Category: Things I Wish I’d Known

An Organized Person… Knows There Are Seasons for Our Stuff

An organized person… knows there are seasons for our stuff.  Which, to me, is quite a relief.

If there are seasons for our stuff, we don’t have to look at ALL OF OUR STUFF ALL OF THE TIME.  Thank goodness, because that sounds exhausting.

In my Clear the Clutter Class just last night, we talked about seasonal items and things around our homes that are exceptions to our rule.  The things that we need, sure, but maybe we don’t need right now. Or not even for a few months.

When we’re feeling a little overwhelmed by our stuff, It can be quite soothing to put things away for the next few seasons and breathe a sigh of relief by the clear spaces and sense of calm their absence leaves behind.

Snow blower for lawn mower.

Iced tea pitcher for favorite cold weather / hot tea bags.

Hockey for baseball gear.

Winter gloves and scarves for baseball caps and sunscreen.

Snow shovels for gardening tools.

Heavy sweaters for light.

Boots for sandals.

Flannel bed sheets for cotton.

Soup pot for grill basket.

I’m not suggesting that you need to get rid of these colder weather items.  They don’t have to leave our homes completely, but perhaps they can move to the back of the garage, or the top shelf of the kitchen cabinets, or the bottom shelf of the linen closet.  It’s time to make some space for today and this season, and ease last week’s and last season’s items to their off season-resting place for now!

And if, as you transition your belongings for the season, you decide to purge some no longer needed or used clothes or winter accessories or old bedding, then you will have even more open space and breathing room!

An Organized Person… Doesn’t Procrastinate (much…)

This week is National Procrastination Week.  Or not. I could be wrong.

You see, it moves around from year to year just because.  It’s usually in March, but has been slowly moving later and later in the month.    Oh, those funny procrastinators…

Per Merriam Webster, of course, to Procrastinate is:

: to put off intentionally and habitually     (or) 
: to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.
It means to delay the doing of something that needs done for no particular reason, or at least not a particularly good reason.  Here are some of the reasons WHY we procrastinate, and what to do about them!
Sometimes we procrastinate because we’re not sure just how long a project will take.
  • Put your project on your own terms.  Instead of believing we need to start and finish a project in one sitting, start believing that progress towards a goal is often enough.   We may never be able to finish our big projects in one session, but that shouldn’t keep us from starting!
  • Set a timer and make some progress, even if you can’t finish.
  • Progress towards a goal is plenty for today!

Sometimes, we procrastinate because it is what we’re used to doing.   Perhaps, we just have to overcome our inertia.
Today,
Start with the easiest task… or
Start with the hardest task… or
Start with the quickest task… or
Start with the longest task.  Just
Start.
Sometime we procrastinate because a project feels SOOOOO BIG AND OVERWHELMING!!!
  • Once, a client had “buy paper towels”, “call the plumber” and “learn how to play the guitar” all on the same daily to-do list.  Obviously, the scope of the guitar task was far beyond the other two simple tasks.  And not surprisingly, “learn to play the guitar” was too broad and too vague to really allow any progress towards the goal!
  • Break down big projects into smaller, more manageable pieces.  My client’s first step might be to locate the family guitar in the attic, or contact her friend who’s taking guitar lessons for the instructor’s contact information.  Little pieces!
Sometimes we procrastinate because we don’t actually know how to do what needs done. 
  • If the task was assigned by someone else, request clarification.  And if it is our own task, think it through and make a plan!
  • Fortunately, information is at our fingertips all the time, so we can learn how to do something we don’t know how to do.
  • We can also ask our experts, or outsource the task.   Two examples that come to mind are:
    • For months, I researched and internally debated if I should become an LLC or a corporation.  Finally, I asked my attorney who answered my question in 5 minutes and then set everything up for me without breaking a sweat.
    • Same goes for my web design expert!  What would have taken me weeks of fumbling took my expert a week, and I still LOVE my website redesign.
      I should have started with my experts!

