Category: Motivation

Spend Your Screen Time Wisely

Did you Know?  September 18-24th is National  Turn Off Week , a challenge to Reduce your Screen Time on TV and technology.  

     I am blogging to the internet on my laptop, then sending a newsletter via email to suggest you spend less time this week on Screen Time and technology devices.  The irony is not lost on me!  So let me get on with this, so you can read and learn, then go and do something else!

     A Google search of “Turn Off Week” produced links from hundreds of organizations recommending less screen time for both adults and children.  Why?  As a society, we are spending lots of time, often too much time in front of Screens and technology.  Stepping away from the TV, computer and game screens enhances our fitness, health, nutrition, education and family time, just to name a few.  

     I like TV.  I have a handful of shows that I DVR every week, and watch avidly when I have the time, on my own terms.  TV is not bad.  As I start this article on a rainy Sunday afternoon, my hubby is watching football and the kids are watching a Red Box DVD downstairs.  We like TV.  But just this past week, it became evident we need to spend some more time on our school work; all three boys want to sign up for Fall sports; and the pre-teen wants to learn 2 (yes 2) more musical instruments.   Time for these activities has to come from somewhere, so Off The TV will go!

     I love technology.  I use lots of screen time for work and play.  But Technology is only a  tool.  It can educate, communicate, illuminate, entertain.  It can do lots of things, but it is a thing.  It exists to make our lives better.  So use this National Turn Off Week to make sure you are using your technology, and not the other way around. Consider Turn Off Week as a Time Management experiment, how to use our time and resources the best way possible.  

 Things to Think About and Try This Week:

  1. Remind everyone (including yourself) that Turn Off Week is a positive choice.  Replace screen time with family activities, game night, hikes and outings, etc., to reinforce that Real Life is more important than screen time.
  2. The first step to positive change is always awareness.  Need to start small?  Just pay attention to how much you and your family uses technology, and determine if you all could improve your lives by cutting back on your screen time.
  3. Use tech tools to manage your tech.  I love these ideas, for managing your Tech Time, from a Real Simple article, April, 2011:
    • “MacFreedom.com disables all roads to the internet for an allotted amount of time”;
    • “RescueTime.com  tracks your every on-line move and provides easy to read, painfully revealing charts” telling you just how much time you really spend on Facebook or shopping on-line; and
    • “LeechBlock, addons.mozilla.org, blocks certain websites either perpetually or during specific periods, to help you focus you and your family’s time better.”
    • Also, we can set our Direct TV parental controls to allow TV viewing only at certain times of the day, and on certain channels.  I will re-set our viewing hours to between 6 and 8 pm unless I lift the block with the secret code (we’ll see how that goes!!).
    • On the other hand, we can record shows on the DVR for the kids to watch later, so they are guaranteed to have something they want to watch when they do finally sit down to do so. 
  4. Set a limit for how much screen time you and your children use every day.
    • My MIL used TV tokens with her kids, and introduced the idea to my boys one week over the summer. Every day each child receives 3 tokens, for ½ hour each of TV time, Wii or Nintendo.  They can lose their tokens for minor offenses, or they can save them up if they want to watch a movie on the weekends. 
    • It was amazing to watch my 7-year-old become a savvy shopper when it came to “spending” his tokens.  He might turn on the TV, consider what his choices were, and then decide to turn it off because he didn’t really like the choices.  Before the tokens, he would have just sat there and vegged out. 
  5. Be mindful.  Decide when and what to watch, or when you will check your email or smart phone.  Then Do what you plan to do, and Move on.  Get on Facebook, check in, get off, go do something else.  Be mindful when you are using your technology tools, but also be mindful and appreciative of your family and the day around you.  

For Life:  Reduce Screen time with a few simple guidelines: 

  • Keep TVs and computers out of the bedrooms, especially children’s bedroom, for safety, better sleep, better focus, and more family time;    
  • Don’t eat in front of the TV or computer (a challenge for me on days when I work from home); and
  • Set guidelines, like “No cell phones in the bedroom or at the dinner table”.  Neither my teenager nor we parents need our phones where we sleep, since we should neither send nor receive texts at midnight!  We can choose when to answer messages and texts, and hopefully raise awareness in others as to what is appropriate or not. 

     So, our plan?  1. We’ll all work on using our Turn Off Time wisely, for the cool activities we want to do instead of mindless TV viewing, and 2. I am going to work on my own screen time, to focus on people and not technology when we are all together.  I will check then ignore my email first thing in the morning on my iPhone, but wait to turn on my computer until the boys are off to school and I am ready to really work.   And I’ll let  you know how it goes, in a week, via technology again!   And let me know if you have ideas or suggestions for how to spend your Turn Off Week!

