Category: Motivation

“What’s The Plan?” (I just need to know there is one.)

What’s your plan for 2023?

In my Time Management and Productivity Presentations, I talk A LOT about planning. Two quotes I share in those presentations are:

  • “By failing to plan, you are preparing to fail”.  (Ben Franklin)

    And
  • “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

In this quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower, he uses “plan” and “planning” as both nouns and verbs. For today’s purposes, “a plan”, the noun, is “a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something” (per google) or “a set of actions that are intended to achieve a specific aim” (per Cambridge Dictionary).

Considering who I am, it is no surprise that I love a good plan.

Why do I love a good plan?

A good plan orders our steps. It calms our fears, knowing that there is a plan. It motivates us and keeps us on track. A good plan is not a perfect plan. A good plan is flexible and should be able to – sometimes expected to – change and evolve. And even if a plan may be subject to change, it’s still vitally important to go through the planning process.

For example:

When I text my clients to confirm our appointments, I often ask “What on the agenda?”

Here’s the thing – I ask this question many times a week. I ask my clients about the plan, but… I don’t actually need to know the plan until I arrive for our appointment.

This question is not for me, or for my benefit, it’s for my client. In organizing, I am the expert about organizing but my client is the expert about themselves and their situation.

If you’re my client and you have a plan, I can make some assumptions.

  • Awareness: I can assume you have have the necessary list of possible projects or life situations you would like to improve or accomplish.
  • Prioritizing: I can also assume that you have thought about the priority for these projects and situations.
  • Ownership and Agency: I can assume you have reviewed the list and the priorities and decided on what task or project or objective we should work on that will help you the most today.
  • Flexibility: We can always add to or subtract from the plan, and I can also help you with any of these steps as we work together, but the assumptions remain.

I was chatting with my son in the kitchen yesterday. I take him back to college for his second semester this coming weekend and I asked him if there was a plan for moving back in.

And then I leaned over to him and whispered “I don’t actually need to know the plan right now.” And he knew that, too.

Why?

Because this process, this moving-back-in event, is not my process or my event. It is his process. I will always help, of course. I can help him craft the plan, I will support his plan and implementation, I will do whatever he needs me to do. BUT, the plan is not my plan. It’s his plan. He is super smart, he is excellent at problem solving and HE knows his needs at college far better than I do. Essentially, a week before we hit the road, I only want to know that he is thinking about the process. I don’t need to know the plan, and it’s likely to change in the next few days anyway. I just need to know that there is a plan.

Awareness. Priorities. Ownership and Agency. Flexibility.

So, what’s your plan for 2023? I don’t need to know what the plan is, but for your sake, I really – for you – want to know that you have a plan.

And if you would like to craft that plan, and would like a listening ear and partner in the process, drop me an email at colleen@peaceofmindpo.com and let’s talk about organizational and productivity coaching in 2023.

Recombobulate With Routines and To-Do Lists

Recombobulate. Is that even a word?

Ever feel discombobulated? A little off, a bit scattered? Me, too. For example, just today.

We run a humidifier all winter. It’s great for our health, and the added bonus is the white noise it makes that helps me sleep better. I woke up long before my alarm to the sound of silence. And not just the lack of white noise, I mean SILENCE.

According to the electric company service text I received at 3-ish am, we had a power outage due to a damaged line in our area. So… SILENCE. No white noise, no furnace. I’m unclear whether it was the chill or the silence that woke me, but something surely did.

And we still needed to get ready for work, take candlelight showers (hooray, new large hot water tank!), make instant coffee (thank you gas stove and Starbuck’s Via packets), and get the cars out of the garage together since the opener won’t open without power.

First world problems, I know. Truly, no major crisis. Sounds like an adventure, I suppose, but I was also wondering how I was going to coach today with no wi-fi and a slowly draining laptop battery. Thankfully – hooray! – the power returned just before my first virtual meeting so I was back in business and didn’t have to set up camp at a local coffee shop. But the whole experience just made the rest of the day feel… off. Weird. Unsettled.