So, next time you find yourself procrastinating and you don’t know why, take a look at this list for insight and solutions to the problem!

An Organized Person… Keeps the “Office” in “Home Office”

Today, the second Tuesday in March, is National Organize Your Home Office Day!

When working with clients, I have never heard the complaint that folks are TOO productive in their home offices, or that their home office is TOO much like an office.

Nope.

I am more likely to hear that a home office isn’t set up to actually get work done, that perhaps it has too much “home” and not enough “office”.

So, this week, let’s work on finding the balance between Home and Office in your home office.

 

Let’ get started!

(15 minutes) Set up those monthly Completed Papers files for your receipts, statements, paid bills and other completed paperwork for 2019, if you haven’t already.

(30 minutes) Clean out your in box.  Toss anything that is expired, redundant or just not important anymore.

(30-45 minutes) Using your monthly Completed Papers files, put away those papers that have been floating around your home office work space.  You know the ones.

(30 minutes) Decide once and for all what to do with all that miscellaneous tech floating around your home office.  The bowl on the desk of dead and dying IPods (oh, is that just us?), smart Phones and tablets.  You know, the ones that are too old to even have updates available, or that no longer hold a charge?  Sell, recycle, pass them along.  Just let them go if they have outlived their usefulness.  Same goes for those miscellaneous and unassigned cords cluttering up your drawers.

(As you go along) Set aside all the actual items that require further action, add the actions to your To Do list and make time this week to take those actions.  Items to be returned, books to go back to a friend or the library, forms to be returned to school, cookies to be mailed – ok, those are the items in my action pile for tomorrow!

 

What belongs in your Home Office?

Keep only your current work in your office and on your work space.  The work you need to do today, tomorrow and this week.  If you have files or papers that you need but NOT RIGHT NOW?  Those need to go away so that you can focus on the work that does need your attention right now.  Keep visible only that which serves you.

 

What does not belong in your Home Office?

Remove any unnecessary clutter.  Anything that is too much Home and not enough Office needs to go.  Deliver the non work items to the other places where they belong in your home.

Embrace National Organize Your Home Office Day, and spend a little time this week making your space more productive!

An Organized Person… Marches Forth and Actually Completes Tasks

Last week, we started looking at what Organized People Do.  We started with a plan, which is the best place to start.

The next natural step after planning is to ACT.

How about this for an acronym:
ACT = Actually Complete a Task.  Or, Already Completed a Task?  You choose!

The calendar says Spring is coming, though it’s a ridiculously brisk and sunny 5 degrees here in Chicago.   Despite the chill,  my internal motivators are all pointing to Spring, too.

My coaching friend Mark suggests there are 5 broad areas in our lives – Health, Work, Family, Social and Sleep – where we need to focus our energies.  I was thinking of those as I penned my list for the week, adjusting as needed, and you should adjust as needed, too.

Here are my areas of ACTion this week:   Wellness, Home, Family, Work and Spirituality.

  • I signed up for and started a wellness challenge today.  I weighed in and measured up this morning, (gulp) posting my weight and measurement in a closed FB group for 30 complete strangers to see.  In the spirit of this challenge, today I will also clean the fridge, make our menu and create our grocery list for this week.
    Any ACTions you could take this week for wellness?
  • The painter is scheduled to stop and give me an estimate on repainting our bathroom.  And when I’m done with this article, I have a handful of calls to make for tree removal and planting, awning cleaning and other Spring Cleaning tasks.  Mainly, today I want to get on people’s lists for ACTion when Spring actually arrives, to get our work done sooner rather than later.
    What ACTions could you take this week for Home Maintenance?
  • This month our family will see both celebrations and challenges.  Today, I am sending RSVPs, scheduling events and making plans for those events.   Looking at your schedule,
    What ACTions can you take this week to make room for Family?
  • Not to neglect work, I have quite the long list of tasks to complete for my business and for professional development this week, too.  However, I find that work is always there and I tend to always make time for work to the detriment of some of the other areas of my life.
    What work ACTions have been awaiting your attention lately?  What Work ACTions would move you towards your goals this week?
  • This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, and I take my Lent seriously.  This week, I will add Lenten prayer and reflections to my morning routine, and today and tomorrow,  I will prayerfully discern what other Lenten observations I may want to undertake.
    What ACTions can you take this week to make your efforts more meaningful and spiritual? 