Why I Organize my Family (and you should, too!)

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     My goal for writing is to motivate and educate my readers and clients about organizing. Most people who contact me need organizing motivation or education, or a mixture of both.

     My last few blogs have been heavy on the How-To, as in how to organize for Back To School, but this week I want to talk about the Why.  Why should we and our children get organized for Back To School?  And this applies to everyone, not just folks in the midst of Back To School right now!

 We want our children to do well in school and in life.

    1. Last fall, I renamed my Organize Your Kids class “An Organized Family”.  Sometimes it is not the children who make a family disorganized, but we adults. It is up to me to get my kids to school on time, even as they get a little older.
    2. Lack of organization is often interpreted as lack of preparation, cooperation or knowledge.  Good grades are great, but if your child is regularly late or unprepared, it will reflect negatively on him. 
    3. Tardiness disrupts class and instruction, and it singles out your child.  And your child has to face the teacher and school staff every morning, not you.
    4. One of my myriad of responsibilities as a parent is to cultivate a strong work ethic and life skills in my children.  We are not raising children to remain children, we are raising future adults.
    5. Your child probably wants to be on time, but may be nervous about asking you or doesn’t realize things can be different.

We want life to be less complicated. 

    1. We live in a complicated world.  There are so many responsibilities vying for our time and resources. 
    2. We want more living and less drama.  More time spent with loved ones in good relationships, less time spent on stuff. 
    3. Having a better grasp of our time allows us to not worry about being on time.  Go figure!
    4. For example, we establish our morning routine every August, and we know that if we stick with it, all is well.
    5. We are well-rested, clean, dressed and well-fed, prepared for our day and on time.  If we just do what we’re supposed to do, we have fun and relax, without drama.  

We realize we are the parents, the Adult, and we set the example.

    1. We have to teach our children to do things for themselves before we can expect our kids to do things for themselves.
    2. Be clear with your expectations.  Be clear, be brief and keep them simple.
    3. In quiet reflection after Mass, I realized that if I can give an hour, uninterrupted, to God during the Mass, I should do the same for my kids, every morning from 7-8.  So that is one of my goals for this morning, to focus solely on preparing for the day during that hour with my kids, until we’re on track.

We want to be able to say “Yes” to new things. 

    1. My way is not the only way, nor is it the best way for every family.   I happen to value organization, and am convinced of the importance of organization for success in life.  That is purely my opinion, there are lots of things to value in life. 
    2. I had an artistically creative and wonderful class participant ask me “What if some days I don’t feel like being organized?”.  I understand where she is coming from, sort of, like some days it is fun to abandon routine and go with the flow.  But I don’t view Organization as an Either / Or.  I view it as a means to a better life.
    3. Because we are organized, we can be flexible and open to new things, and respond to opportunities that come our way, or make our own opportunities for new things or activities or experiences. 

      So, my challenge to you this week is to look at your own ideas about organizing, and make a list, mental or other wise, of your answers to the Why Get Organized question.

     Above is my list of Why statements, my answers to the Why Get Organized? Question.  Your list may look completely different, and that is great!  Just give it some thought, find your motivators, post them where you can see them, and use them to help you stay on track in the busy days ahead!

BTS: Never Be Late Again!

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Last August, I resolved we would be on time for school. Every day. And except for the very last day of school, when there was an actual flood in our neighborhood, we accomplished our goal.

Do you know why we succeeded?  Because I realized that my own adherence to my own routine can make or break our morning.  If we are late for school, by and large, it really is my fault.

As my children grow up, the responsibility shifts to their shoulders.  Some mornings, kid cooperation is not 100%.  But it is still up to me to set the example, to create (with family in-put) and stick with our Morning Routine, to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted, to keep the goal of “School On Time and Prepared” ever in sight.

Your kids may have a few weeks until they go back to school, and soon their morning routines will get tweaked.  So, this week, get your own Back To School (or going to work every day) Routine on track, and make the BTS transition easier for everyone!

Get up when you plan to get up.

I admit, I am a snoozer.  When the alarm sounds, my hubby hops up and stays up.   Me?  Not so much.  I learn from him, though, and moved the alarm clock more than an arm length away from the bed, to keep me from smacking the snooze button without even fully registering that the alarm went off.

Why?  Because I use an alarm for a reason.  I need to get up at 6 am to get myself ready before the kids get up.  And if I don’t get up with the alarm, I defeat my own intentions before I even get out of bed.  Setting the alarm earlier and allowing snooze time doesn’t solve the problem, either, now does it?  Nope.  Same bad habit and defeatist behavior.  So bye-bye bedside clock, hello hidden-under-the-bed or across-the-room clock.

