Category: Productivity

Did You Know? August Is National Wellness Month

Did you know?  August is National Wellness Month!   Let’s take an organized look at wellness!

What does Wellness look like to you?  When I talk to clients about time management and strategic planning, there are recurring wellness themes that often accompany clearing clutter and getting organized.

 

Nutrition.   

Get back on track:  Perhaps you had healthy habits working for you earlier in the year, but maybe you’ve lost intensity or focus.  Every day is a great day to start fresh!

Let today be the day to: order a salad for lunch instead of a sandwich and chips; make an effort to increase your water consumption; check out your local farmers market for seasonal produce; or get back to tracking your food choices (my personal plan for this week!)

Better yet, set some goals:  Setting a deadline can boost your motivation, so choose a date in the next month or two to achieve healthier outcomes or weight loss, and map a plan per week to achieve those goals!

 

Better Sleep

We read articles in August about adjusting children’s sleep schedules for Back To School bedtimes.  Let today be the day we try this as adults, too!  Binge-watching summer shows messing up your sleep hygiene (Game of Thrones for me)?  Or maybe those yummy iced coffees?  Back off the caffeine, step away from the screens, head to bed a little earlier!

Traveling last week, I was reminded how much I really love my bed.  Now is also a great time to review your mattress, pillows and sleep environment in general, and make sure everything is working towards the goal of better sleep!

 

Appointments and Screenings

We’re over half way through 2018 (unbelievable, right?!).  Grab your calendar and make some phone calls or go online to schedule any remaining required screenings or appointments for the year, such as:

  • your annual physical;
  • suggested preventive health screenings, appropriate for your age; 
  • your annual flu shot;
  • an annual eye doctor appointment, especially for students and teachers heading back to school;
  • your twice annual dentist appointment;
  • visits to the chiropractor, podiatrist, etc.

 

Exercise.

What activities do you like?  How can you weave them into your schedule as exercise?

Our morning walk today was pleasant, with the cooler morning temperatures. I enjoy seeing my community’s lush yards and beautiful flowers.  I read a book while on vacation called Deep Work, and the author was just talking about the benefits of being outside in nature to boost our moods and productivity.

Last week, we rented bikes and biked the 8.2 mile loop on Mackinaw Island (see picture!).   I highly recommend the experience, and it reminded me how much I love to bike.  So on my August list is “make sure my bike is road ready”, and start biking for errands and leisure!

Now is a great time to sign up for exercise classes for Fall, too!  Some local yoga classes have caught my eye, and are starting soon.  What is calling to you?  Go and do it!

Get up, get out, get involved!

 

Self Care

I am negligent when it comes to self care, but I am working on it!  It has been an stressful summer for me, and I have come to realize that Self Care can’t be optional!  Yesterday, I had a massage along with my chiropractic adjustment, and made sure to schedule my August appointments for both before I left the office.

I talked to a friend about meditation yesterday, and she suggested YouTube for short meditations for affirmation and for better sleep, so I will check those out.

Other components for self care for me have been respecting my boundaries (and occasionally saying No), fueling my body with healthy foods and relaxing with reading.  That may not seem like a lot, but for me, it’s progress!

What could you do this week, to treat yourself kindly?

 

For National Wellness month, set goals and take action, or at least get back on a healthier track after some summer shenanigans (or is that just me?)!

Any Day – EVERY DAY – Is A Good Day to Start Fresh

It’s a new week.  A new month.  For some, it’s a new fiscal year.  It’s the second half of the calendar year.  It’s a holiday week.  It’s a Tuesday.

Some of you may say, “Whatever, Coll.  It’s a Tuesday.  What’s your point?”

My point is… well, I guess I have a couple of points.

First, time is completely arbitrary.   It’s all relative.  

I know, that is a weighty statement.  But, weighty or not, it’s true.  Time is a human construct, a way of conceptualizing the phenomenon of Time Passing.  Even though I coach lots of people in Time Management, I am still the first to say that Time is arbitrary.

However, and here is the real point of today’s post, Any Day – EVERY DAY – is a good day to start fresh.

We’ve had a busy few months.  I’ve mentioned the two graduations and accompanying round of award banquets / events / concerts / ceremonies / parties.  We’ve also had a health challenge or 2 (everyone is fine), some work and service challenges, and everything in between.  And it’s all good, and we’re doing fine.