Which makes me more grateful than ever for my Routines and To-Do lists.

When the power came back and as I worked to gather my thoughts and get back on track with such a strange start to my day, I made the conscious decision to check in on my routine tasks (that apparently require electricity!) and make sure that, even though the day had started bumpy, I had completed all of the routine tasks that keep my day and week running smoothly:

  • Made my healthy smoothie;
  • started laundry;
  • checked the charge on all my tech items; and
  • put my car back in the garage, cleaned it out and repacked my work gear for the work week.

The routine tasks were completed at NOT routine times, but I was grateful to know exactly what I needed to do to keep my day and week on track.

Then, after the routine tasks that keep life moving were completed, I returned to my To-Do list for the day.

My consistent, reliable and drama-free To-Do list, always available and waiting patiently for me to act. And since yesterday’s Colleen had put it together and her day had not started out so bizarre, the plan and paths were clear. And all day long, when I was feeling discombobulated and found my focus and energy wandering, I turned again to my To-Do list to get back on track.

The moral of the story? Spend some time today and this week, hopefully in times that you are NOT already feeling discombobulated or a little scattered, looking at how your current routines and to-do lists can help you stress less, get back on track when you veer off course and stay on track to get things done with more ease.

Find Your Focus Areas!

(Want to watch me share this article? Click here for a FB live: https://www.facebook.com/MColleenKlimczakCPO/videos/812165770032446)

It always delights me when someone quotes me back to me! At a recent meeting, a friend mentioned that her brother had attended one of my Stress Management presentations. Of course, she also mentioned that she asked him to do something and he said “No, that isn’t in my Focus Areas”! (No names are mentioned, for anonymity!)

In my Stress Management Presentations, I recommend identifying and then sticking with your Focus Areas.

The idea is to identify what is important to you, and subsequently, what is NOT important to you. And once you know what is important to you – what is a high priority for you – intentionally spend your time and energy and resources on the high priority areas of your life.

Being intentional on how we spend our resources is important when it comes to getting things done, decreasing stress and increasing feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Reviewing my notes, I realize that Focus Areas come up a lot for me. For example:

  • When writing an agenda for a board meeting – “What is important? What do we have to make sure to talk about?”
  • EVERY WEEK when I check in with my 2 accountability partners, I report using my Focus Areas as writing prompts.
  • In a recent conversation about the lingering effects of lock down and the pandemic, as in, “even when in lockdown for months in my home, I still didn’t want to work on jigsaw puzzles or knit a blanket.”
  • Even in casual conversations with my son. As in “Mom, you should watch this entire YouTube series on conspiracy theories.”
    • “Um, no. No, I should not.” Binge watching anything, especially something on conspiracy theories, is NOT in my Focus Areas.

What is important to you? What are your Focus Areas? If you’re unclear on what your Focus Areas are, start by checking three places: Your bank account, your calendar and your texting history. “What is important to you” is what you spend your resources on. Resources like time, money and energy.

Here’s the other side of that statement, though. Are you spending your resources on the areas of your life that you WANT to be important to you? Meaning, do you feel like building your business is important to you, but upon review of your resources, you aren’t spending a lot of energy on that endeavor? Or family or relationships or faith, etc.? As I plan my work today, I use my focus areas to determine what I DO and DO NOT want to spend my time on.

OK, so my Focus Areas are:

  • Service and Faith: School Board Work, Community Work, Ministries at church including Choir, Cantoring and Baptismal Prep
  • Home / Family: First thing first, my husband and sons. Then family and friends. And “Home” is the care and nurturing of home, cleaning, cooking, projects, holidays, etc.
  • Personal / Wellness
  • Educate Me: educational pursuits, learning new skills, reading non-fiction, learning new music.
  • My Company. I have subcategories, or business specific focus areas, too. They are Coaching, Clients, Presentations, Marketing and Business Specific.