And, DO NOT set your clock ahead.  Everyone knows it is set ahead, and it loses effectiveness (unless you set it a minute or two ahead, and don’t tell anyone….)

Get Ready First.

I talk about “Back to Ready” with my clients.  It is a mental image of what an organized and ready family looks like.  We know what is necessary to get ready, how to do those things, and that once we’re there, we can go do something fun.

But it has to start with getting Me “Back To Ready”.  Why bother getting the kids or the house ready for us to go if I am  not ready?  First order of the day is to get myself up and showered and dressed and fed.  Then I am much more available and coherent when the kids get up.

Lower Your Morning Standards.

Whenever I talk about routines, I always suggest to write down what you Need to do in the morning.  And, yes, I said NEED.  Make sure the Needs are covered, then move on to the Wants.  Needs are get clean, get dressed, eat breakfast, get out the door.  Everything else is extra.

I am the queen of starting just one more thing when I should be leaving, but that “one more thing” like writing an email or starting a load of clothes can make us late.  You and I both need to Write It Down and save it for later, and get out the door.

I read an article the other day that suggested we all Need to rise before 5 am to meditate, journal, work out, conference call with Singapore and grind our own flour for organic muffins for our families (yes, I made some of that up.  But not all!) before 7 am.  But if that list of things to do is not for you, don’t worry.  Stick with Needs, then move to Wants.

Recognize Load Time and Leave Time are two different things. 

Load Time:  The time we start loading ourselves in the van.  Factor in the every-morning-search for the 11 year- old’s watch, the 7 year-old’s daily dash to the bathroom as soon as I holler “Let’s go, people!”

Leave Time:  Time you pull out of the garage and head to school.  Leave Time factors in the length of the car ride / walk to school and adds a little cushion.  Aim for 5 minutes early to start with, it’s better to be early rather than late!  And don’t consider Early early.  Consider it On Time.

If you only have yourself to get out the door every morning, you can learn from this, too, especially if you find yourself running back for a few things as you leave the house.  Know your self.  For example, if you have to leave at 7:30 am to get to the office on time, aim for 7:20, realizing you always search for your car keys, double-check the locks, share a few words with the neighbor, or forget something.  And if you actually get to work a few minutes early, that is great, too!

So, whether you are going Back to School or not, let me challenge you this week to make your Morning Routine work better for you, and Get Where You Are Going On Time Next Time.  Give it some thought, get up a little earlier (or just move the alarm clock like me) and never be late again!

Clean Your Home: Everyday or All At Once?

     Do you clean your home?  I am assuming most of you do.  So the next question is:  when?  Are you a spend-time-on-it-everyday person, or a clean-it-all-at-once person?  Or have you ever even thought about it?

     There is no wrong answer to this question, but knowing yours helps focus your Clean House mission. It may also be helpful to note that the answer to “Clean Your Home:  Every day or all at once?” can change as your life changes.  The All-At-Once way was no longer working for me, so I made the plan and the decision to change to Every Day.

     My goal for today’s blog is not to persuade you to choose one method or the other, but to suggest:

  1. There is always more than one way to complete a work project;
  2. Before jumping into action, give your situation some thought, and determine how best to attack that project; 
  3. Be flexible and open to other ideas, and find solutions that work for you; and
  4. Even something as mundane as cleaning your house becomes more meaningful if you set your terms for getting it done.   

    I started my current experiment in May, here are my notes from that day:

  • May 15th.  I love my house.  I love my family.  But I don’t love losing my weekends to housecleaning.  My schedule used to allow one full day dedicated to my home, but as the kids and business have grown, I can’t spare a whole day for cleaning.
  • Friday was Cleaning Day, which worked great even when we traveled, because I could clean and pack as I went.  
  • However, I still have to get Back To Ready on Mondays (or if we are traveling, whenever we got back), and maintain during the week, too.  And often, Cleaning Day gets pushed to Saturday, Sunday or even Monday before I finish. 
  • I feel like I am cleaning all the time, but I don’t feel it is getting done well, and I stress with the tension between doing it all / cleaning when I have time / making time to clean. 
  • I am embarking on a new house cleaning / maintenance schedule.  I will spend a House Hour every day on cleaning and maintenance instead of the All At Once approach.  The little-bits every day approach chafes against my perfectionist tendency of wanting everything DONE at least for a moment, but I am optimistic.
  • To Sum up, Challenges:
    • There is work to do, lots of effort goes into maintaining a home. 
    • I do most of the work alone most weeks.  I don’t know how to ask for help.
    • Am I really teaching my kids any life skills if I am the only person who cleans the house, and I do it while they are at school?
    • Will I have those children that go to college not knowing how to clean a bathroom or do their laundry? 
    • Am I demonstrating that only women do house work?  All of this has to change!
    • I can clean all day one day a week, and still need to maintain every day, too.  If I have to maintain every day anyway, could I just do that for a longer block of time instead of All At Once AND Daily Maintenance?
  • July 25th:  Outcomes of my experiment.
    • Click here to see my house cleaning spreadsheet.  It hangs on my refrigerator in a plastic page protector so I can assign chores to different people, and cross things off as we complete them.  Make your own, and add whatever you want!
    • We have done pretty well.  The house is consistently tidy.  In the All At Once approach, I would give up maintenance a day or 2 before my scheduled Cleaning Day, which became a growing problem if Cleaning Day got pushed later and later!
    • I love the daily approach.  There are some days our House Hour does not happen, because we are exceptionally busy or out playing (it is summer, after all!), but then I dedicate more time the next day, and catch up.
    • As we’ve gotten better at this House Hour idea, I have learned some days are easier than others, and I can spend more of the Hour on the easy days on organizing or projects.  This week, we look at school clothes  and supplies, and clean out my little guy’s toy box. 
    • The kids are learning the different tasks and skills that go into maintaining a clean home, how a household works and how they are a part of it.      
    • I am still working on the Asking For Help part, and probably will be for life.  A finite list of things of tasks for each day is less intimidating for all of us.  Once their tasks are done, they can go play. 
    • A personal challenge for me is to accept “different” as “just as good as my way”.  This is tough for me, but I am learning.  My wonderful hubby did the bulk of our vacation laundry, God bless him.  And his way is just as good as mine, though dissimilar.  It made me momentarily crabby, then I smacked (metaphorically) my self upside the head and reminded myself that the laundry was clean and folded, and I did not have to do it.  Woo hoo!
    • I was pleasantly surprised today.   We just got home back from a week’s vacation, and I am often overwhelmed when reality rushes back in after a week away.  But things look fine today, and I can pick back up my House Hour tomorrow. 

     So if you have ever felt the tension of when / how / what to clean, give your timing some thought and see what works best for you.  Try something new for a month or 2 – you’re a smart person and you can change – and see how it goes!

Organizing: Where To Begin?

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     This week, I heard from three different people, “ I am so overwhelmed, where should I begin?”  We’ve all been there – we look around our home or office, and disorganization is everywhere!  Perhaps we’ve been busy, and regular maintenance has been neglected.  Perhaps it is a time of transition; leaving on or arriving home from vacation; career change; a family member moving home or moving away; change of seasons on the calendar; change of seasons in our life. Regardless of the reason, we wake up one day with disorganized space and a long list of projects or goals.

     Then we have that deer-in-the-headlights moment, when we are frozen stiff and our brain is racing in circles, trying to figure out where and how to start, and sometimes in that moment we get so overwhelmed that we shake our head and racing brain, turn around and leave, instead of accomplishing something, anything.  

     So, then, where do we begin?

  • Ask yourself “Which project will make the greatest impact on my daily life?”  That is a great place to start!  For example:  If you have 4 projects (kitchen, linen closet, attic and basement), start with the kitchen then the linen closet, as those projects will help everyone in your home immediately.
  • To rephrase, “Start in the area that is causing the most pain” according to Barry Izsak, CPO and author of numerous organizing books.
  • The other answer to the “So, where do I begin?” is pick a starting spot – like the doorway to a room or closet, and move left to right around the space.  Or right to left, or top to bottom.  The starting spot itself is not magic. It is the choosing-a-starting-spot-and-working-methodically that gets things done.  
  • Walk around your house with a pen and clip board, and looking objectively at each room.  Jot down necessary repairs, organizing projects, items that need to go away or be replaced, etc.
  • Make a list of the tasks required to complete each project. For example, don’t just say “organize teenager’s closet”. A task list might include:  1.   Empty all drawers, purging old or unloved clothes; 2.  Install new hardware on dresser drawers; 3.  Empty closet, purging old or unloved clothes; 4.  Paint shelves; 5.  Install new closet rod, closet light and over-door clothing rack; 6.  Swap out old hangers with new hangers for hanging clothes.
  • Be specific with your tasks list, and the needed supplies to pick up at the home improvement store quickly become evident. Also, it is easier to determine time allotment for the specific tasks, than it is for the whole project.
  • Keep a master list for all of your projects.  This will illustrate where among the projects there is common ground, like tackling two projects with one trip to Home Depot or one call to the handyman.  This saves time and money and gets things done. 
  • Repeat after me: You do not need to complete every project right now, today. And you probably could not if you tried.  Don’t you feel better already?  But you can move forward on a project today, and come closer to completion, and there is satisfaction and success in that.