Everything I mentioned has required mental and physical energy, and I have been glad to spend both!  But this week, after a big event this past weekend, I am feeling a shift in my focus.  I must admit, yesterday I was just feeling a lack of focus :), but today  – I am looking forward with a new vision.

I am feeling motivated to mentally clear clutter and make plans to move forward in a number of areas, and I invite you all to do the same!

Accept that time moves, and moves quickly, whether we want it to or not.

I was chatting with a friend yesterday, her oldest son and my youngest son are both heading to high school in the Fall.  I was talking about the boys preparing for college, and then apologized for rushing, to which she wisely replied “It’s 4 years, we have to think that way.  Just yesterday, they were in 5th grade”, and it really does feel that way.

Take a few moments to appreciate where you have been.

One of my favorite exercises around Time Management and Productivity is writing my Done List.  Mine is typically a day or week at a time, but imagine what your list of major accomplishments in life so far would be!

Appreciate all the moments that lead you to this place in this time today.  Be grateful for the good, forgive the bad, and learn from both.

Next, take stock of where you are today.  How are you doing?  What is awesome, and what could be a little better?

What areas do you want to work on?

  • Personal Wellness
  • Financial Wellness
  • Work, in general
  • Professional development
  • Nuclear family
  • Extended family
  • Fun!
  • Spiritual development
  • Community Service
  • (Fill in yours here!!)

And, Where do you want to go? Looking at your focus areas above, what more do you want to do with your

  • week?
  • month?
  • summer?
  • year?

Today (and this week, this month, this season) is a new opportunity to make positive change.  What will you do with your opportunity? 

A new idea occurred to me the other day, to change our shopping habits to save time and money.  EXCEPT… that is not actually a new idea.  It’s a goal I stated wayyyyy back in January (and probably last year), but I think it’s time to create a plan and task list and deadline for it, and make some progress in that area.

Same thing for my personal wellness.  Good habits slip sometimes when life is especially crazy, so this week, I am also re-committing to some neglected wellness goals.

These are just a couple of examples from my own mind.  What will yours look like?  What do you want to do with your time, arbitrary or not?  Today is the Day!  Any Day – EVERY DAY – is a good day to start fresh!  Got get ’em!

Big Summer Organizing Projects – You Need a Plan!

I presented my Large Organizing Projects presentation the last two evenings at local libraries.  This is a popular class this time of year because those big organizing projects we tackle in the summer, like garages or basements, can be intimidating!

It is understandable to feel overwhelmed, but don’t let that feeling stop you from positive action!

You need a plan.  

  • Set a date, create a deadline!
  • Don’t get overwhelmed!
  • Enlist aid.
  • Plan your attack.
  • Assemble your supplies.
  • Don’t be a butterfly.  (Get to it, and if you get distracted, get back to it!)

Give your self a deadline, and stick with it.
“Everyone needs deadlines… If we didn’t have deadlines, we’d stagnate” – Walt Disney

Without a deadline, we may never feel the urgency, the drive, to accomplish a project.  Real or imagined, deadlines get us moving!  Create your own if you don’t have one!  Finish the project by: July 1.  July 31.  The time the kids go back to school, the time your company comes in (insert month name here).  Make an appointment, if that would help!  Order the dumpster to be delivered, or the donation truck to pick up!  Schedule a friend or family member to come and help you on a certain Saturday morning for a designated couple of hours.  Having that scheduled time in mind will help you get things done!

If your big project is intimidating, imagine it as a series of little tiny projects!  For example… “cleaning the garage” may feel like a major undertaking, but imagine setting a timer and tackling one small pile of stuff or one small area every day, instead of jumping in all at once.  Conquering a shelf or drawer at a time, and then allowing a break or a change of task, can helps us make progress in small steps towards a big finish line!

Enlist Aid.  Some folks like to organize alone, but many of us benefit from having company!  Your assistant doesn’t have to be a professional organizer, they might be a friend who’s opinion you value, a family member or two that are willing to do some heavy lifting, or even a paid service like movers or junk haulers.

Plan your attack.  If you have helpers, plan the work around skill and activity levels.  And DO NOT START with opening up every cabinet or dumping every box.  Pick your starting spot, and move steadily from there.  No zig zagging, no making a bigger mess!


