assembled, and storage space is tight.  When inventorying the work room for the closet project, I found these shelf tracks and supports, but no shelves.  On the Home Depot trip to purchase items for the closet project, I also picked up replacement shelves in sizes to match the supports we already have.  10 minutes of installation and $20 for 3 shelves, and we have 9 more linear feet of Lego display space (and a little less clutter on the Lego table!).  Woo hoo!!

So, what areas of your home could use 30 minutes of your time?  Any investment in Organizing will reap big rewards!

Monday, January 14th is National Clean Off Your Desk Day!

Monday, January 14th, 2013 is National Clean off your Desk Day!  Spend an hour and make your Desk work for you!  Focus on visual results, and save acting on ideas for another day. Corral your papers into meaningful places, so you can see what you have and start getting things done.

Most folks are capable of sorting and piling papers into categories of their own choosing. But mid-sort, they find they need to reclaim their work space, and the papers get piled together again and set aside, instead of finding a new home. So the desk stays a mess, and they never feel “done”.

Another challenge with papers is that they typically represent something else, like a memory, an event, a task to complete or an idea we want to keep. Acknowledging that, you need a physical storage system for your papers and ideas, and the motivation and perseverance to finish and maintain your system. Here is what you need to do:

  1. Remove non work related items from your desk.
  2. Set up a physical system for Passive Papers (Idea from Freedom Filer, and tweaked for my clients!).
    1. Passive Papers have been acted upon, and now wait for a pre-determined time until they are no longer needed for reference (e.g., receipts, paid bills, balanced bank statements, etc.).
    2. The storage system consists of 24 hanging folders in an open top vertical holder on your desktop (preferred) or a very near desk drawer. Label the folders 2 for each month, with a “- Even Year” or “- Odd Year” tacked on the end. You will end up with two full years of folders, one set for this year, 2013 (ending in “- Odd Year”), and one for last year (“ – Even Year”).  “January – Odd, Februrary – Odd” etc.  The Even Year folders will hold last year’s papers from your desktop, and the Odd Year folders are for adding to during 2013. Few papers need to be kept longer than one calendar year.
  3. Set up a physical system for Active Papers, also in an open vertical folder holder on your desk top, with folder names based on What Actions To Take or By Project, or sometimes, both! For Example:
    1. What Actions To Take: Receipts for Reimbursement; Calls to Make; Bills to Pay; Forms to complete and return; or Coupons, gift cards and shopping ideas.
    2. By Project (examples from my desk): Past clients to check in with; Proposal for Home Office and Productivity Class Series; LLC Research and Paperwork; Event Folder, May Communion Party.
    3. Strategic Management, product development ideas
  4. Set up a box for Archival Papers / Treasures. Archival Papers are long-term record keeping papers, like home purchase papers, filed taxes, appliance manuals and warranties, wills, etc. Treasures are school project, travel papers, received greeting cards, photos, etc. These are all projects for another day, get them off your desk.
    1. Grab two bags, one each for papers to shred later and recycling, and start distributing your desk papers to their new homes. Grab a notebook and jot ideas down as they occur to you, do not get distracted and lose focus.
  5. Now, Get Up and Put Your Stuff Away. You have distributed your papers to your new folders, but you may have other items that need to go elsewhere in your home or office. Get up and Put Them Away in their final homes. Even if this 10 minutes is in the middle of your project, Get Up and Put them away. Then bask in the glow of your clean desk top, and keep going. A fellow organizer calls this the Stand And Deliver step, but I can’t find out who that was, and I would happily give her credit. The point is…. Embrace “Done”! And feel good about your efforts!

Happy New Year! 7 Ways To Clear Clutter This Week

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I love the hustle and bustle of the holidays, but I also love the calm and clarity that follow.  Here are 7 ways I’m clearing clutter this week, give one or two or all seven a try!