To Prioritize Tasks, Ask yourself these three questions (from Julie Morgenstern, Never Check Your Email in the Morning):

  • Question 1: How long will the task take? We inflate our idea of how long an undesirable task may take. I dread balancing my check book, so it seems intimidating, but it usually takes all of 15 minutes a month. Conversely, you also must allow enough time for a project to get done. If you tell yourself you are going to paint the basement this summer, but don’t actually block out time in your calendar to get it done, it won’t get painted. Dedicate a block of time or regular intervals to make the project happen.
  • Question 2: What is the return on investment? It may take a full 4 hours on a summer afternoon to finish a project, and you’ll wish you were somewhere fun, but the return is big when you are done. Find a balance between the potential pay off of a task and the estimated time it will take. Remember too, there are lots of things that need to happen today, but not all are major.
  • Question 3: When is the deadline? Even if one project is the biggest, if the deadline isn’t for another month, do the smaller but more timely things first.

So, the next time you are faced with multiple projects and your brain is racing all around, close those eyes and take a deep breath, take a walk around your house, and then pick your spot to begin.  You can do this, I know you can!

PS:   I am thinking of starting a blog category entitled “If I Had a Nickel….” for every time someone asked me certain questions.  I could call it Frequently Asked Organizing Questions, but I like “If I had a nickel… “ better!  Which do you prefer?  And what questions should I include?

Your Command Center: Knowledge is Power

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Every home needs a Command Center.  Your Command Center:

  1. Is one (and only one) centralized location to manage all information (paper and electronic) that enters and leaves your home or business.
  2. Is often a part of your Landing/Launch Pad (next blog topic!).  Command Centers are all about information, Landing / Launch Pads are all about stuff,

 Why do you need a Command Center?

  • Because life is complicated!  And lack of communication, resources or information complicates it further (“Houston, We Have A Problem”)!
  • Command Centers are all about information.  Knowledge is Power.
  • A Command Center makes life simpler, easier and better.  It
    • Keeps you informed and guides your actions.  Where to go, what to do, who is going, etc.
    • Keeps you informed as a family, with everyone working off the same information.
    • Keeps you prepared for whatever life may throw your way.
    • Helps you make good and informed decisions.
    • Enables you to act on your action items, like school papers, bills to pay, forms to complete, errands to run, etc.
    • Saves time, money and peace of mind by keeping vital info on your day-to-day life easy to find.

 What belongs on a Command Center? 

  • Communication or Message Boards:
    • Contact Lists, like soccer team rosters, phone trees and our permanent one with doctor’s numbers, neighbors, family members, poison control, school, etc. (I have all the info in my phone, but it is nice to have a reference for everyone else!).
    • Lists everyone’s use, like grocery lists, task or chore assignments, homework reminders.
    • Notes to each other:  “Band Practice After School”, “Late Meeting – be home by 7 pm”, etc, keeps things running smoothly around here!
  • Calendars
    • Menu plan for the week
    • Travel plans and itineraries
    • Schedules, like Band and sports teams
    • Reminders for upcoming events.  Our event reminders, like invitations or fliers from school, are clipped together in chronological order.  As soon as an event is completed, the reminder comes down and the next event reminder is now on top.
  • Paper (just some suggestions here!):
    • Shopping lists
    • Grocery lists
    • Receipts
    • Bills to pay
    • Errands to run (receipts for returns, mail to mail, papers to drop to other people)
    • Other to-dos, like calls to make
    • A folder for current house projects, to collect bids, contact information for contractors, etc.
  • Note: Many of my Command Center functions are on my smart phone and laptop in MS Outlook.  However, I want other family members to participate, so the same info is also available in my Command Center, accessible and visible to all family members.
    • There are great websites and apps out there, like www.Rememberthemilk.com, TaDalist.com and Todoist.com to manage tasks and schedules, and multiple members can have access.

What does a Command Center look like?

  • Let Function dictate your Command Center.  Make sure there is a place for communications, calendar and paper management, and perhaps an inbox or board for each family member.
  • Google “Command Center” and see what is available.  There are some ultra cool ideas out there, but resist the Racoon Response (don’t jump at something just because it is shiny and pretty!).
  • Surf around, grab some ideas and put together what works best for you.  Make sure your ideas work before investing $$.  Pre-fab or complicated Command Centers are not necessarily better tools, they are just more attractive.  Here are two cool examples, from Real Simple, easy to implement and not too pricey:
  • The kitchen or your family entrance are the most successful places to set up your Command Center.  It needs to be centralized and convenient or it won’t get used.
  • The refrigerator door seems an obvious place for a Command Center, but beware, magnetic clips can slide down the front if they get overloaded, and strongly shut doors can send everything flying (trust me on this one!).

So, spend a little time this week and think about what you want on your own Command Center, where you want it to be, and who should use it.  Then get creative!