Once you have your plan of attack, consider your supply list.  Plan on having garbage bags to bag garbage or items to be donated, boxes for oddly shaped items that need to go, storage containers for the items you plan to keep.  I always have sharpie markers, post-it notes, packing tape and scissors with me, too.  Have cleaning supplies on hand – for example, if you’re working in the garage, plan to sweep up in the spaces you clear before putting stuff back!

Don’t be a butterfly! 
In my organizing classes, I remind people that butterflies are not very good organizers.  They fly lightly from here to there and may be lovely to watch, but we won’t get very far in our organizing projects if we fly from here to there without getting anything done.  So, when your work day arrives, Get To It!  And if, during the process, you get distracted, Get Back to It!

Real and Imperfect, That’s Me! But Continually Improving!

A reader shared the following with me last week:

“… Even though you are a professional and experienced organizer, I love the way you admit your own struggles and challenges. It’s not like you try to paint yourself as this perfect person who has it all together all the time. There are so many ‘gurus’ out there who speak in a way which tends to cause the average person to feel like they could never live up to their standards. You, on the other hand, are very relatable. So, thanks for that.” – T.

Wow. Just Wow.  This review means a lot to me.

T. – thank you and you’re welcome. And trust me, I am as real and imperfect as everyone else!  I am always organized, though.  And I am always looking for ways to improve.  To improve me, improve my situation, improve the lives of those around me.  And I would suggest that you can, too.

The following phrase keeps coming up, as recently as this week’s coaching call with my accountability partner Jan!   “What is the learning here?” or “What  did we learn from this?”

Last week’s article focused on how I identified a challenge I was having and some steps I took to improve the situation. And that is what I want for all of you (and me).  Continuous improvement.

It’s important for all of us to keep improving. We all are real and imperfect, beautiful and flawed and divinely created.  And we all are capable of growth until the moment we stop breathing.   The 90+ year old retired priest at my parish says “If you can’t find anything in yourself that needs to change, you’re not looking hard enough”.  This, from a century of living.

My clients often call me in the midst of overwhelm or chaos.  But they still call me.  They make the conscious decision to make things better.  They have assessed their situation, at home or at work, and have realized that getting life organized will improve the situation.

This week, I celebrate my 400th blog post and my 15th anniversary in business.  Yet, there is so much more to do! So many more ideas to be explored!  So many areas I can still improve upon!

To continually improve, we need to be aware of our self and of our current situation.  Sometimes that means we have to step back a bit and look at the big picture.

We need to objectively look around.

We assess our situation, and identify opportunities for improvement.

We use our creativity and imagination in coming up with solutions, or we ask for help from friends or experts.

Once we find solutions, we commit and dedicate resources (like time, energy, money and space) to the solutions.

We maintain the solutions, all the while being aware of our selves and our situation, and possibly starting the process over and over and over again.

We can be real and imperfect, but still improve every moment and every day.  I look forward to my next 15 years in business, and my next 400 blog posts.  I look forward to all the different ways I can improve our world and how I can help you to do the same.  Thanks for being with me on this journey.

It’s Time to Prune Time Clutter. Less Really is More.

Thanks for the feedback regarding my article a few weeks ago, “I’m Not a Gardener, But I Know How to Prune”.  It seems the imagery resonated with many of you.  This topic was always intended as a two-part post because we can’t address physical clutter without talking about Time Clutter.  We can prune away unproductive time practices just like pruning away unproductive clutter!

Do you ever feel like you’ve got a million things to do today and you’re scrambling to just get something done?  Yep, me too.

About a month ago, I started to prune my To Do list.  It had become a dumping ground and, even though I really love my list, that habit was NOT serving me well!  I had unrealistic expectations of myself and my time, and I set myself up to fail daily by leaving too many tasks on my daily list.  Failure feels rotten, as does scrambling and stressing to complete tasks.

I added the following to the top of every day’s To Do list:

“TASKS MUST BE ACTIONS: Review; Prioritize; Allot time; Emails / Calls – 5 minutes or less; Actually schedule; Make June list.”

So, what does this mantra mean?

“Tasks Must Be Actions:”  My To Do list holds a lot of information, but only actionable steps or errands.  I keep ideas elsewhere.  “Change The World” is a great idea, but it’s not helpful on the To-Do list.  Only actions are permitted – “Send graduation announcements”, “call the chiropractor”, etc.

