Peace of Mind Organizing

The R word

21 October 2008

Sometimes I feel like a broken record when I write here (or in my newsletter) about the importance of routines. It’s just that I’m reminded very frequently about how much of an impact they can have on order, productivity and overall peace of mind.

My crazy travel and conference-going schedule of late really brought that to home. It started on September 18, when I went to Portland for a conference, returned to St. Louis for a conference, went to Chicago for a trade show and then immediately went to Walla Walla, Washington, to visit family. I returned a week ago and am still struggling to get back to normal.

Until now, I’ve been proud of my ability to post frequently (at least four times a week most weeks) to this blog. I’d worked it into my daily routine. Most days I would blog before I left the house to walk my dogs. I loved getting it out of the way and didn’t want it hanging over my head. Because I was posting so frequently, new ideas for blog posts would occur to me all the time. I’d jot them down (or use Jott.com to email them to myself if they occurred to me when I was driving) and toss the note into my “blog ideas” file.

But my travel threw me for a loop. After I got home, I was getting up later (the fact that it gets light so late isn’t helping) and just not posting first thing in my morning. With blogging out of my daily routine, my mind didn’t seem to be on the constant lookout for ideas. So when I’d think about blogging, I didn’t feel like I had anything to say. And, believe me, that’s the bane of the blogger.

So this week, I’m going to try really hard to blog Monday through Friday. It’s clear that I’m not back into the first-thing-in-the-morning routine, since I’m writing this at 4:30 p.m. But I’m going to give that a shot, too.

I will say this about routines, though. Those that are ingrained into me came right back upon my return. I’m clearing off my desk at the end of every work day (hooray!), still running the dishwasher every night and emptying it every morning, still wiping down the bathroom fixtures every morning. Just those things adds some semblance of order to my home and life and for that I’m really grateful.

Routines are powerful. Routines work. Routines help you do once-annoying chores without even thinking about them (let alone being annoyed by them). If you’re not tapping into the power of routines, I encourage you to do so. Websites like Don’t Break the Chain and Joe’s Goals can help you form some routines.

While you do that, I’ll be trying to reestablish some routines and create some new ones. First routine: resume morning (or at least weekday) blogging.

My latest toy

20 October 2008

I know that new technology is supposed to enhance productivity. That’s usually why I buy it. But if you’ve ever purchased a new computer, you know that setting up and getting used to the new technology can really eat up time.

I bought some new technology last Friday and it’s really hampered my productivity. Not because it’s been tough to set up (it hasn’t), but because it’s so darn fun. Yep, I bought the second-generation iPod Touch. When he introduced it last month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs called it “The Funnest iPod ever.” He’s right. I really liked my old classic iPod (it’s my second). But this one is way funner, if you’ll pardon the grammar.

Here’s a photo (from Apple’s website):

But fun isn’t why I bought it. Really. The iPod Touch is pretty much just like the elegant iPhone, without the phone or the camera. I like my Samsung T629 slide phone and I like my cell phone provider, T-Mobile, and wasn’t willing to switch to AT&T. What I wanted was not to replace my phone, but rather to replace my Palm TX handheld, which had stopped being willing to sync with my computer.

With the iPod Touch, I can carry with me my calendar and contacts, which sync automatically from my MacBook, through my home’s wireless network. So if I add an appointment either on my computer or on my iPod (say, at a client’s home), it automatically syncs to the other device. No longer will I be rushing to sync as I’m supposed to be walking out the door. It’s a great thing.

I was able to effortlessly import all my data from Palm Desktop, so there was no time lost there. So how has my new technology hampered my productivity? It’s all about the apps, baby. The iPhone apps you’ve read about also work on the iPod Touch, so I’ve been busy searching the app store for useful (and/or fun) applications to download right into my little iPod Touch. I have my coveted knitting row counter (called StitchMinder); a memory game (Matches Plus); a dice game (Five Dice), that allows me to shake the iPod to roll the dice; and the popular restaurant finder, Urbanspoon. I know there’s much more to come.

Once the iPod Touch starts enhancing my productivity, as I know it will, I’ll write about it here.

Easing back into real life

14 October 2008

I’m home from my latest trip. And I’m here to stay for awhile! It’s nice to be back sleeping in my own bed, though I’m feeling a little foggy. I blame Pip, my standard poodle, who had me up in the night several times last night needing to go out.

While I enjoyed my various trips and conferences (three trips, two conferences, one trade show and vacation with family), being away so much is throwing me off my game. I feel a bit as if I don’t know which end is up.

I always have difficulty with reentry when I’ve been traveling and it’s because it it takes me a little while to get back into my daily routines. It really emphasizes the power of routines.

I took care of some essentials today, but tomorrow I’ll shake the cobwebs out of my head and really go to town with my to-do list. I’m going to do some big-picture brainstorming and get a handle on what I need to be doing. I feel as though I’ve my business on hold to a certain extent and it’s time to dive back in. And that includes daily blogging. Watch this space!