  1. Return stuff to other people:  Hooray!  My kitchen counter is clean again!  Last week, it held a roasting pan, a pie pan, an instruction book for someone else’s gift, a holiday cookie tin and a few other random items, none of which belonged to me.  The tin was the last to go, but as of yesterday, everything is returned!
  2. Donation / Recycling Clutter:  Drop off donations and recyclables, or at least put the next charitable donation pick-up date on your calendar and plan to have a bag ready.  Then start filling that bag!!  We have a couple of bags already filled with donated Christmas decorations, toys and outgrown kid and adult clothes.
  3. Purge cardboard:  I feel like we’ve been swimming in shipping boxes and toy packaging.  The recycling bin filled up quickly over the holidays, but there’s more room this week!  Collect the boxes, break ’em down and lug ’em out.  You’ll be glad you did!
  4. Plan a Returns Day.  Place a shopping bag by the door.  As you go through your home and routines this week, look for the items you intend to return and place them and their receipt in the bag.  If you can’t find the receipt, spend a little time looking for it, but don’t get hung up on perfectionism.  Even if you can’t find the receipt, a smaller amount of store credit or cash back is better than holding on to an item you know you won’t use just because you can’t find the receipt.  Spend an afternoon, and run those errands to return the items.  Cha-ching, money in your pocket and the clutter goes away!
  5. Clear the Catalogs:  Clean off the coffee table, reading pile and kitchen counter.   Call the 800# on the back of the catalogs or go to www.Catalogchoice.net, and remove yourself from mailing lists.  Subscribe online, if you’d like, and you may get regular promotion notices and coupons.  To avoid email notices, skip the subscription, open your web browser, create a bookmark folder called “shopping”, bookmark the page in your browser, and add it to your shopping folder, then toss the catalog!
  6. Phone clutter:  Ugh!  I am tired of the solicitation calls on our home phone line!  Register all phone numbers (cell, too) with the National Do Not Call Registry at www.DoNotCall.gov, if you haven’t done so.  And this month I will answer all calls on the home line, and request that the caller remove me from their list, which they legally must do if we ask.
  7. E-Mail clutter:  I am happy that a few people un-subscribed last week.  As a blogger and newsletter writer, it should not make me happy, but I was proud of those 4 folks on my mailing list for deciding to let go of something that was not working for them. Good for them.  Of course, now that they have un-subscribed, they will never know that I applauded their efforts.  And remember, I welcome your suggestions and comments for improvement, to keep my content meaningful and useful for you.

Yeah, you!  Look around, you’re feeling lighter and looking better already!  Way to go!

The Day the Decorations Come Down!

It’s that time of year again, When the Christmas decorations come down!  Do yourself a favor for next year, and try these 5 ideas today:

  1. Permanently purge the stuff you did not use this year. We have a pile of items we have not used for a couple of years, and most will go away permanently, via donations or recycling.
  2. Invest in quality storage containers. Stackable, sturdy plastic, bug proof.  A client had pests in her storage area over the summer, and her boxes and favorite decorations were destroyed.  Water and moisture, mice and termites are just some of the threats to your treasures.  We use 18 gal. Rubbermaid or Sterilite containers.  Clear containers are great, too, and allow us to see what is inside, but clear ones can be more expensive than comparably sized containers.  Also available are containers made specifically to store ornaments.
  3. Tag your ornaments.  We received an ornament from a friend tagged with a label listing the date, her name and a wish for us. I love that idea, and will tag a few more this year myself!  Next year and for years to come, we can remember where our favorite ornaments came from and appreciate our friends anew.  This will also help on that day far in the future when I distribute ornaments to my sons as they start their own homes and families.
  4. Last-In First-Out Box.  In a recent blog, I mentioned my Last-In First-Out box, and a few of you asked me about that.  Here is the explanation:  In one well-labeled container, I place all the things that I use for the duration of the Christmas Season.  For example, around December 1, we put up just a few things, like our nativity scene, heirloom advent calendars and table runners.  Those are the first-out decorations, and the extent of our decorations until mid-December.  They are also the last items to go back into storage.  So we keep those few things that we use for all 6 weeks in their own container.  That way, I only have to grab one container to get us started, that same one stays open in the laundry room (the entrance to the crawl space) as we put things away, too,  and is placed on top of the pile until next December.
  5. Make some notes about this year to review next year. Here are a few of mine:
    1. More Christmas cards next years.  I underestimated our numbers, and had to reorder cards and buy more stamps before I could mail my business New Years cards.
    2. I noted our menu for the various meals we hosted, and party ideas that worked or not.
    3. I listed gift giving challenges and successes.
    4. I added “Christmas photos” to my October list, to print them sooner.  I love the collage photo cards now available.  I can use great parts of a number of photos instead of relying / waiting for one perfect (yeah, right) family photo.
    5. I have a spreadsheet, too, for my holiday planning, but I make these Christmas notes in a notebook, and they are personal and reflective, more like a journal to keep from year to year.