What might your Focus Areas be? Career, Family, Health, Hobbies or a specific interest, Adventures, Friends, Money, Spiritual Needs, Personal Growth, Physical Fitness, etc..

A caveat: Our Focus Areas are an internal choice. A quick way to identify what might NOT be one of your Focus Areas is any time the idea comes from outside of you and is accompanied by a Should. As in almost ALL ADVERTISING! or “Wow, you should totally get a tattoo and run off to South America if you want to live a fulfilled life like me.” Huh? Um, no, thanks.

Additionally, our Focus Areas can change and evolve over time, just like we do as humans.

Knowing what our Focus Areas are helps us to make good decisions on how to spend our resources. They also give us a rubric for deciding on how to NOT spend our resources. Even if it means we respond to a request with “No, I am not willing to do that, it is not important to me, or part of my Focus Areas”!

take a breath and prepare

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Take a breath.

Take a breath to recover AND also to prepare.

September is National Preparedness Month, www.Ready.gov.

Daily, it seems, I encourage others (and remind myself) to take a breath. To recover from an upset, to make space for peace, or perhaps to ground or center ourselves. Maybe to simply take a moment to relax.

Just last evening, I walked a class of students through square breathing during a Stress Management class at the local community college. Deep breaths won’t eliminate our stressors, of course, but they can certainly help us manage better whatever the day may send our way.

Fun fact, in addition to professional organizing and coaching, I am also a professional liturgical musician as a cantor and a flutist.

A recent Sunday, I was reminded that, in addition to taking a breath to recover from an exhale, we also take a breath to prepare for what is coming.

In music, phrasing is important. A misplaced breath can cut short a note, make a sentence awkward or leave a whole phrase weak and unsupported. In liturgical music, the songs are often sloooooowwwww and the phrasing is looooonnnnnggggg. So the trick becomes finding opportunities to take extra breaths unnoticed to prepare for those long notes.

WE tend to be more impressed when someone can hold those big crescendos at the end of a song for a splashy and impressive finish. But I tend to listen for and appreciate the long and sustained and supported phrasing throughout the song.

Another fun fact, I sing at 8 am Mass. I need to warm up first thing in the morning to hit the high notes that early, sure, but the more important thing at 7 am is actually warming up my deep breathing and lung expansion to support and sustain my phrasing. That is less natural for me than hitting the high notes.

So, let’s bring this into organizing. We organize to clean up or recover from day-to-day life. But I would challenge us all to also look at what simple steps we can take this week and month to prepare for day-to-day life.

Using my own analogy, for example, I knew days ago that today was going to be a day with LONG PHRASING, so I did what I could to “take a breath to prepare” with planning my clothes and meals ahead of time and taking care of some work a day early. I am also making sure to provide a steady and firm breath (use of energy and focus) but NOT too strong so as to spend all the breath or energy or focus all at once.

So, take a breath with me and think about what we can do to better prepare for our days.

Work Some Summer Into Your Work Routine!

Did you know? May is National Revise Your Work Schedule Month.

I work with clients on their work schedules, but that doesn’t translate well for an article! I won’t presume to tell you how to do your work, as you certainly know your industry better than I do! And I won’t presume to give you specific advice around your day to day schedule.

However, we can look at this idea from an organizational coaching perspective:

When it comes to re-considering our schedule, we first need to acknowledge the shift in seasons. Spring is here and Summer is close. This new season just feels different. And for many of us, years of school as a student or parent or perhaps a teacher or profession have us trained to feel the change at the end of the school year. May always feels like a transition time. 

And the shift to Summer often calls us to make some changes in our work schedule around our families, events or vacation time. Let’s consider how to work some summer into your work routine!