What ACTions can you take this week, friends? March forth!!

An Organized Person… Starts With A Plan

An Organized Person…   Starts with a plan.

So here is the plan:  I will spend the next blog article series sharing organizational wisdom, life hacks, tips and suggestions to help us do the things  that life requires us to do.

If you follow me on FB, you may have noticed (or even been a part of) the lively conversation last week around life skills.

I don’t care for the term “adulting”, though many of these types of tasks are required of we adults, so I asked for alternative ideas.  Suggested titles for this blog series include:

  • The business of your business or someone else’s business or just the business of yourself.
  • “Umm…life?”
  • Mom’s not here
  • How to not be a jerk / slacker / (and other more colorful words)
  • How to be productive member of society
  • “Things you need to know how to do before you’re 30 (or 25 or 40) or
  • “Organizing Skills You Need to Know Before You’re 30 or 25 or 40″
  • That which we must do to provide for those we love
  • The Next Step
  • Responsibility, goal setting, integrity, maturity, demonstrating self-sufficiency, possessing life skills.
  • How to Grow Up, or Grow Up and Get it Done
  • “You couldn’t wait to grow up! Here is grown up stuff you have to do!”
  • The Art of Being an Adult
  • “Now that you’re ripened! 🤣. or….Now that you’re a big kid….here’s your list of things”
  • Owning It…how to get back your time by getting stuff done
  • “You put your big boy/girl pants on, now what?”

Have I mentioned lately?  I love my community!

The plan is to introduce a topic a week, perhaps requesting input from my community regarding the tips (and even upcoming topics).  These topics will all be a part of being an organized person.

As part of my plan, topics in the near future include “Organized People…

  • work smarter
  • outsource
  • do important stuff by 8 am
  • put things in the same place twice (or more)
  • pack a bag (maybe every day)
  • ignore shiny things and focus on the task in front of them
  • have habits around paying their bills
  • pay their taxes
  • and more!”

I’m looking forward to having some fun and learning a lot in this process, so glad you all are with me!  See you in a week!

How Long Does It Really Take To … (insert task here)

Have you ever noticed?

We either dread what we don’t need to dread,

or

feel rushed when tasks take longer than expected?

How long does it really take to balance your checkbook?  (If you even do that anymore?)  How long does it really take to unload the dishwasher?  Get your oil changed?  Drop off that return item at the post office?  Get a hair cut? Call the doctor?  Come on… be honest…

Not very long, right?  Sometimes the tasks we dread or just don’t feel like doing get INFLATED in our mind, and we assume these dreaded tasks are going to take FOREVER to complete and so we never get around to completing them.  When we finally DO complete these tasks, we realize that they take no time at all.  We spend far more time dreading some tasks than we do completing them.

On the other hand,

We assume the trip to the grocery will only take 20 minutes (which NEVER happens), or that the “quick chat” with a co-worker, or the trip to your friend’s house or favorite restaurant takes no time at all even though you ALWAYS talk longer than you thought, or get stuck in traffic and it ALWAYS takes longer than you think.  Or we forget that going to the grocery also entails carving out 30 minutes when we get home to put everything away and then make a snack.

Let me introduce the idea of Realistic Time  Estimates.  Answer for yourself the question “How Long Does This Task Take?” and stick with that!  Once you realize how long tasks actually take, you will worry and procrastinate less while getting more done!

