Peace of Mind Organizing

Letting routines help me get my mojo back

26 September 2011

I’m a huge believer in the value of routines. They keep my life running smoothly. But right now, my routines are all messed up. I was away for a week, attending the ICD conference. Then I was home for four days and too busy to focus on my surroundings. Then I left home for a lovely, relaxing weekend in Nashville with friends.

I’m writing this from the hotel in Nashville, anticipating going home. Unfortunately, I left my office in such disarray that it looks like I need the help of a professional organizer. Serious, long-term help. The place is a wreck. I’d love to tackle it as soon as I get home. But I have some urgent items on my to-do list, like finalizing a talk I’m giving in two days. And finishing up a new Organizing Guide (on Bingo!) that I want to offer.

But I know the minute I step into the office it’s going to really bug me. Like many of my clients, I feel myself falling into the trap of feeling like I need to put aside a half day or more to do the job justice. But of course that’s not necessary. If I simply set my timer for 15, or perhaps 30, minutes, I’ll create enough order to give myself peace of mind. It’d be nice to do a thorough sprucing up. But all I need is a modicum of order to get my sanity back. I can always snatch pockets of time to keep working on it throughout the week.

The other key to recapturing and maintaining my sanity will be to get back in the groove of my routines. For me, that means clearing off my desk every night, as well as beating my email back into submission and maintaining inbox zero daily I also need to get back into my morning exercise routine. And daily litter-box and yard-scooping. Those habits are so ingrained that it should be easy to get back into them. And it’s amazing how much I miss them when I’m away (well, maybe not the poop scooping).

If you’re interested in learning more from me about the value of habits and routines, you can sign up for my online workshop at simplify 101, Simplify Your Life with Habits + Routines, which starts October 4. It’s chock full of advice on creating good habits and routines and letting go of bad ones. The secret sauce of these workshops is the online forums for participants only. I’ll be there to answer questions and provide support. (And the other participants fulfill that role too!) At only $59, I think it’s a real bargain.

Taking time out for some fun

23 September 2011

I’ve been traveling and working hard these last couple of weeks. I was in Raleigh, N.C. to attend the Institute for Challenging Disorganization’s annual conference which was, in a word, fantastic. (If somewhat exhausting.)

I took a couple of days before that to hang out and shop with my friend, Geralin Thomas, which was amazing. (Thank you, Geralin, for your week-long hospitality!)

Then I came home and hit the ground running, working and trying to catch up. And today I’m leaving again.

After I attend Harold L. Taylor’s time-management seminar sponsored by NAPO St. Louis this morning, I head to the airport to travel to Nashville to have some more quality hanging out time.

I’ll be with three buddies from college. Two of us (and I’m not one of them) will be running a half marathon. Two of us will be at the finish line cheering them on. We have no other plans besides catching up and enjoying one another’s company.

Earlier this week, the fact that I was leaving again so soon felt like planning insanity. But this morning, in spite of the fact that I need to leave in an hour and haven’t showered or packed, I’m delighted.

Because it’s important to take time out for ourselves. It’s important to have the chance to catch up with long-standing friends. (At my age, I don’t say “old friends” anymore.) If I focused on all the work I have to get done and just kept on that hamster wheel, I wouldn’t be very happy. Or fun.

When I get back on Monday, I have a very full week. But I’ll be better for having taken some time off. I hope you have as great a weekend as I plan to have!

Free taste of a Simplify 101 workshop!

12 September 2011

As I announced a couple of weeks ago, I’m going to be teaching an online workshop for Simplify 101 called Simplify Your Life with Habits + Routines. It’s going to be a terrific workshop that will help you learn how to create great habits and routines so that you can live the life you want to lead.

If you’re tempted to take my workshop but hesitant because you’ve never experienced an online workshop or you don’t know what Simplify 101’s online workshops are all about, I’ve got good news.

Simplify 101 is offering a free week of their Organize Your Paper Clutter workshop!

Simply sign up here by Wednesday and you’ll get the first week of the workshop free. The free week runs from Thursday, September 15 to Wednesday, September 21. If you want to continue with the workshop, you’ll need to register and pay for it. If you don’t, just do nothing and you’ll be automatically dropped.

This free taste will give you the chance to see the same great components of the Simplify 101 online workshop experience that you’ll get in my habits + routines workshop.

Aby Garvey, the organizing expert behind Simplify 101, has written a blog post about the free sample lesson. In it, she outlines what goes into a Simplify 101 workshop:

• Convenience: Learn valuable organization techniques from the comfort of your own home, at a schedule and pace that works for you and your family.

• Quality Content: Receive downloadable lessons with color photography, online materials, and high-quality audio to reinforce each exercise.

• Simplicity: Each concept is structured in small, straightforward steps that can be easily tackled.

• Value: Get the benefit of an in-home organizing expert at a fraction of the cost.

• Creativity: Incorporate your own personal style and ideas into your organizing solutions.

• Community: Receive inspiration from the ideas, support, and successes of other students in your class, and benefit from the expertise of a knowledgeable, results-oriented instructor.

• Satisfaction: Enjoy the gratification that comes from doing your own projects. You’ll take control of your life, add creative touches, and bring about positive, empowering change in your home and life.

Doesn’t that sound great? All that for only $59 for my workshop. Act quickly to get in on the free week. And if you like the experience, think about joining Simplify Your Life with Habits + Routines. I’d love to see you there!