  • Plan some away-from-work time:
  • Bring summer to work with you.
    • Switch from hot coffee to an iced tea, try a hand lotion at your desk that smells like the beach or a handful of picked garden flowers, pack bright fruits and salads.
  • Look for ways to walk in the sun!
    • Speaking with a coaching client today, we were brainstorming about working more movement and sunlight into her work day. She mentioned a nearby park nearby where she ate lunch the other day while enjoying the beautiful view. Take the long way back to the office, walk outside at lunch time.
  • Change up your daily routine:
    • Think about what feels like summer to you! And then make some room for that in your day-to-day!
    • Let in the sun! In the summer, I start my day REALLY early with a walk and some time outside watering and puttering in my garden. It’s an energizing yet peaceful way to start my day before things get busy or the sun gets too hot!
    • Check out the days and times of local farmers markets in your area. I love to stop and browse for a few minutes between client appointments and pick up something fresh for dinner.
    • Sometimes in summer, I will drive home from appointments purposely through the area forest preserves and roll down my windows to enjoy the sights and smells of nature.
    • We change up our menu plans in the summer, for packed lunches and for dinner. We don’t turn on the oven much at all, and rely heavily on grilling and salads.

But, What If It Is Amazing?

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” – Marianne Williamson

It is so easy to believe the bad stuff. And there is a lot of bad stuff sometimes, I know. Most of our brains, especially brains with ADHD, or anxiety or depression, trend negative.


I pride myself on having a positive inner narrative, of making sure I keep an eye on the good things inside and around me. I know I am a much happier person that way, much more productive, certainly more pleasant to be around, and with positivity and good energy to share. And I do.


Recently, I identified a place in my mind where Fear had snuck in. In one small area, I had let fear guide me, keeping me from moving ahead on a project. And when I identified fear in one place, I also realized that I had let the fear in one area leak quietly into other areas of my life as well.


Sneaky thing, fear.


Fear was keeping me stuck. I had fear of failing and of succeeding, at the same time. Go figure! Illogical, of course, but sometimes our thoughts are illogical!


I worked through some things over the last week, using tools I have from my coaching practice on my own challenges. The first step is awareness that there is a problem. I completed perspective work, I listened to my intuition, I checked in on my own needs and values. Yes, I coached me with my coaching tools!


And what came to me was, “Fear can be scary, but what if the other side of the fear is AMAZING??


What if this scary thing, when I get through it, results in something totally awesome? Fear wants us to believe that negative things can happen, and they can, but so can amazing things, in equal measure. The AMAZING results are actually more likely than the failure, in this instance.


So let’s ask…. (and we will stick with organizing, though you can swap that word out for anything else you want, too):


What are you afraid of?

  • Afraid of failing at organizing?
    • Every thing we try is a learning experience, there really isn’t failure there.
  • Afraid that organizing might be difficult?
    • Ok, but how much more difficult is it to struggle every day?
  • Afraid that organizing might be easy, and I’ll realize I should have done it years ago?
    • Ok, but why bother beating yourself up about the past? Show past-you some grace and enjoy today’s success.
  • Afraid that the path might not be easy or straightforward?
    • It won’t be, and that is ok, too.


Now that I am aware that Fear had me stuck, I am looking more to the AMAZING part.

Yes, I have work to do. I already had work to do, now I can do without being afraid, too.

Yes, things may get hard. But things were hard anyway, and now maybe they can also get easier!

Fear is scary, but join me on the other side of Fear for AMAZING!

Do What You Can and Forgive Yourself For What You Can’t.

I am really good at a lot of things. Not bragging, it’s true. We all have that list, the list of ways we excel.

Just this week for example:

  • You want a delicious dinner for 14? “Sign me up, I’m your girl!”
  • You need music for a first grade Christmas pageant? “Fun, let’s do it!”
  • You need someone to manage teams of teenagers at 2 different pancake breakfasts next week? “No problem, let’s do this!”

However, the other side of that piece of paper has a similar list of things I am not good at.

  • You need someone to shop for Christmas presents? (… crickets…)
  • You need me to lay floor tile for you? “Um, nope.”
  • You want hand-sewn Christmas gifts? “Not it!”

My point? My friend summed it up. I received a great text the other night:

“I loved your message for the holiday season. ‘Do what you can and forgive yourself for what you can’t’. You inspired me to put a dent in the holiday list tonight.”