So, while your memories are still fresh, take a few minutes now to reflect on and savor your holiday season.  And take a few more to make next year’s holiday season even better!

Secrets for this Week: Goodness, Strengths and Action

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time_universe_6This week brings the Winter Solstice.  In this hemisphere, it will be the darkest time of the year, with the least amount of sunlight.  We may already feel the darkness in the regular stress of the holidays or in the turmoil happening in our world.

Peace of Mind is my business name, but also my purpose, to bring Peace of Mind to my clients, so here are 5 suggestions to help you through this busy, hectic and potentially dark week:

Put Goodness into the world.

There are people suffering out there, and I wish, oh how I wish, I could take away the pain.  But I can’t.  But there are things I can do.  I firmly believe, and am reminded daily,  that if we put Goodness out in the world, it will come back to us.  That is not the reason to put Goodness out there, though, just so it comes back to you.

We should consistently put Goodness into the world because it is needed, regardless of if it comes back to us or not.  We must keep the faith, be kind to others, hold on to hope and be the light in this dark week.   There are always glimmers of love, joy and hope, if we just keep our eyes open.

Lower your expectations.

Most weeks, my message includes “Of course you can!”.  And “Of Course You Can!” still holds.  However, Christmas is quickly approaching, so now is the time to get things done.  It may be time to lower your standards, ditch perfectionism and finish!

The first rule of organizing is “Don’t organize what doesn’t need organized!”.  If you are strapped for time, energy or resources this week, focus on what you absolutely have to do and let the rest go.  Looking around my garage last week, I noticed enough accumulated E-Waste to warrant a run to the recycling location in my town.  But do I need to go the week before Christmas?  No.  I stashed my Christmas decoration storage containers back in my crawl space, and recognized that I do need to tidy up in there and purge some stuff.  But not this week!

Stick with your strengths, and stick with what you know.

I like all of you, and sincerely want you to have all that you need.  I hope, for your sake, that you do not need a handmade gift from me.  That’s not going to happen.  No hand knit sweaters or scarves, not crafts of any kind.  I can sing you a song, I am very good.  And I can bake, oh boy, can I bake.  I stick with my strengths.  No handmade gifts.  It’s just better that way, trust me.

I was speaking to a client on the phone last week (hands free of course) when I drove past two Jewels to shop at my usual one.  She asked me “Why?”  My answer was “it’s quicker to stick with what I know”.  Stopping at a new store to fill a lengthy list takes a lot longer than driving the extra block to go to the store I know really well.  I can get through MY store very quickly, and I know the speedy checkers and baggers.

This is not the time to take up quilting, open up a wood shop or try new recipes for Christmas dinner.  Stick with your strengths, with the familiar, and save yourself time, energy and aggravation this week.

Keep your routines (if they are good) to maintain health and well-being.

Take your vitamins.  Take a nap.  Wear a scarf.  Drink lots of water.  Get good sleep.  Exercise if you can, meditate if you like.   Take the time to maintain your health and well-being.

What good will it do you to make it to the holidays with all the right gifts and foods and decorations if you are too sick or tired or miserable to enjoy them?  Eat healthy food, get some rest, stay hydrated.