“Review”: Multiple times every day, I review my schedule for the day (and maybe week) and my To Do list.  If I have a full day of clients and appointments, I cannot reasonably expect to complete 20 tasks or run 10 errands.  If I happen to find a couple of hours free, though, I can fill that time with productive tasks.   “Review” means I have a clear idea of what my day may hold.

“Prioritize”:  We all know that not all tasks are created equal, especially when it comes to productivity. A strength of my To Do list is that I list EVERYTHING that needs done – today and tomorrow, next week and next month.  All these tasks are important, but they don’t all need to be done RIGHT NOW.  I set my tasks for the day based on the urgency of the task and the time available today.  And tasks that aren’t a high priority for today are assigned to another day.

“Allot Time”: How long do tasks really take?  This is very important information for us to have!  For example, “text client to confirm appointment” takes 30 seconds, while “Write blog and newsletter” usually takes a couple of hours.  Yet they are listed on today’s list one after the other.  Allotting time for tasks lets us know what we can fit in the time we have.  Daily, I look at my task list and assign 5 / 10 / 20 / 30 or 60 minute time allotments to each Errands or Task.  If I allow too much time, I’ll have some wiggle room.  If I don’t allow enough, I’ll have to wait to complete other tasks until later (which is why prioritizing is SOOO important!)

“Emails / Calls – 5 minutes or less”:  I was stopped by a train this morning.  In the few minutes I waited, I checked my To Do list and made two phone calls.   Very often, I will tackle 5-minute tasks first, just to see how many I can check off!  And I only give them 5 minutes!  So I try to be clear and succinct in my phone calls and my emails!

“Actually Schedule”:  These past few weeks, I’ve been more specific about actually scheduling tasks.  Meaning, I’ll spot a clear 30 minutes on my schedule between clients and plan 6 5-minute tasks for that time.  Or a couple of 10 minute tasks.  Just one more way to make my To Do list work for me!

Finally, the “June List”: Or July, or Autumn or next year.  I have lots of tasks I want to complete and goals I want to reach, though some of those don’t need to be completed any time soon.  I keep the Task or Errands, but I assign in to a day far in the future.  Yes, I have a September list already, with a couple of house projects I want to tackle then.

We all have time and productivity clutter we can prune.  Look closely at your tasks and time this week, and see where you, too, can cut away the unproductive branches to help you grow!

I’m Not a Gardener, But I Know How To Prune

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Recently, I listened to a homily about the Vine and the Branches.

My priest talked about how, these days, we prune mostly for aesthetics – we mow the grass and trim the shrubs so they look even and tidy.  However, in biblical days, pruning was necessary for survival.  Growers would cut away the branches that weren’t producing fruit, so a plant could focus more food and resources on the branches that were productive.

I liked this analogy, and thought about how it pertains to the stuff of our lives.

Look around your home.  What belongings of yours are productive? What items do you use regularly, reliably and with pleasure?  Those are your productive branches.

Conversely, what items of yours are NOT producing fruit?  What items are more trouble than they are worth?  What do you have just too much of, so that your attention and resources are wasted.

Consider the cost of maintenance.

First, we purchase an item.  If it’s an expensive item, perhaps we also purchase a special case for it, a warranty or an insurance policy.

We choose a spot in our home to keep it, and now that chosen space cannot hold other items.

OR… We don’t choose a spot in our home to keep it, and it floats around, getting lost or broken.

Or… We have so many other things that we have also purchased, the new item gets stuffed in the chosen spot with 10 other items, and now we can’t find anything.  And that is just storage.

Perhaps our new special item requires temperature control or lighting, or special cleaning or regular maintenance.

The problem is not with the new item.  If we have just an item or two that requires this special treatment, we can manage.  The problem comes when we have many such items that require care and storage and maintenance and time, and our resources get spread so thin we can’t properly take care of anything!

“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”  Bilbo Baggins, Fellowship of the Ring by JR Tolkein

In the interest of pruning, of cutting away the unproductive parts to focus on the productive parts, clear the clutter that isn’t serving you and your life.

For example, purge clothes you no longer need or want to make more breathing room in your closet and life for the clothes that really represent you.