For example, I used to dread balancing my business’s books at the end of  every month.  I worried it would take hours so I would procrastinate and let my paperwork build up for a month or two.  Ridiculous, I know.  I realized I was self- sabotaging. One month, I spent a couple extra hours and cleaned up my banking and bookkeeping.  I moved everything to Quicken, set my statements  to download automatically from my bank (10 minutes once a month), loaded client info into Paypal to make invoicing easier (10 minutes a month), and streamlined the process for myself.  Now my bookkeeping takes care of itself, I get paid on time and I don’t dread these tasks!

On the other side, I also started setting an alarm in the morning so I didn’t get sidetracked by a pleasant chat with a fellow school parent that could go on too long.

Where else do we need Realistic Time Estimates?  What other time estimates do we skew?  How long will it really take to

  • Get ready for work?  For school? To go out? Drive our usual commute?  And is it ever perfectly smooth?
  • Get dinner on the table?
  • Get the teenager out of bed and functional?
  • Pick up Take-Out?
  • Write my blog article and newsletter this week?
  • Write up that weekly or monthly report?
  • Process our notes and act on our action items from our staff meeting?

This week and this month, take a look at how long your usual tasks ACTUALLY TAKE and determine Realistic Time Estimates.

Set a timer! Set an alarm!  Look around and seek out the tasks you dread for no reason, or the tasks you underestimate and always run over!   Take the steps to create awareness, and adjust your thinking to get your work done!

Got Resolutions? Perhaps We Just Need to Get Back To Normal!

On New Year’s Eve, I was thinking about positive changes to make in the new year.

I found myself saying “Know what? Change is hard.”

Saying it out loud, though, I immediately realized that I was wrong.

No, change isn’t hard.

Sometimes, change is extremely easy.  For example, just a few weeks ago, I was exercising daily and making healthy food choices.  And … then… the holidays happened.  And it is -2 degrees as I type this.  So there are still too many cookies in the house, and our daily walks are on hold until the weather breaks or I get on the treadmill.

While it’s easy to believe the self defeating statement “Change is Hard”, that is all it is – a self-defeating statement lacking truth.

We convince ourselves that “Change is Hard”, and then we set ourselves up for failure by:

  • setting unrealistic Resolutions;
  • starting a new journey without a map or plan;
  • setting the bar too high; 
  • pursuing goals that are not right for us right now;
  • not asking for help; or
  • expecting big change overnight.

But here is the good news – Change doesn’t have to be hard.  And for the New Year, just getting  back to what you are supposed to be doing can be a big step in the right direction.

Start with just getting back on track, whatever that looks like to you.  Let’s leave the bad holiday habits behind.  It’s time to:

  • Get to bed on time;
  • Clear that kitchen counter, and put the snacks out of sight;
  • Take that January list I suggested you make, and add action dates to it; 
  • Curb or stop spending money;
  • Unsubscribe from advertising emails;
  • Stop running around like a crazy person; or
  • Conversely, start moving again and be productive;
  • Clear holiday / all other clutter from surfaces;
  • Log into your on-line banking, and pay those bills;
  • Re-boot your morning meditation / routine / reading hours, etc.;
  • And From My Friends:
    • Use my little elliptical stepper in the evening (SM);
    • Go to the gym with my neighbor / Work out (JM/JH/LB);
    • Eat better (PB/LB);
    • Reduce sugar intake, decrease sugar / artificial sweeteners (LZ / MC);
    • Finding a planner I like and actually use it (LR);
    • Write 3 gratitudes each day, focusing on the positive; (PM)
    • Refocus on work, the Holidays allow a lot of distractions (LB);
    • Start running again! It is just 30 minutes out of my entire day, so no excuses (MO);
    • Spend time regularly to tidy/organize my papers & desk so that it STAYS tidy & organized (MTO);
    • Have fun – so often, I fall in the trap of pursuing accomplishment of various items in my ‘to do’ list that I neglect to devote time to things that are purely enjoyable (SRC).

I am so happy for us!  Know why?

WE KNOW HOW TO DO THIS!  We know what to do.