I think my friend who texted was more profound with my words than I was, so I’m quoting her. We had been discussing sticking with our strengths and giving ourselves Grace during this super busy (especially for Moms) time of the year.

If you need to hear or read it one more time, friend:

Stick with your strengths and give yourself grace.

“Do what you can and forgive yourself for what you can’t.”

P.S. I wrote this as a weekly newsletter, and I liked the content so much I wanted to eternalize it as a blog article. Hope you liked it. Have a great day!

Being Organized is Good For Your Health!

I didn’t want to scare any readers with a dramatic headline, but the opposite is true, too – clutter and disorganization can be bad for our health!

This week, in preparation for upcoming health and wellness events, I’ve been seeking statistics on the correlation between health and wellness and clutter and disorganization. And, let me tell you, they are all connected.

I have been asked many times before – Which comes first? Health problems that lead to disorganization and clutter? Or clutter and disorganization that lead to health problems? And truthfully, I don’t know the answer. OR, the answer is “It depends”, which isn’t helpful.

More important than the answer to “Which came first?” is to recognize they are related! And clearing clutter and getting more organized can help us to feel better in lots of ways, too!

Most of my articles are how-to articles, but this week, I also want to remind us all of the “Why?” as in “Why do we organize and clear clutter?”

So, first the bad news (the good is coming, I promise!): Disorganization and Clutter in our physical spaces can be dangerous to our health and well-being. Consider:

  • Did you know? Household clutter can harbor bugs, rodents, moisture, mold and dust. Being around these environmental hazards can make us all feel poorly, but especially if we have allergies or breathing issues.
  • Did you know? Clutter can make it dangerous to move around our homes and workspaces. Hazards might include narrowed pathways, teetering piles of stuff and items left on the floor for us to trip over.
  • Did you know? There is a physical weight to clutter. Overpacked purses, briefcases, backpacks and luggage take a toll on our shoulders, necks and backs.
  • Imagine a cluttered car. Now imagine having to stomp on the breaks in that car to avoid an accident. Anything in a car that is not strapped down becomes a projectile in extreme braking or the event of an accident.
  • There are physiological and psychological effects of clutter and disorganization, too. Clutter and Disorganization can exacerbate the symptoms of health challenges such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, to name just a few.

Fear not, though, because there is good news, too! Getting a handle on your clutter and disorganization can help improve your health and over well-being in MANY ways! Imagine with me:

  • Clear countertops and healthy food on hand in your kitchen helping you eat the way you feel you should for good health. A study from Cornell University found that the more cluttered a person’s kitchen counter is, the less likely they are to make healthy food choices.
  • Individuals living in clean homes are generally healthier than their counterparts living in clutter, according to research conducted at Indiana University.
  • Moving easily around your home if you can clear clutter and reduce risk of tripping or falling.
  • Being greeted by comfortable and inviting spaces in your home, which reduces stress and improves mood and immunity. According to The Anxiety and Depression Association of America, depression can cause clutter, and clutter can cause people to feel tired and more depressed!
  • Getting a better night’s sleep in an un-cluttered and peaceful bedroom. The National Sleep Foundation states that people who make their beds daily are more likely to sleep well every night, and 71 percent of us sleep better in a clean, fresh-smelling bedroom.
  • Feeling better when you can consistently take your prescription medications when you can find them when you need them, get them refilled on time and remember to take them because your routines support this habit.

So, as we decide to spend time on organizing and clearing clutter this week, let’s remember all the benefits that can we can reap!

Advice For the Graduates and the Rest of Us, As Well!

Did you know? In addition to being a Certified Professional Organizer, I’m also an elected school board member in my community. I was honored to deliver an address at the 8th grade graduation in June.

We are all in perpetual transition – back to school, but also life milestones. Here is what I had to say to that gymnasium full of students as they went on their way, and to all of us as well!

“Good evening.  I would like to welcome you all, and Thank You for being here, and not just tonight.  