Cull your books so that you can focus on the ones that actually hold an interest for you, and keep a smaller pile so that you might find time to actually read them!

Clear away the clutter from hobbies that you no longer love or participate in.  I have clients with sporting equipment they haven’t used in 20 years, craft supplies they no longer have an interest in using, tools that are still in the box.

Cut away, metaphorically speaking, the unproductive parts so that you can focus your time and attention on the stuff of your life that serves you well!

Self-Care in Little Bite-Size Pieces. Or Perhaps a Smoothie.

It took 40+ years (okay, closer to 50), 20 of those as a mom, but I’m finally figuring out Self Care, and the difference between Self Care and Me Time.

First of all, can we just call it something else?  My friend Jan clarified for me – Self Care is investing in good habits now to help Future You later.  So, some days, it seems self-care is actually survival.  It’s taking care of the basics of life, so there is something left in us at the end of the day.  For a long time, “Self-Care” seemed too selfish and warm and fuzzy for me, but now I understand how essential it truly is.

I coach people in Time Management all the time, but “Me Time”?  Well, Me Time still escapes  me.  Perhaps it was the 12 minutes of reading the new Dan Brown book before nodding off last night, or relaxing with some yard maintenance on a beautiful sunny day.  That will have to be good enough for now, and I’m ok with that.

Here, friends, is organizer insight applied to Self Care.  Read on, or not.  It’s up to you.

Be Nice To You.
I’m not terribly judgmental… except of myself.   Even if I notice a shortcoming in someone else, I try to accept it with compassion or just let it go… except when it’s me.  Conversely – and you can tell me if this is true for you or not, as well – I also have the utmost faith in my own abilities to do pretty much everything, and all at the same time.  Until human fallibility comes in, and then I’m back to being overly judgmental of myself.

So, my first suggestion for self care for you and for me  is to be nice to you, and show yourself the same compassion you show others.

Also, be nice to you because you may be the only one who knows you are suffering.  This is not because your loved ones don’t care.  They might not notice that you’re having a rough time.  Perhaps you have made life seem so easy for so long that no one even worries about you, or it may just take too darned long to explain or ask for care.  Like so many things, this may be up to you, dear.

Nourish yourself.
Feed yourself with healthy foods, and do it regularly.  Start with you, so you have energy to help others.  This is how I ended an email yesterday morning to my accountability partner:  ” Ok, cutting this short.  Heading to a hoarding clean-out, so nice Colleen is going to take care of future Colleen by spending the next 10 minutes making a healthy smoothie, packing a healthy lunch and dressing for safety.”

Figure out how to make nourishing yourself easier.  I spent part of my dinner-making time Sunday prepping food for the week.  I cleaned and cut produce, hard boiled eggs (my preferred packed-lunch on the go), and pre-bagged some snacks.  Preparing a Sunday dinner is relaxing to me, so it makes sense for me to hang out in the kitchen for a few more minutes.  Not so for you?  Don’t worry.  Cut corners, seriously, anywhere you can.

Take your nourishment with you.  As my son and I headed to school before I went to yesterday’s client, I placed my go mugs in my van cup holders, saying “Life Blood” (coffee) and “Breakfast” (my Greek yogurt / banana / whatever other fruit I have smoothie).   Let’s face it, plain Greek yogurt is sort of gross, but its a nutritional powerhouse and makes a great fruit smoothie I can sip as I drive!

Don’t bother with what you just don’t care about.
Over the weekend, I discussed with my friend Karen how great it is to be our current age.   With maturity has come the freedom to say “Nope, don’t need to know this.  Don’t need to worry about that.”    The things I do need to worry about are very real and plentiful, but it’s not EVERYTHING anymore.  Whatever the next fad or celebrity or TV show – nope, no thanks, I’m good.


Find your people.
Find your people.  Reach out to them often.  Make it brief, though, because truly – some days, who has the time? But share the love as much as you can, even in little ways, because we all need a boost some days.

Take care of you, friends.  And know that the rest of us are here to back you up when you need it.

Get Rid Of Mail Before It Arrives!

At a presentation last week, I promised to share some tips about purging paper clutter.  Specifically, how to cut down on mail before it even hits your mail box! 

Wouldn’t it be better for mail to just not even arrive?!  We can make that happen!  Drastically reduce your new mail and have less paper to manage!

