Music to declutter by
In my newsletter, which goes out today, I mention the power of focus and how by setting a timer for a short period of time, I can get a lot done. (This is a refrain here on the blog too). I also mentioned that sometimes instead of (or in addition to) a timer, I’ll play a playlist of songs that ends after a set period of time.
Filed under: Organizing Sharing || Tagged with: 15 minutes, declutter happy hour, decluttering, motivation, music
Changing lives
Last night I heard a great NSGCD teleclass called “Strategies for Becoming an Effective Change Agent,” given by my friend Janine Sarna-Jones, CPO® of Organize Me in New York City.
Filed under: Organizing Ranting-and-Raving || Tagged with: change agent, janine sarna-jones, motivation, nsgcd
Closing out 2008
As I posted a week ago, I love the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Traditionally, it’s the week that I get my ducks in a row, plan for the coming year and basically get my act together.
Filed under: Organizing Ranting-and-Raving || Tagged with: goals, holidays, jennifer hofmann, motivation, planning, spa day
A full day's work in half a day
Even though I’m not going anywhere or doing much for Christmas (besides being a dinner guest), I woke up this morning thinking, “Hey it’s Christmas Eve Day. I don’t want to work.” So I decided to take a half day off.
Filed under: Organizing Living || Tagged with: motivation, time management
Spa Day report: Simultaneously calming and energizing
As I mentioned on Friday, I eagerly anticipated the Extra Special Holiday Spa Day at Inspired Home Office, which I participated in on Saturday. I thought I’d report on this very cool experience.
Filed under: Organizing Ranting-and-Raving || Tagged with: decluttering, havi brooks, jennifer hofmann, motivation, spa day
"The simplest time management method"
I’ve written here before about my love of Mark Forster’s book Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management (there’s a link to the book on the right hand column of my blog). For at least a year now, I’ve been working on integrating elements of his system into my life. One of those elements is to create a “will-do” list of tasks that I actually expect to accomplish on a given day. These are individual tasks, as well as daily tasks like responding to yesterday’s email, voicemail and snail mail.
Filed under: Organizing Ranting-and-Raving || Tagged with: mark forster, motivation, time management
A pocket of order
This week, as part of my Level III certification program through the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, I analyzed the book Making Peace with the Things in Your Life, by Cindy Glovinsky (link at right).
Filed under: Organizing Ranting-and-Raving || Tagged with: cindy glovinsky, clutter, decluttering, disorder, motivation
Lace knitting: Not unlike organizing
Last night, as I worked on the Estonian Garden Wrap, a seemingly complicated and sort of overwhelming (for this novice lace knitter) knitting pattern, I realized that broken down to its simplest elements, it’s really pretty easy. And that’s not unlike any overwhelming project, like getting organized. Let me explain.
Filed under: Organizing Knitting || Tagged with: decluttering, empowerment, knitting, lace, motivation, perfectionism, productivity
Creating a vision
Whenever I start working with a client, we talk about the vision they have for the space. I’m not talking about specifics like furniture placement. I want to know what the client is hoping to experience in the room, the feeling that she wants to get from the space. I ask the client to close her eyes and really feel it.
Filed under: Organizing Living || Tagged with: decluttering, focus, motivation, productivity
I hate breaking the chain!
My point: I didn’t clear off my desk yesterday before ending the work day. The reason is that end of the work day didn’t involve my desk. But still, it was a shock to arrive at my desk this morning and see some clutter on it. The worse part is that it was very little clutter—it would have literally taken about 60 seconds or less to put everything away.
Filed under: Organizing Living || Tagged with: accountability, clean desk, desk, don't break the chain, ikea, motivation, sally brown
Life is what you make it
On my way to a client’s house this morning, listening to NPR, I heard a story that made the hairs stand up on my neck. It was a story on Morning Edition about Larry Woodard, a Dallas, Texas, man who was falsely convicted of raping and murdering his girlfriend. He languished in prison for 27 years, all the while writing letters asserting his innocence and requesting re-investigation of the case.
Filed under: Sharing Living || Tagged with: attitude, balance, empowerment, motivation
A habit is born
As I’ve endlessly documented in this blog, I vowed this year to form the habit of clearing my desk at the end of each work day. The idea was that I would start work each morning with a clear desk, a clear mind, and major productivity. It’s something that I’ve strived for for decades and never been able to achieve.
Filed under: Organizing Ranting-and-Raving || Tagged with: accountability, clean desk, desk, don't break the chain, motivation, productivity
The amazing power of a clean desktop
The habit I’ve been trying to instill with the Don’t Break the Chain method that I wrote about in a recent post is clearing my desktop at the end of the workday.
Filed under: Organizing Living || Tagged with: accountability, clean desk, decluttering, desk, don't break the chain, goals, habits, motivation, productivity, time management, workspace
"Don't Break the Chain"
As part of my new emphasis on time management this year, I started off the new year by checking out some productivity blogs. I came across this great post on the wonderful blog Lifehacker that introduced to me a concept that in just a few short days has really had an impact on me.
Filed under: Ranting-and-Raving Organizing || Tagged with: clean desk, don't break the chain, goals, habits, motivation, time management