When worlds collide (in a good way)

8 September 2011

I was helping a client clear off the top of the desk in her home office. It was one of those desks where stuff gets added over the years but very little gets subtracted. I love those jobs because it’s kind of a time capsule. And, often, we find fun stuff.

As I was going through the bits of paper and notes, I came across this note, which made me smile:

I’m used to seeing notes with my name on them in my clients’ stuff, because, typically, they’ve written down my name and business name and phone number as they think about hiring a professional organizer.

But this note had my name and the title of my first book! It came out in 2000 and has been out of print for years. My client confessed that she never bought the book, but read a review and thought she might. That just tickled me.

It reminds me of another time when I was helping a client clean out her files and we came across the adoption packet she got when she adopted a dog years before from a rescue group. Nestled among the papers given her by the group was an article I’d written for Family Circle about vaccinations for pets. That made me very happy, particularly since the article advocated less frequent vaccinations, which is one of my passions.

I love my work!

The case against "Fake it 'til you make it"

5 September 2011

I was talking with another professional organizer, Aimee Krummenacher the other day and we were reflecting on how the catch phrase “fake it ‘til you make it” just doesn’t ring true for us.

We agreed that people respond to authenticity. Acting like you have experience or expertise that you don’t have may seem like a good idea when you’re first starting out. But I think it’s stressful. And it doesn’t really benefit anyone.

When you start out in a new field, it can be hard to be confident and recognize your value when you lack experience. I know I felt that conflict when I first started my organizing business, back in 2005. But I also recognized that I was not at my best when I was not being authentic. So I stopped trying to pretend I had more experience than I had and just went with honesty. At the very beginning, my organizing expertise was derived from my own experience or my experience helping friends. And that’s okay.

Of course, as time went on, I didn’t have to worry about faking experience. And certainly I’ve gained expertise through my education and training as well as experience working with clients.

Even now, sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s best to present myself as I am, not as I think people want me to be. That means:

• I let people know I’m messy
• I’m not shy about telling people about my part-time job at the International Institute
• If I backslide on habits, I admit it
• I tell folks how much I benefit from the help of other professional organizers
• I admit that sometimes I don’t always follow my own advice.

I’m honest with clients in person and I feel free to chronicle my foibles here on my blog.

For me, there’s nothing worse then being inauthentic. If I’m presenting myself authentically a potential client may discover that I’m not the best organizer for her (or him). And that’s perfectly okay. It’s much better than their feeling deceived!

Very excited: My new habits + routines workshop for Simplify 101

31 August 2011

I can barely contain my excitement: I can finally announce that I’ll be teaching a fun online workshop for Simplify 101 called Simplify Your Life with Habits + Routines! The workshop will be offered October 4 through November 1. You can sign up now and get early-bird pricing through September 8.

Simplify 101 is owned and run by the dynamic duo of Aby and Jay Garvey. In case you’re not one of Aby’s bazillion fans, I’ll tell you that they’ve been running these tremendous online workshops for several years now. The workshops consist of lessons, released weekly during the course of the workshop, as well as access to online forums where you can interact with classmates from around the world, as well as with the instructor. The lessons are offered in written as well as audio form.

I’m here to tell you that quality control is high. Aby and I have been working together for months on the lessons. (I wrote them with fabulous input from Aby.) I had the pleasure of recording all the lessons at their in-office studio (it really was kind of fun), earlier this month. And I’m very excited to participate in the forums with the students in October.

I’m also excited about the topic. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that I’m all about habits and routines. They’ve made my life easier. (And I crave ease.) In this three-lesson workshop, I’ll be helping students identify good habits they already have, ones they’d like to create, and linking habits together to form simple routines. I’ll also be helping students let go of habits that are less desirable.

I’m extremely flattered because I’m the first guest instructor for a Simplify 101 workshop. In other words, I’m the first non-Aby instructor. I appreciate the faith that Aby, who’s a good friend of mine, has placed in me.

Hop on over to Aby’s website to learn more.

P.S. While you’re over there, be sure to check out Aby’s blog, Creative Organizing, which was voted Best Organizing Blog in 2010. You’ll see why.

Balance: $0.00

24 August 2011

When I started Peace of Mind Organizing in 2005, I wasn’t afraid of investing in it. Organizing is a fairly low-overhead business, but I was interested in getting lots of training and benefitting from attending educational conferences with my peers. A look at my credentials page can give you an idea of how I spent money on my business and professional development.

Trouble was, I didn’t really have the money to spend. So I accumulated credit card debt. Over the years, I ended up with three business credit cards. Once I stopped investing so heavily in the business, it was time to set my sights to paying off that debt.

I’ll never forget when my wise friend, Shannon Wilkinson advised me at the beginning of 2010 that the best way I could invest in my business (at that point in my business’s development) was to not spend money, but rather apply it to the credit card bills. That really resonated with me.

So I went to Bankrate.com and I used their credit-card debt calculator to come up with a schedule for paying off my credit cards by September 2011. I started by paying off the card with the highest interest rate first. I knew exactly how much I had to pay to each credit card each month, on top of whatever I’d put on a card that month. According to the plan, I would pay off the card with the highest interest rate first, then the next and so on.

And, glory be, I was able to stick to the schedule! I even finished a little ahead of schedule. Last week, I paid off the third (and last) credit card. It’s an indescribable feeling of achievement and relief for me.

Now that I’ve paid off the cards, the next step is to accrue some savings.

I’ve had emotional money issues all my life, so this feels nothing short of a miracle to me. If you feel like you’re in debt and you’ll never get out, please know I felt that way too. And if I can do it, so can you!