Check out the Direct Marketing Association website at https://thedma.org/accountability/dma-choice/, and for $2, sign up for DMA  Choice.  Here, you can choose to remove your name from mailing lists, cutting down on your unsolicited mail.  I have a couple of derivations to my name – Colleen and Mary Colleen, for example – so I can list all the different ways my name appears and remove it from unsolicited mailing lists.

Rest assured, the DMA will only remove you from unsolicited mailing lists (from organizations and companies you don’t already have a relationship with), so the mail you want to receive will be unaffected.

File this under “learn something new every day”, the DMA also offers the option to remove deceased family members from mailing lists, to help eliminate the sometimes painful exercise of returning mail or having to call organizations and talk about a death.

 

Next, on to Catalogs.  Tear off the back page and recycle the rest.  Then, with your back pages in hand, head over to CatalogChoice.org, to eliminate unwanted catalogs.  Catalog Choice will ask for the name of the catalog, your name and address, and the key code and source codes on the catalog.  It may take up to a month to see a difference, but your mail box will thank you!  If you have a catalog not listed on CatalogChoice.org, try calling the 800# to cancel it.

 

Also, receive as much of your mail via email as possible.  Magazines, newsletters, banking and financial statements, bills – all can be recieved via email or logging in!  Save your statements to PDF on your computer, and eliminate the need for paper (Making sure you back up your data, of course).

 

And… if the mail does still arrive, as some, no doubt, will…

  • Set up a recycling bin next to the door and toss immediately anything that can be recycled.
  • Keep a shredder close at hand, too.  There will be unsolicited mail that arrives that may contain personal information or offers, and these items should be shred immediately.
  • Tackle these quick steps regularly, so mail and paper clutter doesn’t have a chance to pile up

Keep the mail from piling up, and give your mail box a break!

It’s The “Grab Your Clipboard” Time of Year Again!

Last week, I presented to a lovely group of women and made them laugh by expressing my love for clipboards.

I do love clipboards.

They are so useful!  They keep our important papers corralled and are easy to find in a crowded briefcase.  They provide a sturdy surface for writing, are inexpensive and are available in lots of snazzy colors.

I love more than just their physical attributes, though.  People feel empowered when holding a clipboard, and that power shows on the outside.  Imagine –  a crowded room with people milling about and one is carrying a clipboard.  If you need direction or information, you will go and ask the clipboard carrier.

What’s not to love?

In my Clear the Clutter presentations, I suggest that folks grab a clipboard to start their organizing plan.  With Spring here and lots of projects to tackle, it’s the “Grab Your Clipboard” time of year again!

Here’s what you do:

(Updated, Spring 2022:  You can achieve the benefits of the “Clipboard” by using technology, as well, or even just an extra notepad! Most of my “clipboard” notes go into Evernote and then into my Master To-Do list, but the thought process and the results are the same!)

Grab your clipboard, paper and a pen.  Walk from room to room in your home and note the projects, organizing and otherwise, that you would like to accomplish in each space. For example:

  • Master Bathroom:  clean out under sink, find new wall art, buy new shower curtain
  • Dining Room: clean out coat closet, paint trim, wash windows
  • Hall closet: talk to electrician about updating the light fixture
  • Home Office: organize book cases, clean out bottom file cabinet drawer, recycle old printer

You may find that some of your rooms are just fine as is.  If so, congratulations!   Pat yourself on the back, and move on to the next room!  Keep this process up, taking notes but not action, until you’ve addressed all the areas of your home, inside and out.

Review the room-by-room list on your clipboard.  You may realize that the solution to a couple of projects may be the same step.  For example,  “update light fixture” in the closet and “add security light to garage” would require just one call to your electrician.  Or if you want to get rid of an old family room couch and bedroom dresser, you might arrange one charitable donation pick-up to take care of both.

Glancing at the list,  you may also notice recurring themes.  Let’s say “Move the pile of books” is on the list for every room.  It seems a house-wide book review and purge may be in order!

Right now, this clipboard activity generated a wish list instead of an Action Plan. So now you need an ACTION PLAN!

Pick one project to start.  Just one, not all of them at once!  Pick one.