This is relevant to nothing, but since I have this picture in my computer, I have to share. It’s my niece, Miranda, and nephew, Taylor, sitting in the rumble seat of the Model A Ford, owned by my aunt, Gwen Gerow. This was right before they left for a ride around Walla Walla. (The photo was taken by their father, Larry.)

That's the way to travel!

Hello from Walla Walla

10 October 2008

Yesterday, I wrote a long (and trust me, really well written) blog post about my hometown of Walla Walla, Washington, where I am right now visiting family. It went on about the Norman Rockwellian nature of this town, which often seems like the land that time forgot.

But then I lost my internet connection and unwittingly lost my glorious post before I could upload it. Poof.

I’ll summarize by saying that I’m having a lovely time with my parents, brothers, sister-in-law, niece and nephew. One set of the family, my brother Larry, his wife Margaret, and kids Miranda and Taylor, live in Australia, so it’s a rare treat to spend time with them. We’re participating in wholesome family activities, like playing cards. That’s my idea of a good time.

Here’s a photo of Miranda and Taylor wearing t-shirts I brought them from my friend Sally Brown’s t-shirt company, Roll Over Rover.

My niece, Miranda, and nephew, Taylor, in their Roll Over Rover t-shirts

My husband Barry is coming in this afternoon, along with our friend, Jim, who is also a good friend of my brother and his family. In the days ahead, we have a family talent show to look forward to (and prepare for), a birthday party, bowling, and (I fervently hope), some quality time at some tasting rooms. Walla Walla is a now a wine-making mecca, with some really delicious wines.

We return on Monday evening. After that, I’ll get back into the swing of regular blogging. And regular living and working. I’ve done little but travel or be in conferences for the last month and I’m looking forward to getting back to real life.

It's t-shirt time again

3 October 2008

I leave this morning for Chicago, where I’m going to staff my friend Sally’s booth at the H.H. Backer Christmas Trade Show. Sally is the creative and business genius behind Roll Over Rover, a company that sells design-conscious apparel for dog lovers. Sally’s illustrations are whimsical and sophisticated. I’m a proud booster.

Last May, I went to Baltimore to help Sally at the smaller HH Backer spring trade show. If you’re a pet lover, like I am, it’s great fun to see the latest and greatest pet products (though the show isn’t open to the public, just product retailers and wholesalers). There will be 834 exhibitors. That’s a lot of pet stuff.

Back on Monday for the afternoon, then I take off in the morning for Walla Walla.

S-L-O-W down

2 October 2008

Yesterday’s Oprah show revolved around the theme of slowing down. It featured the tragic story of Brenda Slaby, a Chicago educator and mom who forgot her sleeping two-year-old daughter was in the car and left her there for eight hours last August. The child died. We relived that experience with the guilt-ridden mother. Such a sad, sad story.

Oprah’s message was that people, particularly mothers, are overwhelmed and running a mile a minute, putting themselves and their children at risk. I think this is a valuable message. If we don’t take time to actually live consciously and to take care of ourselves, we can’t take care of others.

I met this week with a successful business owner who routinely stays up until 3 a.m. After just three or four hours sleep, she gets up and starts all over again. She’s exhausted. We talked about her perfectionist tendencies which make her inclined to stay up and keep working until everything is done perfectly. And we talked about some low-consequence activities she might be able to experiment with allowing to remain imperfect.

When I told her my policy is that I don’t work after dark, she looked at me in wonderment and said, “And you’re successful.” She thought the only way to be successful was to work all her waking hours. I encouraged her to examine her definition of success and allow herself to allow working less to be a measure of success.

If you’re someone who is so stressed that you could see accidentally endangering a family member or someone who’s working so hard you never even see your family, I encourage you to slow down, take time for yourself, and lighten up that to-do list. One of Oprah’s guests, Norman Fischer, a zen teacher, encouraged viewers to get up a half hour early to meditate. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Personally, I don’t meditate (though I’ve taken meditation classes). But I do knit. What I love about knitting is that it forces me to slow down. It’s not easy to knit unless you’re sitting down. Some knitting requires more focus than others, but the act of knitting is a bit like meditation to me.

My advice? Take time for yourself. Do something pleasurable like knitting, running, taking a bubble bath, meeting a friend for coffee, or stroking your cat. Allow your brain to rejuvenate on a regular basis. And please, please don’t feel guilty about it.

Fluent Self: Blog of the Week

1 October 2008

This week’s blog of the week can help you get unstuck. I first learned about habits guru Havi Brooks from my friend and life coach, Shannon Wilkinson, who is taking the Self Promotion for Wimps course taught by Havi and Naomi Dunford.

Havi’s Fluent Self Blog, which she characterizes as a habits blog for people who need destuckification, is a fun read. Havi is irreverent, smart-alecky and insightful. Yesterday’s post, about how she named her business both inspired me and kept me on the edge of my seat.

Havi is a coach whom you could hire to identify your patterns and rework them if you’re stuck. I get the feeling that she’s fabulous at it. If you don’t need full-on one-one coaching, though, her blog can give you insights and inspiration to work on your habits, keep you going, and perhaps get unstuck.

And, besides, what’s not to love about a person who advises, “When in doubt, take a nap”?