Choose to Act.

All the planning in the world is nothing if you do not choose to act.  If we have enough energy to do other stuff while avoiding our work, then we have the energy to do our work.  But we have to choose to act.

So, what’s it going to be?  I am glad you read to the end, but now it is time to get moving!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a lovely week.

Get Baking for National Cookie Day!

toffee cookiesDid you know?  December 4th is National Cookie Day, so this week’s blog is all about Holiday Baking!  I carry wonderful memories of baking with my mom as a child, and now my kids and I do the same!

Before you bake the first cookie, examine your personal Christmas traditions and expectations.  Do your traditions add to or detract from your enjoyment of the holidays?  Do you have traditions that you love? Do you have any that are more trouble than they are worth?

An example:

My mom made frosted butter cookies every Christmas.  There was mixing, chilling and rolling of dough; frosting and sprinkles; assembly and display.  It was a lot of fun.

A few years ago, in addition to our annual favorites, I decided to add the butter cookies to our list.  Yikes, what a chore!  I quickly realized the secret is the time spent together in loving and creative ways, not the actual frosted butter cookies.  So we now stick with our specialties, I call and thank my mother, and I let others frost and sprinkle.

One meaningful family tradition that we keep is making lemon bars on Christmas Eve.  The story goes, I was making lemon bars on Christmas Eve many years ago when I realized I was in labor for our oldest son.  He loves that story, so the tradition stays.

After you examine your traditions, Create Your Plan!

Pick your cookies.  Keep the list reasonable, don’t go crazy.  Here are our favorites:

Look at your list, read all the directions and ask yourself some questions (my answers are listed, too):

When can I bake?

  • I realized  that baking on a weekday in addition to regular life is just too much, so  I’m sticking to weekends.
  • Then again, I can prep my cookie dough on weeknights when I am making dinner, ball it and freeze the balls, then bake them on the weekends.

For what events are the cookies needed? 

  • We give cookies as gifts, plus serve them at various parties.  The first party is December 16th.

What cookies freeze well?  Make those early.

  • Toffee cookies and biscotti.  So I will make those soon, bag them up and freeze them.

What dough requires chilling?

  • Magi’s turbans.  So I assemble that dough first on baking day and chill it while baking the others

What recipes tie up my pans for a long time?

  • toffee cookies tie up my cookies sheets for hours of cooling, so I make 4 pans all at once, and nothing else

What recipes use specialty pans (and free up the cookie sheets for other things)?

  • Peanut butter cup cookies require my mini muffin tins, so the cookie sheets are free for something else.  So I will probably make those on the same day as the biscotti or Magi’s turbans.

So, considering my answers, here is my plan:

  • Today      – toffee cookies (4 pans cooling on the counter right now)
  • 12/9           –      2 types of biscotti, peanut butter cup cookies
  • 12/15        – magi’s turbans and just-for-fun cookies
  • Oreo           truffles are optional for the day after Christmas for a late-in-December party

Other tips:

  • Share specialty spices, supplies or baking dishes with friends or family to defray baking costs.
  • Enlist Aid.  Most of our specialty cookies require some type of candy.  My sons are great about helping with assembly and un-wrapping, and we all enjoy the time spent together.
  • Assemble cookies all the way to placing the balls on cookie sheets.  Instead of baking them, put the cookie sheets in the freezer and freeze the balls.  Store them in a freezer bag, and when you want fresh cookies, make a dozen or two as needed.  No need to defrost, the frozen dough can go straight into the oven!
  • Don’t store peanut butter cookies or mint cookies with anything else, or everything will taste like peanut butter or mint.
  • Try a cookie exchange:  Plan an event with 5 or more friends.  Have each attendee bring many dozens of their specialty cookie, and then swap at the cookie exchange.  Everyone goes home with a variety of yummy homemade cookies, and you can concentrate on one type you make really well.

Enjoy your baking and have a great Christmas season.  As for me, I need to go clean out my freezer to make room for the first batches of cookies!