We know what healthy habits are, and how to re-establish them.

We know how to be productive, we just need to get back to it!

We know how to be good to ourselves, so let’s be good!

This year, let’s start the year with returning to what we know.  How about we review our good habits that may have gotten a little lax over the last month?  Let’s start the year strong, with realistic expectations to build a strong foundation, and then climb from there!

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

If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes.

(Click here to see / hear me read this article on a Facebook Post.)

I have an article half written for publication this week regarding great questions a client asked about menu planning.  But that is not the point of this post.

Fact is, my thoughts on the menu-planning article were pushed away this morning by the recurring mantra “If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes”.  (I googled this quote, to give it and it’s author proper credit, but it is unclear as to who actually coined the phrase.)

“If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes.”

This phrase has been rolling around in my head since last night when I co-taught a class with my friend Mark at the Oak Lawn Public Library on Bullet Journaling.  Bullet Journaling is a great productivity tool, and I promised some of the class participants that I would publish more about it soon.  But that is not the point of this post.

“If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes.”

People don’t attend classes because they want everything in their lives to stay exactly the same. People choose to learn about new things because they want to think or do things differently.

“If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes.”

So, what do you want to change about your life, and what are you willing to do differently to create that change?  Some times, change happens to us from the outside.  Sometimes we are the catalyst for change from inside.  In this instance, I am asking YOU what YOU want to change or make better.

“If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes.”

Last Fall, I was asked to make a really big change, to take on a responsibility that would help my community.  One of my very wise sons asked me 3 questions:

  • “What will change, from day to day, if you take this on?”
    • The answer was “I will have to make room in my schedule for these new responsibilities, but I can and am willing to do make the necessary modifications, to let go of a few roles and responsibilities to make room for this new one.”
  • “What GOOD can you do?”
    • This was the more important question for me.  Yes, this big responsibility might be time consuming and a little intimidating, but the idea of the GOOD that could come from the change was enough to inspire me to act.
  • And, “What did Dad (my husband) say when you told him?”  That one made us both laugh!

Change is exciting and motivating and energizing.  It can also be occasionally terrifying, uncomfortable and paralyzing.  Change can be difficult.

What if the change is the wrong change?

Yes, but what if it’s the right one?

What if change is awkward or hard or uncomfortable?

Yes, but what if it’s not?

“If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes.”

There is an old adage that I read recently, “There are 7 frogs on a log, and one decided to jump. How many are frogs are on the log?”

The answer, of course, is 7.  Until that one frog actually jumps, there are still 7 frogs on the log.  Decision making is important, of course, but real change only comes from Action.

“If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes.”

So, think your thoughts, dream your dreams and make your plans. Then act.

Take that single small first step towards change on your own terms.  Jump off that log.  Because “If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes.”

When Reality Meets the To-Do List: It’s Time To Act!

Last week, I found myself on the phone actually agreeing to a Demolition Date for my kitchen.  

Demo Date.  That’s what it is called.

I arranged for a team of people to come in and disassemble our kitchen as we know it, so it can be reassembled with hardwood floors, new cabinets and appliances, paint and lighting.

I’m very excited about these improvements.  And terrified.  And just a wee bit overwhelmed (especially considering that now the demo date is now just hours away).

In conversation with a friend over the weekend, she mentioned that Saturday was the day “Reality meets the list”.  For a week, she had jotted down ideas, planned, imagined, strategized, categorized, prioritized, etc., but now it was time for action.

As I packed up the kitchen this afternoon, my Reality Met My List, too.  No more planning and lists and thinking.  Now it was time to open the cabinets and finish putting things in boxes and baskets for the next few weeks.

So, if you are working on projects, whether at home or at work, professionally or personally, there comes a moment when we need to implement our plan.  Commit.  Execute.  DO!

Don’t Act Too Early.  
I found myself saying “I leaped before I looked” to my son when I asked him to help me move something while my arms were full of stuff.  So, Act, but don’t Act Too Soon!