Just A Bit More: Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers

       I “met” a great new idea for categorizing and organizing your wardrobe that I just have to share! 

       I really like what is in my closet and dress myself confidently.   Over the years, I have learned what I should and should not wear, which styles and colors and fabrics.  And last fall, around my birthday, I made a conscious decision to get dressed and ready every day, and then “Just a Little Bit More”.  A splash of flair, color, an accessory or scarf or something, to go just a bit further beyond the every-day. 

      I spend a lot of time in closets.  It sounds odd, but it is fun to say!  And however much I like my own wardrobe and style, I feel a twinge of concern when my organizing clients ask me for fashion advice in addition to organizational assistance.  I feel fashion and wardrobe are very personal decisions, and my specialty is organizing, not “What Not To Wear”.

     I have new language to use with my clients, though.  I took a great class with Darcey Howard , and in her words, everything in your closet should be either a Thriller, a Filler or a Spiller (this is a familiar approach to you gardeners out there, as well!). 

      Thrillers are the really great pieces that start an ensemble.  In my closet, the Thrillers are usually tops, like a well-fitting blouse or sweater in a really great color or pattern.  The Fillers in my closet tend to be the bottom halves of my ensembles.  My pants and skirts are relatively basic but fit nicely, lots of blacks and browns and dark blues, especially this time of year.  And the Spillers are the bling, the flair, the adornments and accessories that spill over and add drama.  So, in the interest of Just A Little Bit More, Organize your clothes with a thought to those Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers.

  1. As a starting point, in any closet project, you should make sure the current size and season are represented front and center.  Once that is done….
  2. Think about how you build your outfits.  Maybe you don’t think about this most days, so now is a great time to start!
  3. Move the really great stuff to the front of your closet, so that you are more likely to choose from the really great stuff, and not the same stuff every day.  Colors and styles should just leap out at you from this selection!  Pick your favorite 5 or 6 Thrillers, and make a plan to wear them this week. 
  4. Pair your Thrillers with your favorite Fillers.  Fillers don’t have to be boring, they just don’t generate the same strong feelings as your Thrillers and your Spillers.  Hang the paired Filler next to your favorite Thriller, and you have your outfits put together for the week! 
  5. Now that your outfits are almost done, choose the Spillers.  The belt, the shoes, the scarf or jewelry (sorry, men, the tie and accessories) that really pull the whole ensemble together and make it sing.   
  6. I moved the Spillers, those little items that add drama like my scarves and accessories to the hooks on my closet door, visible the first moment I open the door.
  7. And of course, if you have items that really don’t fit into any of the three categories, then it is unlikely it will ever get worn.  So let it go!!  Donate it or sell it at a consignment shop, but don’t waste your time or closet space on it any longer!

     Congratulations!  Your closet is now set up to help you shine.  Add some color or interest to your ensembles during these dark and cold days of winter.  A little goes a long way, “Just a Little Bit More”!

Let Your Brain Do Its Job! 5 Ways to Tame the Monkey Mind

(Original post 2011, edited in 2022!)

The tagline for my company is Organizing for Your Peace of Mind.  Early on, I realized that I am not just selling my time and expertise to my clients, I am providing Peace of Mind.  And I know this because I am constantly learning how to find it for myself, too. 

    I learned the term “Monkey Mind” years ago.  The term monkey mind comes from Buddhist monks to describe our racing thoughts, and it aptly describes my thought process some mornings!  (I like this mental image, too with the monkeys swinging from tree to tree.)   

    But our brain helps us survive and solve problems.  So, if given information, time and opportunity, our monkey mind / brain will come up with solutions for us.  Here are 5 Ways to Tame Your Monkey Mind, and Let Your Brain Do Its Job!

1.  Dump the Monkeys.  David Allen in Getting Things Done suggests writing down every idea running around your head on a piece of paper, a new piece for each idea. Then sort the papers (ideas) into categories –Kids, Work, Specific Work Projects, Personal achievements, Tasks, etc.  I like technology and achieve the same results with the Evernote where I keep my Daily Task List and also the specific ones, like Client Care, Classes or Tiger Scouts.  When the monkey mind overwhelms me, I dump all my ideas on one long un-edited list, then cut and paste the items into their various topic areas.  Next time I sit down to work, I open the Note topic I am looking for, and all those ideas are ready and waiting for me to take action.

2.  Take a Break:  If I lack focus and a clear next step to take, it is often because I need to take a break.  If I am with a client, we take a moment to talk and re-establish our goals for our appointment.  If I am at home, my favorite breaks are short and to the point, so I can get back to work in a timely manner.  I may water my plants, grab a cup of tea, eat an apple, get the mail, file or take out the trash.  I DO NOT check my email or Facebook in the middle of a work session, for if I do, I may never make it back to work!  But  5 minutes to walk around, take a breath, and re-direct are what I need to help me leave the frazzled behind and find new insights.

