The value of the to-do list
Yesterday I blogged about how I couldn’t get anything done. The basic culprit was fatigue from attending back-to-back conferences and sleep deprivation from a needy poodle. But after a good night’s sleep and a little reflection, I identified another reason for yesterday’s lack of focus: I didn’t have a to-do list.
Filed under: Organizing Living || Tagged with: mark forster, productivity, time management, to-do list
All talked out
My back-to-back conference hopping in the past 10 days has plum worn me out.
Filed under: Living Organizing || Tagged with: gwa, nsgcd, productivity, self-care
More publicity for the organizing profession
I’m lucky enough to have an accountability partner in another state. She’s Betty Huotari, of Logical Placement, the president of the Southeast Michigan chapter of NAPO. We’d met at the NAPO national conference in the past, and this year, when the audience was encouraged by speaker Lisa Montanaro to have accountability partners to keep each other on track with our goals, Betty approached me about working together. We talk once a month or so and it’s been great.
Filed under: Organizing Ranting-and-Raving || Tagged with: add, betty huotari, hoarding, press, sheila mccurdy, st. louis behavioral medicine institute
Shopping nirvana
I had a day yesterday that was absolute heaven. My friend, Geralin Thomas, who among other things does wardrobe consulting, is in town for the annual conference of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization. She came in a day early, arriving at 8 a.m. yesterday morning, to see me and to do some wardrobe organizing and enhancing.
Filed under: Ranting-and-Raving Organizing || Tagged with: aby garvey, closets, geralin thomas, shopping, wardrobe
Watch that laptop!
I’m typing this from the Las Vegas airport en route home to St. Louis. (Man, do I hate the Las Vegas airport…it’s hard to find any peace with all the slot machines and so forth. Plus it doesn’t appear you can even purchase a wifi connection.) Anyway, I just heard this announcement, “Attention, Marge Simpson [I changed the name], please return to security. You picked up the wrong computer.” Gulp. They made that announcement twice, then made another one asking her to pick up a white courtesy phone and call the operator.
Filed under: Living Organizing || Tagged with: travel
Networking in PDX
As I mentioned last week, I’m in Portland for the Garden Writers Association’s annual symposium. On Friday morning, I met with two Portland-area organizers and bloggers (both of whom have blogs that have been my blog of the week), Krista Colvin of Organize in Style and Brandie Kajino, The Home Office Organizer. Here’s a picture of Krista, Brandie, and me, taken by my fabulous friend and life coach, Shannon Wilkinson, who joined us.
Filed under: Organizing Sharing || Tagged with: blog of the week, brandie kajino, garden writers association, krista colvin, shannon wilkinson
Check out these productivity tips
This morning I read this interview with Gina Trapani, the lead editor of Lifehacker on Zen Habits. It’s an interesting interview. In addition to the many posts a day Trapani writes for Lifehacker, she’s the author of a paper version. Her book, which is now in a second edition called Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better is a compendium from the best hacks from Lifehacker.com. I haven’t read it yet, but I do believe I’ll be purchasing it.
Filed under: Organizing Ranting-and-Raving || Tagged with: email, lifehacker, mark forster, productivity, time management, zen habits
Off to Portland!
I’m leaving today on a 7:30 a.m. flight to Portland, Oregon, where I’ll attend the annual educational symposium of the Garden Writers Association. I’ve been going to these conferences every year since 1989 (I think I’ve missed three in 20 years) and even though I no longer make my living by writing and have never been a gardener, I continue to go. (I started attending when I worked in PR at the Missouri Botanical Garden.)
Filed under: Living Speaking || Tagged with: garden writers association, travel
The Home Office Organizer: Blog of the Week
On Wednesdays, I highlight a blog of the week, which is usually about organizing (though sometimes I stray). This week’s blog of the week is definitely about organizing. It’s organizer Brandie Kajino’s blog, The Home Office Organizer.
Filed under: Organizing Ranting-and-Raving || Tagged with: blog of the week, blogs, brandie kajino, krista colvin, o myth
My last afghan squares
Several weeks ago, I blogged about my sprint toward the finish line of the Knitting Olympics, where I almost achieved my goal of completing my “Learn to Knit Afghan” during the Summer Olympics. I did complete all the squares by the Sunday the Olympics ended, but the truth of the matter is that I had to re-knit the last two squar
Filed under: Knitting Living || Tagged with: knitting olympics, learn to knit afghan
Regaining control
I wrote on Friday about how my house had become cluttered and messy over the past couple of weeks of whirlwind activity and how I had feet of lead when I thought about doing anything about it. I ended that post with “I hope to report on Monday that my life and business are back in order and that I’m feeling clutter-free and empowered!”
Filed under: Living Organizing || Tagged with: clutter, disorder, empowerment, gwa, mark forster, productivity
The power of clutter
As I posted on Monday I had a crazy-busy week last week, leading a team of five other organizers to help a client get his house cleared out. This week, I’ve been doing follow up on that job. There’s been a certain amount of paperwork associated with it. And I had a NAPO St. Louis chapter meeting this week, which always generates paper.
Filed under: Living Speaking || Tagged with: clutter, disorder, gwa, nsgcd
The Lori Hall Steele Fundraiser Blog: Blog of the Week
This week’s blog of the week is very different from the organizing blogs I usually highlight.
This blog is raising money for a freelance writer named Lori Hall Steele, a talented writer who is a part of the same online freelance community I belong to, Freelance Success.
Filed under: Living Sharing || Tagged with: blog of the week
I'm quoted in a national magazine
The current issue of Arthritis Today, the consumer health publication (available on newsstands) that’s published by the Arthritis Foundation, includes an article by Sharon Ann Waldrop, on six tips to control clutter. In addition to two from me, it features tips by several professional organizers, including Jill Graham of Operation Organize! in Arizona and Rosemary Chieppo of Born to Organize in Connecticut.
Filed under: Organizing Sharing || Tagged with: arthritis today, decluttering, press
Too pooped to blog
Last week I worked on an intensive multi-day, multi-organizer project. I was on my feet for eight hours at a time and when I got home I pretty much did nothing but eat and sleep (and drink wine). I didn’t even knit!
Filed under: Living Sharing || Tagged with: andrew sullivan, chuckles, dogs, freelance success
A must-listen interview with Julie Morgenstern
Organizing guru Julie Morgenstern is all over the place promoting her new book When Organizing Isn’t Enough: SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life . I haven’t read it yet, though I’ve read some interviews, including one here at Unclutterer . After I read the Unclutterer interview, I went to my library’s website and asked for the book to be sent to my branch when it’s available, so I can check it out
Filed under: Organizing Ranting-and-Raving || Tagged with: aby garvey, books, decluttering, julie morgenstern, unclutterer
Healed!
Just one week ago today, I sat at this computer miserable because my face was all scraped up from a fall.