  • Your #1 Priority may be clear.  For example, a client who is having surgery needs the main floor bedroom organized before her surgery date.  Obviously, she knows where to start! However, if you’re not sure…
  • Start with the hardest project, since that may take the longest overall;
  • Line up an assistant for the project requiring heavy lifting or two people;
  • Start with the project that will help you right away and every day, like the kitchen cabinets or your closet; or
  • Just pick the one that seems like the most fun, to boost your motivation!
  • The most important step is to JUST START!

Pick your project, set aside some time on the calendar to get it done (either a big block of time on a weekend or evening, or in a handful of shorter sessions), and get going!

Keep your clipboard and list handy, and once the first project is complete, refer back to the clipboard list and tackle the next most important project.  Happy Organizing and Happy Spring!

To:

Receive more ideas and suggestions like these;
Book time with me in person or virtually;
Arrange a presentation for your upcoming event; or
Discover the benefits of Organizational Coaching;

Please contact me.

Call / text 708.790.1940
Online at  http://peaceofmindpo.com
www.Facebook.com/MColleenKlimczakCPO
Via Twitter, @ColleenCPO

Nat’l Organize Your Home Office Day: Your Papers Need a Home

The second Tuesday of March is National Organize Your Home Office Day.

I have posted dozens of articles about paper management and office organizing.  Just last week, I was reminded of the importance of having a Home for Your Papers, and wanted to share!

Think about the idea of “Home”.  If a person has a home, you can typically find them there.  They start and end their day there.  If you need to send them something, you send it to their home so it’s waiting for them when they arrive.  A person’s home is their default, their normal resting place.

Our important papers need the same thing. Our papers need a home so we can find them again, pair them with related papers, and keep them safe.

(A word about technology:  Any of these suggestions also work if you keep only digital records of your information instead of actual paper!)

There are three main categories of important papers.

  1. Active papers:  Papers that require a further action soon.  Bills to pay, coupons for an upcoming purchase, forms to complete and return.  The most important thing about Active Papers is to take action on them, so their HOME needs to be convenient and close at hand.
    For example, when I finished opening mail with a client recently, we had just a few small piles of papers to deal with.  After I filed some passive papers, we set up her bills to pay, and she tucked into her purse the village vehicle sticker info and some coupons for her errands later in the day.
  2. Passive Papers: Passive papers are papers we need to keep for a certain amount of time, like paid bills or bank statements or tax returns.  We need to keep them  for a certain amount of time, and then we need to make sure we purge / recycle / shred them once in a while, so they don’t pile up and we end up with 20 years of paid utility bills in a file drawer, or grocery receipts from 6 years ago in a shoebox.  The most important thing to remember about Passive Papers is to put them away instead of leaving them pile here and there, and to regularly purge them, like once a month or once a year, so that they don’t accumulate.
    For example, today I went through bank statements with a client to prepare to do her taxes.  It was easy to find the necessary statements since ONLY 2017 and a few 2018 statements were in the file – all the others are bundled up with previous year taxes and cleared out of the drawer!
  3. Archival Papers are Papers that we need to keep for the long term.  Birth / marriage / sacramental certificates, social security cards and pass ports, house purchase papers, car or boat titles, wills, etc.  The most important thing to remember about Archival Papers is to protect them, so their HOME needs to offer protection (a safe or a bank safety deposit box) and may be a little less convenient to access.  But that’s OK, since we don’t need to access Archival Papers often.  For example, I registered my youngest for high school last Saturday and his birth certificate and social security number were both required.  Grabbing both took all of 10 seconds, since we have one and only one very safe and specific place for such vital documents.  And of course, I PUT THEM BACK when I was done with them!
  4. There are probably more than 3 types of papers, if we add in memorabilia or photos, but those will be a discussion for another day!

So, as we think about organizing our Home Office on National Organize Your Home Office Day, make sure to have HOMES for these three types of papers.

  • Active work space and open storage for tackling your to-do pile, and time set aside in your schedule to take care of business.
  • Closed storage, perhaps a file cabinet drawer or a desk drawer, for your passive papers.  Plus, a regular habit to regularly (weekly or monthly) file passive papers, and every month or year to purge your outdated passive papers.  And
  • Safe storage, perhaps a portable safe or a locking file cabinet drawer, for your important archival records and vital documents, so you can always find them when you need them.
To:

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