3.   Take A Nap:  My college roomies will attest, I made it through senior year with power naps.  Most of my upper level Management courses were evening classes, and I had a daytime job and responsibilities that kept me from sleeping in.  So 30 minutes at 4 pm helped me to stay alert and focused for those 3 hour classes!  A few weeks ago, I sent myself to my room for a 20 minute time-out, when my kids and my thoughts were all running around too fast to figure out what to do next.  I came back a calm, pleasant and focused person!

4.  Throw the monkeys off track, and do something completely unrelated.  My most relaxed times are while I am hiking, taking a shower, practicing my flute, or reading books with my youngest son.  During these activities the monkey mind moves to the back of my consciousness, and has a chance to solve pressing problems without my direct involvement.  Luckily, I keep a dry erase marker in the bathroom to jot notes on the mirror, or keep my smart phone with me to jot down task items or ideas as they come to me (except during reading time, that’s just for me and my little guy).  

5.  Do One Thing.  One thing, even if it is not the right or perfect thing, is still progress.  “We can’t do everything at once, but we can do something at once.”  – Calvin Coolidge

Please share any other suggestions for Calming the Monkey Mind, I would love to know what works for you!

Clutter’s Not Just Stuff, It’s Unmade Decisions

      Clutter is not stuff.  Did you know that?  Pretty bold statement for a professional organizer who gets paid to get rid of clutter, I know.  You and I have all sorts of stuff in our house that is completely needed, used and appreciated.  And we have clutter.  What makes one pile of stuff useful, and one pile of stuff clutter?

     Clutter is not just stuff, it is also decisions waiting to be made.  An item is clutter because we have not decided where to put it, when to put it there, or if it just needs to completely leave our lives.

     When I work with my clients, we make lots of decisions.  Some are new decisions, and some are the same decision, over and over again.  We stand side by side, look at every item, and decide where to put it, when to put it there, and what needs to leave the space forever.

     Good Decision Making requires having confidence in your decision, and we can learn how to make Decisions.  Here’s how: 

  1. Weigh your options.
    • Write a list of pros and cons.  Sometimes the visual of 2 lists, one much longer than the other, can lead us to the right decision.
    • Some pros or cons are more important than others, so you may need to add a scoring system with extra stars or circles around the really important ones, to give them their proper emphasis!
    • With a list, you are compelled to:   See both sides of the equation, a very important part of decision-making; and Support both sides of your own debate, which will help you focus on the things most important to you.
  2. Ask the experts:  consumer guides, customer reviews, message boards, all are great places to check out.  
    • When one client is looking for a new car, she gets input from 2 car-savvy friends.   The 2 friends recommend the best 4 or 5 cars among her type, based on price, safety, reliability, etc., and then my clients test drives those 4 or 5, and decides which one feels right. She goes with her gut, but only after she relies on the experts. 
    • Do the research (become more of an expert yourself)
  3. Go with your Intuition, but Be Self Aware – check your self:
    • Get to the heart of it.  If you are agonizing over 2 candidates for the position of assistant, are the candidates the problem, or is the fear of change or relinquishing of control?
    • If you are agonizing over a paint color for your child’s room, is the color really the problem?  Or is it the upheaval we feel when part of our house is disrupted for a time (like with construction or painting projects)?  Or the money it will cost to hire a painter? or not knowing anyone who is a painter? or even sadness that your child is growing up?
    • Acknowledge all the reasons for the delay, but get back to it as soon as possible.  You still have to decide, no matter how hard it is!
  4. Be someone else for a moment:   What would (insert name of someone you respect here) do?
  5. Ask yourself this question:
    • What is the worst thing that could happen if you make the wrong decision?   
    • If the answer is “Nothing much…”, then just make the decision, and get on with it.
    • If the answer is something huge, like “my child will get a poor education and not do well in life”, then that Decision gets a lot of time and effort and research.
  6. What is the worst thing that can happen if you don’t make any decision at all?  This question came up with a client just yesterday.  It’s very powerful!  My client was deciding between two medical alert systems.  If she prolonged the decision, she would continue to live without one of these systems, which could leave her unprotected.  The fear of not having anything in place motivated her to decide quickly, knowing she could always upgrade later.
  7. We can always change our mind later.  Avoid perfectionism – not every decision will be perfect, and that is OK.
  8. Sometimes we only need to make part of the decision “Yes, we will go on vacation this year, so I need to get the time off from work and start saving money”.  The “Where” part can wait.  
  9. Learn, learn, learn from the process.  Learn more about yourself with every tough decision.  Keep those lists of pros and cons, and review them when you faced with other difficult decisions. 