Thank you to our dedicated and passionate teachers and staff who have instructed and guided these students along the way. These educators arrive early, stay late, they’re in the classrooms and hallways and at these events. And they truly have our student’s best interests in mind.  We are so fortunate, and I am so grateful. 

Thank you, parents and guardians and all those folks who also show up.  Every day.  I’m not even going to finish the equation, # of morning wake-ups from Pre-K to 8th grade multiplied by lunches packed, homework, gym uniforms, band instruments, car pools, field trips. Then there are the games and concerts and events in person and on-line that we are SO happy to attend.

Students – yes, tonight is about you, but tonight or this weekend, please stop and look your parents, grandparents and significant adults in the eyes and thank them for helping you get to this occasion.   

And now, Students!   

You’ve heard it before, “you can be anything you want to be”.  And you can.  You are able to be, allowed to be, anything you want to be.   

But hear me, and not just with your ears but with your heart.  All of you, sitting here this evening – you are CAPABLE of being anything you want to be.

You have proven over the last few years that you are flexible, you are resilient, you are clever and creative. You have suffered loss and you have survived.  You have endured a pandemic, and you are still here!

You adapted to learning new things in new ways that just a few years ago still felt impossible or unattainable.  You have adapted and learned and adapted some more. 

The first thing I ask, then, is that you Believe that you are CAPABLE of anything you want to achieve.  

Second, Do the right thing, even when no one is watching.  Don’t bother with easy, or just skating by, because you think no one will notice.  YOU will notice.  And once you know you can count on yourself to do the right thing, your confidence and capacity for doing the right thing will grow.   You may find yourself in a situation and you’re not sure what the right thing to do is. Go with kindness.  Justice.  Fairness.  Thinking and thoughtfulness.  Those are always going to be the right thing.  And the right thing might not be what everyone else is doing, but that’s ok, they are just waiting for you to set an example. 

Third, Find your people.  Look around for the people that are doing what you want to do, what you aspire to do. Surround yourself with good people who will lift you up, build you up, and who are also doing the right thing. Find and appreciate those people, and more importantly, strive to be that best person for others.

Finally, Start and end with gratitude.  Be grateful for your natural born talents and your diligently honed skills.  Be grateful for your family who loves you, the education you are working for, your friends and our community.   

So, your homework:

Believe you are CAPABLE of being anything you want to be.
Do the Right Thing.  
Find Your People.
And Start and End with Gratitude.

I’m going to take my own advice here, and say thank you, Central Middle School class of 2021, for showing us all how to survive and thrive in adversity.  I can’t wait to see what each of you will continue to achieve in big and small ways, in the years to come.  Congratulations and Well Done!” 

Let’s get back to “Because… of External Motivators.”

I helped a client move out an old book shelf today to the curb. Because… tomorrow is trash day.

I spent time last evening with my bookkeeping and readied some invoices to send. Because… it’s the last few days of the month and I send out my billing on the last day of the month.

I reached out to a loved one today first thing. Because… it’s her birthday.

My husband left the house this morning at 6 am to catch the 6:25 am train. Because… well, that’s when it was scheduled to arrive.

I worked today instead of laying on my couch, eating snacks and doing nothing. Because… well, because I would be bored silly doing nothing, but also because… I get paid to work, I like to work and I like to get paid. Money is useful.

These are all examples of External Motivators. Motivation that comes from outside ourselves, from outside forces or sources.

This can backfire, of course, if we ONLY choose to take out the trash because it’s trash day, as opposed to taking it out because the bin is full or something is getting smelly.

It occurs to me that life may have been light in the area of external motivators during the last year. Perhaps we ignored reminders to make doctor appointments because of strict guidelines or social distancing. I just read a New Yorker article about how we haven’t had to Get Dressed in 16 months or so. Perhaps we haven’t tidied up the house too much because previously the expectation of hospitality was our motivator, but after we were unable to host for many months, our practices have grown lax.

As we return to slightly more normal routines, let’s start paying attention to – AGAIN – and get back in the habit of heeding external motivators!