On the Other Hand…

Don’t Think Too Long.
Have you heard the term “The Paralysis of Analysis”?  We can overthink something for so long that opportunities pass or situations change before we ever get to act or travel or grow.  My Dad says “Do SOMETHING, even if it’s wrong!”.  I wouldn’t want to be wrong, but the point is to DO something.

See the paint shown to the right?  I want a dark color for the kitchen walls, but I’m a little nervous. So the best way to figure out if we will like it was to buy a sample and paint the wall.  I can wonder all I want, but to make a decision and make progress, we needed ACTION (and I like it!)!

Be Reasonable.
My to-list contains EVERYTHING I need to do, and sometimes I just use it as a dumping place for my ideas and tasks, which means the list for any given day can be ridiculously long and unrealistic.  Putting 28 hours worth of work or tasks on the list for a 24 hour period is dooming myself to failure.

Make the list, but also look at your day and week and month, and determine what you can reasonably get done.

Just Do It. Implementation is Key.
We can plan and discuss and research a topic until we are blue in the face, but without action, it remains just a topic.

And now… I need to go and pack!

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

It’s May! Is Your Head Spinning, Too?

Hooooo boy, it’s May!

May seems like the busiest month of the year for us. Until a few years ago, I thought this was only my opinion, until a wise mom whose children are a little older than mine made the same observation to me.

May brings school picnics and field trips, weddings, graduations, concerts and end-of-the-school-year award events.  The school year is wrapping up, but we still have finals!  And as some activities wind down, others are gaining speed!
We have family members gearing up for house sales and moving.  We’re looking at camps and activities, and making summer travel plans with a college reunion, work conference, house guests, and weekends away.

And all this on top of – Oh Right! – the activities of daily living.

So, if you feel like your head is spinning this month, too – and it’s only the first week! – take a few moments today or tomorrow to make some plans, take care of business and set yourself up to have a great and busy May!

Here are a few ways to succeed:

  • Maintain your healthy habits.  When we are the busiest and want to skip our daily exercise,good night’s sleep or healthy eating is just when we need most to keep up!
  • Grab your calendar, pull up a seat and make a plan. Make sure all your events and responsibilities are listed.  Look ahead and take care of scheduling snags now instead of waiting until later!  (For example, 3 cars for 4 drivers and the teenager has job training this Thursday.  Time to get creative, now instead of Thursday!)
  • Pare Down. Review your To-Do list, and move everything that doesn’t absolutely have to be done right now to a different day, week or month .  Make notes for next month, when the schedule loosens up.
  • Review your upcoming events or responsibilities, and note the details and the other follow-up steps!  Jot down place and time of course, but the other steps, too!  For example, we received an invitation to a graduation party out of town and we will be unable to attend.  You and I know our job is not done when we RSVP – there is a card and gift to purchase and mail.  Add those shopping items and errands-to-run to the Master To-Do List so we don’t forget!
  • Run through the wardrobe options with EVERYONE!  Graduation? First Communion?  End of Year Concert?  Make sure NOW that the dress shoes still fit, the suit jacket isn’t stained, the favorite tie is back from the cleaner, etc.
  • “Hooray, You Did It!” x 10!  Remember Christmas?  And how you have a few extra hostess gifts stashed, or generic greeting cards and gift cards?  Same idea, stock up on some gender neutral “Hooray, You Did It!” cards, gift cards, and bottles of wine for Just In Case.
  • Be Grateful, too.    In addition to the congratulations cards, grab a handful of Thank You Notes for teachers, car-pool buddies, coaches, etc.
  • Reach Out and Touch Someone.  Go ahead and make your appointments:  hair cuts, carpet cleaning, cholesterol screening, camp physical, summer dentist appointments – the list is endless.  Make the calls this week (before everyone else does), and note the events on your calendar.
  • Enjoy! The whole point of this super busy month is to celebrate all of life’s events!  Celebrate!