    What are some decisions you have agonized over?  And how did you make the decisions, in the end?  Make your decisions, and move your life forward.  Don’t let those unmade decisions clutter your life!

National Clean Off Your Desk Day!

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    The second Monday of January is National Clean Off Your Desk Day (Yes, it’s real, I am not just making that up!).  So embrace the day, and clean off that desk!  Set yourself up to succeed:

  1. Clear an hour on the schedule, grab a trash can, a couple of recycling bags and a shredder.
  2. Designate a box for old electronics that need to leave (check my recycling guide for destinations), and a bag for items that need to go to someone else.  
  3. This is not “Get Everything Done Day”.  The goal for today is to set up your Desk and space to succeed.  Stack work to be done to one side and note your To-Dos as they occur to you on a pad of paper at hand. 
  4. Set up some empty vertically held file folders, either in a hanging folder file drawer or in a holder on your desk.  Files standing up are ready to receive info, instead of piling them flat.  As soon as files fall flat, they start to pile up.

Getting It Done:

  1. If you have the space and time, clear everything off the desk and put back only what you really want to keep. 
  2. If time and space don’t permit clearing your desk top entirely, then Start at the Left side of your desk, and work to the right.  That way, if you get distracted, you can pick back up where you left off. 
  3. Clear clutter.  Work through each pile, deciding to “Keep” (for example, To-Do’s, file, long-term storage, keep but put in a different room or desk) or “Toss” (options may include recycle, shred, reference for other people, just plain garbage, donate).   And wipe off your desk at some point, it is amazing how dusty it gets!
  4. Do not get distracted by other tasks to be done, just jot down those other tasks, and focus on clearing clutter and restoring your work space.

 Things to Remember:

  1. Your desk top is prime and valuable real estate, like beach front property.  Dedicate your desk top to work, not to clutter. 
  2. Use Horizontal space for work space, and Vertical Space for storage.  The more you can store close at hand above your desk on shelves or in cabinets, the more desk top space you will free up for work space.
  3. Move electronics off your desktop, if possible.  Stack your printer or scanner on a shelf or stacker to open up desk space.  I have my All-In-One on a stacker, and store my project baskets beneath the stacker

 What Does and Does Not Belong on your Desk:

  1. Does:  Lap top / Computer
  2. Does Not:  Out-dated data storage, un-identifiable computer or accessory cords or connectors, non-functioning electronics of any kind.  Beach front property, remember?
  3. Does:  Papers / files / binders for projects you will work on today and this week
  4. Does Not: Books or reading materials you are not currently reading 
  5. Does: Today’s coffee cup or water bottle, in a tip / spill proof container (voice of experience here!)
  6. Does Not:  Any beverage or food item older than a few hours.  And certainly not a Candy Dish (mainly because it will be tempting to eat the whole thing!)
  7. Does:  Pens / Pencils / scissors / stapler / letter opener that you use regularly. 
  8. Does Not:  More than 10 of any type of pen, pencil or tool. 
  9. Does:   One useful container paper clips or binder clips.  Just one.  And it has to actually be functional, not just cute.   And maybe one useful container for spare change.   Just one.
  10. Does Not:
    1. Shoes, unless you are a cobbler (yes, I’ve really seen this)
    2. Houseplants.  Move them to a shelf or a table near by.  The water overflow and dirt dump potential make these bad desk-top choices.
    3. Candles.  Shifting piles of papers, open flame, yikes.
    4. Photos.  Hang these on the wall or on a shelf nearby.  Desk top space is at a premium, and I can see photos on the wall better, anyway.
    5. Legos, Matchbox Cars and Goldfish, living or crackers (or maybe this is just my desk)

Ways to Maintain that lovely clear desk space:

  1. Make it Easy for things to leave:
    1. Leave the garbage and recycling cans and shredder nearby.  Make an appointment with yourself to use them, and to empty all of those receptacles once a week (Thursday morning for me).
    2. Leave a Donate Bin (for example, for books or old and obsolete electronics) and an Errand folder (for mail to mail, bank deposits, etc.) nearby, to help things leave your office in a timely manner.
  2. Plan to convert subscriptions for professional journals or magazines to an on-line option, and purge all the old ones, since many are available on-line for free or as part of your subscription price
  3. Cut down on your paper consumption.  If you have a paper Filing System that you like, duplicate the system and file names on your computer hard drive (and back-up often, of course!!).  For example, instead of printing an email with a marketing idea and putting it in a folder for later, I can save the same email to a “Marketing Ideas” subfolder on my laptop.  This makes it easier to retrieve, convenient to cut and paste info as needed, and my desk stays neater. 

Here’s to a cleaner desk!  Have fun!